Month: June 2018

Medium

As I write this entry, I am about ready to go visit a medium.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I am going to visit a lady who has had experience with connecting with loved ones who have passed on.  Does that sound strange to you?  Until my dad passed way I wouldn’t have actively sought out anything like this either.

I actually did a reading with another person a little over three years ago, and I went with my mom.  We wanted to reach out to my dad, and overall, I think we thought it was a meaningful session.  Even though it has been awhile, lately I have been getting the urge to try it again, and try it with someone new.  So, we will see what happens.

Although one of the main rules is to keep an open mind (because others may show up or other things might be revealed), my main reason for doing this is to try to connect with my dad.  I also decided to get some questions ready.  Last time, the medium asked if we had questions and I was not totally prepared for that.  So, here is what I would ask, assuming my dad shows up and there is time:

Are you in heaven?

Are you happy/in a good and safe place?

What do you do all day?

How can I know if you are around me?

How can I reach out to you?

What can I do for you here on Earth?

My dad suffering from depression and becoming a victim of suicide has changed so many things in my life.  Some are obvious, but I think this one may be less so.  After losing him I have had a longing to become more spiritual and seek out the world we don’t physically see.  I am convinced that he (and all others who have died) are still with us in some way.  Maybe it is a continued form of grieving.  Honestly, I can’t explain much of it, but the important piece is that it gives me some comfort, and at the end of the day that might be a big chunk of what really matters.

Our Beautiful Minds

Awhile ago, I had the privilege of attending an event with our state NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) organization.  The event is called “Beautiful Minds”, and this is the second year that it has been held.  I won’t go into all of the details of the evening, but one of the overall themes is that we celebrate the fact that many well-known people (actors, authors, singers, etc.) experience or have experienced mental illness.  In the event, several actors portray well-known people we have had mental illness.  Some examples include Mark Twain, Lady Gaga, Rosanne Barr, Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart, and Doris Day.  And, as we all know, mental illness can strike anywhere, and famous people are no exception.

Although I am sure there are multiple reasons why this event is so important, I know that having an event like this helps to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.  If well-known people can have mental illness and still be successful, it doesn’t have to define someone or hold them back.  People with mental illness can do amazing things, and Beautiful Minds helps to showcase that.  In fact, although mental illness (and depression, as I typically like to highlight) is not something anyone would choose, an event like Beautiful Minds highlights that wonderful things can still happen despite it.

Of course, most of us are not famous.  However, for anyone suffering from a mental illness, it is important to know that it does not have to hold you back.  You can still work to do the things that you want, and there is much respect for trying to take a mental illness and find a way to either recover from it and/or make it a part of your life somehow.

I think no matter what, we all have beautiful minds.  How about you?  I hope we can all appreciate how great our minds are.

Sharing Your Story

We all have a story to tell.  Our lives are full of ups and downs and twists and turns.  Among all of that, there is much to learn along the way.  If you have or have had depression, have you considered sharing your story with others?  I know that can be asking for a lot, and it is ok if you choose not to share your experience.  However, if you feel so inclined, I think sharing your depression story can be very helpful to others.

Today I shared my story of depression with some co-workers as part of a presentation on mental health.  I talked about how my dad struggled with depression and how it affected him, me, and our relationship.  It never seems to get any easier when I tell people that my dad was a victim of suicide.  But, after I share my story I feel better knowing that by sharing I might have helped another person understand they are not alone.  Or, by speaking out I have helped another find the courage to ask for help.  To me, sharing your story also helps people understand depression better and how it affects others.  The more people understand, the less they fear, and this can help reduce the stigma that is associated with depression and mental illness.

One organization that is really bringing this concept to light is called This Is My Brave, and they can be found online here: thisismybrave.org  This is definitely a very public way to share, but I encourage you to check out the website and also look to see what others have already shared.  I am sure there are many other ways to share out there, but my hope is that you understand the power and inspiration that your story can convey.  If now is not the right time to share, maybe another time will be.  And, the audience can range from one to millions, but the power of sharing is there no matter what form it may take.

Employee Assistance

As we can assume, depression can have a huge effect on those who work for a living.  There are statistics out there that can talk about lost productivity in the workplace, but there are not necessarily numbers on the emotional toll that accumulates when someone has depression.  Some people will end up not being able to work at all, which was the case for my dad.  Some people might be able to work part time, if that is even an option.  Still, others might be able to work but may have issues, including feeling like they have to work even if they don’t feel like it.

Since I have not personally experienced depression I cannot comment on how it feels to live through a depression while working.  My assumption is that it is very, very hard.  It may be hard to concentrate, and performance may suffer.  It may also be hard to interact with others.  Is there anything that can be done at work to help the situation?  Here are some potential ideas I have that may help.

Have you told your boss and/or co-workers about your depression?  This may be hard to do, but may be an option.  If people understand that you have an illness, that may help with your day to day working experience.  Also, many employers have employee assistance programs (some may use a different term), to help employees with a wide variety of concerns.  It may be worth checking to see if your company has such a program.  You could start by contacting your boss and/or human resources department, if you have one.

Overall, you may be surprised by the resources that are available to you as an employee with depression.  I encourage you to at least research what some options might be to help make your working experience a little more manageable.

Homelessness

Depression does not discriminate.  It affects everyone without regard to religion, culture, age, and gender, among many other categories.  Although depression is everywhere, today I want to focus on depression and homelessness, which can include many of its own challenges.

According to NAMI, around 26% of homeless adults staying in shelters live with serious mental illness.  Around 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders.  This comprises a large number of the homeless population.  And you may wonder, what comes first?  Does someone with mental illness end up homeless, or does homelessness lead to things such as depression?  I am not sure if there is any solid data on it, but my guess is that it goes both ways.  To me, homelessness is a huge stress that may just lead to depression.  However, if you are so depressed you can’t get out of bed, you may end up getting kicked out of your living space.  Regardless, this is a serious concern.

Unfortunately, I can’t do justice when speaking about this topic, because although I think I might know what is going on, I may be very wrong.  What I do know, though, is that depression (or any mental illness) and homelessness requires more help.  How do we attend to their mental health needs when more basic needs are not being met?  Will the mental illness be improved by helping with basic needs?  There are a lot of concerns here, and I struggle to know what the answers are.  However, an important piece is to understand how prevalent this issue is.  Once we realize how much this is happening, we can start to talk about it and come up with solutions.

What do you think?  Did you realize there was so much mental illness in the homeless population?  What are your thoughts on how we can help this group of people?

Mental Health Month

As I write this post, we are starting the month of May.  In the United States, there are months and days for everything it seems, and one of the designations for May is Mental Health Month.  This has been happening for many years, and green is the color that has been chosen to go along with it.  As you can imagine, May will be a month in which there will be a lot of attention drawn to mental health, and people may see more ad campaigns and commercials on it.  Although I willingly signed up for the email lists, my inbox was flooded today from a variety of mental health organizations calling the month to my attention.

Sometimes I wonder why we need to call out issues with a special day or month.  After all, shouldn’t we be working on these things every day?  But, I understand it.  Of course, we are working on issues every day.  However, when we think particularly about May being Mental Health Month, it creates an extra layer of attention and effort towards the cause.  Simply bringing up the fact that “May is Mental Health Month” could be the beginning of many insightful conversations.  Ad campaigns and commercials may just be the inspiration that someone needs to seek help.  There are also probably many other ways that a heightened awareness can help people, and that is important.

If you are struggling with depression, maybe hearing about Mental Health Month will give you more hope than you currently have.  Maybe it will help you see that people really do care, not just in May, but every day of the year.  Were you aware of Mental Health Month before reading this post?  Regardless, are you interested in learning more?  I hope that the fact that Mental Health Month has become a major part of the calendar gives everyone some comfort that progress is being made.

Subtle Stigma

Although we are making progress, we still live in a world where there is a lot of stigma associated with depression and/or other types of mental illness.  Stigma can create a lot of shame for people who are suffering from depression and can keep them from getting the help they need.  Stigma can also ultimately reduce quality of life and may lead to premature death.  For the most part, I think that a lot of us understand the major aspects of stigma.  But what about the more subtle forms of it?

As an example that I have shared with many people, several years ago I was at a Motley Crue concert with my husband.  Alice Cooper was the opening act, a guy I consider to be a big “shock rocker” of the 1970s.  His set was going fine until he came onto the stage wearing a straightjacket, and he was trying to fight his way out of it.  People seemed to be entertained by it, but I was physically repelled.  A straightjacket?  This was not funny to me at all.  However, it occurred to me that even 10 or 20 years ago I wouldn’t have thought much about it.  Here was a more subtle form of a stereotype that was being perpetuated at a rock concert.

Some other examples come to mind.  Ever been to a haunted house that was portrayed as an “insane asylum”?  Ever used expressions such as “that’s crazy”, “that’s insane”, or “you’re crazy”?  Whether we realize it or not, there are subtle ways that the stigma of mental illness is still perpetuated.

Now, I’m not here to become the “stigma police” and shame people for these activities.  However, I want people to at least realize what these examples and others can mean.  Does it continue the idea that mental illness is scary and something to be feared?  Does it create more of a burden on people who want to seek help but are worried about how they will be seen?  Again, my ask here is to at least think about the subtle ways in which stigma is still alive and well in our society.  After all, recognition is usually the first step in solving an issue.

Other Nutrients

In my last entry, I discussed some of the main mineral deficiencies that may lead to depression or be a part of a combination of factors that cause depression.  Today, I want to touch on other nutrient deficiencies that may also lead to depression.  While again the list may not be comprehensive, it presents some common nutrients that are suspected of contributing to depressive symptoms.

The nutrients I will mention include: omega-3 fatty acids, a combination of the Vitamin B family, and Vitamin D.

Omega-3 fatty acids are very important for brain cell structure and function.  Omega-3 fatty acids can also help to reduce inflammation.  A lack of these particular fatty acids can lead to inflammation and brain cell issues, possibly leading to disease states such as depression.

There are many B vitamins (B1, B6, and B12 are examples) that are used in the body.  Many of these are a part of neurotransmitter creation and function, among other activities.  A lack of these vitamins can lead to mental health issues.  Of note, Vitamin B12 deficiency is well known for causing neurological and depressive type symptoms.

Vitamin D is used by the brain for many functions.  A lack of vitamin D can lead to depression or other mental health issues.  As a lot of people know, a good source of Vitamin D is sunlight.  If you live in colder climates, however, it can be hard to get enough Vitamin D in the fall and winter.

As I mentioned in my last post, if you have depression and are seeing a provider for it, consider asking them to test for these deficiencies or reviewing your diet to see about making some changes to your diet.  Again, supplements may also be considered.  Regardless, combined with looking at mineral deficiencies, this can be an easy way to address potential causes of depression.

Minerals

As I have mentioned before, there are a lot of ideas about what causes depression.  I have listed theories such as hormone issues, our diet, our environment, and genetics, among others.  It is thought that for a lot of people depression is the result of a combination of different causes, but today I would like to take a closer look at potential mineral deficiencies that may be linked to depression.

Although this is not necessarily a comprehensive list, a lack of the following minerals in the diet may lead to depression: iodine, selenium, zinc, magnesium, and iron.  Why are these minerals suspected to cause issues?

Iodine is an important mineral related to thyroid function.  If there is a deficiency in iodine the thyroid may not work as well, leading to things like a slower metabolism and depression.

Selenium is also an important mineral related to thyroid function, so a deficiency in selenium can lead to similar symptoms as what is seen with an iodine deficiency.

Zinc is important to many biochemical processes in the body, including those related to mental health.  A deficiency here can lead to mental health issues.

Magnesium is similar to zinc in that it is important to many biochemical processes in the body and can lead to mental health issues if deficient.

Iron is important to help carry oxygen in the blood.  A deficiency can lead to anemia, and symptoms can include a depression type of presentation.

If you have depression and are seeing a provider for it, consider asking them to test for these mineral levels to see if they might be playing a role in your depression.  If testing reveals deficiencies, changing parts of your diet might help your depression tremendously.  Or, testing might not be available or done at all, but a review of your diet could lead to making some changes.  Supplements may also be considered.  Overall, this might be a simple way to address a potential cause of depression that is commonly overlooked.