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May Blog

May Health Blog

Mental Health Month

Nearly 60 million people in the US struggle with a mental illness. Approximately one in five adults in the United States, 43.8 million, or 18.5%, experiences a mental illness in a given year and approximately one in five youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental health disorder at some point during their lifetime. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%. Mental illness is not prejudiced; as mental health disorders affect men and women of all ages, races and social classes.

Studies have shown that individuals who have chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure or autoimmune disorders have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with a mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety. Our bodies and mind act as one unit and therefore it is important to care for both our emotional and mental states as well as our physical health.

Realities for People of Color

“Compared with the majority population, members of racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use inpatient hospitalization and emergency rooms and more likely to receive lower quality care.” According to the National Institute of Mental Health Minority Health and Health Disparities Program

Here is Care for Your Mind’s top 5 issues related to minority mental health awareness that remain to be addressed.

Disproportionate access to service - Adult Caucasians suffering with depression or an anxiety disorder are more likely to receive treatment than adult African Americans with the same disorders even though the disorders occur in both groups at about the same rate.
Disparity of quality of services - Mental illness impacts all people. African Americans experience a greater unmet need for mental health services, but receive lesser quality of care resulting in mental health disparities. “African Americans are misdiagnosed at a higher rate within the mental health delivery system.
Lack of “culturally competent providers - communities of color are in need of culturally competent mental health resources and training of health care providers. To serve multi-ethnic consumers, the faith, customs, values, and traditions of a variety of ethnic groups should be taken into consideration when attempting to treat and diagnose mental illnesses.
Persistence of mental health social stigma - a large percentage of African Americans refuse treatment or view mental health treatment as a ‘treatment of last resort,’ because of the stigma associated with mental illness.
Lack of culturally sensitive advocates - Advocacy for traditional mental health organizations must be encouraged to incorporate and integrate minority mental health education and outreach within their respective portfolios”

Anxiety Disorders

Approximately 264 million people suffer an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is one of the most common forms of mental illness which can also affect your health. If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, research suggests that you may run a higher risk of experiencing physical health problems as well. Managing your anxiety, you also manage your physical health. Most people who seek treatment experience improvement in quality of life.

Whether it’s everyday stress, everyday anxiety or an anxiety disorder you can learn important strategies to move forward. Exercise, good nutrition, adequate sleep and making an effort to reduce stress contribute to positive well-being.

Stress

Everyone experiences stress and anxiety. The difference is stress is a response to a threatening situation. Anxiety is the reaction to the stress. Chronic stress can affect health, causing symptoms such as headaches, high blood pressure or hypertension, chest pains, heart palpitations, skin rashes and loss of sleep.

Physical activity has proven to reduce stress. Regular participation in aerobic exercise has shown a decrease in levels of tension, elevates and stabilizes mood, improves sleep and self-esteem. Other effective methods include mind-body practices of breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation. Relaxation techniques have been used to assist in the treatment of phobias, panic disorder, and depression, as well as providing relief for people in stressful situations.

Anxiety and Stress in the Workplace

Having an anxiety disorder can make a major impact in the workplace. In a national survey on anxiety in the workplace, people with anxiety disorders commonly cited these situations as difficult: promotions, dealing with problems, setting and meeting deadlines, maintaining personal relationships, managing staff, participating in meetings and making presentations.

Tips to Manage Stress and Anxiety at Work

Being stressed out at work happens to everyone and it’s perfectly normal. But stress that is persistent, irrational, overwhelming and impairs daily functioning usually indicates an anxiety disorder.

Maintain your, “me power!” Keep these ideas in mind to help keep work life somewhat manageable:

Work - In addition to financial reasons, it is important for self-esteem and social identity.
Educate yourself - Learn to recognize the symptoms of your disorder and how to handle situations if you experience any at work.
Plan and prepare - Start major projects as early as possible. Set mini deadlines, anticipate problems and work to prevent them.
Be realistic - Don’t over commit or offer to take on projects if realistically, you don’t have enough time.
Ask for help! - Respectfully speak up and ask for help if feeling overwhelmed. Management may be unaware you’re overextended. You can return acts of favor later when you’ve gotten your, ”me power” back!
Avoid toxic work environments and workers. Stress is a condition of mental health.
Remove yourself and avoid any negativity and gossip in your workplace.
Take breaks - A short walk or a few minutes of deep breathing and meditation can help clear your head.
Take advantage of employer resources and benefits - Your workplace may offer Employee Assistance Programs, EAP, discounts to gyms or skill-building courses.
Be healthy. It’s easier than you think! - Eat healthy, get adequate amounts of sleep and exercise. There are addition health benefits with limits on caffeine and alcohol. Healthy body, healthy mind!

Treatment Options

Anxiety disorders and depression are treatable, however, treatment success varies. Some respond within a few weeks or months while others take longer. Those with more than one anxiety disorder or suffer from co-existing conditions, treatment may be significant. Therapies include:

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - A well-established, highly effective and lasting treatment, that focuses on identifying, understanding and changing thinking and behavior patterns.

The patient is actively involved in his or her own recovery. The patient retains a sense of control and learns skills that are useful throughout life.

Exposure Therapy - A form of CBT, is a process for reducing fear and anxiety responses.

In therapy, a person is gradually exposed to a feared situation or object, learning to become less sensitive over time.
This type of therapy has been found to be particularly effective for obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) - is a short-term supportive psychotherapy that addresses interpersonal issues of depression in adolescents, adults and seniors. IPT usually involves 12 to 16, one-hour, weekly sessions.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - Under certain conditions, eye movements appear to reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts by how the brain processes information. A person sees disturbing material in a less distressing way.

EMDR mimics dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Scientific research has established EMDR as effective for posttraumatic stress disorder. And clinicians also have reported success using it to treat panic attacks and phobias.

Co-Occurring Disorders

Many people with an anxiety disorder also have a co-occurring disorder or physical illness, which can make their symptoms worse and recovery more difficult. As with all illnesses and disorders, it’s important to find appropriate treatment. Find out more about related illnesses

Read on to learn more about the co-occurrence of anxiety and these disorders:

Eating disorders are much more common among women and girls, but men and boys account for about 5 to 15 % of those with anorexia or bulimia and about 35 % of those with binge eating disorder

Anxiety can worsen symptoms of abdominal cramps and pain and make you literally feel sick to your stomach

People with BDD suffer from obsessions about their appearance that can last for hours or up to an entire day.

Depression

322 million people worldwide live with depression according Our World Data. Everyone has dealt with low moods in relation to losing a loved one, getting fired from a job, a divorce – life! These difficult situations can lead to feelings of sadness, loneliness or just being scared! Normal reactions to life's stressors! Those diagnosed as a psychiatric disorder of depression, the manifestations of the low mood are more severe and they tend to persist.

Depression occurs more often in women than men and also with age. In men it projects as tiredness, irritability, anger, reckless behavior and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Men tend to deny depression and fail to seek help.

Women present as sadness, worthlessness and guilt. In teenagers it presents as irritable, sulky and often getting into trouble in school. They also experience co-morbid anxiety, eating disorders or substance abuse. In younger children it presents as refusing to attend school, separation anxiety when away from parents, especially if from death. In older adults it presents as less likely to admit feelings of sadness, grief or medical illnesses.

A major depressive episode may include these symptoms:

Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, restlessness, irritability
Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, including sex
Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down"
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Insomnia, early-morning awakening or oversleeping
Low appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and pain for which no other cause can be diagnosed.

Medications - What You Need to Know

To avoid dangerous drug interactions, advise your mental health care professional regarding all medications, prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, herbal or dietary supplements and vitamins. Talk to your pharmacist, a good source of information about medications and over-the-counter products. If your physician does not want to spend the time to answer your questions, get a referral to a different physician!

Medication alone and psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy, can relieve depressive symptoms. But a combination of medication and psychotherapy has been associated with significantly higher rates of improvement in more severe, chronic and complex presentations of depression.

Pharmacological Treatment - Antidepressant medications work well in the treatment of depression, but usually take 2 to 4 weeks before they impact the symptoms. Appetite, sleep and concentration improve prior to changes in mood. Antidepressants also have side effects, but many lessen over time. Discontinuing medication when feeling better or abruptly may result in withdrawal symptoms and can be unsafe.

Antidepressants may present risks to some individuals, especially children, teens and young adults. Antidepressants are usually not prescribed to children and not the first line of treatment in adolescents.

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) - is useful in patients who are not responding to medications, are suicidal, who do not respond to drug therapy, are psychotic or are a danger to themselves.
Psychotherapy - psychotherapies have been found to be effective in the treatment of depression.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – as described in anxiety disorder
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) – as described in anxiety disorders

Suicide and Prevention - You Are Not Alone. Support is Available.

Suicide affects all age groups, including children. More people die from suicide than from automobile accidents. Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States in 2016, If you are in crisis, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Suicide Warning Signs

Those who are successful in taking their lives usually exhibit one or more warning signs, either verbally or by what they do. The more visible warning signs, the greater the risk. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers the following helpful guide for those at risk.

If the person talks about:

Being a burden to others
Feeling trapped
Experiencing unbearable pain
Having no reason to live
Killing themselves

Those considering suicide display:

Depression
Loss of interest
Rage
Irritability
Humiliation
Anxiety

Behaviors to look for:

Increased use of alcohol or drugs
Sleeping too much or too little
Aggression
Acting recklessly
Looking for a way to kill themselves - searching online for materials or means
Withdrawing from activities, family and friends
Visiting or calling people to say goodbye
Giving away prized possessions

Helpful herbs, supplements and nutrients:

SAMe – a natural anti-depressant and has a calming effect
Liquid Kyolic with B1 and B12 - helps reduce stress and anxiety
DLPA, DL-Phenylalanine – for chronic anxiety. Increases the brains production of endorphins to help relieve stress and anxiety.
L-tyrosine – important for anxiety and depression. Relieves stress by boosting the production of adrenaline.
Chamomile, Cramp Bark, Kava Kava, Motherwort and Passion Flower – promote relaxation and aid in the prevention of panic attacks.
St. John’s Wort – can ease depression and restore emotional stability
Taurine Plus – an important antioxidant and immune system regulator
Folic Acid – usually deficient in depression sufferers
Zinc - usually deficient in depression sufferers
Maitake, Reishi or Shitake mushrooms – help the body adapt to stress
Bilberry – prevents the destruction, mutation and pre-mature death of cells in the body
Catnip – an effective anti-stress herb