Since the start of the 21st century, there has been an immense amount of attention and focus placed on technology, and particularly on technological advances in the fields of medicine and psychiatry. While new apps and online programs have evolved to help improve physicians' and student learners' diagnostic and therapeutic acumen, more focus is now being placed on patients themselves ... For example, in the area of mental health, while psychotherapy is a powerful and important treatment for those suffering from conditions such as depression and anxiety often barriers to care including access (especially in low income or rural areas), cost, and the time committment required, limit the utility of therapy. So when CBT and other similar therapeutic apps and programs began to be developed, it held huge promise and hope for reaching more people than our traditional mental health programs, but is it just as effective? Take a read of the article "Depressed? Try Therapy Without the Therapist" to learn more! "MoodGYM and its kin are important because untreated mental illness is a huge global problem. Depression is the leading cause of disability for women worldwide, and the second-leading cause for men. If medical care is hard to come by in much of the world — in rural Indiana as well as rural India — mental health care is often impossible to get. In the United States, at least half of major depression goes untreated, and in very poor countries the figure is close to 100 percent... Over all, the benefits of online cognitive behavioral therapy are persuasive. It allows people who could not otherwise get therapy to get it — and can help psychotherapists and specialists focus on more complex cases. It saves money for patients and health systems. And the online clinic never closes. When you can’t sleep for worry and it’s 3 a.m., your therapist is there for you." Panic attacks can be a truly terrifying experience as this young poet vividly expresses in her poem "Panic"... Then it grasps around the neck, Clings real tight and blocks the breath. Suffocation builds inside, While jerking body right to left. Small quick gulps of air find strength To make their way inside, While hands grip tight to someone else, Where in them I confide. For the full poem visit: http://allpoetry.com/poem/2419491-Panic-by-KrisAven An emotional and personal #poem describing the difficulties common to the contemporary #youth, issues of eating #disorders, self image, and the veiled reassurances given to others to hide these issues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEOFt82GMOI A new study from UCLA suggests that anxiety and depression among college and university students may be at an all-time high across the nation. According to the American College Health Association 1 in 6 college students have been either diagnosed with or treated for anxiety in the last 12 months. So what exactly is contributing to students heightened stress and anxiety, and leading a surge for help from campus clinics? Take a read of the article "Anxious Students Strain College Mental Health Centers" to learn more and find out what the University of Central Florida is doing to address the increased demands for counseling and psychology services at their school. "Because of escalating pressures during high school, he and other experts say, students arrive at college preloaded with stress. Accustomed to extreme parental oversight, many seem unable to steer themselves. And with parents so accessible, students have had less incentive to develop life skills. “A lot are coming to school who don’t have the resilience of previous generations,” Dr. Jones said. “They can’t tolerate discomfort or having to struggle. A primary symptom is worrying, and they don’t have the ability to soothe themselves.” Social media is a gnawing, roiling constant. As students see posts about everyone else’s fabulous experiences, the inevitable comparisons erode their self-esteem. The popular term is “FOMO” — fear of missing out. And so personal setbacks that might once have become “teachable moments” turn into triggers for a mental health diagnosis. “Students are seeking treatment, saying, ‘I just got the first C in my life, my whole life just got shattered, I wanted to go to medical school and I can’t cope'". Pregnancy is often portrayed and described as a time filled with pure joy and excitement, but it is also a time that is associated with immense change and a shift in one's identity that can be stressful too. For women with pre-existing depression and anxiety, pregnancy can be particularly challenging. In this powerful and informative read, author Andrew Solomon explores antenatal depression, a concept often hidden by the more well-known diagnoses of postpartum blues and depression. The article also delves into doctors' and mothers' varying views on treatment during pregnancy, touching on the complexity of antentatal depression including the risks faced if medication and treatment are discontinued or declined, and considering the ethics and controversy behind clinical studies involving pregnant women. "Recalling the Hippocratic oath, doctors who encourage depressed pregnant women to white-knuckle it without medications for the benefit of the fetus set out to do no harm. But there can be harm not only in writing prescriptions but also in withholding them. “One of the reasons we didn’t really recognize antepartum depression for a long time was because it was easier not to, because it puts physicians in such a bind,” said Margaret Spinelli, the director of the maternal mental-health program at Columbia. Depression itself comes with its own host of problems and consequences. Untreated depression or anxiety during pregnancy have been linked in multiple studies to miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, neonatal complications and smaller newborns. Antenatal depression is often accompanied by anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and sometimes by psychosis. Cortisol, the stress hormone that is pumped up in women with anxiety and depression, crosses the placental barrier and can reach the fetus. Anxiety in pregnant women is associated with impaired blood flow in the uterine artery, which feeds the placenta. The problems are not only biological. Women experiencing antenatal depression are more likely to engage in damaging behaviors such as drinking, smoking, drug abuse and lack of exercise. They are more likely to be obese. They often cease functioning at work, which can be financially catastrophic. They are less likely to sleep regularly or take prenatal vitamins, and they often miss obstetric appointments. Depression during pregnancy also puts an enormous strain on marriages, possibly creating a poor environment for the child." A poetic articulation that candidly describes the challenges of living and loving with an eatingdisorder. With a provocative title, this narrative begets a frank discussion on understanding the rational behind the actions of partners living with such an afflicting mentalhealth condition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRklWPkftiA In an interview in October with Jian Ghomeshi, former NHL goalie Clint Malarchuk opens up about his struggles with depression, OCD, PTSD, and alcoholism, and shares how hockey was his escape from mental illness. In the interview (link to video here), Malarchuk also discusses his new memoir "The Crazy Game" which he hopes will help fight against the stigma of mental illness and encourage more people to talk about mental health ... Recommended For: Hockey fans and those interested in mental health A 2015 review from Common Sense Media gives somber insight into the implications of our contemporary societies obsession with physicalappearance towards the incoming generation. Results show that an astounding 1/4 children have dieted prior to the age of 7, and that figure rises to 80% of American girls by the age of 10. A provoking read that challenges the reader to consider the repercussions of the changes we are making to combat the obesity epidemic, while concurrently aiding the issue of body image and eating disorders.
Link to the article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/most-10-year-olds-have-been-on-a-diet-_n_6532632.html Link to the original infographic:https://www.commonsensemedia.org/children-teens-body-image-media-infographic |
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Supporting and enhancing students' and health professionals' knowledge and understanding of mental health and psychiatry
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