Author: Dawn_2ol6

NAMI

When dealing with depression, resources are important.  Today I would like to highlight a resource that I know fairly well – NAMI (also known as the National Alliance for Mental Illness).  NAMI is an organization in the United States that works at 3 levels – the national, state, and local level.  NAMI is found in almost every state, and there are many local chapters.  The main work of NAMI revolves around education, advocacy, and support.

Education includes classes that are free for students.  There are classes for those affected by mental illness.  There are also classes for family members, veterans, young people, and health care providers.  Essentially, there is usually something available no matter what your role in mental illness may be.

For advocacy, work is done at all levels to pass legislation to help improve mental health.  Other advocacy work, which can involve speaking at press conferences or public events, can help to reduce stigma and increase conversations about mental health.

Next, support can include things such as providing resources and helping people know where they can get help.  As you may guess, these three activities don’t always work alone – education, advocacy, and support can be found together in a lot of what NAMI does.

Overall, I feel that NAMI is a great organization when it comes to mental health.  I have benefitted from its help over the years, and I continue to be a member and supporter of it.  If you are interested in learning more about NAMI I encourage you to go to their website at www.nami.org  Many state and local chapters have websites that can be found by a simple Google search.  For a fee you can become a member, and there are reduced fees for those with limited means.  Even if you don’t become a member, I hope you at least take a look at the group to see how they might be helpful for you.

Causes of Depression

What causes depression?  That is a big question.  No doubt many of you have heard about there being a “chemical imbalance” in the brain, and maybe genetics was thrown in there as well.  Today, I want to give a general overview of some other theories that may explain what can lead to depression.

While there may be some truth to the genetics cause, the “chemical imbalance” doesn’t seem to be as likely, however, it cannot be completely eliminated.  Here is a listing of some other ideas:

1.Depression can result from an inflammatory/infection/immune reaction process

2.Depression can result from a hormone imbalance

3.Depression can result from a “leaky gut”, which is related to the food that we eat

4.Depression can result from losing our connection to important things in our life such as our values, face to face interactions with others, etc.

5.Depression can result from toxicity and/or environmental exposures

6.Depression can result from trauma that is experienced

7.Depression can result from taking medications

8.Depression can result from the food that we eat

As you can see, this is a fairly good sized list, and I probably have not captured all of the possible theories out there.  And, it seems likely that there are several components that go into causing depression, not just one thing.  That makes it harder to understand who will or will not have depression, but it is helpful to understand that depression is a lot more complicated than what we might have thought in the past.  While we may not understand the exact combination leading to depression (and it probably is different for every individual), these theories give us so many more options to pursue when treating depression, and I think that is important.  It may take a lot more trial and error, but hopefully there are some answers here that work better when medications don’t work and/or don’t seem like a good option.

Advocating for Mental Health

My family has had a history of depression.  Some of the details have been discussed in earlier blog posts, and I am not going to explain any more about it at this time.  However, I know what it means to live with someone who is depressed.  Although arguably not as awful as having depression yourself, being a family member of someone who is depressed is pretty hard too.  Currently I am not in that situation, but I know it could happen to anyone at any time.  Depression does not care who you are.

All of that being said, there is so much work to do to make mental health (including depression) a priority in our society.  Over the years I have become very involved with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), and today we had a Day on the Hill where we advocated for mental health issues at the state capitol building.  Advocacy is not my strong suit, but I feel it has become an important piece for me.  There are so many people struggling, and unfortunately a lot of things will not happen unless they are mandated by law.  I also feel compelled to advocate for those who cannot.  Sadly, there are people that are ill enough that they can’t advocate.  Family members may be able to, but a lot of times they are struggling to keep up with life and don’t have the time to get out there.  Someone has to make these issues heard, and I want to help.

If you would like to learn more about NAMI and its advocacy efforts, here is a link: www.nami.org

Most importantly, my hope is that people with mental illness know that there are lot of people who care.  Sometimes, even when the legislation doesn’t get passed, that can be a comforting thought.

Diagnosing Depression

As I mentioned in my last post, I would like to start to focus my blog on the condition of depression.  Today I want to start by talking about how depression is diagnosed.

If you want to look at depression clinically, the “Bible” for diagnosing mental health conditions is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM.  Currently, the latest volume is number 5, so the most current manual is the DSM-5.  In the DSM-5, you will find the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder, which most people would commonly refer to as depression.  You can find the criteria online by doing an internet search, and I am not going to repeat everything that is written in the manual, but here are some highlights:

Five or more symptoms must be present in the same 2 week period

Symptoms can include weight gain or loss, less or more sleep than normal, loss of interest in all (or almost all) activities of the day nearly every day, feelings of sadness and/or hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished ability to concentrate, among others

Symptoms impair daily functioning

Symptoms cannot be explained by other causes such as medications or other conditions

While the DSM-5 is very thorough in its descriptions, part of me doesn’t agree that everyone will fit nicely into this box.  So, in addition to the clinical picture described above, I think knowing that you are depressed can also be an intuitive and emotional flag that is no less real than following a manual.  The key point is that if something feels off and you feel depressed, please seek help.  It does not matter if you meet a textbook definition for depression – please check into it anyway.  My hope is that while the DSM can be a helpful guide, no one considers it to be an absolute when it comes to diagnosing mental disorders.

Changing Again

I try to take the time to reflect on many things in my life at regular intervals.  I ask myself what is working and what is not.  What is worth my time and what is not.  As you can imagine, the answers to some of these questions change from time to time.  Lately, I’ve been reflecting on my blog, and again I’ve decided that I want to try to make some changes.

At first, my blog covered a lot of topics.  Then, at some point, I decided I was going to focus on caregivers of those affected by mental illness.  I think my intentions were good, but if you read my blog you know that I have gone back to writing just about anything, and I have been doing that for quite a while.  Well, I want to try to narrow the focus of my blog again.

What I am going to attempt to do is focus on depression.  As I thought about it, I realized that this condition can definitely fill a blog.  There is a lot of information out there about causes, treatments, and living with depression, and my hope is to bring that information to you.  And, looking at the whole health of someone with depression is important, so I will be talking about physical, mental, social, and spiritual health as it applies in the world of depression.  I envision the blog will be a resource for any caregivers, friends, and connections as well because depression does not just affect the depressed person.  In fact, I’m guessing there are few (if any) people who aren’t touched by depression in some way.

So, I’m hoping you will join me on my changed journey in blogging.  I’m also hoping this will be helpful for everyone, and I look forward to getting started.

Seasonal Affect Disorder

As I write this entry, we are right in the middle of winter.  Groundhog Day has just happened, which for me marks the beginning of the downhill slide into spring.  However, this last week has been very trying for many of us in my part of the world – lots of little rounds of snow, lots of slippery roads to drive on and slippery places to walk, cold temperatures, wearing lots of layers of clothing, and lots of snow removal efforts.  Luckily, I haven’t had to do a ton of any of those things, but it is crystal clear that winter is not going anywhere for awhile.

For some of us, winter can be even harder than what I described above.  It can affect your entire mood and not be temporary, but can hang around for the entire season.  Some people may know this as Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD), and it is a very real thing.  There is the thought that some of it is due to the lower amount of sunlight found in the winter time, however, there are people who experience SAD in the spring, summer, or fall.  Everyone is different.

Treatment for SAD can include light therapy (also known as phototherapy).  Medications and psychotherapy (for example, talk therapy) may also be used, although any treatments must be individualized for each person who may be struggling with SAD.

The key is that no matter if you think you may have SAD or another type of depression, you should get it checked out.  SAD can be just as serious as depression or another mood disorder.  We all have our down days, but if they continue over several days it is important to figure out what may be going on, and I encourage you to seek help if that happens in your life.

Meditation on Adaptability

The last few days of this week have been full of situations that have required me to be flexible.  Changes in either appointment times or dates, changes to how much time I needed to get my work done, and changes to how many computer programs I have to use to get my daily work completed.  For the most part, I have taken it all in stride.  But, this morning I had apparently reached my limit on being a certain degree of flexible in a specified amount of time.  I wasn’t very nice on the phone to someone, but apparently I just had to let some frustration out.  In hindsight I don’t feel great about it, but it could have been worse.  Also, in my defense, it was the other party that had made a mistake, so it might have been somewhat understandable that I was irritated by it.

Have you ever had those days?  The days were you feel like you have nicely accommodated everyone but yourself?  The days were your understanding has just run out and you got real about your disappointment in the situation?  I hope I’m not the only here, and I doubt that I am.

Of course, the question becomes, can I do better next time?  To me, I think it is always good to strive to behave better, but I am also giving myself some grace here.  I’m not perfect, I’m human.  To think I am going to smile my way through it all and not get irritated is silly, but unfortunately I think a lot of people (especially women) feel that way.  We can only handle so much in a day.  Probably, what I really need to focus on is how to deal with the situations in a nicer way.  You can be irritated and not be mean.  Honesty doesn’t always feel good, but it can really help to ease some of that frustration.  So, the next time your understanding tank is about to spill over, consider how you can be honest about it but not mean.  I truly think that is possible…even if it might take me a lifetime to achieve it!

It Takes a Village

My son is still very young, but almost every day I think about the people that contribute to his growth and well-being.  There is no need to list everyone I can think of here, but that list will also get bigger as he gets older.  Regardless of who is on that list, I definitely believe in the saying that “it takes a village to raise a child”.

Where did this saying come from?  There was a book written by Hillary Clinton in the 1990s, however, the saying was around long before that.  Supposedly, it comes from the African continent, but that has been debated.  In any case, it is something to consider if you are a parent.

For me, I think it is important to both the parent(s) and child that there are multiple people in the child’s life.  To me, children need to learn that they can depend on others.  There is just too much pressure for a parent and a child if one makes the other person his or her entire world.  Even for single parents, it is important to understand that you cannot do it all alone.  You need support, and your child should be introduced to other members of the community that will be a part of their lives as they grow and become adults.

If you are a parent, does your child (or children) have a “village” that surrounds them?  If not, are there people you can add to create a village for them?  If you already have some outside support for your children, could you use more?  Your village is probably changing from time to time, but hopefully you can periodically reflect on your child’s village and see if any adjustments need to be made.  Together, we can all work to help raise our children.  There is no reason you have to go it alone.

Sleep

At the beginning of a new year, there always seems to be a lot of focus on diet and exercise, because this ties in with a lot of resolutions being made.  And, while healthy eating and exercise are important pieces of an overall healthy lifestyle, there are many other components that deserve our attention.  One of those components is sleep.

Like me, I am sure most of us don’t think too much about sleep – we sleep when we can.  However, there is a lot of evidence out there that sleep is just as important to our health as anything else we might think of.  Unfortunately, we live in a world where sleep seems like an inconvenience – something that keeps us from getting more things done.  However, we need to start taking sleep more seriously.

A lack of sleep can lead to impaired judgment and thinking.  That has unfortunately led to vehicular deaths, among other things.  On a less fatal scale, a lack of sleep can also lead to poor performance at work and school.  Another outcome of less sleep is that it disrupts your body’s ability to repair itself, and your brain is unable to store memories as well.  The list goes on, but as you can see, a lack of sleep can contribute to many negative consequences.

So, how do we combat this problem?  Luckily people are beginning to see the risks of less sleep and the benefits of enough sleep.  Instead of looking in awe at the person who seems to work 22 hours a day for days on end, people are being encouraged to sleep around 8 hours a day.  I think this is good news for everyone, because the more we talk about sleep and our health, the more people will hopefully understand that it is a behavior that is just as important as diet and exercise.

How about you?  What are your thoughts on sleep?  Are your thoughts on sleep different when you think about how it affects your health?  I encourage everyone to consider sleep and its role in your overall health.

Cell Phones

Today we were helping my mom pick out a new cell phone.  Somehow, in the process of doing that, we ended up getting a new phone for both my husband and me.  I was playing with my son during the majority of this happening, but regardless, I have a new cell phone.  Honestly, part of me is excited.  However, I have also started to worry about cell phones more.

Cell phones have not been a part of my world my entire life, although I started seeing them when I was in middle school.  Our first one was in my family’s minivan and had about 15 minutes of time a month on it – it was strictly for emergencies, if needed.  Of course, we have seen cell phones evolve quite a bit since then, and no doubt they have changed the world.  The things they can do can be pretty amazing – calls, texts, emails, video, audio, pictures – it’s great to have all of that information right in your hand.  Some things have never changed, though, and ultimately I like having a cell phone in case of emergency.  It feels very comforting to know that I could call for help from pretty much everywhere if needed.  So, there are some great things about cell phones, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to see some of the downsides.

Some of the negatives are easy to point out – texting while driving, people walking around with their heads down looking at their phones and potentially missing hazards, and a general lack of awareness with phones are some examples.  But, I also worry about how it is affecting our sleep and our attention spans.  I also wonder about how it is affecting time with others and our relationships.  I know it has changed some of these things for me, and it scares me that I could be that unaware.  That being said, I am trying to make an effort to spend less time on the cell phone.  I think all aspects of my health – physical, mental, social, and spiritual – depend on it, and I hope that everyone at least considers how to use cell phones in such a way that benefits them instead of negatively affecting their health.