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ID,Ego and Super-Ego

According to the father of psychology, Sigmund Freud, the human personality consists of three parts which he labeled as the ID, the Ego and the Superego. Read more of this post

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Top 10 Not So Traditional Wedding Dresses

I was just wedding gown shopping with a close friend of mine. I never realized what a stressful event this was until I witnessed my friend’s eyeballs almost pop out of her head. With all of that stress, we managed to come to a decision quicker than I expected.  I was so relieved I didn’t have to kindly tell her to “try another” or “it’s nice..but”.

Her choice was perfect, traditional, classic,princess-like and stunning.

There were a lot of factors that influenced her decision; how the dress fit her body? Does it fit the theme of her wedding? Is it comfortable? What do her parents think? Would the groom love it?

Sounds like pretty reasonable factors.

I just wonder what was going on in these women’s minds as to how they came to their decisions, or if they just didn’t have an honest friend to help them out. Read more of this post

The Key to Psychosis-Empathy

Psychosis

 

Location: Old Country Hill Psychiatric Center

Tuesday Morning:  7:45 am. 

Temperature: VERY COLD.

His name is Chuck. Read more of this post

Panic Attacks: Stop Scaring Yourself!

WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?

Panic Attack!

A panic attack is a period of intense fear and worry that a person experiences with or with out an identified trigger that appears to come out of nowhere.

A panic attack usually does not last for more than 10 minutes.

People who have experienced a panic attack at some point in their lives have described it as the most terrifying and uncomfortable situation they have ever been in, especially if the person was having a panic attack in a public/social situation.

More times than not, panic attacks are mistaken for heart attacks and many people rush to the ER for medical attention. People usually are diagnosed with panic attacks when the doctors find absolutely nothing wrong with them. It takes a lot of time for most people to accept that what they experienced was “just” a panic attack because of how intense the feeling could be.

A panic attack can be seen as some kind of a “glitch” in our autonomic nervous system which is responsible to send a general “alarm” to our bodies to either “fight or flight” when we are in a dangerous situation. People who experience panic attacks may have an over sensitive or hyper-reactive autonomic nervous system.

TWO TYPES OF FEARS:

During a panic attack a person will experience two types of fears.

The primary fear is the initial and physical experience of pure panic; racing heart, interrupted breathing, sweating, etc.

SYMPTOMS THAT COMMONLY OCCUR DURING A PANIC ATTACK:

1.) Numbness/tingling sensations

2.) Dizziness,faintness, difficulty balancing

3.) Racing and/or Pounding heart

4.) Chest Tightness

5.) Sweating

6.) Shaking

7.) Hot Flashes

8.) Feeling unreal or as if you’re in a dream

9.) Nausea or abdominal discomfort

10.) Shortness of breath

11.) Fear of dying

12.) Fear of “losing it”

13.) Fear of losing control

14.) Intense need to flee or escape

The secondary fear are the thoughts that follow these physical sensations a person experiences during a panic attack.

THE CYCLE:

Treating individuals who experience panic attacks and a variety of different anxiety disorders, I’ve come to learn that addressing the secondary fears (thoughts) first have been extremely helpful in decreasing the intensity of the attacks. Let’s take a look at some of the very common false beliefs and thoughts that most people have during panic attacks.

“I’m going to stop breathing”

“I’m going to pass out”

“I’m going crazy”

“I’m going to embarrass myself”

“I’m going to fall”

I’m going to have a heart attack”

“I’m going to die”

These thoughts and internal dialogue will only intensify your panic attack, so cut it out!

Not so easy right?

Well here are some facts about panic attacks that may help you negate these thoughts and help you kick panic attacks in the ass.

MYTH BUSTING!

Busted!

You will NOT suffocate because of a panic attack:

When distressed, your body tends to tighten the muscles, and that includes your neck and chest muscles which reduces the extent of your respiratory function. This does not mean there is anything wrong with your lungs or breathing at all. If you are not taking in enough oxygen, your brain will utilize it’s built in mechanism to force you to take deeper breaths or gasp. Yes, the feeling of suffocating IS NOT PLEASANT, but trust that you will not actually suffocate. There are no recorded deaths of suffocation during panic attacks 🙂

You will NOT faint because of a panic attack- Due to hyperventilation, (fast,fast breathing) during a panic attack, you may feel light headed which may give off the impression that you are going to faint. NO! Your blood circulation to your brain has slightly decreased. This is far from deadly. Allow the light-headed feelings to diminish, they will with time, along with slowed breathing.

Guess what!!? During a panic attack your heart is beating a little quicker; people usually faint when their hearts slow down.

So Much Panic!

You will NOT fall during a panic attack:

Sometimes you may feel as if your legs are too weak to hold your body which triggers the thoughts “I’m going to fall”, which then leads to “I’m going to embarrass myself or get hurt”.

Adrenaline is released during a panic attack which sometimes causes dilation in blood vessels in your legs. This feeling is JUST a feeling. Your legs are not actually weaker, they are just as strong as they were before the panic attack.

You will NOT go CRAZY during a panic attack:

A common reaction to rapid breathing is the sensation of feeling “not in reality”. Again, this is JUST a sensation. If you experience a feeling of disorientation or “dream like”, tell yourself that this is just a reaction to a change in your breathing. People do not go crazy from a panic attack. Mental illnesses are complex and usually progress slowly over time. There are no recorded “psychosis” due to a panic attack.

Stay Strong!

You will NOT have a heart attack during a panic attack- A healthy and strong heart can beat 200 beats per minute for as long as several weeks without a problem! Your heart can withstand a lot more than you think it can. There is a MAJOR difference between what your heart feels like during a panic attack and during a true heart attack.

THE DIFFERENCES:

During a panic attack your heart may pound and beat more rapidly and sometimes people complain of some pain. This pain quickly subsides.

During a true heart attack, there is much more consistent pain involved and intense pressure against the chest. This pain gets worse and worse.

EKG research indicates that during a panic attack, there are no abnormalities in the heart other than rapid beating. EKG tests indicates quite a few abnormalities in the heart during a heart attack.

APPLYING IT:

Now that you have learned a little more about the realities of panic attacks, try to replace your catastrophic thoughts with your knew FACTUAL knowledge. You are not going to die from a panic attack. Yes, they are scary, traumatic, and serve as interruptions in the lives of many, but don’t give them THAT much credit.

You may tell yourself, even after learning and knowing all of this, that during your next panic attack, that this one is different. you may tell yourself, “This time it’s really a heart attack.”

Well now you will know that that is one of the most common thoughts people have during panic attacks.

A last piece of advice- Embrace the symptoms. The more you try to avoid these symptoms,  such as isolating yourself, constantly seeking medical attention, avoiding walking,talking and just being during a panic attack, the more you will reinforce your false beliefs that they are dangerous. You are stronger than a panic attack. Laugh at it. Millions of people experience panic attacks.

THERE ARE NO RECORDED DEATHS DUE TO PANIC ATTACKS!

You will NOT go CRAZY during a panic attack:

A common reaction to rapid breathing is the sensation of feeling “not in reality”.

Again, this is JUST a sensation. If you experience a feeling of disorientation or “dream like”, tell yourself that this is just a reaction to a change in your breathing. People do not go crazy from a panic attack. Mental illnesses are complex and usually progress slowly over time. There are no recorded “psychosis cases” due to a panic attack.

You will NOT have a heart attack during a panic attack- A healthy and strong heart can beat 200 beats per minute for as long as several weeks without a problem! Your heart can withstand a lot more than you think it can. There is a MAJOR difference between what your heart feels like during a panic attack and during a true heart attack.

ATHLETES WOULD BE DROPPING DEAD:

If our hearts could not sustain some rapid beating once in a while, don’t you think athletes would be dropping to the floor left and right?

You may tell yourself, even after learning and knowing all of this, that during your next panic attack, that this one is different. you may tell yourself, “This time it’s really a heart attack”. Well now you will know that that is one of the most common thoughts people have during panic attacks.

A last piece of advice- Embrace the symptoms. The more you try to avoid these symptoms,  such as isolating yourself, constantly seeking medical attention, avoiding walking,talking and just being during a panic attack, the more you will reinforce your false beliefs that they are dangerous. You are stronger than a panic attack. Laugh at it. Millions of people experience panic attacks every day.

No One Dies From Panic Attacks!

THERE ARE NO RECORDED DEATHS DUE TO PANIC ATTACKS.

Top 10 Ways to Alleviate Depression

Jim Carey suffers from depression

Jim Carrey, Owen Wilson, Ellen Degeneres, Russell Brand;  are all comedians that suffer from depression.

Depression is a commonly diagnosed mental illness that can range from mild to severe low mood  leading to suicidal ideation and attempts.

You would think these happy-go-lucky, funny, rich famous people have no reason to be depressed, but depression is not picky and can sneak its way through anyone no matter the shape, size, sex, financial status, social status and occupation of the person.

Yes, there are environmental variables that can exacerbate depressed mood, triggers that cause onset of depression, poor diets, work pressures, financial stress,relational conflicts, health concerns, loss of a loved one and chronic stress, all in which contribute to depression.

People carry depression genes

IT’S IN THE BRAIN.

More than likely, someone who experiences depression is predisposed to it, meaning they carry a “depression” gene. An individual’s biological make up is believed to be the etiology of the disease. You will usually see patterns of depression in families because depression is hereditary just like diabetes, cancer, obesity, height and eye color is. That does not mean if depression runs in your family you will definitely have it. It just means that you may be more sensitive to it and would benefit from learning prevention techniques or coping skills to avoid or manage it just as someone who may watch their sugar intake if both of their parents had diabetes.

Depression can get in the way of our jobs, productivity, family relationships, friendships, motivation, creativity, self-care, concentration,sex life, sleep and overall wellness. Although depression is an intrusive, destructive and uncomfortable experience, there is hope to alleviating depression, but first we have to be aware of it.

Warning signs of depression

Warning Signs-If you experience at least five out of eight of these symptoms for two weeks or more you may be suffering from Major Depression, but definitely see a mental health professional first to talk in more detail.

1. Subjective feelings of sadness and emptiness (tearful) for most of the day nearly every day

2. Diminished interest and/or pleasure in all daily activities

3.Weight loss or weight gain, loss or increase of appetite

4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly each day

5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day

6.Fatigue and/or loss of energy nearly every day

7.Feelings of hopelessness or excessive guilt nearly every day

8.Diminished ability to focus, concentrate, make decisions and think clearly nearly every day

9.Recurrent thoughts of death, disease, suicidal ideation without a plan or suicidal ideation with a plan and suicide attempts.

Top ten ways to alleviate depression.

1.) DON’T ISOLATE!

Depression eats away our desire to socialize and be near people. Since depression is related to feelings of worthlessness and loneliness, isolating will only reinforce and justify your idea that you are not worth being around people and keep you sitting alone in your own head.

Socializing keeps you distracted and connected with others. Emotional support is key to feeling better, even if it’s just a hug from your friend. As hard as it is for a depressed individual to get up and get moving, sometimes you must force yourself up and do something you don’t want to do because if you are depressed you more than likely don’t want to do anything. Depression makes everything a lot more complex and difficult than what it is, so whatever social plans you make, keep it simple so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Make plans to go for lunch or a drive, not a ski trip just yet. It gets easier with practice!

2.) DON’T “MUSTURBATE!”

According to the well-known American psychologist Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), individuals who “Musturbate” tend to become more depressed than those who don’t musturbate.

What is musturbating?

Ellis describes musturbation as the tendency for humans to place  rules and demands on themselves and hold thinking patterns with internal dialogue such as “I MUST do this or I MUST do that. Ellis came up with a list of words that human beings tend to use that cause intense feelings of anxiety, guilt, anger and depression.

Musturbatory Words:

Must

Should

Shouldn’t

Have to

Need to

These are just a few of the commonly used phrases that Ellis believed to be a cause of emotional distress, depression and other mental health issues. For example, some people may hold the belief that their friend or significant other SHOULDN’T break plans with them or a mom/wife may hold the belief that she MUST have dinner ready before 6:00. Thinking and talking using these phrases will only make things worse. Try replacing those “Musturbatory’ thinking patterns with more realistic and easy-going words. Lets try it.

Mom’s Musturbatory thoughts – “I MUST have dinner ready before 6:00 or else my family won’t eat on time and I’ll disappoint them, therefore I’m a bad mom.”

Mom’s healthier thoughts – “I’d like to try to have dinner ready by 6:00, if not I’m sure 7:00 will be fine; my family isn’t starving and can tolerate feeling hungry for an extra hour, it doesn’t mean I’m a bad mom or wife, I just had a busy day.”

Doesn’t the 2nd one sound so much more easing?!

So anytime you find yourself using words like these, try replacing them because you really don’t HAVE to do many things you think you do. Ellis thinks we really “SHOULD” implement this to start feeling better.

3.) Structure

Make a daily schedule for yourself to avoid having to make too many decisions as to what to do for the day. Because depression can cause indecisiveness, have plans already decided on to avoid any added stress or feelings of guilt on the decision you made. You may want someone to help you with this as it may be hard to find the motivation to plan activities. Buy a planner and use it.

4.) Stand clear of boredom

Keep your mind busy and active. When we have too much time on our hands we think too much. We start thinking about how horrible we feel and feel sorry for ourselves.

Simple activities like organizing your desk, color coordinating your clothes, cooking a new recipe, shopping, decorating a room in your house, watching a movie ,playing a video game or reading a book are activities that can take up your time and distract you from yourself. Just try to stay out of your head because that will only feed the depression.

5.) REFRAIN FROM BLACK AND WHITE THINKING

Try to see the gray areas in situations instead of labeling things as either BLACK or WHITE, good or bad and all or nothing.

If we develop a pattern of perceiving life events and ourselves as so ABSOLUTE, we leave no room for all of the shades of gray in between.

For example, if your best friend forgot to call you back one day when you really needed them we can choose to anger ourselves more and cause more distress by labeling them as a bad friend and terminating the friendship, which most likely will lead to feelings of anger, guilt and depression.

Instead, we can see the gray area which would be, “It sucks they didn’t call me back,I’m pissed off right now, but they are my best friend for a reason and they probably didn’t mean it to hurt me”. You can even apply this to your own emotions. Some people who overcome depression get really upset when they have a day when they’re not happy therefore they believe they are supposed to be depressed and sometimes it can lead into a vicious cycle. It’s ok to be in the middle, average, or just “ok”.

6.)Act as if you are not depressed

When you’re depressed try to act as if you’re not.

Don’t shlep around in sweat pants and an unwashed face. Try to put on nice clothes, take a shower and force a smile. Train your brain to believe you’re not depressed. You will be surprised how helpful this could be and research indicates that we have the power to change our neural pathways in our brains just by practicing alternative styles of thinking and behaving. See this one as a brain exercise.

7.) Eat right

Eating healthy balanced meals also plays a role in helping to treat depression. There is a correlation between depressed individuals and deficiencies in Folic Acid, vitamins b12 and b6 and omega 3 fats; most commonly correlated with a Folic Acid deficiency. You can find Folic Acid in beans, leafy green vegetables and seeds.

8.) Exercise

There are two reasons why exercise helps alleviate depression.

One is the release of endorphins commonly known as “runner’s high”. These endorphins that are released during exercise attach to the same receptors as opiates do concluding that elevated mood and sense of elation occurs during and after exercise.

Secondly, exercise improves our self-esteem, the way we look and gives us a sense of accomplishment. You don’t have to join a gym to exercise!

9) Sleep right

Not getting enough sleep or getting too much sleep affects the chemical activity in our brain leading to more disturbed mood, fatigue and irritability. Try getting at least 6 hours per night and no more than 9 hours per night. If you have difficulty falling asleep or experience sleep disturbance avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as you can, clear the clutter in your bedroom and do not bring any stressful triggers in your bedroom like bills, storage, conflict. Keep your room strictly for relaxation.

Laughter is healthy

10.)LAUGHTER

All of the comedians listed above have the right idea.

Laughter is like medicine for both the mind and the body.

Laughing is associated with happiness and friendships. Laughter brings people closer and creates intimacy across many cultures. It also helps us to physically relieve stress and relaxes our muscles for as long as 45 min after our laughing episode.

Laughing releases endorphins, leaving us feeling peppy and light. When you can laugh at yourself, your catastrophic and disastrous perception of your life can change and you may start  not taking yourself so seriously.

Keep in mind depression is a serious illness and these tips for alleviating depression are easier said than done for some people.

You may want to seek professional help such as a psychiatrist who can prescribe you anti-depressant medication at first to help get you moving. Then, you can see a psychologist, mental health counselor or any trained mental health professional to guide you through the suggestions listed above.

Naturally Tripping

“You see, I really have wanted to make it so that people get the idea that these folk, who are eating their potatoes by the light of their little lamp, have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish, and so it speaks of manual labor and — that they have thus honestly earned their food. I wanted it to give the idea of a wholly different way of life from ours — civilized people. So I certainly don’t want everyone just to admire it or approve of it without knowing why.” Van Gogh 1885.

Schizophrenia

Imagine a life where everything seemed as if it was an oil painting. Objects, people, animals, flowers, trees, faces, waters, skies, starry nights, your mother, your hands, were all distorted. Imagine them melting, extra vibrantly colored and skewed images of what Van Gogh called his own reality.

This experience is a symptom of a mental illness we label today as Schizophrenia, a brain disease in which Van Gogh most definitely struggled with in the latter years of his life. Van Gogh painted his realities just as he saw them, melting images and all.

As a mental health professional working in an out-patient clinic, I see individuals who unfortunately live their lives more or less every day with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is one term that applies so differently to the individual and can look so drastically different from one person to the next with various sub-types and symptoms. There are some schizophrenic individuals who see people and/or objects that are not there; some complain of apparitions, talking animals, and flashing lights as no one else sees what they do.

Other individuals who experience auditory hallucinations may experience gentle whispers repeating to them that they are no good, some voices may have a higher volume telling silly jokes and others  may experience something called command hallucinations.

Now, those are out patients who may meet the “high risk” list criteria; people we need to keep an extra eye on. Someone who experiences command hallucinations may hear a voice that tells them to hurt others or themselves.( David Berkowitz’ dog told him to kill people.)

Van Gogh had an intense heightening of senses during his psychotic episodes;another form of visual hallucinations. Imagine a life where everything seemed as if you were walking in a dream. Liquefying tree tops, sparkling skies of blue and purple, animated flowers, and stretched,pulled,exaggerated faces of others..something similar to “tripping.”

Van Gogh did not need shrooms or acid for this. His brain naturally tripped.

As mentioned earlier, Van Gogh most definitely suffered from positive symptoms of schizophrenia, and by all means positive does NOT mean good or happy in any way. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are known as the more active symptoms which include, visual (sight), auditory (hearing), tactile (touch), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell) hallucinations. Although he suffered greatly from this disease which caused others to stigmatize him, caused him to be in a constant state of anxiety and depression, and was disorganized in thought,  he was still able to make beautiful use out of his sufferings…his art.

Everything Van Gogh painted was exactly how he experienced and perceived the world. His art did not only involve innate talent, technique and the skill to mix color, but mostly it was his disease that encouraged him to show us his world. I’m sure Van Gogh believed he honestly earned his “food” just like the potato eaters he painted in 1885.

Part of treatment for a schizophrenic is by far most importantly medication therapy.

Schizophrenics are usually prescribed antipsychotic medication which decreases the amount of Dopamine activity in the brain. Dopamine is an awesome neurotransmitter because it’s main purpose is to recognize behaviors that lead to rewards and pleasure. Too much of this leads to psychosis, and too little of it leads to Parkinson’s disease because dopamine is also responsible for the control of voluntary movement.

Anti-psychotic medication comes with many severe side effects.

One very commonly experienced side effect is the development of Parkinson’s disease like symptoms. This medication decreases dopamine activity in the brain, and remember too little dopamine is the cause of Parkinson’s. The schizophrenic has to decide between the two evils, and many choose no meds!

We call that “non compliance”, they call it “not worth it”.

Though there are many “non compliance with meds” patients, antipsychotic medication is shown to be extremely effective with decreasing psychotic symptoms.

Van Gogh definitely did a “little” self medicating with the illuminating, ghostbuster green colored potion..

ABSINTHE!

Van Gogh really liked that stuff and I can’t blame him. Absinthe is known to actually increase cognitive functioning in the areas of the brain where thought organization, abstract thinking and creativity takes place. Doctors told him he had to stop taking “his medication” because of the other ill effects it had on his body. Poor guy 🙁

Medicine

Another part of treating schizophrenia is helping the individual to build on their strengths, educate them on the disease, and validate their experiences. They also have to involve their families and to teach them distraction techniques.

It seems as if Van Gogh had a great distraction technique/coping skill. Not everyone is as fortunate to have such a powerful outlet as did he.

I had one schizophrenic patient whose outlet was chess. Man was she good! She was a pro, and she knew every trick. After the very first few moves of the game, she was able to predict how the entire rest of the game was going to work out.

She was a lunatic who thought Whitney Huston was her best friend, hallucinated that her own reflection would stand right before her, could not hold an organized and appropriately reciprocated conversation with anyone, but damn could she play chess. That was her outlet; the only sense of normalcy and self-expression she had.

Positive Symptoms

 

Most individuals with schizophrenia also experience symptoms known as negative symptoms.

Negative symptoms can be described as a deficit or lacking things. Such symptoms include the loss of the ability to feel emotions known as blunted or flat affect, lack of motivation and no desire to act on a task known as “avolition”, poverty of speech known as “alogia”, the lack of desire to form relationships known as “asociality” and the inability to experience any kind of pleasure known as “anhedonia”.

If you look through the beautiful and expressionistic gallery of Van Gogh’s work, you can see the different representations of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

For instance, “Starry night” is a clear representation of visual hallucinations as he included melting colors and skewed perceptions of his realities.

Negative Symptoms

If you take a look at a painting known as “cottages” you can see the “FLATNESS” of the painting , the poverty of his speech, the lack of desire to include people in his life and the dark,depressing un-pleasurable life he may have been experiencing; a very still painting, with little desire to move..still says so much though.

Partners Section:

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