Mental Health

John Forsyth and George Eifert described in the book titled, “The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety: A Guide to Breaking Free from Anxiety, Phobias, and Worry Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” the true essence of fear experienced with phobias and anxiety alike. They stated, “More deeply you may know, with absolute certainty, that anxiety has brought ruin to you and your life. You may feel frustrated and exhausted. You may feel broken, damaged, and at your wit’s end. You may think something is wrong with you. And you are looking for a way out.” Perhaps this is how you’re feeling right now. If you have a phobia, you likely know that you have an irrational fear towards something – whether it be social situations, trains, spiders, or something else, but you can’t help but to make each decision in effort to avoid facing whatever it is you’re fearing. This impending fear takes over your thoughts, decisions, interactions, and at times, your physiological responses – feeling as though your mind and body have quite literally been “hi-jacked”. You’re not alone; an estimated 19.2 million Americans have a specific phobia, with many having several phobias. A 2015 study titled, “Spider or No Spider? Neural Correlates of Sustained and Phasic Fear in Spider Phobia” confirmed that in phobic patients, significantly higher amygdala activation was present when presented with an image of their phobic fear; the amygdala is an almond-shaped structure in the middle of the brain’s temporal lobes that controls automatic responses to fear, arousal, and emotional stimulation. While exposure therapy has proven successful for many people, those that do not find success may be using mental safety precautions – such as dissociation - to protect themselves, not allowing the exposure to disconfirm any pre-existing negative beliefs they had. If you experience this, speak with your treatment center to make subtle changes to your treatment regime. Most often, treatment involves a variety of techniques to determine what works best for you – medication, psychotherapy, group therapy, and other complementary forms of treatment may be used to help you overcome the fears that have been holding you back. Your phobia does not define you, and it does not have to take control over your life. Make the decision to seek the help you need today.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that involves excessive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors (compulsions). OCD affects nearly 3.3 million people in the United States; if untreated, it can cause much distress in various aspects of life. If you’ve been diagnosed with OCD, you may have obsessions related to contamination, loss of control, religious or moral concerns, fear of losing things you may need, order and symmetry, and more. Many people seek treatment for OCD and find that while there is no cure, treatment can drastically reduce distressing symptoms and may help a person better manage their life, living happier and healthier.

Author Martin Kantor explains a common, painful truth of avoidant personality disorder (APD) in his book titled “Distancing: Avoidant Personality Disorder” by stating, “Some [people with avoidant personality disorder] are isolated individuals, who, unmindful of the pathological nature of their avoidance, cite, and live by, its presumed advantages, and eventually come to believe that their isolation from family, friends, and potential intimates is a good thing.” If you struggle with APD, perhaps you can relate to the deep, internal fear of being criticized, judged, or ridiculed; many people with APD feel inadequate or socially inept, causing them to withdraw from others. Personality disorders affect the way a person thinks and behaves, as well as how they connect with themselves and relate to others. People with APD may have difficulty forming and maintaining relationships of any kind because they fear of doing something wrong. APD is said to affect 1.8% to 6.4% of the U.S. population, split fairly equally between men and women. If you have APD, you likely can relate to the following:

Stress can negatively affect many areas of our lives – our relationships may suffer, our work performance and productivity may decrease, and our lives may spin out of control; there’s no doubt that sleep can also be negatively affected, but how? If you’ve been tossing and turning all night or experiencing insomnia due to stress of any sort – getting to the bottom of this could help you ease your mind – and body – a little more. When you become stressed, your body muscles tense. As emphasized by the American Psychological Association (APA), muscle tension is nearly a reflex to stress – it’s the body’s way of guarding itself against pain or injury. Chronic stress often causes the body’s muscles to be more or less tense in a constant state, which can lead to further distressing physical issues such as migraines. Your respiratory system is also affected, as you may experience shortness of breath or even anxiety attacks. The body’s cardiovascular system is affected, as stress hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol amp up. The endocrine system is affected as when your body is in “fight or flight” mode, the liver produces more glucose, a blood sugar that gives you the energy to react in response to an emergency. Furthermore, energy will come from the additional cortisol and epinephrine that your adrenal cortex has produced in your adrenal glands. Your gastrointestinal system is affected, as your stomach, esophagus, and bowels experience heightened activity. All of these symptoms together affect the central nervous system, which plays a part in your sleeping patterns. A study published in Experimental Neurobiology found that stress can cause an activation in the body’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, one of the main neuroendocrine stress systems during sleep. When stress hormones are activated, the sympathetic nervous system results in wakefulness, attention, and arousal. The study further denoted that stress-related insomnia can easily become a vicious cycle of as the hypothalamus is known as a key center for sleep regulation; in order to sleep better at night, you need to take part in activities such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, and other self-care exercises to protect your mind and body from the considerable damage that stress can cause.

You may have noticed that your significant other, friend, or family member tends to act a bit differently when they’ve been drinking. For example, they may typically be shy and reserved sober, but after they’ve been drinking, they become the “life of the party”. Some people become very irritable and angry when they’re drunk – what accounts for these differences between people? Many studies have delved into this area to find out the exact cause. A study published in Clinical Psychological Science involved the recruitment of 156 participants who were split into several groups and assessed on five of the major personality traits after consuming either Sprite or vodka and Sprite cocktails to induce a blood alcohol content of about .09. After a 15-minute absorption period, participants who drank alcohol reported lower levels of conscientiousness (being careful or vigilant), openness to experience (attentiveness to inner feelings, active imagination, etc.), and agreeableness (warm, friendly, tactful), with higher levels of extraversion (outgoing, talkative, energetic) and emotional stability (stable and balanced). Overall, this study could show that our perception of what a “drunk person” or a “sober person” looks like doesn’t pan out to mean the same for everyone. As each person is different, it likely depends on the individual’s personality to begin with. For example, a 2016 study conducted by researchers from Finland found that individuals high on agreeableness and low on openness to experience are more likely to reduce alcohol consumption and lean more towards abstinence; where do you fit in? Many people who drink excessively are high sensation seekers – they tend to be more impulsive and use less perseverance because of their alcohol consumption. In addition, the way we handle our emotions can impact the way we think and act when we’re drunk. As alcohol tends to suppress our decision-making and emotion regulation strategies, people who suppress their anger are more likely to become more hostile when drinking. If you’ve been struggling with alcoholism, make the decision to seek help today. Excessive drinking can have negative repercussions on your health, relationships, career aspirations, and more. Don’t wait any longer to reach out to a reputable treatment center.

More than 4 million people in the United States have borderline personality disorder (BPD), a disorder characterized by intense emotions experienced for extended periods of time. BPD makes it difficult for a person to achieve stability after an emotionally triggering event; this difficulty can lead to impulsivity, poor self-image, rocky relationships and dangerous self-harming behaviors. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 75% of those with BPD are women. In whole, BPD is associated with difficulties in regulating emotion. What is emotion regulation? Emotion regulation is a complex combination of ways in which a person relates to and acts upon their emotional experiences. This may involve one’s ability to understand and accept their emotions, one’s ability to cope with uncomfortable emotions, and one’s ability to engage in appropriate behaviors when they’re distressed. Individuals who do not have difficulty with emotion regulation are able to – for example – remain calm even in a distressing situation, whereas someone with BPD may self-harm or engage in reckless behavior when upset. A 2015 study conducted by researchers from the University of Missouri identified 4 main components to emotion dysregulation that those with BPD experience:

Traumatic events such as rape, domestic violence, natural disasters, severe illness or injury, the death of a loved one, witnessing an act of violence and more can have a lasting impact on one’s physical, mental, and/or emotional stability. Many people who experience trauma also struggle with guilt, denial, anger, sadness, and emotional outbursts. Physical effects of trauma may include paleness, lethargy, fatigue, poor concentration, racing heartbeat, hypertension and more, making compassion such a critical component of recovery. A 2017 study published in Behavior Therapy assessed the effectiveness of compassion-based interventions for individuals who experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). At a 2 and 4-week follow up after the intervention, researchers found that the participants showed improvements in self-compassion and self-blame. Shame is often a major component of trauma, and having compassion-based therapy helped these individuals push past these damaging beliefs. What does a compassion-based intervention consist of? Compassion-based therapy aims to promote mental and emotional healing by encouraging individuals to be compassionate towards themselves and others. This form of therapy often integrates components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of therapy that helps people overcome negative, unproductive thought patterns and develop newer, more positive and productive ones. Much of the way a person recovers from trauma is grounded in their perspective of the event, themselves, and others. A reputable treatment program that is grounded in customized treatment, compassion, and CBT can have a major positive influence on those who are struggling with the distressing symptoms of PTSD. How can I be more compassionate to myself in recovery?

There’s no doubt that many people with mental illness experienced discrimination or stereotyping on a daily basis. Nearly one in five Americans experience a mental health disorder each year, yet only 25% of people with a psychological condition feel that others are understanding or compassionate about their mental illness, according the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Many people look at mental illness as a character deficiency – as if someone could simply “get over” their mental illness if they wanted to. Unfortunately, this has caused many people to internalize these damaging perceptions.OK Self-stigma, or internalization, refers to a time when a person cognitively or emotionally absorbs stigmatizing assumptions or stereotypes about their mental illness and comes to apply those beliefs to who they are as a person. According to a study published in Psychiatric Services, self-stigma can lead to a number of damaging outcomes, including: avoidant coping, social avoidance, decreased hope and self-esteem, worsening of symptoms of one’s mental illness, and decrease use of mental health services and other support groups. Self-stigma is marked by shame – a feeling that one isn’t “good enough” or that one cannot receive what they need because they are “inadequate”. A 2015 study conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut interviewed 105 adults with mental illness who self-reported their experiences of discrimination based on their mental illness, their anticipation of discrimination and social devaluation from others in the future, and their level of internalized stigma. Some participants ranked high on the following beliefs associated with internalization:

Much research has shown that mental and physical health are linked; this is why your muscles may tense or you may experience a prolonged headache because you’re feeling stressed. A 2018 review of the literature published in Psychiatric Services denoted that mental illness, general medical comorbidity, and premature mortality are greatly affected by risk factors such as tobacco use, substance use, poor diet, and lack of physical activity. Thus, reputable treatment programs offer several effective components to addressing these concerns: medical and psychological interventions, nutrition assessment and management, and physical fitness exercises.

As the World Health Organization (WHO) notes, nearly 450 million people are currently experiencing a mental illness around the world; this equates to one in four people. Despite the high numbers of people who experience mental illness, there are many stigmas surrounding the topic, preventing people from finding support and seeking help to work through their obstacles. Actress Glenn Close, who played the role of a woman scorned by others after having an affair in the psychological thriller “Fatal Attraction”, has been working diligently to change the minds of many who fear mental illness or believe that those with mental illness are less than. For Ms. Close, de-stigmatization is important because of her experience with mental illness in her own family. Glenn’s nephew Calen has schizophrenia, and her sister Jessie has bipolar disorder. As noted on CBS News, Glenn emphasized that awareness became even more important to her once she realized exactly how many people experience mental illness. She stated, “When I became an advocate, I realized that is a family affair for one in four of us. One in four of us is touched in some way by mental illness. So, it became obvious to me that we have to talk about it.” Glenn Close brings to light an important subject – why don’t people talk about mental illness? There are a number of reasons:

Perhaps you’ve been feeling a lot of anxiety, guilt, and general hopelessness lately. One day it may have seemed like you suddenly lost interest in everything you used to enjoy – you no longer want to go out with friends, you stopped attending a special interest group and you have difficulty finding the motivation to even get out of bed every morning. These are all symptoms of depression; there is a lot that goes into depression, and it can truly cause a lot of distress in your daily life. No matter what you’re going through, it’s important for you to seek help. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 350 million people worldwide experience some form of depression. The symptoms of depression vary and may be chronic or short-lived, induced by specific events or something as simple as a change in the weather season. The following are the most common disorders associated with depression:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based, time-sensitive, structured, present-oriented psychotherapy that assists clients in solving problems and developing skills to help modify dysfunctional ways of thinking and doing. CBT has been shown to treat a variety of disorders, including anxiety disorders, depression, addiction, sleep problems, chronic pain and fatigue, and more. If you’re considering seeking therapy, your therapist may choose to use CBT with you. Here are some facts that you may not have known about this popular, effective treatment method: