Full-disclosure: I work closely with the American Psychological Association (APA) as the Public Education Coordinator for Colorado, and in other capacities. I think they are generally a great organization which does important work for psychologists AND the public. APA works for mental health treatment, and stands up for the rights of psychologists in the US (and Canada, actually). As awesome as I think the organization is, it rarely has a sense of humor. So imagine my delight when I watched this new video. Funny, a bit irreverent, and right on the money in terms of psychotherapy vs. meds – it is worth a minute of your time.
Category: Mental Illness
Disney Characters Get an (Unhealthy?) Makeover
One of my colleagues, Dr. Elaine Ducharme, recently alerted me to an announcement by Barney’s about an upcoming ad campaign featuring
Image via Barneys.com
Disney characters. She was pretty upset about the drastically slimmed-down Minnie Mouse among others. Dr. Ducharme’s concern got me thinking, too. Are the plump characters of old really out of date? Have we become so used to super-thin models that our beloved cartoon characters need to put in time on The Biggest Loser? To read Dr. Ducharme’s complete article about the dangers and signs of eating disorders and distorted body images, click here. Here’s a glimpse of her article:
We have developed a society that shouts to us all from billboards, television screens, movie theaters, magazines and just about everywhere we look, that happiness comes only with being thin. The old saying that “you can’t be too thin or too rich†is just not true. And now, even Disney characters will be shouting this message to our kids.
What can you as a parent do when you see a child struggling with these issues? First, you can consistently and throughout your child’s life encourage independent thinking and have open discussions about healthy life-styles. Be aware of your own problems and concerns about weight and eating. Be wary of sports or dance coaches that encourage your child to lose just a few more pounds. Because most eating disorders begin while patients are in their teens or early 20’s be particularly aware of excessive exercise patterns and unusual restriction of caloric intake. Be aware of distortions of body image, signs of depression and low self-esteem. Many teens struggle with identity issues and in today’s highly competitive world, many achieving kids feel they should still be doing more. Help your child set realistic goals for themselves and strive to keep open lines of communication. If they frequently appear upset, and most teenagers do have down periods, ask them if they are just having a bad day or if they have been feeling depressed for a long time. And, if you suspect an eating disorder is developing, consult with your child’s physician, a psychologist or other mental health professional that has experience working with eating disorders. Once an individual admits they have a problem and are willing to seek help, they can be treated effectively through a combination of psychological, nutritional and medical care.
Managing Your Distress in the Aftermath of a Shooting
It is with a heavy heart that I post these tips. I am grieved to watch the news reports of the horrific shooting in my home state of Colorado. These tips are provided by the American Psychological Association. They also have a tip sheet for helping your children manage their distress as well.Â
Depression and Exhaustion
Most of us have had the experience of being worried and not being able to sleep. 3am can be a great hour to worry about money, career, and relationship issues, as well as less weighty topics like what color to paint the powder room. But did you know that a symptom of depression and anxiety can also be sleepiness, and trouble waking?
While most of us require 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, those of us struggling with depression or anxiety may crave more. One of the reasons for this is that emotions take a lot of energy to create and sustain. Think back to the last time you were nervous or worried. Did you feel tired after it was over? What about the last time you were really excited or sad about an event? Did you need a few hours of extra zzz’s when the event was over? Now imagine experiencing chronic anxiety or depression, and you can imagine the drain on your energy these states may cause.
So the next time you or a loved one feels more tired than usual, you may want to take stock of your mood, as well as other aspects of your health. Depression and anxiety can be effectively treated with psychotherapy and sometimes medication. And a good mood – and good sleep – are all important aspects of overall health.
To read more reasons and side effects of too much sleep, read this WebMD article.
Should I Take My Child to a Psychologist?
Making the decision to take our kids to see a psychologist can feel huge. And it is. Particularly because we are usually making that decision in times of stress, worry, and frustration. Very few people sign up for therapy when life is going well.
So, how does a parent know when a trip to a psychologist is warranted?
They ask. Believe it or not, therapy and mental health has become such a part of popular culture, that kids often ask their parents if they can see a psychologist, counselor, or “go talk to someone.” If your kids are asking, it’s probably a good idea to oblige.
Their behavior has changed. All kids change, grow, and go through different phases as they age. But if you notice particularly concerning or abrupt changes in your child’s behavior or emotions, it’s probably a good idea to get it checked out. Some examples might include: increasing isolation, significant irritability, tearfulness, lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities, prolonged trouble with friends, sudden refusal to go to school, marked change in grades, or change in ability to get along with you and/or siblings.
There are more bad days than good ones. Family strife can creep up on us. Sometimes we don’t notice how much of a struggle togetherness and getting along has become. But if you stop and think about it, and then realize there are more fights and angry exchanges going on than you would like, it might be time to get some assistance.
Your gut tells you to. Mother’s (and father’s) intuition is usually right. We are pretty good at paying attention to it when we have newborns, but sometimes lose track of it as our kids age and become more complicated. So, it you’ve been thinking about giving therapy a try, it’s probably a good idea.
Some things to keep in mind about therapy:
- It doesn’t mean you are weak or a bad parent. In fact, it can mean the opposite – that you are aware, engaged, and taking an active role in your child’s life.
- It doesn’t have to last forever. In fact, many folks attend just a few sessions of therapy before noticing significant improvement in family life.
- It doesn’t mean your child will be “labeled.” Because of confidentiality laws, psychologists cannot disclose what is discussed during appointments, or even if you attended one at all (with a few exceptions).
News-Induced Depression
How do you get your news? Do you watch the nightly broadcast? Read it on Google, Yahoo!, or AOL? Glance at it on Twitter or Facebook? Read the (gasp!) old-fashioned print version of your city’s paper?
I’m not a huge news person. Meaning, I don’t watch cable news, I don’t read a newspaper regularly, and I don’t troll the internet for the latest breaking news items from around the world. Instead, I’m probably like a lot of people. I pick the news up here, there, and all around in bits and pieces. It probably doesn’t make me the most informed person, but it works.
But even in my semi-ignorant state, I still get News-Induced Depression from time to time. This isn’t a diagnosis recognized in the DSM-IV or by any scientific body of researchers, but I think it is real nonetheless. Here are some of the symptoms:
- Feeling sad, down, and/or tearful after hearing about a news event
- Continuing to think about news event over the course of several days or weeks, causing a deflation of mood
- Fear for safety of family and/or self (over and above the ordinary level of concern) for several days or weeks after hearing about news event
- Desire to either learn as much as possible about the news event or ignore all information about the event
- Experience an increased level of overall anxiety, nervousness, and/or worry in the days and weeks following learning about the news event
Have you ever experienced News-Induced Depression? If so, what are the stories that typically cause it? Are you affected more by personal tragedies and traumas (i.e., rapes, murders, etc) or by political scandals, corruptions, and disappointments? How do you deal with it?
Dealing with Negative Co-Workers
Longmont Times-Call February 6, 2012
I was recently interviewed for the above story on dealing with stress and negativity at work. Who among us hasn’t dealt with these issues at least once? Especially in this era of mass layoffs, downsizing, and salary reduction, negativity in the workplace can spread like the flu. If you have a negative (and talkative) office mate, it can feel almost impossible to maintain a positive outlook.
I once worked with a woman who – I kid you not – had absolutely NOTHING positive to say about our workplace. She was pretty negative about life in general, but in the 6 months I worked with her, I never heard her say anything even remotely positive about our job, co-workers, or employer. It was a tough few months. I struggled to stay positive around her, but often felt like a polyanna – I ended up sounding unrealistically hopeful and upbeat. So how do you stay positive around a negative co-worker without sounding like a phony goody-two-shoes?
- Minimize your interactions. You may not be able to control the amount of time you spend with a co-worker in meetings and other work-related activities, but you can curb the amount of time you spend with them on breaks, lunchtime, and after work activities. If you must, make up excuses (I have to pick up the dry cleaning at lunch today, finish this book for book club, etc)! The time away will do you good.
- Establish a no-work zone. We spend so much of our lives at work, it can be easy to waste many of our non-work hours re-hashing what happened when we were on the clock. If your workplace is negative or causes stress, stop talking about it when you aren’t there! This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is harder (and more helpful) than it seems. Give it a try for a week: Once you get in your car to come home, don’t allow yourself to talk about, email about, text about, Facebook about work until you arrive at the office the next day.
- Take your breaks. I love watching shows and movies from pre-technology days, when people actually took their lunch breaks. Sure, drinking 5 martinis and sleeping with your secretary over the lunch hour (a la Mad Men) might not be the best idea, but getting out of the office and taking a break from the computer is great for your mental health (and your productivity, by the way).
What do you do to stay positive in the face of negativity?
How Do I Know If I Am Stressed?
The American Psychological Association released their annual Stress in America survey today. Results suggest that we Americans are way too stressed out and that stress is having serious negative consequences. Chronic, long term stress can affect every system of our bodies: digestive, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and of course brain health can be seriously jeopardized when we are subjected to stress over the long term. To read more about APA’s Stress in America survey, including how your city rates in terms of stress, click here.
We all know stress is bad, but how do you know if your stress level is too high? What are the signs and symptoms of stress? Well, we all experience it differently, and some of the signs of excessive stress may surprise you. Here are a few to watch out for:
Difficulty concentrating (i.e., trouble focusing on your favorite TV show or book due to worries and stressful thoughts)
Excessive worry (i.e., going overboard in the amount of time you spend worrying about things, assuming the worst about things)
Overeating/undereating (i.e., eating when you’re not hungry, or losing interest in food)
Trouble with sleep (i.e., sleeping too much OR too little)
Trouble managing anger (i.e., losing your cool more quickly than normal)
Irritability (i.e., snapping at your kids or partner more than usual)
Inability to enjoy things you used to (i.e., too stressed out to enjoy weekly manicure)
Isolation (i.e., stop returning friends’ phone calls because you’re “too stressed” or “too busy” to talk)
Other signs of stress can include: difficulty doing just one thing at a time, trouble staying “in the moment,” and an increase of physical ailments (headaches, stomachaches, etc).
New dads and depression
We hear about postpartum depression in moms all the time. We hear about it on the nightly news when things go really bad, we read about it in Us Weekly when a celebrity talks about her post-baby experiences, and good ob/gyns and pediatricians screen for it in new moms. But where do the dads fit in? Do they ever suffer from depression after their new little one arrives? You bet.
While the cause of new dad depression can’t be blamed on hormone swings and post-delivery discomfort, it still exists.  Just as moms struggle to get used to the challenges a baby brings, so do dads. Over the years I have heard many concerns of new dads. Some the same and some different from the concerns of new moms. Some of the most common include:
- How am I going to financially support my growing family?
- How can I connect with my baby when he is being breastfed by his mom? Where is my place with a newborn?
- I find my baby boring, I thought being a dad would be more fun.
- I miss my wife, she is so pre-occupied with the baby she doesn’t have time for me.
- I don’t want to make the same parenting mistakes my dad and mom made.
- I miss my freedom. Will I ever get it back?
- I am freaking exhausted!
So what can families do to help support new dads struggling with mood changes? Perhaps the most important thing is to find someone to talk to. Another family member or friend who has been through the newborn baby stage might be a good bet. If that doesn’t work, a few visits to a mental health professional may be helpful.  Pediatricians and primary care providers can often provide good referrals.
Just as with new moms, time away from dad and husband duties can be rejuvenating. Reinstating “boys night out” or nightly weightlifting sessions can be good for the mind and body. Talking openly with the baby’s mom about struggles and concerns is also advisable. And as with postpartum depression in moms, dads with depression should be monitored for significant changes in mood or anxiety levels so that appropriate treatment can be undertaken.
New Baby and Post Partum Depression
I’m still here! Though it’s been a while since I have posted (2 weeks I think?) I am still around – just with an extra family member to care for. I’m happy to announce the birth of my beautiful son! Crazy! I never thought I would have a boy as we’ve only had girls in the family for as long as anyone can remember. I am so excited to learn all about boys and the challenges that come along with parenting them! (hints and tips welcome!)
As I get to know my new baby, deal with a post-pregnancy body, and continue to care for my other two children, I have been thinking a lot about moms who are affected by postpartum depression. It’s such a serious and prevalent disorder, and one that can be hard to treat – often because moms don’t let providers, loved ones, or other support systems know they are struggling. Some moms might feel embarrassed or ashamed to admit that welcoming a new baby is anything less than a wonderful experience. But it can be hard – super hard – what with the crazy hormones, change in family dynamics, lack of sleep, pain from childbirth, trouble with feeding, etc.
I found this helpful article from the Mayo Clinic about postpartum depression – including warning signs and when to seek help:
Postpartum Depression: Signs & Treatment