Friday, August 10, 2012

How to Fight Autumn Mood Changes

How to Fight Autumn Mood Changes
Fall is fast approaching, for some it’s a happy time, for others it could be the start of minor or major problems. The first day of fall is September 22, 2012
 Fight Autumn Mood Changes
As fall begins, the days become shorter and the weather starts to change. These changes can affect your disposition, making you want to sleep and eat more. You might find yourself feeling sad, anxious and lethargic. These symptoms are commonly attributed to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). According to the American Psychiatric Association, some form of SAD affects up to 25 percent of the U.S population. While women between the ages of 18 and 30 are at a higher risk, anyone can suffer these symptoms. Making some lifestyle changes can minimize autumn’s influence on your emotional health.
·  1 Increase your vitamin D intake. The most common way to take in vitamin D is by soaking in natural sunlight. However, as concerns about skin cancer have grown, most people do not absorb the vitamin D that they need. While sunscreen is still a good idea, take a walk in the midmorning or afternoon sun, or open your blinds.

·  2 Get more exercise. Exercise is a natural mood-booster, and if you do it outdoors in the sunshine, you will get double the benefits.

·  3 Watch what you eat. Many people with Seasonal Affective Disorder crave carbohydrates, which will increase feelings of sluggishness and sadness. Fill your plate with lots of lean protein. Look for foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, and eat plenty of fruits and veggies high in beta-carotene.

·  4 Consider purchasing a light box and treating yourself with some light therapy every morning. If you suffer from SAD, your natural circadian rhythm might need tweaking. Because of the changes in daylight hours, your body's sleep cycle can be upset, causing you to stay in bed all day. Another solution to this problem is a natural light alarm clock, which simulates the sunrise prior to waking you. For a less expensive option try using salt crystal lamps known to help with concentration, nervousness, insomnia, asthma, allergies and bronchitis.

·  5 Try to keep a regular schedule. As kids head back to school and the holidays loom nearer, you might find yourself burning the midnight oil more frequently, and trying to catch up by sleeping late on the weekends. However, if you get into the habit of going to bed and rising the same time every day, seven days a week, your body's natural clock will be much happier.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Stigma Stands as a Hurdle for Teens

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By Zachary Culler, NAMI Media Relations Intern

In a recent article, researchers at Case Western Reserve University called for more exhaustive measures to gauge mental illness stigma in adolescents.

The authors of the article, which appeared in the Journal of Nursing Measurement, acknowledged rampant stigma surrounding mental health treatment among adolescents.

“Millions of young people do not receive mental health treatment every year. There are modifiable barriers to treatment, with an important barrier being stigma,” says Melissa Pinto, one of the authors. “Working to achieve a supportive social culture toward mental health, by removing stigma, will hopefully result in more young people receiving mental health treatment earlier in the course of illness.”

Pinto admitted that experts must better understand the nature of adolescent stigma before they can effectively combat it. Due to a scarcity of meaningful research on the topic, experts lack concrete metrics and data to explain the phenomenon.

“We need to find a reliable and valid way to measure the presence of stigma associated with mental illness among adolescents,” Pinto explained in a news release.

The researchers used an existing measure, the Revised Attribution Questionnaire, to test its validity and reliability among 210 high school students in the southern United States. While they deemed the self-report survey valid and reliable for that sample, the researchers advocated the need to study more diverse age groups throughout the country in order to attain a broader understanding of adolescent stigma.

“I hope that this study serves as a foundation to build on the science in this area,” Pinto says. “Peer culture is strong during the teen years, and mental disorders often first appear at this same time. It’s important that we tackle this problem during this period of development.”

While NAMI cannot do much to remedy the deficiencies of research institutions, its Child and Adolescent Action Center (CAAC) works to alleviate such stigma in teens and young adults. Most notably, NAMI hosts StrengthOfUs.Org, a social networking site that provides community and resources for youth living with mental illnesses. The CAAC plans to re-launch this resource in the coming months, possibly involving the introduction of an all-youth blog. StrengthOfUs.Org also fights stigma by offering educational support to loved ones of youth living with mental disorders.

In addition to these evergreen resources, the CAAC also works to host youth-targeted programs, such as Ending the Silence, at the state and local levels.

“It’s not only important for young people to understand what early-onset mental illness is, but also what it isn’t,” explains CAAC Director Darcy Gruttadaro. “We understand that we have to convey those messages online, in print, and in person.”

Schizophrenia Survey: Summary


Imagine being homeless, or having a son or daughter who went missing and has not been heard from in years.

Imagine also fighting a healthcare system that is so fragmented that you can't get what you need to recover from a serious medical illness.

More than 2 million Americans and their families face these conditions every day because of an illness called schizophrenia.

It's an illness that is twice as common as HIV/AIDS. It does not discriminate. It strikes people of all races and both genders, and cuts across all social and economic classes.

To better understand the impact of schizophrenia, NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a survey on attitudes and awareness among the general adult public, as well as among caregivers and individuals living with the illness.

Schizophrenia is a chronic, but manageable, disease. However, much more needs to be done to support treatment and recovery. Two million Americans live with the illness. Only a third receive treatment. With medication, symptoms can often be controlled successfully: About 50% can improve significantly or recover completely over time.

Treatment works--if a person can get it. As many of the findings of the report indicate, getting access to such treatment is a challenge. Individuals living with schizophrenia who participated in the survey in fact represent a special population because 95% are engaged in treatment. Most people living with the illness are not.

The survey results reveal major gaps between what the public believes to be true about schizophrenia, what science tell us, and the real experiences and realities of individuals affected by the illness.

  • Early intervention and treatment are critical to preventing long-term effects of the illness, but there is an enormous delay, averaging 8.5 years, between first experiencing symptoms to receiving treatment for schizophrenia.
  • Many people with schizophrenia report that they have difficulty accessing other healthcare services and do not receive proper attention to other health concerns; this may be one reason why people with schizophrenia die on average 25 years sooner than the general population.
  • Public familiarity with schizophrenia is low, and public concern and fear is high. People recognize that it is a medical illness and that treatment works, presenting a paradox relative to attitudes.
  • The public feels differently about people in treatment than it feels about people not in treatment; but still, to a large degree, people don't want to date, work for, or work with people with schizophrenia.
  • Caregivers face many challenges in caring for their loved ones, both in terms of making sure the person they care for has access to treatment and services, as well as taking care of themselves. They report that they often feel isolated, lonely, worried, and burned out.
  • Access to appropriate medications and services remains elusive for many, if not most, families and individuals.
  • For many, in spite of the tremendous hardship of the personal experience, the resilience of the human spirit emerges as one of hope, faith, and triumph.

Finally, NAMI's analysis offers recommendations that narrow the knowledge gap by dispelling myths and promoting understanding and the potential for recovery:

  • Increase public education and awareness
  • Close the gap between onset of symptoms and treatment
  • Provide ready access to primary healthcare
  • Increase access to treatment and services, including housing
  • Ensure education and support for families and individuals living with schizophrenia
  • Invest in scientific and medical research advances

We must make a commitment to individual dignity and recognize that with proper treatment, services, and supports, horizons for people living with the illness can be restored. It is time to make recovery real.

Download full report here:http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/SchizophreniaSurvey/Download_Report.htm