Treatment

If you struggle with depression and are looking for ways to feel better that you can try on your own without medication or simply don’t respond well to medication, then exploring holistic lifestyle changes may be the right choice. In mental illness, one-size-fits-all treatment is a complicated thing since causative factors are unique to the individual. Luckily, lifestyle changes can easily be adjusted based on a person’s individual needs and can positively support people who can’t or don’t want to use medication. Since using a holistic approach to bettering your mental health looks at the symptoms and explores the root cause of the illness, you can effectively treat depression and make lasting positive changes for your mental health without any adverse effects. Treating depression through a holistic approach without medication will look different for everyone. Much of the process looks like trying different things out and seeing how your body and mind respond, and deciding what works best for you. If you think you could benefit from treating your depression holistically, see below for some ideas of lifestyle changes to make a part of your routine.

It’s almost been a year since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. When the first lockdown began, it sparked a lot of changes in our lives. Suddenly, we were wearing masks to run our errands, working from home, and fighting over the last roll of toilet paper at the grocery store. Staying in became the norm, and our favorite businesses were closing down, some of them permanently. On top of it all, we were worried about the health of ourselves and our loved ones, with no idea how long this stressful situation would last. With all the worry, fear and uncertainty the coronavirus brought with it, a lot of people started drinking more to try and cope. In fact, this is a pretty common response to catastrophic or traumatic events like a pandemic, war or natural disaster. After 9/11, there was an immediate and lasting increase in alcohol use among Manhattanites, with similar patterns seen in the South after Hurricane Katrina. It’s not surprising, since rises in problematic drinking are associated with increased stress and anxiety, which we are seeing again with COVID-19. But unlike other traumatic events, COVID-19 is still happening. It isn’t a single moment in time that, when it’s over, we can try to process and put behind us — it's this long, drawn-out episode that we still have to deal with on a daily basis. Although lockdown has ended and a vaccine has been developed, most of us are finding that “getting back to normal” is still a long way off. So we’re also seeing increased drinking due to the ongoing effects of social isolation, job insecurity, financial strain and health worries. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Increased drinking and relapse have been common throughout the pandemic, but there are ways you can curb your alcohol consumption and learn how to cope with the stress in a healthier way. The first step is reaching out for help. If you’re already in recovery or part of a 12-step program, connect with your peers to talk about the problems you’re facing. You don’t have to go through this alone, and most programs offer online support groups that you can log in to from the comfort of your home. Or, if you need to get out of the house, check to see if in-person meetings are available in your area — some groups are gathering face-to-face again, following social distancing guidelines and mask-wearing mandates to keep participants safe. If you’re not in a treatment program but want to get help for your drinking, don’t hesitate to reach out and make that first phone call. Treatment centers like Avalon Malibu have remained open with new policies in place to ensure the health and well-being of patients during COVID-19. It’s also important to recognize harmful drinking patterns. Most people are surprised to hear that consuming four or five drinks within two hours constitutes binge drinking. When you’re feeling bored and stuck at home, it’s really easy to hit this threshold. But by learning how much is too much, paying attention to the amount you drink and setting a safe limit for yourself, you can become more conscious of your drinking habits and whether or not you need to cut down. Of course, for those with addiction issues, this is easier said than done. That’s where step one comes in again — reach out for help when you need it, and reinforce healthy coping strategies with guidance from your peers, recovery team and support groups. A relapse doesn’t mean failure, especially during stressful times like the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s essential to regain a foothold in your recovery and utilize the support that’s available to you. Don’t ignore mental health symptoms. You might be feeling more stressed, anxious and depressed than usual during the pandemic, and if ignored, these emotions can trigger a relapse or lead to problematic drinking. Now is the time to prioritize your mental health and address any symptoms you may be feeling, lest they continue to brew beneath the surface and stir up a crisis. To meet the growing need for mental health support, many mental health providers have made their services more accessible than ever with virtual care options and same-day appointments for mental health screening, therapy, counseling, medication management and more. When it comes to maintaining your recovery, this is a crucial step that shouldn’t be overlooked. Your mental, physical and emotional health are all connected, and neglecting one can have a huge impact on your general well-being. Navigating the pandemic has been difficult for all of us, and there’s no shame in reaching out for help when you need it — prioritizing your mental health now will make a difference in the long run.

You can feel helpless watching a loved one struggle with an addiction or poor mental health as they refuse to seek the proper help. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to try to fix their problems yourself instead of letting them realize on their own they have a problem and that they need help properly addressing it. This may be especially hard to stand by when that person seems like they are self-destructing. However, there’s only so much you can do for someone who doesn’t want help, so realize you can not kill yourself in the process of trying to help them. Not knowing what the right steps to take in a situation where someone refuses help can be helped by following these tips.

Taking the brave first steps towards recovery for an alcoholic by quitting the bottle is a daunting and impressive feat by any means. However, true recovery for an alcoholic is much more than just not drinking every day. The journey to find long term healing in recovery goes beyond this and requires addressing the emotional issues that lead to addiction in the first place. When a person does not take this extra step to address their emotional baggage, an issue known as “dry drunk syndrome” may emerge.

Massages are commonly thought of as a way to unwind and treat yourself to some peaceful, restorative self-care time. In recovery, therapeutic massages are used for so much more than just relaxing and act as an intricate part of the recovery process. There are many different types of massage that may benefit you in your early days of recovery like shiatsu, reflexology, acupressure, and Thai massage. Each type of massage serves the body differently, but all of them accomplish the beneficial effects detailed below.

When some people recognize that they have an addiction problem, their first instinct may be to try and overcome it on their own instead of getting help. They might be in denial or feel ashamed to reach out for help. However, this approach’s problem is that the techniques used to get sober on your own rarely sustain lasting recovery and perpetuate addiction when deciding to drink or use again.  Attaining lasting recovery takes work, and being able to connect with others. It all begins with taking the first step to reaching out for help. 12-Step programs are some of the most effective ways to overcome and manage your addiction. If you feel intimidated to attend, understand that these programs uphold traditions that serve as staples of maintaining the process's safety and integrity - including your identity. Looking at each tradition in-depth to better understand may help you become more confident about seeking the help you need.

Your mental health is no doubt tied to the level of function and health of your brain. With Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) a person sustains an injury to their brain typically due to a traumatic blow to the head. TBIs commonly occur due to car accidents, falls, or something heavy hitting a person’s head. Depending on the severity of the trauma and which parts of the brain were damaged, it can have varying effects on a person’s behavioral and emotional health. There are many common mental health symptoms that TBI sufferers commonly share like mood swings, anxiety, and depression.

12-Step programs help individuals struggling with addiction and help change their negative beliefs. In recovery, it is essential to create a framework that allows you to shift your perception about yourself into a positive perspective. When you discover the good and the potential within, you can then move about your life and recovery confidently and purposefully. The 12-Steps rely on good support to help you overcome difficult challenges that you will likely face.

Trauma is defined in many different ways depending on the objective of the definition. It has been described as merely a disturbing or distressing event or as in-depth as emotional and psychological trauma resulting from extraordinarily stressful events that shatter our sense of security. As a result, our brains’ responses shift and affect how we navigate our way through the world. Psychological trauma often leaves us struggling with uncomfortable emotions, traumatic memories, and anxiety or depression that won't go away.

According to the National Center for PTSD, approximately 60% of North Americans experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Trauma is often defined as a “deeply distressing or disastrous event.” Though this accurately describes a great deal of traumatic experience for many people, it can also be the result of systemic oppression, repeated childhood physical or psychological abuse, or an ongoing subtly distressing experience.  Though a traumatic experience is often thought of as an event, it is usually much more. It merely begins with an event that then snowballs into a mental structure that shapes how we see and perceive the world. Some individuals who have experienced trauma will develop PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition marked by intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to a traumatic experience that lasts long after the traumatic event has ended.

Recovery, healing, and re-discovering our happiest and healthiest selves is a very intimate and personal process. The idea that specific programs are effective for the majority of people going through similar experiences is not only untrue; it can be very dangerous. Every person has individual needs and desires for their mental health and recovery, and there is no such thing as a less valid pathway.

The definition of “holistic” in relation to medicine is characterized by the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of a disease. Recovery in itself is a holistic experience. As it is a physical, psychological, and emotional process, if only one of those is ignored or not valued, it can make the process slower and more difficult to manage.  Though modern medicine has had a track record of focusing on the symptoms of an individual “illness,” considering all aspects of the human experience in considering treatment is becoming more well-known and valued in the scientific community.