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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.

Imagine that everything has been going very well for you in recovery lately. You’ve met all of your goals that you’ve had set for yourself, and your therapist has commended you on your diligence in meeting those goals. You’ve been feeling great…but suddenly it all stops. You become a whirlwind of emotions one evening, and you feel all of this negative energy creeping in. Before you know it, you’ve relapsed, and you feel like it’s all gone terribly wrong. “How did this happen?” you may ask yourself. “Everything was going so well – where did it all go wrong, and where do I go from here?” Recovery is a lot like life. There are ups and downs and, at times, we may act in ways that contradict our values. This doesn’t mean that we have failed – it simply means that more reinforcement is needed, and/or we need a minor adjustment to our treatment regime. Perhaps something you’ve been working on in treatment hasn’t truly “sunk in” for you or you just don’t connect with it – that’s okay, as there are many treatment modalities for this very reason. If you’ve relapsed, you will want to work with your therapist to identify what led to this event. There are a number of triggers that could have affected you without you realizing it, such as:

When most people describe the stereotype of what someone with alcoholism would “look like”, they may include a person going out for drinks a lot with friends, partying often, drinking too much, and getting into legal trouble due to their drinking. While these descriptions could be accurate for some, there is another side of alcoholism that doesn’t get discussed as often: drinking alone. Nearly 13.8 million Americans have a drinking problem; how many people do you imagine drink at home by themselves? The truth is, drinking home alone could be a warning sign of dependence/addiction, or it may not be; it all depends on the drinking pattern. Imagine this: You’ve had a party at home with several friends over. You’ve been sipping slowly on an alcoholic beverage all night, and by the time your friends go home, you decide to finish your drink. Is this problematic? Not necessary, but do you do this often? How many drinks have you had? What is your reason for continuing to drink after they’ve all left? The following are some concerning reasons for drinking alone:

If you’ve recently started a residential treatment program for an addiction and/or mental illness, you may have learned of the importance of social support to your success in recovery. Oftentimes this form of support comes from family and friends, while other times it comes from team leaders and peers within your program. Making friends in any place can be challenging at times, but connecting with others who are working to overcome their addiction or better manage the symptoms of mental illness can add another level of challenge to the mix. A 2017 study published in Health and Social Care in the Community noted several factors that impeded progress of residential treatment clients’ success in building social support with one another. We will review the reported challenges and provide you with ways to overcome them:

Fox News covered the story of a 45-year-old mother with 3 children who is married to a college sweetheart now running an investment firm. This woman has a master’s degree in education, has traveled around the world with her family, and volunteers often at her local church. The feature then discussed that this mother had a drug addiction due to “accidental addiction”; this term was defined as when a person “trips down the rabbit-hole of addiction after being prescribed pain or anxiety medications by a well-intentioned doctor.” There are many factors that have placed a person at high-risk for accidental addiction, such as underlying mental health issues, childhood issues, trauma, or certain temperaments. Whether your story relates to the one mentioned above or not, you may be wondering, “Is accidental addiction real?” This question is a bit more complex than what it seems on the surface. Contrary to the widespread belief that most individuals with opioid addiction fall into it accidentally, many people who abuse opioids or have become addicted to them also have a substance use history with other drugs, as well as psychological problems poly-drug use. In fact, it seems that many people who become addicted to opioids aren’t even the ones prescribed them – a 2018 study published in BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical journal, found that only 1% of people who took prescription pain medication following surgery showed signs of opioid misuse. Furthermore, a 2014 analysis conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 54% of non-medical users got their prescription opioids for free from friends and family. It seems that opioid addiction isn’t as much of an accident, after all. Does this mean that accidents don’t occur? Accidents can certainly occur, they are just less likely to occur than people tend to believe. Women are more susceptible for “accidental addiction” due to their hormones – higher levels of estrogen make women more likely to experience a “high” from opioids, and women are more likely to seek help from a doctor than men anyways, making them more likely to obtain a prescription in the first place. If you have been prescribed painkillers, remember to follow the directions exactly as prescribed. Maintain regular check-ups with your doctor to ensure you aren’t becoming dependent on them, and properly wean yourself off the medication with your doctor’s help when the time is right. If you feel you are becoming addicted to them, seek treatment right away. The sooner you seek help, the better.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 948,000 people reported using heroin in 2016. Heroin addiction has shown to be very destructive to people’s health, social, home, and financial life; long-term use changes the physical structure and physiology of the brain, with several studies showing that heroin can deteriorate some of the brain’s white matter. If you’re seeking treatment for heroin addiction, you’ve made the best choice you possibly can. Seeking help, whether early on or later in addiction, may prevent further damage from being done and could potentially help your body to reverse some of the damages it has undergone. You’ve made a great decision. If you’ve attempted to recover several times but have not been successful, you are not alone. A study published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases found that after following an analysis of 242 heroin users (2 groups of people: one group who recovered and one group who didn’t) after 30 years, non-recovered individuals were more likely to utilize substances to cope with stressful situations, to have spouses that abused drugs, to lack proper social support, and to have a lack of self-efficacy. Without the right treatment program, heroin addiction can be challenging to overcome. Previous research has shown that addiction recovery must include community support, a structured program, and negative consequences of substance use; perhaps in previous programs you were not provided with these crucial components to success, or you attempted to recover at home. There are many successful interventions that can be used for heroin addiction, including both behavioral and pharmacological options; integrating both treatment options have been shown to be the most effective. Medications may be used to aid in withdrawal symptoms of heroin addiction, including: 1) agonists (activates opioid receptors), 2) partial agonists (activates receptors but produces a smaller response), or 3) antagonists (blocks opioid receptors, interfering with reward responses). Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are the most common medications currently used to treat this addiction. Behavioral therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and contingency management are most likely to be used in a treatment program. These programs will help you to release negative, unproductive patterns of thought and replace them more positive, productive ways of thinking. Contingency management is based on providing vouchers and other healthy rewards for actively working towards your recovery. Reach out to a representative at a reputable treatment center today to begin your journey towards recovery.

It is estimated that nearly 21.5 million Americans age 12 and older battle a substance use disorder each year; the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that men are more likely than women to use almost all types of illicit drugs. Studies have shown that men of just about any age are more likely to have higher rates of use and dependence on drugs, but women are just as likely to become addicted to drugs and may even be more susceptible to craving drugs. Although the rates of use and likelihood of addiction may vary between those two genders, what about addiction experiences? Well, it all depends on the person and the substance. For instance, women generally weigh less than men and have more fatty tissue. Fat retains alcohol while water dilutes it, making women more susceptible to experiencing bodily injury and faster absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream than men. Since alcohol dependence can develop quicker in women, organ injury such as liver disease and brain damage are more likely to occur.  Previous research conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has shown that women have death rates 50 to 100 percent higher than do men with alcohol use disorders, including death by suicide, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and more. Marijuana use has also been shown to act differently in women versus men. For example, studies have proven that marijuana impairs a woman’s spatial memory (information about one’s environment) more than a man’s. In previous studies conducted with female rats, it was found that females were more sensitive to the reward sensation achieved by marijuana, as well as pain-relieving and activity-altering effects by the drug. Thus, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main ingredient, can produce significantly different effects between men and women. Overall, women have been shown to be more sensitive to the effects of drugs, ranging from alcohol and marijuana to heroin and cocaine. Scientists believe that estrogen is the main reason why women are most sensitive to the effects of drugs. A 2014 study published in Current Psychiatry Reports found that menstrual cycles of women regulated their progesterone and estrogen, with drug use also impacting the levels of these hormones. The study highlights the importance of estrogen in a woman’s transition from recreational drug use towards addiction. Prior research has denoted the higher risks and dangers that women have with substance abuse, meaning that help should be sought sooner rather than later. If you’ve been struggling with an addiction, make the decision to seek help today. Recovery is possible, and there are many tools to help you take back control over your life.

In the beginning of your recovery, stabilization is incredibly important. Many people with addiction experience depression, anxiety, and more as they generally feel a physical and psychological imbalance. The right treatment program is meant to help you regain that balance first through detox, and then through a structured program. Detoxification is the first step and involves the natural cleansing process of your body getting rid of the toxins of addiction. Treatment programs are great for this step because you will have a healthcare team who can closely monitor you and provide you with medication if you are experiencing a lot of discomfort from your withdrawal. Change can be difficult, but treatment is supposed to help you make the changes necessary to benefit your life. Once you’re in a treatment program, the first step towards stabilization is attending all of your scheduled meetings, therapy sessions, and activities. Even on days that you don’t feel like going – those are likely the days you need to attend the most. In a publication titled, “Treatment Improvement Protocol” by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), several factors were emphasized as ways to promote stabilization in recovery:

Addiction disrupts the body’s functions, including the body’s ability to produce chemicals such as dopamine, the “feel good” chemical. When this happens, many people who stop using experience withdrawal symptoms both physical and psychological; physical symptoms may include weakness, clammy skin, sweating, coldness, shaking, nausea and more, while psychological symptoms may include depression, hallucination, paranoia, severe anxiety, and more. Amino acids have been shown to give a person more stability while they are detoxing from substances, primarily by assisting the body in reproducing the neurotransmitters needed to feel relaxed and happy again. This, in turn, helps a person to curb the cravings associated with drug use.

Thousands of years before modern medicine arrived, Ayurveda was utilized in India. As one of the world’s oldest medical systems, Ayurveda is based on herbal compounds, special diets, and other health practices. The practice combines Sanskrit words including “ayur” which means life, and “veda” which means science or knowledge. Deepak Chopra described the practice as, “The two main guiding principles of Ayurveda are 1) the mind and the body are inextricably connected and 2) nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind.” Universal connectedness, the body’s constitution, and life forces are all comprised of Ayurveda, which physicians develop an individualized treatment program through use of herbs, diet, exercise, and recommendations for lifestyle. Use of herbs and of the practice on one’s own can be dangerous, however, if not led by a licensed, reputable physician, so it’s important to use this practice through a reputable treatment center. The main belief of Ayurveda is that freedom from illness is found through awareness of one’s own body, lifestyle, and diet. In order for individuals to gain more awareness of their body, meditation is often used. Meditation involves intense focus on the breath and body, most commonly practiced while sitting and with the eyes closed. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Ayurveda has become more integrated with not only meditation but with yoga as well, to help individuals identify any health or mental problems between the various holistic methods. Is Ayurveda effective? While the World Health Organization (WHO) has noted limited research on Ayurveda, many people have attested to the benefits of this practice. Holistic medicine is still relatively new in the United States, and people are becoming more open to it than ever before. Many Ayurveda treatments aim to help a person maintain their health, not to necessarily treat a specific treatment. This type of practice works well as a complementary method to go along with a core treatment program. If you’re considering Ayurveda, speak with a representative at a reputable treatment center today.

Finding the right treatment program for you can be a daunting experience. With so many options and so much to consider, it may feel easy to simply select a program that’s the most convenient, affordable, or straight-forward. While all of these options provide some benefit, a key component of your decision-making should be focused on whether or not the treatment center works with you to develop a customized treatment program that will best suit your needs. As a 2015 study published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine emphasizes, personalized programs are an emerging paradigm since many people have experienced misdiagnoses, late and inadequate treatment that has required them to re-enter programs, and unsuccessful attempts to recover due to a lack of support in other areas of life such as employment and finance management. Perhaps you have been on the receiving end of one of those unfortunate cases. If you have, you’ve likely found that there was a component of your initial program that was missing – something that didn’t quite speak to what you needed. For a customized treatment program, the following must be taken into account: