Creating a Self-Soothing Kit: Tip of the Day
Michael Fenimore, LPC, an adult psychiatric clinician at High Focus Centers in Freehold, New Jersey, discusses self-soothing as a coping skill during times of stress. Learn how to create a “self-soothing kit” for yourself that engages all five senses and can be a calming resource when you experience feelings of distress or vulnerable moments in your life.
Focus On: Quarantine and Regression in Children
Dr. Navjot Khinda, Psychiatric Director of High Focus Centers in Paramus, New Jersey, discusses the effects that quarantine can have on children’s behavior. A child – of any age – may be experiencing regression if you notice sudden changes in their behavior. Temper tantrums, defiance, or avoiding responsibility are all signs that a child could be struggling with stress or anxiety. Children are very sensitive to changes in their environment. Especially now, as we are practicing social distancing and quarantine, children’s schedules have been significantly disrupted. This can lead to increased feelings of helplessness and anxiety. Learn how to reduce [...]
6 Calming Gifts for Someone With Anxiety
Understanding anxiety can be difficult if you don’t experience it often or intensely or even at all. Because anxiety manifests in different ways, trying to support someone whose life is impacted by anxiety can be a challenge. One way in which you can support a loved one battling anxiety is through gift-giving. There are plenty of gift ideas that can both show your support for your loved one as well as provide them with a tool they can use in times of intense stress to help relax their minds and recenter themselves. Calming gifts for anxiety Whether you're looking [...]
What is the Relationship Between Mental Illness and Substance Use
Whether you have experienced it in your own life, or have witnessed it happen in the life of a loved one, you may have noticed that some people who battle a mental illness of some kind also struggle with substance abuse; or vice versa – someone diagnosed with substance abuse struggles with some form of a mental health disorder. While not everyone will be affected by it, individuals who battle substance abuse or a mental illness are occasionally diagnosed with what is called either a co-occurring disorder or a dual diagnosis. This is often a result of the way [...]
What Is A Co-Occurring Disorder?
Overcoming a substance use disorder or mental illness is challenging – overcoming both at the same time is an even more difficult feat. Difficult, but not impossible. Some people seeking treatment for a substance use disorder (SUD) or mental illness are often diagnosed with a co-occurring disease, an SUD and a mental health condition like depression, anxiety or PTSD. While these diagnoses present unique challenges in recovery, the right treatment program can help you manage both sets of symptoms and recover from both disorders simultaneously. Examples of co-occurring disorders Co-occurring disorders, sometimes known as dual diagnosis, co-occur, sometimes as a direct [...]
Are the Older Adults in My Life Battling a Mental Health Condition?
Symptoms of mental illness in older adults are often easy to overlook as a result of dismissing them as symptoms of aging. However, mental health treatment is just as important for elderly individuals as it is for younger adults. Currently, mental illness affects roughly 20 percent of adults over the age of 50. As a caregiver or family member, it’s important to know the signs of common mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and PTSD in order to get your loved ones the care they need when they need it. Mental health in older adults The topic of mental health [...]
Effective Techniques for Overcoming Seasonal Depression
Have you ever noticed that during certain months of the year, maybe when fall starts slipping into winter, your mental health starts to struggle? Maybe, depending on where you live, the spring turning into summer causes increased stress due to hot, humid temperatures that keep you inside most days, causing a decline in mental health. If you're not aware of or prepared for it, this change in your mental health can be confusing and possibly even debilitating. After all, why would the sunshine of summer cause stress? Or does the promise of the winter holidays come with depression symptoms? [...]
Supporting a Love One Suffering From Poor Mental Health During the Holidays
holiday mental health, holiday mental health tips, holiday anxiety and depression, peer support mental health Struggling with mental health challenges any time of the year can be a challenge, but it can be extra difficult during the holiday season. If you or someone you love is impacted by anxiety, depression, an eating disorder or any mental health condition, here are some holiday mental health tips that can help. How holidays affect mental health The upcoming season poses unique opportunities. It's a chance to gather with family and friends, take a break from a busy work schedule and enjoy new [...]
4 Things to Remember When Searching for a Therapist
If you are suffering from mental illness, searching for a therapist is an important step towards recovery and having a better life. However, finding a therapist can be a difficult and deeply personal task. You are trying to find a person with the right skills, training and personality to help you find mental health and wellness. This is not a process that should be rushed or done carelessly. While you might desire to see a resolve in your mental health now, it is important to remember that healing takes time, and the work you put in at the start – such [...]
Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder: What Does it Do?
Have you ever heard the phrase "seasonal depression?" Maybe you have experienced unexplainable shifts in your mood during the changes in the season but have not been able to understand why since nothing else in life changed during that time. Perhaps you find yourself with no desire to do anything outside your home during the winter or prefer to stay cooped up during the summer. It may comfort you to know that this internal shift during the change in seasons is actually a normal occurrence for many people – known as seasonal affective disorder, it is an adjustment the brain [...]
Suicidal Thoughts: How to Help a Loved One in Crisis
It can be difficult to know how to help someone who is struggling with thoughts of suicide. If a friend or family member has expressed suicidal thoughts to you, you are undoubtedly feeling emotions of fear, anxiety and a desire to help. But what can you say in moments like this? What is the right way to help them without causing any more grief? There are two crucial things you can do during this time to help: have open conversations with your loved one and educate yourself on the warning signs of suicide. Encourage an open conversation When a loved [...]
The Connection Between Depression and Stress
Stress is a concept that we're all familiar with, and a reality we've all adapted to, more or less. We get stressed routinely – you had a hard day at work, but there's a laundry list of to-do's waiting at home for you; your commute to school took longer than anticipated and so you're late to class; your gas bill was higher than last month and you have to rearrange your finances to cover the difference. All these situations in and of themselves are stressful, but you might not expect them to result in symptoms of depression. However, when [...]
