SOVA Blog

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Your health online

February 24, 2017 in LINKS

When you have a question about your health, where is the first place you go?

Probably you are googling it! Many of us google our medical problems – its fast, easy, you get an answer right away. What could go wrong?

 

Well for one, you could get really upset over nothing – or you might ignore something serious!

There is some good information on the internet about your health – but sometimes it is hard to figure out what is trustworthy and what is just one person blogging away about something they don’t know about.

Here are 16 ways you can check out a site to see if you can trust it:

  • Does the site tell you what it is about and who might find it useful?
    • If yes, do you think it gives the information it aims to provide?
  • Does the site deal with important questions you want to know more about? or give realistic advice?
  • Does the site give evidence for the information it gives (like a research study or a health professional’s opinion)?
  • Is there a list of references (like you’d see at the end of a wikipedia article)?
  • Does it give dates for when the information was produced (like dates of the main sources it uses for the article)?
  • Is it balanced? (does it seem like someone only wrote their own personal story and that’s it? does it give both sides of the story? does it talk about multiple treatment choices?)
  • Does it give links for other resources that can help give more information?
  • Does it say there is a 100% success rate with one kind of treatment? (that is almost never true in medicine – be cautious if the website makes strong statements like this)
  • Does it talk about how each treatment works?
  • Does it talk about the benefits of each treatment? (like getting rid of symptoms)
  • Does it talk about the risks of each treatment? (like side effects)
  • Does it talk about what would happen – like risks and benefits – of doing nothing?
  • Does it talk about how treatments can effect your quality of life? (your day-to-day activity, things that are important to you)
  • Is it clear that there are multiple treatment options or ways you could go?
  • Does it suggest you talk to your family, friends, and health professionals?

Try it out – look up a health question you have – and test out whether these questions helped you or not.

Most importantly, a website will never give you all the answers you need to take care of your health. If you have a serious question, then talk to a trusted adult or see your health provider.

Did you try these questions? Did they help you rate a website? Let us know below! If you found any good links for quality health websites tell us below! One great website we recommend for girls is youngwomenshealth.org and for boys is youngmenshealthsite.org!

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Instagram’s New Mental Health Feature

February 23, 2017 in Social Media Guide

Instagram is a picture-sharing social media site created to allow you to share your life through pictures and videos with the world.   But the new norm of constant sharing can create a sense of loneliness if you begin to compare your life to those you witness on your feed.  Good.health.is.com talks about a new feature of the app that can be helpful for individuals with mental health concerns. The website states the following:

Photo Credit: P3 Marketing Strategies Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: P3 Marketing Strategies Flickr via Compfight cc

“If you stumble upon a friend or stranger’s post about self-harm, an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts, or other dangerous situations, you’re now one button away from anonymously reporting that post to Instagram.”   Alerting Instagram when someone may be in need of some help or support will prompt a message that will be sent out saying: ‘Someone saw one of your posts and thinks you might be going through a difficult time. If you need support, we’d like to help.’ The users will be prompted with three options to get help, which are talking to a friend, contacting a helpline, and tips for support. The language used to construct the wording was developed with the help from the National Eating Disorders Association and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.”

If you see anyone that you believe may be in need of help, it’s best to report it because you never know what impact it could have an individual. It can be hard to reach out personally, especially if your relationship with the person takes place mostly over social media. This new feature is an anonymous way to check in with the person. It might be able to provide them with the resources they need. The app suggests that the person reach out for help in some way, and that can make all the difference. Sometimes all people need is a small gesture that conveys a helping hand reaching out for them.

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Adding Music to your Daily Routine to Alleviate Stress

February 22, 2017 in Educate Yourself

Intertwining music into your daily routine is a simple way to help reduce stress in your life. Helpguide.org gives several ways to incorporate music into everyday situations that can be used to reduce your stress.

You can implement music starting first thing in the morning. Waking up to an alarm clock that is blaring a horrendous beeping sound can be a rude awakening! Try waking up to a familiar song that you enjoy.  You could create an entire morning playlist to get yourself in the right mindset to start your day.  To go the extra mile and really increase the positive effects of music, it is time to start singing.  Who knew that singing in the shower could actually be helpful?  “Singing is one of the best ways to shift the vibrations of our thoughts and the very cells of our body, helping slow and regulate breathing and promote relaxation.” When choosing your music, be mindful that the songs suit and benefit your mood, inspiring you or helping you to relax.  While doing this pay attention to how you feel when singing and after to help keep in mind the songs that lift your spirits the most.

Photo Credit: torbakhopper Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: torbakhopper Flickr via Compfight cc

Active listening is also a technique that can be used to reduce stress. Do this by taking your time to enjoy the music of your choice.  Often times music is the background noise while you are busy engaging in various activities.  Active listening is the opposite.  This is when you focus on the music and the lyrics of the song and let the rest of the world fade away.  Take the time to close your eyes, slow your breathing and focus on the song clearing your mind of all other distractions.

There are many more ways to integrate music in to your life listed on Helpguide.org. Check it out!

What songs do you use to decompress and relieve some stress?

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Sleep Disturbances and Depression

February 21, 2017 in Educate Yourself

There is a relationship between depression and changes in sleep patterns. One of the symptoms for Major Depressive Disorder is “insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.” Insomnia and hypersomnia are two sleep disorders, described below. Because disturbances in sleep are such a prevalent symptom of depression, we thought it would be important to talk about sleep disorders, sleep patterns, and what “normal sleep” looks like.

Before we dive in, it’s important to note that only a professional can diagnose individuals with mental health disorders. We want to warn against the dangers of self-diagnosis, especially relating to mental illness. If you or someone you know is experiencing some of these symptoms, it’s okay to investigate further by educating yourself on the disorder, but important to get a professional opinion before drawing any conclusions.

To start, let’s take a look at what insomnia looks like according to the book that mental health professionals use to diagnose mental disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The main feature of insomnia is a dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality with complaints of difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Insomnia causes significant distress and/or impairment in one’s ability to function in different areas of life. Additionally, the disturbance in sleep occurs at least 3x/week and has to have been a problem for at least 3 months. Another criteria for insomnia is that the sleep difficulty occurs despite the opportunity to get sleep. Lastly, insomnia is diagnosable if this change in sleep isn’t better explained by another physical or mental health problem.

Hypersomnia is easily explained as the reverse of insomnia: instead of having trouble getting sleep, one is exhausted despite having enough sleep, or oversleeping. Hypersomnia is a result of reoccurring periods of sleep or lapses into sleep throughout the same day. Additionally, hypersomnia is a prolonged sleep session lasting more than 9 hours per day that is nonrestorative (the sleep is not refreshing). Hypersomnia is also marked by significant distress and/or impairment in a person’s functioning, whether that be in their thinking, or their ability to function at work or in social settings. Like insomnia, hypersomnia is present 3x/week for 3 months in order to be diagnosable.

The relationship between sleep disturbances and depression is usually determined by looking at a change in sleep pattern. One might start experiencing significant changes in their normal sleep patterns when they are feeling depressed. With that said, it’s important to note that normal sleep can look different for everyone. Most doctors recommend an average of 7-9 hours of sleep for adults. But some people might need more sleep, while others might need less. The important criteria that defines insomnia and hypersomnia as a problem is that it results in distress and it causes impairments in one’s ability to function.

Most people have experienced a bad night’s sleep, which throws off their ability to function normally the next day. But insomnia and hypersomnia are classified by the length of time the sleep disturbance has been happening (3x/week for 3 months). Lastly, it’s important to note that just because one might be depressed, doesn’t mean that absolutely have sleep disturbances, and just because someone is experiencing sleep disturbances doesn’t indicate that they’re depressed.

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“Find That One Little Light That’s Left…”

February 20, 2017 in Be Positive

“I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that’s left. I’m lucky I found a glimmer stored away.”

-Lady Gaga

Photo Credit: jeslu Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: jeslu Flickr via Compfight cc

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Proud2BMe

February 17, 2017 in LINKS

Positive body image, especially during adolescence and young adulthood, can be difficult to keep up. Society is chock full of “standards” for beauty and the “perfect body.” But while these standards are very public in nature, body image is a very personal thing.

So what is body image anyway? Body image is the way one visualizes their own body through mental image.  It’s really common for teens and young adults to struggle with keeping up a positive body image. We have a wonderful resource to offer for you today: Proud2BMe is an online community focused on “promoting positive body image and encouraging healthy attitudes about food and weight.”

The website was created by and for teens. On Proud2BMe there are personal accounts, educational material, and expert advice about body image. We wanted to start off your Proud2BMe introduction by sharing one powerful personal story that discusses recovery. The author, Claire Trainor, talks about her recovery from an eating disorder. The entire story, “4 Things No One Tells You About Recovery” is inspiring and well worth the read. Here are some excerpts where Claire discusses recovery from mental illness:

“It’s important for anyone who has missed out on life due to mental illness not to blame his/herself. There’s no way to redo what you missed. All we can do is realize that the experiences we have helped us in our understanding, both of others and ourselves. They helped us to learn to deal with pain of mental illness and the pain of recovery.”

“But recovery is, in my humble opinion, a never-ending process. You learn to integrate struggle into your life and take it for what it is: a bump. No more, no less. Recovery is messy by nature, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”

“Eating disorders, like all mental illnesses, come with a bundle of judgments attached to them. It’s easy for people in the midst of the pain to feel angry, uncomfortable, or disrespected because of others’ stigma. But most of the time, judgment isn’t malicious, it’s just naïve. Breaking down stigma requires two willing parties: one to explain and one to learn.”

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Tips for Telling Others About Your Depression

February 15, 2017 in Educate Yourself

Depression is often times misunderstood. This can often cause apprehension surrounding sharing  your feelings of depression with others, compounding with the symptoms of depression that a person is already feeling. When preparing to tell someone about your mental illness it’s important to maintain appropriate expectations. The people you tell will likely be concerned and want to help you but at the same time lack the knowledge to understand what it means. Telling those how they can support you can be helpful.

Understanding the Scope of Depression shared some tips on how to tell your loved ones about your depression.

For family and friends:

  • Ask your doctor or therapist for advice about how to explain depression.
  • Use educational materials such as books, brochures or Web pages that have been recommended by your doctor therapist.
  • Be sure to explain that depression is common and treatable.
  • Reassure your family that you want to get better.

Photo Credit: ohthecuteness via Compfight cc

 

Sharing and discussing mental illness can be difficult but with these tips hopefully it will ease some of the tension behind it. You can for find more tips about disclosing to family, friends, and in the work place within Understanding the Scope of Depression.

Do you have any other tips you’d like to add?

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Q&A with a Mental Health Therapist

February 14, 2017 in Educate Yourself

Recently, I had the opportunity to ask a local therapist some questions about therapy. The therapist’s name is Shannon Toomey, MS-CP. She works at a local outpatient mental health clinic. The clients seen at the clinic range from adults to children ages 2+ with mental health concerns that are treatable in an outpatient setting.

Why does therapy work?

Photo Credit: All Reverse Mortgage Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: All Reverse Mortgage Flickr via Compfight cc

Ms. Toomey spoke about the trusting, professional relationship the therapist and the client build together. This aspect of therapy is the foundation for accomplishing the client’s goals. Ms. Toomey also talked about the uniqueness of the therapeutic relationship. She stated that in therapy, the client can “gain skills they might not get otherwise.” Lastly, Ms. Toomey spoke about the outsider’s perspective that the therapist can provide for the client. This perspective is unbiased and nonjudgmental. This third party view can provide a different look at the situation and how things are.
What are some good things for clients to know about therapy, especially if they’ve never experienced it before?
Ms. Toomey emphasized that therapy is a process. Change doesn’t happen overnight. She also spoke about the “magic wand” therapists are expected to have that doesn’t actually exist. The therapist works with the client to navigate through issues and identify potential solutions. This can take some time – but that’s okay! Additionally, Ms. Toomey mentioned that while the therapist can teach the skills, and that medication can help the process, it’s best for the client to be on board with the work as well.
How can you tell if sessions are going well with a client?
For this answer, Ms. Toomey spoke about the client’s participation and feedback throughout the session. She said that sometimes, clients are uncertain if therapy will work, but that’s okay. It might take some time, but if the client is willing to give it a try it can lead to a trusting partnership to discuss what’s been bothering them.
Is there anything that would be good for an adolescent/young adult considering therapy to know?
She spoke about the fact that therapy does take some work. Ms. Toomey explained that one cannot change the people around them, but they can certainly work on themselves and their thoughts and reactions to the people around them. Focusing on creating these changes within can make all the difference. She also cautioned that while the client can be making great, progressive changes, those surrounding them might not be. It’s just good to be aware of this so one doesn’t run into failed expectations. Lastly, Ms. Toomey said that therapy is a growing process!

Do you have any questions you’d like to ask a therapist? Let us know in the comments below!

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Depression

February 13, 2017 in Be Positive

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been really open about his experience with depression during his early adulthood. Check out this video where he breaks down “having faith” that depression can be managed.

The Rock was 23 at the time and had just been cut from the Canadian football team he was playing for, after being rejected from the National Football League. He moved back in with his parents and worried that things wouldn’t turn around for him. With hindsight, Dwayne Johnson had this to say about depression:

“And often times it happens, you just, you feel like you’re alone and you feel like it’s only you, and you’re in your bubble, and I wish I had someone at that time who could just pull me aside and say ‘Hey, its gonna be okay, it’ll be okay’…”

 

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Dear Black Women

February 10, 2017 in LINKS

This open letter featured on Huffington Post was written by Minaa B. the founder of Respect Your Struggle.  “Respect Your Struggle is a digital magazine that focuses on real life issues experienced by the ordinary individual who is set out to turn their struggles into their strengths.”  It was created to de-stigmatize mental health within the minority community and empower people. The articles are centered on self-care, mental health and life challenges.

“Dear Black Women:

Yes, you are queens. Yes, you are magical. Yes, you are strong and yes, you have a resilient heart that is capable of enduring pain and surpassing any struggle. But I want you to know that above all else, you are human, and mental health is a serious illness that does not discriminate. Despite popular belief, it is not a “white people problem,” and our young black boys and young black girls are also susceptible to this growing epidemic consisting of physical and mental dysfunction and maladaptive behaviors. Mental illness has no remorse, and once it enters you, it will try to strip you of your crown and your strength will not be identified with how independent you are or how successful you become.”

 

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