Mental Health

Depression can be debilitating at times; feelings of hopelessness, extreme fatigue, and lack of motivation can negatively affect everyday life. If you’ve been struggling with depression, you may find it difficult to even get out of bed every morning. In turn, you may believe that staying inside, missing out on events you used to enjoy, and withdrawing to yourself is what’s best for you. Despite your beliefs, the opposite is true – when it comes to depression, you really need to surround yourself with people who love and support you as well as engage in activities to get you involved in life. One of the best ways to do this is through exercise. A 2014 piece published in the interdisciplinary journal “Disability and Rehabilitation” emphasized that exercise can provide several benefits, including:

According to USA Today, singer Mariah Carey recently disclosed to the public that she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a disorder which causes shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily functions. The disorder typically consists of symptoms stemming from mania or depression; mania is characterized as having feelings of being “on top of the world” and having a lot of energy without the need for much sleep, while depressive episodes involve much fatigue and feelings of hopelessness. While celebrities have become more open about their mental health, Mariah Carey is one that hopes to pave a path for more openness and understanding. In 2001, it was told by People Magazine that Mariah Carey first received her diagnosis in 2001 after being hospitalized for having a physical and mental breakdown. The superstar stated that she didn’t want to believe it at first, and that she had a hard couple of years leading up to the diagnosis. She explained, “Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me. It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn’t do that anymore.” Mariah Carey explained that she has been diagnosed with bipolar II disorder, which means that she often experiences depressive phases as well as hypomania, which is less severe than manic episodes but may still involve irritability, restlessness, and hyperactivity. She expressed that her medication is helping her find balance, but that her periods of mania before she was diagnosed were considered by her to be a sleeping disorder. She stated, “…It wasn’t normal insomnia and I wasn’t lying awake counting sheep. I was working and working and working…Eventually I would just hit a wall.” Carey’s ex-husband, Nick Cannon, has expressed his pride in how far she has come as she continues to find strength despite her struggles. He explained that Mariah has found dignity and grace even amongst paparazzi and being a focal point to the public eye. It’s clear to see that celebrities experience mental illness, too – what other celebrities have been diagnosed with BPD? Demi Lovato, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Carrie Fisher are just a few who have also sought recovery after being diagnosed.

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) involves an over-inflated sense of self, a lack of empathy for other people, and a general sense of self-importance. There are two branches that have been accepted with NPD: grandiose and vulnerable. Grandiose NPD is the most commonly known type and involves having a very high sense of self-esteem with a demand for respect and adoration. Many people with NPD are viewed as being “cold”, with a barrier placed around them from others. One less known type of NPD, vulnerable NPD, is a little less known but is still as important. Vulnerable NPD often goes undiscussed because it is the more “quiet” of the two; people with this disorder are unlike their grandiose counterparts as they may come off as shyer or more reserved. Individuals with vulnerable NPD are often highly sensitive to others’ criticisms and emotional reactions but may be burdened by persistent feelings of loneliness. If you have vulnerable NPD, you may tend to act disinterested, bored, condescending, or judgmental around others to get them to engage with you without you having to speak with them directly. While you may have an inflated sense of self-importance, this high self-esteem can easily come crashing down in moments where you experience the loss of a job, a poor performance evaluation at work, etc. Social media is often a big platform for those with this type of disorder, as they display their lives through tools such as Facebook or Instagram. Those with vulnerable NPD often behave as though they’re underappreciated or underrated, despite their achievements and recognitions. In addition, passive aggressiveness is common in those with vulnerable NPD, as they may ignore a person as a form of punishment for not doing what they wanted that person to do. If you’ve been diagnosed with vulnerable NPD, you may blame others’ shortcomings, justify your actions even if others view them as disconcerting, and distance yourself from others based on the belief that they are not good enough. Treatment for vulnerable NPD is available, and may include medication and psychotherapy, also known as “talk therapy”. If you relate to the above symptoms, speak with a licensed professional today to potentially obtain a diagnosis.

Mental illness is a serious topic that, while more open for discussion now, is still negatively perceived by many due to perpetuated stigmas. With stigma comes a sense of distance, a sense of separation – labels of “the other” emerge and it becomes easy to feel hatred, disgust, or hostility towards those with mental illness because terrifyingly, people no longer feel connected as a human race. Storytelling has been shown to be a direct link to connection, as the expression of stories are something that everyone can connect with. The emotions underlying stories – sadness, happiness, sense of loss, hopelessness, joy, and more – serve as a thread that binds through each human being. If you’re considering sharing your own story of mental illness with others, there are many benefits to doing this:

Bipolar disorder (BD) is often recognized by intense mood swings of either mania or depression; approximately 5.7 million Americans experience BD each year. Although mania and depression can be a part of BD, the disorder is much more complex than that and can involve a variety of other symptoms that may not easily be recognized. If symptoms of the disorder go missed, treatment may not be sought – which can cause further distress in a person’s life. BD can affect nearly every aspect of daily living, including work, school, family, and social functions. By noticing some subtle signs of BD, you or a loved one can get diagnosed early, making symptoms much more manageable. See if you can recognize the following signs:

Painting. Singing. Drawing. Writing. Decorating. Composing. Playing. Dancing. Designing. No matter which form of creativity you’re interested in, all of these activities and more can have a profound, positive influence on your mental illness recovery. How so? Being creative means that you get to express yourself in a whole new dimension – there are no right or wrongs, no criticisms, no limits, and no audiences (if you don’t want there to be). Even if you don’t consider yourself a creativity person, engaging in creativity can help you spark more ideas, thus leading you to further insights and solutions to issues you may not even have considered. If creative activities (such as acting) are done in a group setting, this could also be a great way for you to connect with others and build your social support network. A study published in the American Journal of Public Health emphasized a few (but not all) benefits of various creative activities:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental illness categorized as having difficulty regulating emotions, difficulty controlling behaviors, and holding an unstable sense of self. People with BPD often experience emotions intensely and for extended periods of time, making it rather difficult for them to return to a foundational baseline after a particularly upsetting event. If you have BPD, you may experience symptoms of insecurity, impulsivity, feelings of worthlessness, and more, which can greatly affect your daily life. Unfortunately, there is much stigma associated with BPD, and between these and the symptoms experienced with the disorder, individuals with BPD are prone to self-injury and suicidal behaviors. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) which has been used to help treat those with BPD. The primary goal of DBT is to transform negative thinking and destructive thought patterns into more positive outcomes, such as building skills to better regulate emotions, reduce stress and anxiety, build self-management skills, control destructive habits, and more. Despite all of these wonderful outcomes, how does DBT address suicidal thoughts and behaviors specifically? One study sought to explore this very question. A 2015 study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry analyzed the results of 99 women who were diagnosed with BPD and had previously had 2 suicide attempts and/or acts of self-injury within the past 5 years, attempts within the past 8 weeks before the study was conducted, and a suicide attempt within the past year. Participants were placed in either a standard DBT treatment program, a DBT skills training program, or a DBT individual therapy program. Results from the study indicated that while DBT is an effective form of support for those with BPD who are struggling with self-injury and/or suicidal behaviors, DBT skills training may lend itself the most to outcomes related to this area of concern. What skills are taught in DBT skills training? The following are just a few:

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out daily responsibilities. If you have been diagnosed with BD, you may experience mania and/or depression, depending on the type of BD you have. Mania is often characterized as having heightened energy, feelings of elatedness, a sense of grandeur and more. Depressive episodes involve extreme fatigue, a sense of hopeless, sadness, and even suicidal ideation. While many people may address the challenges that are associated with BD, there are aspects of this disorder to celebrate: creativity! BD has long been linked to creativity, but it’s been relatively unknown how this sense of creativity positively impacts those with the disorder. Some past research has taught us that those with BD to a lesser extent have been shown to be more creative than those with severe cases of BD, but many people with the disorder tend to take on creative careers such as those in filmmaking, visual artistry, performing, writing, designing and more. A 2015 study published in Qualitative Health Research conducted focus groups with creative participants who were diagnosed with BD. During the focus groups, the researchers asked several questions, including:

Racing thoughts, dizziness, increased heart rate, excessive worry and other symptoms of anxiety don’t just affect people at home; anxiety can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 72% of people who have daily stress and anxiety state that it interferes with their lives at least moderately, with approximately 56% saying their anxiety most often impacts their work performance. Work-related anxiety may be caused by a demanding boss, a toxic workplace environment, heavy deadlines, or something else. No matter the cause, anxiety can certainly cause people to not only become less productive at work but can cause them to despise showing up for work altogether. A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health emphasized that employees with anxiety experience lower employment rates, long-term unemployment, increased risk of exposure to inequalities at work such as lower salaries or discrimination, decreased participation, increased absenteeism, and more compared to those without anxiety. If you have experienced these outcomes of work-related anxiety, it’s important that you seek help today. What are some ways that you can better manage your anxiety at work? There are a few things that you can do to potentially help your work situation:

If you’ve been struggling with a mental illness, you may not consider yourself to be happy at times. Dealing with the symptoms of a mental illness can be challenging and can even take away some of the things you used to love about life, causing disconnection and further distress. One hopeful outcome of treatment is that you will become much happier as you regain control back over your life. It may take some time for you to feel comfortable utilizing the skills you’re learning in treatment, but there are some activities that you can start doing today to boost your happiness in recovery. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology sought to explore diverse types of positive activities and how they can benefit a person’s well-being and overall recovery. Positive activities were defined as acts that promote well-being and protect a person from mental health conditions. Activities listed in the study were: thinking gratefully, acting pro-socially, thinking optimistically, savoring positive experiences, doing kind acts for others, counting one’s blessings, using one’s strengths in new ways, affirming one’s most important values, meditating on positive feelings towards oneself and others, visualizing one’s best possible self, and more. The study emphasized that these positive activities can easily become reflective in many areas of life; for example, building on one’s strengths and doing kind things for others could lead a person to take on new opportunities they wouldn’t have before, or may lead them to a new friendship they otherwise wouldn’t have been led to. As individuals build compassion and love for themselves and others through positive activities, they improve their well-being and chances for success in recovery. If you are currently in recovery, consider the activities mentioned above and reflect on these questions:

Imagine this: You’ve been in recovery for about a month, and you’re feeling great. You’ve been working hard in individual and group therapy, and you finally feel as though your life is back on track. You think to yourself, “Finally, everything is just as it should be. I’m on TOP of the world!” Recovery consists of highs and lows – much like life – and when things are going well, it can be an amazing feeling. While you should embrace and appreciate these moments, you don’t want to allow yourself to feel invincible. Over-confidence can be just as much as predictor of relapse as feelings of helplessness can; just because everything seems to be going right, doesn’t mean your work in recovery is over. A 2016 study published in Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Policy, involved interviews of 36 participants regarding their history of drug use and rehabilitation, their self-evaluation of addiction, their motivations to abstain, their plans for the future and their attitudes towards rehabilitation. The researchers found that over-confident participants under-estimated their levels of addiction, over-estimated their self-control, and held external motivations and attributions. What does this mean for you? See if you can recognize these statements:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is “a disorder that develops in some people who have experiencing a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” It’s very natural to feel afraid during a traumatic event, but some people carry those feelings over time, manifesting in the form of nightmares or unwanted memories, avoidance of situations that bring back memories of the trauma, anxiety, paranoia, agitation, depression, and more. Nearly 5.2 million people are estimated to experience PTSD in a given year. While symptoms of PTSD can affect work, school, and home life, they can worsen if adequate sleep is lost.