Tuesday, August 30, 2005 8:41 PM
posted by Chris R. Giles, LMFT Do You Get Enough Sleep? I love to sleep. Just ask anyone in my family. It usually doesn't take long for me to find dream land. But I noticed long ago that when I do not get enough sleep, I just don't feel right. I realized this long before college but was brutally reminded many times during those years and the year following fatherhood.
Mental health professionals have long touted the importance of balanced sleep in minimizing the occurance and effects of certain mental illnesses. I have noticed that the majority of the people that I see in my office for clinical depression, anxiety and a number of other issues either sleep too much or do not get enough sleep.
I found an article that offers straight forward information regarding the importance of balanced sleep. There are a lot more articles and web pages with more scientific data supporting the importance of sleep, but this article offers simple, basic information.
In the article, the author quotes the authors of a book called Painfully Shy who write: "For people prone to social anxiety, adequate sleep is crucial. It can mean the difference between thinking about an issue realistically and becoming needlessly upset over something that's not really important. In other words, when you're overly tired, you're more likely to misread social situations and interpret them negatively."
This is true not only for Social anxiety, but any other anxiety issue, as well as depression and a multitude of other mental health issues.
To read the entire article, go to Sleep Is Not for Sissies
link to this post  Wednesday, August 24, 2005 8:08 AM
posted by Michael Mason Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Explored I've often wondered about how our own attitudes and understanding of mental disorders can affect individuals, so it was a pleasure to stumble on this article from Psychology Today that offers an interesting piece related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:
"Howard's suspicions are confirmed by many researchers, who are coming to believe that psychological factors play a crucial role in perpetuating many physical illnesses, particularly a subset of chronic ailments that defy logic, diagnosis or a cure. It seems that the way you think about your illness can actually affect how sick you get."
Click here to read "Is It All In My Head?"
link to this post Friday, August 19, 2005 10:27 AM
posted by Michael Mason Great PTSD Resource As our involvement in Iraq continues, many military personnel are reporting incidents of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The BBC has an excellent series of web-based media that offer an excellent introduction to PTSD that includes its though-provoking history as well as personal accounts. Here's a small blurb:
"A much larger US study of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan found up to 17% suffering PTSD, depression, or general anxiety. And while some research has been done on the British and US soldiers who served in Iraq, there is much less data on the mental health of Iraqi soldiers or civilians on the receiving end of the war."
Click here to read "Combat Stress: As old as war itself."
link to this post Monday, August 15, 2005 2:43 PM
posted by Chris R. Giles, LMFT Exercise and Mental Health For years, studies have shown that physical exercise aids in the treatment and prevention of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
"The most recent major study, published in the January issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed that adults aged 20 to 45 with mild to moderate depression who participated in 30-minute aerobic exercise sessions three to five times a week reduced their symptoms by almost 50 percent."
To read the entire article go to: Walking the Talk
link to this post Wednesday, August 10, 2005 2:17 PM
posted by Michael Mason Removing the Stigma from Schizophrenia On top of their psychoses, individuals with schizophrenia are often forced to deal with harsh social treatment. Recently , programs in England, Australia, and Sweden are attempting to change attitudes about schizophrenia so that people with mental disorders can interact and engage society without the current negative consequences.
In the article "The Global Fight Against the Stigma of Schizphrenia," authors Kadri and Sartorius underscore the difficulty of such a task:
"The main obstacle to success is the fact that changes in attitudes and behaviour take time. Continuous repetition of action and financial support have to be maintained over years—despite the fact that, in the beginning, anti-stigma programmes often produce only meagre results. Maintaining the motivation of all concerned over many years is very difficult. The programme also needs the lasting involvement of all structures of the health system (and of other social services), which must see the fight against stigma as one of their permanent and essential tasks."
Click here to read "The Global Fight Against the Stigma of Schizphrenia"
link to this post Tuesday, August 09, 2005 9:14 AM
posted by Michael Mason Personal Account of a Bipolar Artist Mara McWilliams is an artist and author who has integrated her bipolar disorder into a deeper understanding of herself. In this moving account, she discusses the effect art therapy had on her recovery, and the role bipolar disorder plays in her paintings. She writes:
"Art therapy has been the one form of therapy that has really opened my eyes to who I am and what I feel. Since finding this form of expression, I have healed in ways I never thought would be possible for me. I used to be a cutter. One day, I decided that instead of slashing at myself with a razor, I would slash at the canvas in blood colored paint with a paint brush. The release I felt was incredible. I was still able to express my rage and anger with all the intensity I needed by slicing away at the canvas instead of my body. Since I found that tool, I have not harmed myself. It sounds simple and it really is."
Click here to read "Using Art Therapy for Good Mental Health"
link to this post Monday, August 08, 2005 2:43 PM
posted by Michael Mason Cognitive Therapy Halves Second Suicide Attempts The statistics on suicide in America are harrowing: over thirty thousand people die from suicide each year, and over 133,000 are hospitalized as the result of a suicide attempt. Recently, the August 3rd edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association came out with an interesting bit of research that indicated significnt strides in reducing the risk of second suicide attempts.
"The study followed the 120 participants for 18 months. Over that time, 13 (24.1 percent) of those who got cognitive therapy made a second suicide attempt, compared to 23 (41.6 percent) of those who got standard treatment. Measurements of depression found significantly lower levels for the cognitive therapy group."
Click here to read "Cognitive Therapy Halves Second Suicide Attempts"
link to this post |
Rolf B. Gainer, Ph.D., Diplomate ABDA, is the Chief Executive Office at Brookhaven Hospital and the Vice President of Rehabilitation Institutes of America. Dr. Gainer has been involved in the design and operation of treatment programs since 1977.
Stephen Harnish, MD is the Medical Director of Brookhaven Hospital. Dr. Harnish is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and is well known in Oklahoma for his informative radio and television appearances.
Aric Thorpe, MHR, is Brookhaven Hospital's Pastoral Liaison Representative. He conducts the quarterly Minister's Lifeline series and provides mental health information to pastors and clergy.
Sarah McGee serves as the Community Education Provider for Brookhaven Hospital. She provides information on mental health and drug and alcohol treatment to healthcare professionals in Oklahoma and surrounding states. |
