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Borderline personality disorder is difficult to understand for those who live with it and those who are in relationships with people who have it. It seems there is no identifying the source of the relentless emotional pain which comes with borderline. Psychology Today reports on new research which has identified some of the sources of the emotional pain those with borderline experience on a daily basis.

Your time in treatment is all about you. Part of working on you involves making friends and creating connection with those around you.

Bipolar disorder can become an unruly part of life when it goes untreated. After a loved one finally enters treatment for bipolar disorder, you can start to take care of yourself while continuing to take care of them in a new way.

Mind, body, and spirit- this is the most simple definition of what approaching something from a holistic standpoint means. The holistic approach is being used to treat all areas of mental health, from addiction and alcoholism (substance use disorders) to depression and anxiety (mood disorders) to bipolar and borderline (personality disorders). Any kind of mental health disorder, it has been discovered, doesn’t only affect mental health. Instead, most treatment providers have discovered that mental health issues affect both physical health and spiritual health as well. Holistic treatment means creating an integrative plan for each client which assesses all three areas of mind, body, and spirit. Their mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and spiritual well being have to be treated at the same time in order to ensure a greater chance at lifelong recovery. Isolating just one area of treatment negates the other areas of treatment. For mental health issues, there can not be any room for neglect. When someone makes the decision to call for help and enter treatment for a significant amount of time in their life, they need to heal. Most often, people who enter treatment are not well, perhaps more in one area than another. Still, in order to fully recover, they have to heal holistically.

Living with anxiety disorder in a peaceful and manageable way is possible with treatment and a commitment to recovery. If you’re living with anxiety, you might identify with some of these common struggles.

If there is any one factor which contributes to the continuation of heroin and opioid addiction, it might be the withdrawals. Symptoms of withdrawals for heroin and opioid addiction are some of the most severe. Body aches to the extreme, flu like symptoms beyond normal, restless legs, and an incessant craving for drugs leave addicts trying to recover so weak and vulnerable, they often return to using drugs. Despite the inherent consequences of using opioids once again- like having to go through withdrawal once again- the relief of opioids is preferable to the symptoms of withdrawal. Anything, most addicts feel, to make the pain and cravings stop. Making detox from heroin and opioids easier is a primary focus of many researchers and treatment providers. If they can reduce the severity of detox symptoms, they might have a better chance of keeping more addicts seeking recovery in recovery. For many years now turning to alternative therapy types like yoga, massage, and acupuncture, have become relied upon practices for reducing pain and increasing wellness during detox. Acupuncture is an ancient treatment method used in eastern traditions. Unlike western medicine, eastern medicine is preventative. Most western medicine seeks to treat the problem once the problem is already present. Acupuncture helps to treat the immediate symptoms of withdrawal while simultaneously equipping the body. Reducing the severity of symptoms helps the body prepare to fight future symptoms with a greater sense of strength as well as ease. Acupuncture works by using acupressure points which correlate to different channels for energy, targeting emotional experiences as well as functions of specific organs. In the philosophy of acupuncture, and most eastern medicine, everything is connected. An unexpressed emotion leads to stagnant energy which can cause dysfunction in an organ. Needless to say, the mind, body, and spirit of a heroin and/or opioid addict is dysfunctional. Acupuncture helps clear old energy, heal the body, purify the mind, and replenish the spirit. Acupuncture In And Out Of Treatment Finding an acupuncturist outside of treatment requires a few simple steps. First, call your insurance to see if preventative treatments like acupuncture are covered. You can find an acupuncture provider within your network. If not, search for acupuncturists in your area. You might be able to find an acupuncturist who specifically works with addiction. If not, call a few acupuncturists and explain your situation. They might be able to come do a treatment in your home if you have chosen to do home detox. Detox is most safely done in a supervised, clinical setting. If you or a loved one have become addicted to heroin and are in need of treatment, Avalon By The Sea is here to help. Our beautiful estate is home to our addiction treatment center, surrounded by the serene coastline of Malibu, California. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Group therapy is an effective yet controversial part of the treatment process. Often ridiculed for being ineffective, many debate whether going to ‘rehab’ for a drug addiction or mental illness needs to include so much group therapy. Everyone recovers differently, which is why many treatment plans today are highly individualized to meet the specific needs of each client. Group therapy is a way to engage with other clients, support one another on a social level, and benefit from participating in different therapy types. Traditional methods of individual therapy are effective as well, which is why they are included multiple times a week in a treatment plan. Most individual therapists in treatment centers utilize cognitive behavioral therapy which is one of the most widely used and evidence based treatment types for mental health rehabilitation. However, there are issues with regarding cognitive behavioral therapy as the gold standard of addiction and mental health treatment. Cognitive functions and the cognition are a part of the brain can become severely damaged through substance abuse and the untreated side effects of mental illnesses. When the cognition is impaired, called cognitive deficits, grasping the process and many broad messages of cognitive behavioral therapy can be difficult. Too many clients in the early part of their recovery process find themselves in this state and as a result struggle to feel as though they are “getting it”. Consequently, the cognitive behavioral therapy is not as effective. Medical Daily reports on a new study which found that mindfulness based group therapy was found to be as effective if not potentially more so than traditional individual therapy using the CBT method. Patients studied for the research were struggling with either anxiety disorders, depression, or other stress-related disorders. Addiction and alcoholism are frequently co-occurring with any of these disorders. “The researchers evaluated how the patient's’ symptoms changed over the course of the study, either with mindfulness group therapy or CBT. The results revealed both groups’ scores on the various questionnaires decreased significantly.” Conclusively, the researchers emphasize mindfulness as a “viable treatment” for mental health. Mindfulness based therapy treatments are essential for providing the holistic treatment needed to fully recover from addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders. Avalon By The Sea offers residential care for primary substance use and primary mental health disorders. For information on our residential treatment programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

What does a surgeon do when a patient presents their addiction history and there’s no effective alternative treatments available? Such is the conflict coming upon many surgeons today in the face of the opioid epidemic. Addicts in recovery learn how to live life on life’s terms. Sometimes that can include a traumatic injury, experiencing physical pain, or having to undergo serious surgery. Opioids are part of anesthesiology, they’re prescribed before and after surgery, and they’re taken home as a prescription to treat pain. When taken as prescribed, only as long as the pain exists, it isn’t considered a relapse for a recovering opioid addict. Unfortunately, chemical dependency is chemical dependency. Once a chemical is reintroduced there is a high risk for relapse, especially if someone is in the early stages of addiction and recovery. NPR wrote on the subject. Doctors feel that when they come into this situation, they should have an addiction specialist ready. “If a surgeon or anesthesiologist were treating a patient with serious diabetes, they’d consult an endocrinologist. Addiction...is no different.” Citing Dr. Stuart Gitlow, past president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, the article emphasizes an important point. Doctors can’t control what their patients are going to do with their opioid prescriptions, or what they will do after the prescription is done. What doctors can do is work with patients, and an addiction specialist, to create a plan of action for safety and recovery. “The biggest question is what to do to ensure this patient’s safety going forward during the period for which he’s experiencing pain…” Problematically, “...there aren’t enough addiction specialists to meet the need,” the article explains. 2.5 million Americans are estimated to be addicted to either heroin or prescription opioids. To work with those 2.5 million people, there are only 5,000 addiction specialists available. Most addiction specialists work in treatment and therapeutic settings, not hospitals. Hospitals are often criticized for not being the place to treat addiction, yet emergency rooms are criticized for not doing enough to treat addiction. For those in recovery anticipating living with an opioid addiction, there is a simple philosophy which resonates throughout sobriety: don’t pick up no matter what. However, when opioids are introduced to the blood stream it’s easier said than done. Work with your sponsor and your immediate treatment team or support network to develop a plan of action for staying accountable while taking opioid drugs. Attend meetings, even if they’re online or on the phone. Let someone help you manage your medications. Stay honest about any cravings you are experiencing. Continue communicating about everything. Avalon By The Sea is dedicated to helping clients learn how to live life in a healthy and sober way. Incorporating life skills into clinical recovery in addition to holistic healing. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call us today at 1 888-958-7511.

Obsession with idealized perceptions of perfectionism and body image are not taboo in today’s world. For decades, there has been an emphasis through the media on looking “perfect”. The age of digital alteration has made some of these goals and standards unattainable in reality. In the delusions of eating disorders, which alter the way people see themselves and perceive they are being seen by others, these “goals” really are attainable. Since someone with an eating disorder is convinced that they can achieve the perfect look, the perfect size, the perfect weight, and the perfect acceptance, they go to great lengths to achieve it. Should they fall short in any way, it results in deep emotional pain, self-punishment, and other repercussions. This is not a lifestyle choice. Nobody chooses the daily pain of having to loathe one’s appearance to the point of binging and purging and going to extreme lengths to maintain control over body image. Eating disorders like bulimia nervosa are diagnosable mental illnesses. Answering the question, “Is Bulimia Considered A Mental Illness?” LCSW and eating disorder specialist Gretta Gleissner responds for Huffington Post. Mental illness is defined as “a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling, or mood. Such conditions may affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day,” according to The National Alliance on Mental Illness. Gleissner explains, “Because the symptoms and causes of bulimia are rooted in genetic and environmental factors which can affect a person’s mental, emotional, and physical state, bulimia is considered a mental illness.”  Should bulimia nervosa go untreated, it can become “an extremely debilitating disorder”. The National Eating Disorder Association writes that bulimia nervosa “is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.” Symptoms can include:

There are ten distinct personality disorders which fall into three categories. Each personality disorder and category of personality disorders comes with a specific set of symptoms. Though the symptoms are specified, they can have general commonalities with each other, from one category to the next. Cluster A Personality Disorders Cluster A personality disorders are described as “odd”, “bizarre” or “eccentric” personality disorders. Included are:

Believe it or not, the changes do come. One day at a time, you’re transforming in ways you might not even notice until months down the line. The time and effort is worth it. Here are some of the things you’re going to notice the longer you stay sober and do the work. Taking Care Of Yourself: Mind, body, and spirit, you have learned to tend to yourself in the ways that you need. You’ve learned every form of self-care you need, from getting enough sleep to cooking healthy and nutritious meals, or at least making sure you’re fed. Hygiene is a normal part of your life and you even do your own laundry, however begrudgingly. Doing Things For Yourself: You know how to make appointments and keep them, leave with enough time to arrive on time, and be fully present. You can grocery shop, you’ve learned how to budget to a degree, and you’re able to meet your basic needs on your own. You Take Responsibility: When you’re wrong, you promptly admit it. You don’t blame everyone else anymore. In fact, you understand that looking for your part in any situation is an important practice for your recovery. Routines Are Routine Now: You are able to create routines and stick to them. When a routine needs adjusting, you are able to do so without falling apart. You’ve learned how to structure your life in a healthy and balanced way to support you, your recovery, and having fun. You Appreciate The Work: Almost everyone in early recovery has moments of entitlement, lacking in gratitude, and waiting for everything to change. You learned that you had to put in the work in order to get results. Now, you’ve found the willingness to apply yourself to what you want in all areas of your life. You’re A Constant Work In Progress: One area at a time, you continue to tackle your recovery from all angles. Need to take a look at your anger? You’re in. Having some codependency issues in a new relationship? You’re willing to take a look. Need to confront some disordered eating behaviors? You’re going to try new things. After witnessing the miraculous changes which have come to you through recovery, you know that it’s all about progress, not perfection. You’re Okay With You: Your relationship with yourself may not be perfect, but it is certainly different than it used to be. You are comfortable in your own skin, you can stand looking at yourself in a mirror, and you no longer feel like the room walks around you after you walk into a room. You’re even beginning to like yourself. For many in early recovery, self-hatred or self-loathing is common. You’re learning to love yourself and be okay with the amazing, courageous you that you are. We know what incredible changes are waiting for you on the other side of addiction. If you or a loved one are ready to see changes come to fruition through residential treatment, Avalon Malibu is ready to welcome you to our trusted programs for mental health and substance abuse recovery. For a confidential assessment and more information on our programs, call 1 888-958-7511.

Psychosis and psychopathy, or being psychotic, often get confused. Mostly, this is because of a harmful image portrayed by the media regarding psychosis and psychopathy. Psychosis is a set of symptoms which can spread across various mental health disorders, which are labeled as psychotic disorders. Antipsychotic medications, for example, are often prescribed to people who have such conditions. Psychopathy is another distinct mental illness in which one is completely detached from moral reality. The two are different and understanding the difference is critical to ending misconception, advocating against false presentations in the media, and helping a loved one who might be struggling with a severe mental illness