Beyond The Body
  • Home
  • About
  • Contributors
  • Contact

The Power of Words - Part 5

12/31/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
"OCD", "schizo", "sociopath", "bipolar" are terms you likely have heard or used before.  However, while these terms are designed in theory to describe diagnosable and treatable psychiatric disorders, in reality they have become a disturbingly normal part of our everyday language as society is becoming more and more well-versed in medical jargon.  Unfortunately, as is the case with these psychiatric terms, the public most often does not use them appropriately.  Rather we are quick to use these words as a way to describe certain traits in ourselves, or more commonly in other people, that we don't like or have difficulty understanding.  


The problem with this, as the article below discusses, is that our misuse of these terms can be damaging, not only to those we are wrongfully applying the terms to, but to those with real mental illnesses, as such harmful use of these words can worsen stigma and prevent people from seeking the help they need.  The article also provides a powerful reminder of what disorders such as OCD, bipolar, and schizophrenia are truly like, and compares that with normal personality traits that we often link these names to instead.  

With the new year on the horizon, let's resolve for 2015 to be more mindful of the language we use, particularly when using these mental health terms, as they have the power to be hurtful and upsetting to many when used in the wrong context.

"We misuse (psychiatric terms) all the time and it could be harmful," said Emanuel Maidenberg, clinical professor of psychiatry and director of the cognitive behavioral therapy clinic at Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Improperly dropping those sorts of words into conversations only perpetuates an existing stigma surrounding mental illnesses and vilifies certain forms of conduct that many people dislike or just find disconcerting, he added."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2014-year-in-review/shes-ocd-hes-schizo-how-misused-health-lingo-can-harm-n275381?cid=sm_twitter_feed_health

0 Comments

Explaining My Depression To My Mother

12/30/2014

0 Comments

 
Depression is difficult to understand for many, but trying to explain what it's like to be depressed to friends and family can be even more challenging, especially when others hold common misperceptions about depression and mental illness, such as it being a weakness or a choice.  During the 2014 National Poetry Slam, young poet Sabrina Benaim beautifully and powerfully explains this struggle against stigma and the frustration one experiences when others don't understand or know how to react.  Benaim's poem is also an eloquent and brilliant description of what depression and anxiety really feel like, and is so moving you can almost feel her pain.

"I am sleepwalking on an ocean of happiness I cannot baptize myself in" - Sabrina Benaim
0 Comments

Psych In The News - Week 44

12/28/2014

0 Comments

 
Catch up on  all the news related to psychiatry and mental health from last week!
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Using Technology to Combat Loneliness in Seniors

12/27/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
It is not unexpected that loneliness is experienced by older adults. New research, however, suggests that loneliness and social isolation have a similar effect on mortality as compared with smoking. The effects of loneliness are not only physical in nature. "Seniors that experience social isolation and loneliness are more likely to suffer from stress, depression, cognitive and functional decline, morbidity and death … Lonely seniors [are] 50% more likely to die earlier than seniors who felt meaningfully connected with others, even after results were adjusted for factors such as depression, socioeconomic status and existing health conditions." A new form of communication technology called InTouch is designed to help mitigate the social isolation often experienced by seniors. "It [InTouch] uses "asynchronous messaging" – that is, platforms that don't require both parties to communicate at the same time, such as email – multimedia and whatever medium the individual recipient prefers. InTouch allows family members to send video messages to each other and have them appear on televisions, computers or tablets, so that regardless of availability, loved ones can stay in touch." To read about this innovative program check out this article.


0 Comments

Not Criminally Responsible

12/26/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Recent high-profile cases like Vince Li and Richard Kachkar have brought to public attention the concept of offenders being designated as "Not Criminally Responsible" vs being sent to prison to be punished for the crime they committed.  While few Canadians have been deemed "NCR" and sent to a psychiatric facility where they receive treatment for their mental illness, it still is a topic that is surrounded by controversy and public fear and concern.  

In this short article by Global News, Dr. sandy Simpson, chief of forensic psychiatry at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health helps to clarify what exactly "an NCR designation means – and doesn’t mean."

"A lot of people seem to think, especially when it comes up in a case like the Luka Magnotta case, that someone [deemed NCR] would effectively be getting away with murder. How would you respond to that?

Well, no. What the NCR verdict recognizes is that there’s a very small number of mentally ill offenders for whom the illness caused the offence. And it makes no rational criminal justice or moral sense to punish an illness.

And that’s why the diversion from the punitive aspect of the criminal justice system. … NCR people are not criminally responsible for what they did, but they are responsible for their wellness and the safety of others going forward. So your progress occurs at whatever speed it takes for you to master the changes in your life, the understanding of your illness and the treatments that are necessary to achieve that."


http://globalnews.ca/news/1588864/magnotta-trial-not-criminally-responsible-myths-debunked/

0 Comments

Happy Holidays!

12/25/2014

0 Comments

 
Merry Christmas from all of us at Beyond The Body! We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

Tis the season to be jolly, but remember to drink responsibly! Check out the handy low-risk drinking guidelines below from the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.   

And don't forget to read up on the CAMH's tips for reducing stress during the holidays to avoid becoming a Scrooge!
http://camhblog.com/2014/12/22/nyac-holiday-survival-tips/

Picture
0 Comments

Mental Illness and Christmas

12/24/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
In a recent BBC article, Charlotte Walker, creator of the Purple Persuasion blog, discusses how to care for one's mental health during the holiday season.  Walker has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and she herself recently faced a mental health crisis in the weeks leading up to December 25th.  While she helps make readers aware of the fact that this festive time of year often brings with it extra stresses and worries for those with mental illnesses as many feel that "depression and Christmas just don't go", she also encourages those of us with mental health concerns to let go of the desire for that picture perfect Christmas.  Walker also goes on to share with readers her plans for a low-key Christmas that still embraces the joyful time of year but is more fitting for someone recovering from a psychiatric crisis.

"And finally, I'm trying to count my blessings. It's something I usually hate being advised to do, but this year I think there might be something in it. True, it would be nice if I could feel a little more seasonal joy but I am fortunate - I have friends who will have to rely on food banks if they're going to have any dinner at all, and I know of people who have no choice but to spend Christmas day alone. So I may not be as well as I would like but without excellent crisis care, I could have been spending the festive fortnight in hospital."

http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-ouch-30433361
0 Comments

Concurrent Disorders Unit - Part 2

12/23/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
As follow-up to yesterday's post about concurrent disorders, the article "Innovative Hamilton program combines addiction rehab with mental health care", lets us find out more about the new inpatient centre and treatment program at St. Joseph's Healthcare that has revolutionized care for those battling both addictions and mental illness.

At the Concurrent Disorders Unit in Hamilton, no longer are patients kicked out if they are found to have relapsed on the substances they previously abused, nor are addictions left out of the treatment equation.  Patients are not discharged until they feel ready, have learned key coping strategies, and are well connected to community supports and outpatient programs and services.  On top of being the first of its kind in the country, the centre has already seen positive results in terms of relapse rates and prides themselves on cultivating a comfortable,  open, and non-judgemental environment.

"IN OUR SILOED system today, addictions counsellors usually won’t work with people who are in an acute mental health crisis, and psychiatric hospitals won’t treat people who are drunk or high on narcotics.

“A typical case might be a 50-something man who is a heavy drinker and, for whatever reason, he loses his job, then his marriage and his relationship with his kids,” said Dr. Jennifer Brasch, a St. Joe’s psychiatrist who specializes in addictions.

“One night, he gets drunk and starts thinking about killing himself. If he shows up at detox, they’ll call an ambulance because he’s suicidal, and at the psychiatric hospital, they’ll dry him out. Once he’s sober, he’s no longer suicidal any more, so they’ll discharge him. But when he leaves, nothing has been solved.”

It’s a sequential approach, treating addiction before mental health or vice versa, that simply doesn’t work, Brasch said.

“It’s hard to stop drinking if you’re severely depressed. It’s hard for antidepressants to work if you’re drinking,” she said."
0 Comments

Concurrent Disorders Unit - Part 1

12/22/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
In this great article by the Toronto Star, readers are introduced to Michael, a patient who struggles with both addiction and mental health issues. Fortunately there is a new type of psychiatric centre at St. Joseph's Hospital called the Concurrent Disorders Unit where the focus of treatment is to address both substance use and mental illness simultaneously, a form of therapy that is thought to provide patients like Michael with more appropriate care and has the potential to lead to better long term outcomes.

"Michael is among the 60 per cent of mental health emergencies St. Joe’s receives each year that involve substance abuse. Until they opened this unit — the first of its kind in Canada — mental illness and addiction were treated separately, and not all that successfully...

“It was a really big eye-opener for me,” she [Tammy Keddy, a psychiatric nurse] said, explaining that the traditional abstinence approach followed in psychiatric hospitals hasn’t been working. People would get kicked out of hospital if they used, and then they would relapse instead of getting better.

“Now we’re focused on the client’s goals, not ours,” she said. “We’re not the only unit with patients who use drugs, but we’re the only ones to face it head on.”


Treating both addiction and mental health at once might be the harder route, but by tackling the whole problem and not just half of it, the hospital has reduced relapses dramatically."


0 Comments

Psych In The News - Week 43

12/21/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Catch up on all the news related to psychiatry and mental health from last week!


Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Description

    Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry

    Archives

    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Aboriginal Mental Health
    Abuse
    Addiction
    ADHD
    Advocacy
    Agitation
    Alcohol
    Alcohol Withdrawal
    All
    Alzheimer's Disease
    Animals
    Antipsychotic
    Anxiety
    App
    Art
    Autism Spectrum
    Awareness
    Barriers To Care
    Bereavement
    BIID
    Bipolar
    Books
    Borderline
    BPSD
    Caregivers
    Catatonia
    CBT
    Child Psychiatry
    Complicated Grief
    Concussion
    CPA
    Cultural Psychiatry
    Delirium
    Dementia
    Depression
    Dermatillomania
    Diagnosis
    Documentary
    DSM 5
    Dual Diagnosis
    Eating Disorders
    ECT
    Education
    Educational Resource
    Epilepsy
    Ethics
    Exercise
    Factitious Disorder
    Film
    Food
    Forensic Psychiatry
    Gambling
    Gaming Addiction
    Gender Dysphoria
    Geriatric Psychiatry
    Global Mental Health
    Harm Reduction
    Heart Attack
    Hoarding Disorder
    Humanities
    Infographic
    Initiatives
    IPad
    Language
    Law
    LGBTQ
    Loneliness
    Malingering
    Mania
    Medication
    Meditation
    Mens Mental Health
    Mental Health
    Mental Health Law
    Mental Status Exam
    Military
    Mind-body Wellness
    Mindfulness
    Mood Disorder
    Music
    Neurodevelopmental
    Neuropsychiatry
    News
    Ocd
    Panic Disorder
    Parksinson's Disease
    Patient Perspective
    PDD
    Personality Disorders
    Phobia
    Physical Health
    Physician Suicide
    Physician Wellness
    Poems
    Pop Culture
    Postpartum
    PPD
    Prevention
    Psych Assessment
    Psychiatry
    Psychoanalysis
    Psychosis
    Psychotherapy
    Ptsd
    Recovery
    Refugee Mental Health
    Relationships
    Reproductive Mental Health
    Research
    Resiliency
    Safety
    Schizoaffective Disorder
    Schizophrenia
    Screening
    Seasonal-affective-disorder
    Selective Mutism
    Self Harm
    Self-harm
    Ses
    Sexual Disorders
    Sleep Disorder
    Social Anxiety
    Social Isolation
    Social Media
    Somatic Symptoms And Disorders
    Sports
    Stigma
    Stress
    Stress Injury
    Student Mental Health
    Substance Use
    Suicide
    Surgery
    Technology
    TED
    Therapy
    Tools
    Transgender Mental Health
    Treatment
    Trichotillomania
    Womens Mental Health
    Youth

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.