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Mental Health & Changes in Functioning

In order for mental health concerns to be considered a disorder, the individual usually must present “significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities” (DSM 5). These vast changes in functioning can look different depending on the person, the environment, and the disorder. For this post, we are going to focus on what the impairment in functioning can look like. Usually, it means there is a significant and negative change from how one functioned previously, to now. There are different areas of life that these impairments can show up in like school, social settings, and other important activities.

Big differences in how someone interacts with others can indicate a problem. For example, if someone is really outgoing and generally a happy, positive person and they become withdrawn and start avoiding social situations for an extended period of time -that might indicate a problem. These changes in social functioning can also take place around family members. Big changes in the way someone communicates might mean the individual is experiencing a problem.

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What is therapy? An interview with Dr. Levenson

News_Levenson_Jessica_photo — Jessica C. Levenson, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

We spoke to Dr. Jessica Levenson who works at the Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Jessica is a clinical psychologist who is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Therapy (IPT). She is currently specializing in psychotherapy for sleep which is focused on specific treatments that help with a variety of sleep problems like insomnia or nightmares. We interviewed Dr. Jessica to learn more about what to expect out of therapy.Dr. Jessica says that, “People usually meet once a week or once every few weeks for about an hour at a time and it is talking, but it is very purposeful talking. It’s talking about things that are related to concerns that a person is having and trying to develop a plan for problem solving or improving those areas.” Continue reading What is therapy? An interview with Dr. Levenson

Journaling Toward Mental Health

I recently found an article on Amy Pohler’s Smart Girls website about journaling and I thought it would be great to share here.

One of the things I really liked about the article was this:

According to a post on PsychCenteral, University of Texas at Austin psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker believes that, “Writing about stressful events helps you come to terms with them, thus reducing the impact of these stressors on your physical health.” A study from BJPsych Advances also found that expressive writing had a powerful impact on both the mind and body, linking journaling to “improved immune system functioning” and “improved working memory,” among other beneficial things.

Do you think keeping a journal could help your adolescent?

Symptoms of Depression Are Not Just Changes in Mood

The mind and body have many different ways of expressing depression. Often times the symptoms of depression are mood-based such as hopelessness, feelings that one is unworthy, and suicidal ideation. Although those are symptoms related to mood that are often found with depression, it can also be represented through the physical changes and not just in a person’s mood. The depression symptoms can easily be managed, just as any illness or sickness.

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Adding Music to your Daily Routine to Alleviate Stress

Intertwining music into your daily routine is a simple way to help reduce stress in your life. Helpguide.org gives several ways to incorporate music into everyday situations that can be used to reduce your stress.

You can implement music starting first thing in the morning. Waking up to an alarm clock that is blaring a horrendous beeping sound can be a rude awakening! Try waking up to a familiar song that you enjoy. You could create an entire morning playlist to get yourself in the right mindset to start your day. To go the extra mile and really increase the positive effects of music, it is time to start singing. Who knew that singing in the shower could actually be helpful? “Singing is one of the best ways to shift the vibrations of our thoughts and the very cells of our body, helping slow and regulate breathing and promote relaxation.” When choosing your music, be mindful that the songs suit and benefit your mood, inspiring you or helping you to relax. While doing this pay attention to how you feel when singing and after to help keep in mind the songs that lift your spirits the most.

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Sleep Disturbances and Depression

There is a relationship between depression and changes in sleep patterns.

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One of the symptoms for Major Depressive Disorder is “insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.” Insomnia and hypersomnia are two sleep disorders, described below. Because disturbances in sleep are such a prevalent symptom of depression, we thought it would be important to talk about sleep disorders, sleep patterns, and what “normal sleep” looks like.

Before we dive in, it’s important to note that only a professional can diagnose individuals with mental health disorders. We want to warn against the dangers of self-diagnosis, especially relating to mental illness. If you or someone you know is experiencing some of these symptoms, it’s okay to investigate further by educating yourself on the disorder, but important to get a professional opinion before drawing any conclusions. Continue reading Sleep Disturbances and Depression

Invisible Illness

Depression is not a “visible” health issue. It doesn’t announce itself to the world with a cast, or stitches, or vomiting. Depression is sneaky. It can be hard to talk about. Hard to define. It’s easy to say “I fell out of a tree and broke my arm,” there’s a cause and effect. Depression sometimes just happens – a chemical imbalance in your brain that may happen suddenly or over time. You may not even notice a sudden change in your adolescent, it could happen over years.

Remember that just because it isn’t visible doesn’t mean that it isn’t real. It’s important to remind ourselves and our adolescent that they are worthy of treatment and of living a happy, fulfilling life.

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Q&A with a Mental Health Therapist

Recently, I had the opportunity to ask a local therapist some questions about therapy. The therapist’s name is Shannon Toomey, MS-CP. She works at a local outpatient mental health clinic. The range of clients the clinic accepts vary from adults to children ages 2+ with mental health concerns that are treatable in an outpatient setting.

Why does therapy work?

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Ms. Toomey spoke about the trusting, professional relationship the therapist and the client build together. This aspect of therapy is the foundation for accomplishing the client’s goals. Ms. Toomey also talked about the uniqueness of the therapeutic relationship. She stated that in therapy, the client can “gain skills they might not get otherwise.” Lastly, Ms. Toomey spoke about the outsider’s perspective that the therapist can provide for the client. This perspective is unbiased and nonjudgmental. This third party view can provide a different look at the situation and how things are. Continue reading Q&A with a Mental Health Therapist

Mental Health in the African American Community

“African Americans are no different when it comes to prevalence of mental health conditions when compared to the rest of the population. However, your concerns or experiences and how you understand and cope with these conditions may be different.” NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Although African Americans have the same prevalence of mental health conditions often times they can become more severe because of a lack of treatment. The differences in obtaining treatment can be explained by many factors. Major depression, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Suicide (among young African American men), and Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are four mental health illnesses common among the African American community. Some of the risk factors for developing these conditions are heightened by African Americans’ risk of being exposed to violence and homelessness.

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