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The Fucking Resources

This will be a brief and quick article put out to provide basic information about mental health resources. These include support services ,crisis holiness, mental health professionals, support groups, counseling, and community services. They can include inpatient and outpatient treatment at hospitals, mental institutions, and various mental health,addiction, well-being, and other support agencies. These can include local ,county, and state agencies as well as employee and university resources,

On a national level, this includes NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which can provide education, support groups, help finding your local office, and a helpline. The helpline can be called at 1-800-950-6264, texting 62640 or email at helpline@nami.org. In a crisis, you can text 988 to connect with 988 lifeline.

The National Institute of Mental Health, which primarily conducts research , does provide facts related to various mental health conditions and helps visitors find local resources.

SAMHSA , or the Substance Abuse ans Mental health Services Administration is another resource to find local resources for mental health disorders such as bipolar,anxiety , depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, as well as the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, a national helpline at 1-800-662-4357 and a disaster/distress helpline at 1-800-985-5990

RAINN is the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network offers statistics, survivor support, and a national sexual assault hotline you can call at 1-800-656-4673 or access a chat on their website.

Lastly, the Trevor Project , which works with the LGBTQ community , is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay,bisexual, transgender and questioning youth from 13-24. They can be reached at (866)488-7386.

If you don’t know where to find your local resources, you can always use these national sites to find you or your loved ones the help they need.

….until next week

Fucking Eating Disorders

In a wee break from my incessant doom scrolling watching democracy, human rights, and basic decency fall to the wayside as too many embarassments who never got the love, validation or education they needed become more and more brazen in their hate, violence, mysogony , homophobia and bigotry I decided to focus on something productive. It is not the lead in expected for a small blog about mental health, but it is what it is.

Eating disorders are so very common in society, especially among women, that most of us don’t even recognize the signs or introductions to them. Simply because in a sexist world where women are supposed to look a certain way, rather than be healthy, healthy food is twice the cost of unhealthy food and everything is fucking processed….yes healthy food too…disordered eating has become the norm. We only really notice it when it goes to the extreme , and even then, we may still encourage distored eating and harmful patterns by praising someone’s physical appearance.

So, where is the line between that restrictive diet or disordered self view to an eating disorder? Eating disorders are defined as disruption to the eating behavior with excessive concerns about body weight that impairs physical and psychological functioning. Unsurprising, eating disorders are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The most well known, and well studied of these disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but there are multiple other forms of disordered eating. These include binge eating disoreder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, pica, purging disorder, night eating syndrome, atypical anorexia, subthreshold bulimia and binge eating and orthorexia.

While the exact reason for who will develop an eating disorder is difficult to pin down, there are multiple factors at play. For instance, biological factors such as genetics and neurobiology. Serotonin plays a significant role in appetite and mood regulation, and one’s individual serotonin levels can impact these aspects. Psychological factors such as perfectionism, impulsivity, novelty-seeking, obsessive compulsions, and harm avoidance are common personality traits associated with such disorders. Other contributors include developmental factors such as early puberty and childhood sexual abuse play a role. But perhaps one of the biggest clusterfuck of influences are socio-cultural factors that impart a prefrence for thinness, slim bodies and constant promoton of such idealogoies starting at younger and younger ages play a significant role in influencing countless peoples eating behaviors.

While the best interventions for eating disorders include talk therapy, CBT, DBT, and medication, perhaps we would be better served to open discussions for the best preventions for developing eating disorders. In my humbliest of opinons this would start very young and in the fucking home with a simple act of parents allowing their children to learn when they’re full.

It’s a bit of a mental fuck for parents to not push their children to finish their meals and clean their plates, because any parent can tell you that those little fucks develop tummy aches the second they need to eat their veggies, will only eat 3 foods , and will hound you incessently for a snack 30 seconds after they were too full. On top of that, nobody wants to waste food, and tossing it is the same as throwing out money. But, if you use your knowledge of your child and add some patience, you may be able to help them and learn when they are full. Once you achieve that the biggest recommendation is to help them develop a healthy relationship with food….such as there are no bad foods, learning about nutrition and including balance in diets…this also includes modeling for them a healthy relationship with foood as well as developing a healthy and positive self-view.

….until next week

Misconceptions About Mental Fucking Health

There are so many misconceptions, misinformation, disinformation, and stigma around mental health. While I couldn’t list every single type of myth or stereotype there is, it’s still important to start the discussion about these myths. Because it’s not the myth or idea that really matters, it’s more about opening the space to discuss them. Simply put, the more easily we talk about shit like this, the more that these myths and stigmas lose their power.

Some really common myths include mental illness is a character flaw or weakness. The fact is that mental illnesses are conditions, not choices. Another common one is that people with mental illnesses are “crazy” and unable to function in society correctly. The real fact is that 1 in 5 adults experience a mental health condition and live completely normal and fulfilling lives.Other popular myths are that mental illness is permanent, rare or can be “snapped out of.” There are also stereotypes that people with mental illnesses are violent or the result of bad or neglectful parenting.

Despite the degree or differences in these various misconceptions, the theme and message are consistent. That is the idea that people with mental illnesses are scary, a joke, or incompetent. This stigma is often due to mental health conditions being misunderstood and generating the belief that they are the results of character flaws or a lack of effort from the individual.

This only strengthens the fear people have of being judged or ostracized for their struggles and avoiding seeking help. Like so many other aspects of mental health and mental health disorders, the best way to combat mental health disorders is to combat misconceptions and refute myths with facts when you can.

Some ways to educate yourself, and ,maybe even spread it to fucking others, include , learning facts, seeking reliable information, share knowledge and challenge misconceptions. You can also encourage open conversations. This can be achieved by creating safe spaces, sharing your own stories, listening actively , promoting empathy and understanding, showing compassion, being mindful of language, and trying not to use stimatizing or judgemental terms.

……until next week.

Maintaining Good Mental Fucking

This is a topic I hear over and over again, sometimes daily. I have begun to wonder if people even know what the fuck it means or are they just repeating the catch phrases they to hear on the fucking daily. While I hear “finding a good balance ” ad nauseum when it comes to maintaining and managing stress and responsibilities, I truly believe it’s just lip service.

This is almost a fucking herculean task , especially considering the ongoing shit show that is to live in this mutherfucking country while you try to manage your fear, panic and rage while still being a functioning human.

So how the fuck do we do that now?

Start, and I can’t stress this fucking enough, or build on a self-care routine. This includes the small things that feed your soul or bring you joy, as well as some basic self care. Physical activities such as regular exercise, even walking can improve your mood and reduce stress. A healthy diet will impact mood and energy as well as your physical health. Getting good sleep, around 7 to 9 hours will help prevent negative impacts to your health.

Other activities such as deep breathing, meditation , yoga, or writing activities can help you manage stress. Finding activities that help you manage stress, but that brings you joy, can help you create a self-care kit. Things like reading, drawing, movies, music, dancing , and gardening are all activities you can rely on to manage stress when you begin to feel overwhelmed.

It is also important to find social connections and support. This can include spending time with family and friends, joining support or social groups, or even connecting with a counselor or therapist.

Lastly you can build resilience by practicing gratitude, focus on positivity, set realistic goals, learn how to say no, build a support network, develop coping skills, engage in activities you enjoy, create and enforce boundaries ,and take breaks from negative information.

……until next week

Differences Between Symptoms and Signs

If you’ve ever paid fucking attention when trying to use Google in getting answers you’ll notice there is a list of symptoms and signs of a problem. And while the differences between symptoms and signs apply to every diagnosis, I of course , am referencing them in regard to metal fucking health.

As someone new to the field it’s become apparent that there is some facts that I can’t run to Google for and I need to be the one in the room who can answer something easily and at the very least to myself. The difference between a symptom and a sign is indeed one of those fucking facts that I need to be able to answer and recall on command.

The reason is because that the difference matters when it is time to assess and diagnose a new client. Which, now that I can’t rely on the comfort of being a student or intern, makes it pretty fucking consequential

Like I said, the difference is the same no matter what is being diagnosed, but it is different in terms of mental health. This is because signs are observable indicators of a disorder, and symptoms are self reported and based on what the client feels. Which can be slightly abstract and difficult to distinguish.

Medically, this can be simply distinguished as the symptom a client may give is experiencing headaches, while the sign the doctor observes is high blood pressure. When it comes to metal health, it can come down to who observes the effect.

The reason this matters is that unlike physical illnesses, there isn’t a medical test to diagnose mental health disorders. This means clinicians must rely on feelings, behaviors, and time frames to classify and diagnose these disorders. It is the signs and symptoms that help determine if the clients’ experiences align with the criteria for the disorder. Once those diagnoses are identified ,effective treatment can be planned for the client.

……until next week

Taking That Mutherfucking Exam

If I started off by telling you how deep the pain in my stomach was every single time I even considered sitting down for this fucking exam , well we would be here forever. Let me sum it up by saying that on the daily, I would feel this pit of despair, anxiety, and stress so deeply that I would leave my goddamned toes aching.

I started dreading this fucking exam the second I knew I had to take it, which happened around the time I started looking at graduate schools. It was during the application process that I learned about this vile exam existence and the exact moment that I began to dread it.

You see, about a hundred years ago, when things were done differently and some of the outdated rules of Grammer were still in use, I was taught by nuns. Those nuns loved to use the rules of Grammer to make all the questions a trick question in even the most simple of exams. From creating double negatives to misplaced punctuation, everything could make a question too much.

These tricks and techniques made th3 simple act of reading a question an anxiety inducing , panic fest that left me overanlyzing and overthinking every possible scenario in even a simple true or false. Over the years I got better, and if I had tonfill in the blanks or write an essay I could easily pass a test, but if it was that shitty ass multiple choice fuckery then I didn’t stand a chance.

Low and behold after graduation I find out that it is indeed the shitshow if multiple choice, and there’s hundreds of them I must answer, a dn answer correctly to become liscenced. I can’t work without that liscence and it costs a couple of hundred to sign up for the exam.

I won’t drag on about the details into the rules, protocol, and procedures for the exam. I will, however, share that the prep process was perhaps the most stressful exam I ever prepped for. The sheer amount of information that is covered and could be pulled from ,made practice tests the best study method. I took prep classes that taught you how to interpret the questions and what to expect.

In the end, the worst part was the information I got about the protocol that mattered most to me, which was incorrect. Namely, I was told that when you submit your answers, you will leave, and they will print out your results and hand them to you, and you can read them right away or wait. Because of this, I elected to get a ride home so I wouldn’t rush it or be so despondent if I failed that it was unsafe to drive. Rather, as soon as I hit submit, my score popped up. I went home in a state of disbelief, and nothing felt real until the next day. I passed, but it didn’t feel legit till the next day.

………until next week

Abuse

It’s a loaded word and an uncomfortable topic that is surrounded by fear, silence, shame, and more. Almost every American will face some form of abuse towards themselves , and half as many will be the abuser. At some point in your life, everyone will be touched by abuse in some form and on some level. Maybe it’s you, a family member or friend, but maybe it’s a witnessed act from a stranger or the kid in your child’s class.

Abuse takes many forms…verbal, emotional, mental, financial, physical, and sexual. Abuse can impact men , women, children, adults, domestic partners, the elderly, and animals. Abuse can happen across all cultures, races, social classes, and economic statuses. A nurse faces the same statistics as a heiress , judge, or cashier. While women are at a higher risk , with 1 in 3 women experiencing some form of abuse in their life, and men facing a slightly lower chance with 1 in 4 men experienceing some form of abuse in their lifetime.

As much as I , and every other other son of a bitch out there, would like to see abuse, cruelty, violence and all other various forms of pain being inflicted on others stop, we don’t really live in a society to make that happen. Because the reality is that half of the human population are absolutely loving, kind, amazing examples of humanity and compassion. the other half are absolute shit and there is no method or reasoninging that goes into which one of them you will encounter and deal with throughout the course of your fucking day. Which always serves as the remibnder hat we can’t stop pain, hurt, cruelty or abuse. We can’t single handedly stop oppression and fix every wrong….hell we can’t even get half the people on this spinning rock to agree on a mutherfucking thing, let alone work together for any common good or to stop or end a goddamned thing.

So what can we do?

The best way to help end or stop abuse is to do our best to help ourselves and others recognize it, destigmatize it, support each other, and simply be there to have awkward conversations. To lead with kindness and offer an ear when we have nothing else. To give our best to teach oursleves and those closest to us how to recognize red flags, how to talk about them, how to prevent and identify types of abuse, how to report and support acts of abuse. (I hope it goes without saying that we should never put ourselves or others at risk for violence)

We may not be able to always help, we may not have the chance or safety to intervene, but we have t do our best to be informed, aware and available be a safe harbor when we see somone struggling.

…until next week

What Get’s In The fucking Way

When dealing with mental health there are so many things that can get in the way and make it so much fucking worse. Maybe you’re having a day where your anxiety has you by the fucking throat and you are 1 more gut punch away from an emotional breakdown and becoming absolutely unhinged. You may know you need to bring it down and reign it in, but how the fuck is that even possible

There may be a stressful period that is marked by change, loss, overwhelming feelings, and underwhelming support. Maybe you begin to feel and behave in ways that seam foreign, even to you. you don’t have the support at home, because nobody there believes in therapy, you don’t have the money to see somebody and you can’t decide if it’s even worth mentioning how off you feel to your doctor.

The barriers that stand between us and relief or balance for our mental health can seem immeasurable, and that’s a good scenario. the shittier scenario is when they seem interchangable and ever evolving in such a way that nothing seems consisent enough for anthying to really be of help.

Some of the most common barriers in maintaining good mental health or balance are stigma, money, time, access to care, and societal pressures.

Mental health conditions are often associated with negative stereotypes, misconceptions, and assumptions that lead to judgment, discrimination, and osterization that can lead to people not seeking out care. This can also influence how someone views their own mental health and create internalized negative attitudes about mental health and their role or blame in the scenrio. This leads to feelings of shame, self-blame, and internalized disguist.

These stigmas are connected to a lack of understanding and knowledge about mental health in general. This can include not knowing or understanding the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions or how to seek help.

Access to care and resources can look different and have multiple factors getting in the way. There can be a shortage of qualified therapists or behavioral speacialists within the geographic limitations or specific areas or populations. The cost of treatment , including therapy and medications, can prohibit many from getting care. This is especuially true for people without insurance or limited financial resources…or as I like to call them half of the fucking country. Other limitations can be seen in the geography of the ares, such as rural areas may have fewer options, facilities, or transportation options.

Another factor is seen with insurance companies and the health care system itself. Mental health services aren’t typically covered adequately by insurance plans which further limits access to care and increases financial strains. The mental health system can also be confusing and overwhelming with long wait times, bureacratic hurdels, and a lack of cordination between multiple providers, making it a stressful experience on top of everything else an individual is facing.

Some of the aforementioned societal pressures include high stress levels, social isolation, discrimination, poverty , and substance use. High levels of stress, feeling disconnected, or lacking meaningful connections , experiences of racsim/oppression/violence and financial instability can all impact mental health. They can also increase the likelihood of relying on using alcohol and other drugs as coping mechanisms and tools to self sooth while increasing ones likelihood of developing a mental health disorder.

Some personal facrtors that prevent people from maintaing their mental health can be seen on a lack of self awareness and an inability to recognize the signs of a problem, or denial or minimization may keep them from acknowledging the problem. Negative self idenity or low self-esteem, self-worth can also make it difficult for someone to seek help. As well as negative opinions , based on past negative experiences, reaching out for help can also make someone reluctant to try again.

Like all things, recognizing and learning about what factors can stack against you and how they are important when exercising self-awarenees and personal accountability in your journey of achieving and maintaining good mental health.

……until next week

Mental Health and HIV/AIDS and THE NEED FOR AN INTEGRATED RESPONSE

HIV/AIDS is a serious illness that not only affects ones mental health, but the stigma associated with the disease also has a significant impact on one’s mental health. There has also been substantial evidence that impairment in mental health can lead to adverse health outcomes. These are major factors that the integrated approach can improve treatment , prevention, and care.

Mental health services can improve sticking to treatment, fill gaps in treatment , improve access to care , provide support, and help train healthcare workers.

People living wth HIV/AIDS have a higher chance of developing mood, anxiety, and cognitive disorders on top of experiencing the process of grief upon diagnosis. The mental challenges associated with a long-term illness, financial burdens , and stressors associated with medical treatments are exacerbated with the discrimination and social stigma experienced. This connection between mental and physical health impacts every domain for people living with the disease.

HIV can impact the brain and nervous system, which can lead to mental health conditions. Mental health conditions can make it harder to adhere to medical treatments. These mental health conditions can also impact quality of life and increase mortality rates.

Ways to address mental health issues include intergrating mental health services into HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care as it provides effective treatment for mental health conditions, providing support to those with HIV as well as help them to understand their illness and make better informed decisions for their care and learn how to advocate for themselves. Common disorders affecting those living with HIV are grief, depression , anxiety, and substance use.

…until next week

Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that severly impacts one’s ability to regulate their emotions, this lack of emotional control increases impulsivity, affects how they feel about themselves and negatively impacts their relationships with others. They are also more likely to engage in self-harm and experience symptoms of depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders and eating disorders. These increased risks and challenges can lead to significant distress and a lower quality of life.

Key symptoms include emotional instability, or in medical terminology affective dysregulation, disturned patterns of thinking or perception, also known as cognitive distortions or perceptual distortions , impulsive behavior, and intense but unstable relationships. Other symptoms can include; a frantic effort to avoid real or imagined abandonments , perceptins of relationshsips alternating between idealization and devaluation, distorted and unstable self image that affect moods, values, opinuions, and goals, self harming behaviors that include cutting, suicide attempts or threats, periods of intense depressed mood, irritabilty and anxiety lasting hours to days, chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness, inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger that is offened followed by intense feelings of gult and shame, dissociative feelings , such as being out of, disconnected or out of body .

While the causes of BPD aren’t fully understood, there have been research that suggests people with a close family with BPD may be at a higher risk of developing it themselves. Also ,people who experience traumatic life events, such as childhood abuse and sexual neglect, are at an increased risk of developing BPD. Lastly, there have been studies that suggest that the emotional regulation system of people with BPD may be different from others, suggesting there may be a neurological basis for some of the symptoms. This is specifically related to the portions of the brian that control emotion, decision making, and judgment.

Like all other treatments, the best treatment is designed and based on the individual preferences and needs of the individual. However, the most common treatments include psychotherapy, medications, and short-term hospitilazations during times of stress, manic and suicidal behaviors to ensure safety. The most effective psychotherapies have been both CBT and DBT, and the most common medications have been mood stabilizers and antidepressants.

….until next week