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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:

Problem drinking is an unfortunate yet common occurrence in U.S. families today. Previous research has shown that parental problem drinking can cause problems in their marriage, home life, work productivity, social life, and more. However, it’s more than just the parent who is affected by this; problem drinking can significantly impact children in the family as well as the significant other. If you have a loved one who is struggling with alcohol, it’s important for them to seek treatment for both their safety and their families’. Research has shown that parents who engage in problem drinking are at higher risk for abusing their children due to lowered inhibitions, sharpened aggressive feelings, decreased frontal lobe functioning (which is responsible for helping a person deal with unexpected situation), and more. Children are also at risk for developing depression, anxiety, problems with cognitive and verbal skills, and developing substance abuse problems later on in life. A 2016 study titled “Parental Problem Drinking and Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Family Functioning” involved the analysis of surveys completed by both parents and adolescents from across the country. Problem drinking, adolescent-parent communication, binge drinking, drug use, rule-breaking, and aggression were all measured in the survey responses. The study’s results showed the maternal (mother’s) problem drinking was related to increased drug use of adolescent girls in the family and increased alcohol use of adolescent boys. Paternal (father’s) problem drinking was shown to decreased family cohesion as well as decreased adolescent-parent communication. The study also found that decreased adolescent-mother communication was correlated to high aggressive behavior for adolescent boys. As one could predict, results from the study indicated that parental problem drinking led to adolescent rule-breaking and aggressive behavior. Thus, parental problem drinking can disrupt an entire family’s balance. If you are a parent who has been struggling with alcoholism. Seek the help you need today. Recovery is possible, and it could significantly change your family’s health and well-being for the better. Addiction has the propensity to destroy families; don’t let this happen to yours.

Recovery is a time to focus on your self-care and well-being, but that doesn’t mean that you must neglect your significant other and/or family. While it’s best for people to take some much-needed time to focus on themselves, the health of your romantic relationship depends on whether your partner is supportive of your recovery, if they are focused on their health and well-being too, if they are a great partner to you, and more. Some people find that their romantic partner isn’t the best fit for them when they’re in recovery, mainly because they aren’t supportive or because they pose a risk to the person’s mental and/or physical health. If you want to maintain a healthy relationship with your significant other while you’re focused on your recovery, there are a several things that will need to take place:

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have been clinically shown to have four major overlapping symptoms: restlessness, loss of energy or feeling fatigued much of the day, difficulty concentrating, and sleep disturbances of insomnia. Rumination can be another experience associated with either disorder and has been defined in previous studies as “a negative, repetitive style of thinking about present and past symptoms, loss, and failure.” When we ruminate, we tend to dwell not only on events that we can’t change, but also on the “negative” aspects of our lives. While rumination is dangerous for anyone, it can be especially dangerous for those with MDD and/or GAD due to the other symptoms experienced. A 2015 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology sought to the effects of rumination on those with either or both disorders. The research study involved 145 participants, 38 of whom were diagnosed with MDD but not GAD, 36 of whom were diagnosed with GAD but not MDD, a dual-diagnosis group which consists of 38 individuals who were diagnosed with both MDD and GAD, and 33 individuals with no diagnosis to serve as a controlled group. Participants completed interviews and also wore an electronic device that would produce signals throughout the day; individuals were asked to record their thoughts and whether they were “positive” or “negative” each time the device signaled them to. Results from the study showed the greater rumination predicted more symptoms of those experienced with MDD or GAD; it also predicted greater levels of social withdrawal, inactivity, and behavioral avoidance. This makes sense, because during those times that we engage in rumination, we’re so hyper-focused on what our lives our lacking – why would we want to participate in life more? Participants with either MDD or GAD experienced difficulty in engaging in motivated activity when they were ruminating. Overall, the study’s results show that rumination can cause a lot of damage. Why? Because it can take us away from the present moment, it can exacerbate the symptoms of a mental illness, and it can cause us to hold back on what is supposed to make life more enjoyable. Speak with your therapist about ruminating if it’s something that you struggle with. Identify tools to overcome it. It is possible to change your thinking patterns – cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common therapy tool for this.

A ropes course is an outdoor activity designed to assist clients in overcoming their fears, learn to develop trust with people in their program, and identify new strategies towards finding success in their recovery. Different ropes courses may involve team effort, while others may require a person to gain personal strength as they embark on an endeavor on their own. Individuals who are scared of heights may find the ropes course particularly challenging but utilizing coping skills in these moments of fear can help a person to become stronger both physically and mentally. A 2015 study titled “Learning Goals and the Challenge Course Experience: An Explanatory Study” involved the participation of 375 individuals who were divided into 16 different groups and led to complete various high and low ropes courses. Several skills, benefits, and outcomes were associated with the varying ropes courses:

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.