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A Resolution for 2016

12/31/2015

From all of us at Beyond The Body, we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable New Years Eve!
With 2016 on the horizon, let's resolve this year to focus on better understanding and supporting those with ‪‎mental illness‬, as well as on taking time to improve our own ‪mental health‬ and well-being.

For some ideas as to how to focus on and care for your mental health, check out this article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-improve-mental-health_56684e10e4b0f290e52154ba

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More Suicides Over The Holidays - Fact or Fiction?

12/30/2015

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When it comes to ‪‎mental health‬ and the holiday season, some individuals think of low mood, increased ‪‎stress‬, and worsening ‪depression‬. While studies have provided some evidence that the Christmas season is associated with increased ‪anxiety‬, mood disorders, and loneliness, the idea that the holidays are also associated with an increased risk of ‪suicide‬ is a myth, continually perpetuated by the media.

In the two articles below, we learn of the evidence that debunks this myth, although one study warns of a possible "rebound effect" following Christmas holidays when certain individuals, especially the bereaved elderly, return back to their daily routines where they are more likely reminded of previous losses and loneliness.

"According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate is at its lowest in December. And studies dating back to the 1980s and conducted across the globe have investigated the link between the holiday season and suicide, finding again and again that Christmas is associated with a decrease in suicide, both attempts and completion (the latter being the official term for people who both try and succeed in killing themselves). "

For the full articles, click the links below:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/12/no-suicides-dont-rise-during-the-holidays/419436/
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/12/suicides-dont-really-spike-around-the-holidays.html?mid=twitter_nymag

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A Bill to Break Down Beauty Standards

12/29/2015

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France takes a huge stride towards breaking down society’s idealistic approach to #body #image through new legislation for modelling and ad agencies. With the new bill in effect, France strives to increase media transparency and to decrease unrealistic, and potentially unhealthy, #beauty #standards.

Read more here:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/18/models-doctors-note-prove-not-too-thin-france

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Psych In The News - Week 87

12/27/2015

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

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Seasons Greetings!

12/25/2015

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Merry Christmas from the Beyond The Body team! We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

During the ‪‎holidays‬, loneliness and isolation can be a concern for many, in addition to serving as a reminder of the loss of a loved one. So take a moment today to reach out to friends and family, spend some quality time with your loved ones sharing ‪joy‬ and ‪hope‬, and read and share these important holiday messages from the Centre for Suicide Prevention.

For additional support or help during the season, reach out to a crisis centre near you:
http://suicideprevention.ca/thinking-…/find-a-crisis-centre/

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How A Family Copes with Alzheimer's During Christmas

12/23/2015

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With ‪‎Christmas‬ quickly approaching this week, we think not only about the individuals who find the holiday season emotionally challenging as a consequence of ‪mental health‬ issues, but also to the families and caregivers of loved ones with diagnoses of ‪dementia‬.

In the story below, one family describes how the holiday season can be an especially difficult time for those with a family member at home with ‪Alzheimer‬'s, filled with confusion for the individual with dementia and often sadness as the family reflects on the past and takes note of the changes inflicted by the disease. However, the article also incorporates information and suggestions from the family and experts in the field as to how to best support the loved one with dementia during this season, in addition to ensuring that caregivers are supported as well.

"Caring for Helen as her mind deteriorates has never been easy for Terry and Mary, but the holidays make things harder. They have to strategize about how to celebrate without disrupting Helen's routine. They struggle with how to prepare relatives for Helen's inevitably worse condition and brace for the anger and disappointment they've come to expect when fewer friends turn up every Christmas ...

For Mary and Terry, taking some of the pressure off has made Christmas more bearable, but they can't shake the sense of loss that comes with it. "For me the hard part is that my mother-in-law is still with us physically, but mentally she's not there," Mary says. "It's almost like having somebody that's a stranger at Christmas.""

For the full article, click here: http://ht.ly/Wcnpv

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Eating Disorders vs. The Holidays

12/22/2015

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For many, the holiday season is often peppered with bountiful feasts and delectable treats. For those who suffer from an ‪#‎eatingdisorder‬, no amount of festive decor can mask the relentless distress and tensions unearthed during these celebratory gatherings. "Holidays are very much about emotions and about food, and those are two of the things that are most dysregulated in eating disorders”. As a result, many sufferers can find themselves preoccupied with ‪#‎anxiety‬ and fear, making these supposedly joyous occasions feel not-so-celebratory after all.
In order to successfully manage disordered eating during the festive season, it is important to be proactive in developing effective coping strategies to help mitigate distress and to ultimately make for a less turbulent path to ‪#‎recovery‬. For those of us who are affected by an eating disorder ourselves, or know of loved ones who are, this article provides insightful suggestions to aid in surviving the holidays with a happy heart and a healthy mindset.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015-12-21/how-to-cope-with-an-eating-disorder-over-the-holidays

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A New App To Help People with Depression and Anxiety

12/21/2015

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A new free social network app #koko works to help people with #depression and #anxiety. It was developed by people at MIT and the creator calls it 'crowdsourced wellbeing'. It's kind of like CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) for your phone, and the best part is it can help those who have trouble accessing health services.

For more information, or a link to download the app, check out:
http://metro.co.uk/2015/12/19/theres-now-a-social-network-just-for-people-with-depression-and-anxiety-5574772/

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Depression and the Holiday Season

12/18/2015

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For some individuals, the long winter months and the holiday season can be an emotionally difficult time, especially when living with ‪depression‬.

In his honest and eloquently written piece below, novelist Matt Haig describes his own experience with depression and ‪‎anxiety‬ around the Christmas season. Though Haig points out various reasons why the holidays can be especially tough for some of us, he also shares with readers what he learned from that time in his life that helped him rediscover the magic and light amidst the dark season and aided significantly with his recovery.

"Relationship stress and financial worries are classic triggers of depression, so it’s no surprise that Christmas can be an agonising time. Add an excess of alcohol, 4,000 calories above doctors’ daily guidelines and the likelihood of hearing some of the most catastrophically annoying music committed to record and you have a recipe for psychological trouble.

But there’s something else at work. Christmas is one of those times when the idea of something doesn’t match the reality. As a result, we can easily fall in to the gap between how we think we should feel and how we actually feel. We imagine that everyone else is having a great time – everyone but us. This may be because we are alone in what feels like a world full of family gatherings, or because we are surrounded by our loved ones – at least, related ones – but don’t feel the happiness we think we should."

For the full article, click here: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/dec/14/shopping-hell-kindness-therapeutic-depression-christmas

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Nomophobia - The Fear of Being Without Your Phone

12/17/2015

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Do you get stressed when you can't check your texts or emails on your smartphone? Do you find yourself distracted or anxious when you are without your phone, without service or with no or low battery? Do you keep your phone near your bed at night? Has someone asked you to put your phone down in the last week?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be at risk for ‪nomophobia‬, also known as the "no-mobile-phone-phobia" or the fear of being without your phone; a new phenomenon researchers are currently investigating.

Early studies, some of which are below, have been exploring the psychological and physical distress associated with nomophobia. One study found that when without their phones, teens not only experience more anxiety, but their heart rate and blood pressure also increase. Other studies have found that our smartphones may also negatively impact our memory - specifically our motivation and ability to acquire and retain new knowledge.

“"iPhones are capable of becoming an extension of our selves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of ‘self’ and a negative physiological state,” the study’s lead author, Russell Clayton, said at the time."

To learn more about nomophobia and the related studies click the links below:

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<<Previous

A Resolution for 2016

More Suicides Over The Holidays - Fact or Fiction?

A Bill to Break Down Beauty Standards

Psych In The News - Week 87

Seasons Greetings!

How A Family Copes with Alzheimer's During Christmas

Eating Disorders vs. The Holidays

A New App To Help People with Depression and Anxiety

Depression and the Holiday Season

Nomophobia - The Fear of Being Without Your Phone

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