by bp Magazine

Many people have an incorrect assumption that it’s easy to identify those who have depression; however, some symptoms aren’t as easy to notice:

 

#1 They withdraw and disconnect

This could be described as an uncharacteristic lack of interest in hobbies, activities and social outings that they use to love to participate in. The declining of social invitations becomes more regular until they stop socializing altogether. Even talking on the phone with friends can be very challenging. If this type of isolation becomes a habit, it could be a sign the person is experiencing depression. A major symptom very difficult to overcome is the loss of joy for things once loved.

 

#2 They may not respond the same to affection

Depression, for many people, can be described as the absence of feeling. They characterize it as experiencing no emotions, only numbness. In fact, the closest thing to an emotion is irritation or a kind of sadness. Not surprisingly then, they will not respond to concern or gestures of affection as they normally would. It’s often difficult for a spouse to understand that their partner’s brain is simply unable to process and then respond accordingly to their expression of love.

 

#3 They can be unusually irritable

Experts agree that irritability can be an oft-overlooked symptom of depression, but that it’s also very common. The behavior of someone depressed might be interpreted as somber, even if that’s not what they’re feeling. It can be physically and mentally draining to keep up with all the necessary responsibilities of life while also dealing with depression and this could easily translate to a short temper.

 

 

sources: lifehack.org

via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
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The Challenges of Working While Dealing with Bipolar Disorder

October 31, 2017 at 02:23PM JB Burrage
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by esperanza

UCLA Nursing study finds that education and entertainment encourage patients to seek therapy

Newswise — A UCLA Nursing professor has found that culturally tailored multimedia content holds great promise for encouraging Latina woman seek help for, and address the symptoms of, anxiety and depression.

“In my previous research, I found that Latina participants were hard-working and dedicated to their families,” said MarySue Heilemann, an associate professor at the UCLA School of Nursing, the study’s lead author. “To them, getting much-needed mental health care felt selfish and indulgent. If it doesn’t help the family, they just won’t pursue it.”

The research is published in JMIR Mental Health October 19.

Heilemann focused her study on English-speaking Latinas because they report more anxiety, depression and suicide attempts than immigrants or Spanish-speaking only Latinas. To create compelling storylines that would attract her target audience, she teamed up with a Latino screenwriter-director and gathered input from focus groups of English-speaking Latina women. The resulting project is called “Catalina: Confronting My Emotions.”

The videos, which were made available to participants on a password-protected website, focus on a fictional character named Catalina, a 28-year-old dealing with symptoms of depression and anxiety. The stories include drama, intrigue, tension and romance as Catalina decides whether to seek treatment. In one segment, she reflects on her experience after having a very positive session with a Latina nurse-therapist, Veronica. In other segments, Veronica speaks directly to the viewer, providing basic information about depression and anxiety, therapeutic exercises and how to seek help. All of the story videos are in English; a video with basic information about depression is also available in Spanish.

Twenty-eight Latina women participated in the pilot study. Within one week after seeing the story-based videos, nearly 40 percent of them took action to get help and 82 percent discussed the content with others.

“Our findings showed that the women found the intervention compelling, therapeutic and resourceful. We were thrilled to see that the stories really spoke to our participant,” Heilemann said.

The intervention uses a type of platform known as “transmedia,” which involves digital storytelling across multiple platforms, extending from a webisode or television episode to bonus videos, video-logs, blogs, or interactive modules and are accessible on a smartphone, tablet or computer via the internet.

Latinos are the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S., and they receive less mental health care than whites, even if they have insurance, despite more commonly reporting symptoms of depression and anxiety than whites.

Another reason the program was designed for Latina women is their higher than average use of smartphones and the internet. Latinos use smartphones more than any other ethnic group, per a 2016 Nielsen report; and a Pew Research Center analysis found that a high percentage of both English- and Spanish-speaking Latinos use the internet.

Heilemann hopes to produce more episodes for the series to bring the series to a larger audience.

“Several women in the study said they wanted more — they wanted to know what happened to Catalina, if she continued with the therapy, if it was working,” Heilemann said. “So many people are struggling with anxiety and depression and don’t feel comfortable getting help. This creates a whole different avenue for them to access therapy discreetly.”

Heilemann’s research is in line with the goals of UCLA’s Depression Grand Challenge, a campuswide effort to reduce the health and economic impacts of depression by half globally by the year 2050.

via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
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October 31, 2017 at 07:00AM

Renaming ADHD is no my mind because in honor of ADHD Awareness Month, I binged on lectures by ADHD-expert Dr. Russell Barkley. He points out that “attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder” is a poor term for the condition, and he is not alone in thinking that renaming ADHD is a good idea. Fellow ADHD-specialist Dr. Edward Hallowell claims that “ADHD is a terrible term,” and many with this condition agree, myself included.¹ I started to wonder about the history of the term and if there were alternative names for the disorder, and if renaming ADHD could reduce ADHD stigma.

Why Renaming ADHD Is a Good Idea

The term “ADHD” does not capture the complexity of the disorder. ADHD-ers tend to have a surplus rather than a deficit of attention, for they can hyperfocus on a single activity or become distracted by an abundance of sensory information. In regards to hyperactivity, the range of people with ADHD, and the fact that the hyperactivity is often internal rather than external, means that many ADHD-ers are not visibly hyperactive at all. Renaming ADHD could increase understanding of the disorder.

The name also contributes to ADHD’s four-letter-word stigma. People often conflate having a short attention-span with immaturity, and hyperactivity gives the impression of an uncontrollable child. It can be dismissed in children as “kids being kids” and in adults as laziness and insensitivity.

Renaming ADHD with a Historical Term Isn’t the Best Idea

In 1798, the physician Alexander Crichton described a “disease of attention” that resembles modern ADHD in some senses but also seems to include a number of other disorders. In the mid-19th century, another doctor, Heinrich Hoffman, wrote a story about “Fidgety Phil” and another about “Johnny Look-in-the-air,” two boys who manifested the “hyperactivity” and “attention-deficit” sides of ADHD.

Throughout the 20th century, what we now call ADHD cycled through many terms, including “organic driveness,” “morbid defects of moral control,” “minimal brain dysfunction,” and “hyperkinetic reaction of childhood.” (None of these struck me as particularly flattering, nor good descriptors to use for renaming ADHD.)

Renaming ADHD Probably Won’t Happen

Unfortunately, on YouTube Dr. Barkley asserts that the term ADHD will not be replaced because it is already entrenched in numerous laws and regulations. Still, he prefers the term “self-regulation-deficit disorder” (SRDD) and sometimes refers to ADHD as executive function, working memory, and motivation-deficit disorders.

I like the simple “attention regulation-deficit disorder” because the issue is a matter of attention management rather than deficiency. People at ADHD Health suggest “attention-deficit hyperfocusing dysregulation.”

Some sillier terms that come to mind are the “monkey mind” and “curiosity-killed-the-cat” disorders.

If we were to create another name for ADHD, what would you choose? What do you think encapsulates the condition? Do you think it’s possible to come up with a better term, or do you think ADHD fits fairly well? Let me know in the comments.

P.S. Have a happy Halloween.

Sources:

Barkley, Russell. “ADHD Is a Disorder of Executive Functioning.” CADDAC Conference via ADHD Videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wccW-KB2OsI.

Hallowell, Edward. “ADHD Overview.” Dr. Hallowell: Live a Better Life. http://www.drhallowell.com/add-adhd/.

Hallowell, Edward, and John Ratey. “The Evolution of a Disorder.” Reprinted from Driven to Distraction. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/adhd/evolution.html.

Lange, Klaus, et al. “The history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.” ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3000907/.

Wilson, Charles. “The History of ADHD.” ADHD Health. http://www.adhd-health.com/adhd/adhdhistory.php.

Wright, Sarah. “A Brief History of ADHD (& ADHD Awareness Week).” Impact ADHD. http://impactadhd.com/manage-emotions-and-impulses/a-brief-history-of-adhd-awareness-week/.

¹ Hallowell, Edward. “ADHD Overview.” Drhallowell.com.

by Noelle Matteson
via Living with Adult ADHD – HealthyPlace

October 31, 2017 at 01:00AM

I love getting new books, but ADHD makes reading difficult. Discovering what is between book covers is a wonderful experience. However, finishing those books is a different issue. As is often the case for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I have difficulties with follow-through on things, and that includes reading; other people with ADHD find reading difficult for other reasons.

Many with ADHD struggle with reading. Some reread a sentence over and over again because they couldn’t pay attention the first time. Others read but don’t remember what they read. A number of people with ADHD hyperfocus on reading if it is something that captures their interest. One reason ADHD-ers might find reading challenging is because a large percentage of them have reading-related learning disorders. About a quarter of children with ADHD struggle with dyslexia.

Tips for Reading with ADHD

It is fine if you prefer other hobbies to reading. I generally like to read, but it can be hard to force myself to do so. Here are a few things I do to get myself to read:

• take my ADHD medication. I tend to be more focused an hour or so after taking the medication which can help me concentrate.
• read while doing other things. I still play The Sims on the computer, so I can read here and there while doing other, fairly mindless activities.
• read what I enjoy. I try to choose books that I am eager to dive into.
• read when I’m awake. I know reading before bed can be relaxing, but I find that my brain is too tired to invest in the text.
• select a varied but limited number of books. For a while, I had four books on my bedstand, two nonfiction and two fiction. That kept me from becoming overwhelmed, but it still mixed things up and kept me interested. If you find this too hard, focus on a single book at a time. (That’s what I’m currently doing.)

Video About ADHD and Reading

I talk a little more about my past reading habits in the video below.

 

If you have ADHD, how do you feel about reading? Are you an avid reader, or do you despise it? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks for reading and watching.

Source:

Bates, Michael. “Dyslexia and ADHD.” Dyslexia Reading Well. http://www.dyslexia-reading-well.com/dyslexia-and-adhd.html.

by Noelle Matteson
via Living with Adult ADHD – HealthyPlace

by bp Magazine

While some words can seem empty when you’re depressed, sometimes there’s that special phrase that can really hit home; here are eight to get started:

 

#1

“Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.” — Greenville Kleisser

 

#2

“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.” – Norman Vincent Peale

 

#3

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” – Elizabeth Kubler Ross

 

#4

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” — Christian D. Larson

 

#5

“Courage doesn’t mean we’re not afraid anymore, it just means our actions aren’t controlled by our doubts.” — Bob Goff

 

#6

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.” — Kurt Vonnegut

 

#7

“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi

 

#8

“You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly.” –Rumi

 

 

via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
(This and our other articles are provided by some of our curated resources. We encourage readers to support them and continue to look to these sources in times of need and opportunity.)