For What It’s Worth
November 28, 2016 in Be Positive
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Tips for Dealing with Depression
November 25, 2016 in LINKS
Recently, we introduced Dr. Erika Forbes, a professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Now that you know a little bit more about her and the studies she conducts, we wanted to share some of the pointers she had for adolescents and young adults coping with depression.
Here are some tips to help deal with depression from Dr. Erika Forbes, Ph.D: Read the rest of this entry →
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Discuss Amongst Yourselves
November 23, 2016 in Educate Yourself
Coffee Talk Lady!
Did you know we have a forum? We are working hard to build a community that is safe and moderated but where you can discuss your questions, advice, and share positive or negative stories. Currently the forum we have is ‘What is a stressful situation that made you learn something new? What advice do you have for others based on what you went through?’
But if you have other suggestions for forum topics, please just message the moderator (when you’re logged in, go to your profile and hit message) or comment below!
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Situational Depression
November 22, 2016 in Educate Yourself
Situational depression is a type of depression brought on by a stressful event or change. When this event is hard to cope with or when change is really hard to get used to, one might develop situational depression. While situational depression is a type of depression, there are differences between situational depression and clinical depression.
Clinical depression is also known as major depression or major depressive disorder . Clinical depression often lasts over a longer period of time than situational depression, but the symptoms are very similar (SOVA post describing symptoms of depression). Even though there are differences between situational and clinical depression, it’s important to consider that sometimes one might have underlying clinical depression that is brought on by a difficult situation or change. Whether one is experiencing situational or clinical depression, it is important to seek treatment before things become overwhelming. Depression might be temporary or it may be long-lasting, but the benefits of treatment go a long way, whichever the case may be.
For more information on situational depression, visit elements behavioral health website.
Have you experienced situational depression? We’d love to hear your story in the comments below.
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Happiness in the Moment
November 21, 2016 in Be Positive
Photo Credit: blavandmaster Flickr via Compfight cc
“Happy people know that regardless of what happened yesterday, last month, years ago—or what might happen later today, tomorrow, or next year—now is the only place where happiness can actually be found and experienced.”
-Dr. Richard Carlson
How do you find ways to be present and happy in the moment?
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Current Studies by Dr. Forbes
November 18, 2016 in LINKS
Recently, we did a spotlight on Dr. Erika Forbes, a Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Now that you know a little bit about her, we want to tell you about some of the awesome studies Dr. Forbes and her team are conducting!
Dr. Forbes is running one study titled Depression and Cytokines. The goal of this study is to answer an important question about mental health: do inflammatory processes lead to anhedonia and depression in young people? Anhedonia is a lack of interest or pleasure in daily life and activities. Anhedonia is a symptom of depression, although Dr. Forbes emphasized that people can experience anhedonia without being depressed and not all people with depression have this symptom. If you’re interested in learning more about this study, please visit the site.
A second study Dr. Forbes directs is titled Cognitive Inflexibility in Eating Disorders. This study aims to better understand if cognitive inflexibility is related to differences in eating disorder presentation. The two aspects of cognitive inflexibility Dr. Forbes is investigating are attentional set-shifting and reversal learning. In other words, Dr. Forbes is observing the flexibility of learning and thinking for people with and without eating disorders. To learn more about the study and the other studies Dr. Forbes is conducting, please visit the study site.
Do you have any thoughts or questions for Dr. Forbes or the SOVA team about these studies? Please comment below!
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How to Block on Social Media
November 17, 2016 in Social Media Guide
When people are spreading negativity online, sometimes the only solution is to block them. By blocking people, on most sites you will no longer be able to see their content and they won’t be able to see yours. In most cases, they also won’t be able to contact you on your feed or through direct message on the site. If someone is bothering you or saying things that make you feel bad, it might be time to remove them from your social media feed. The following links are guides to blocking people:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/168009843260943?helpref=faq_content
Twitter: https://support.twitter.com/articles/117063
Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/426700567389543
iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229
Photo Credit: Visual Content Flickr via Compfight cc
Did we miss any sites? Let us know if you need help navigating the blocking process!
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Professional Spotlight: Dr. Erika Forbes
November 16, 2016 in Educate Yourself
Photo Credit: mghresearchinstitute Flickr via Compfight cc
Three team members of the SOVA Project recently sat down to interview Dr. Erika Forbes. Dr. Forbes is a Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Forbes is also the Principal Investigator for the University of Pittsburgh’s Affective Neuroscience and Development Psychopathology Laboratory (ADNP Lab). The purpose of the ADNP Lab is to investigate neural, behavioral, and subjective aspects of reward function in order to explain the development and the physiological processes of adolescent depression and substance use.
Dr. Forbes received her undergraduate degree in humanities, but she has always had an interest in people. After receiving her undergraduate degree, Dr. Forbes volunteered with a children’s hotline in the Washington DC area. It was during this volunteer work, that Dr. Forbes became interested in children and their mental health. Dr. Forbes is mainly interested in emotion research and trying to understand how emotional processes are different based on age. Adolescence is an important age, and if emotions can be understood from a biological perspective then this information can be used to inform interactions with adolescents.
To find out more about Dr. Erika Forbes visit: http://www.psychiatry.pitt.edu/node/7827 or http://www.andp.pitt.edu/.
Why do you think it’s important to understand the neuroscience of emotion? Please let us know by commenting below!
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Seasonal Affective Disorder
November 15, 2016 in Educate Yourself
As the days get shorter this time of year, some have trouble maintaining a positive mood. One type of depression is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD typically sets in at the beginning of late fall and early winter and lasts through the beginning of spring and summer. Many often experience decreased mood from the fall through the winter, and then an elevated, more positive mood in the spring and summer. This type of depression usually effects individuals more as the days become shorter, meaning there’s less sunlight. Because SAD is a category of depression, the symptoms are the same. The thing that makes SAD a specific type of depression is the way the disorder matches with the changing seasons.
Some great forms of treatment exist to help those with symptoms of SAD. These treatments are outlined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). One example NIMH mentions is light therapy, which recommends individuals experiencing SAD sit in front of a light box for 20-60 minutes for extra exposure to light during the seasons with shorter days.
Any thoughts to add about Seasonal Affective Disorder? Comment below!
References: National Institute of Mental health
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Celebrity Quotes about Mental Health
November 14, 2016 in Be Positive
Photo Credit: Glyn Lowe Photoworks. Flickr via Compfight cc
A very effective way to get rid of the stigma surrounding mental illness is to simply talk about it. Because our culture puts a big emphasis on pop culture, when celebrities open up about mental health it goes a long way. Buzzfeed recently posted an article compiling celebrity mental health quotes. While there is still a ways to go in normalizing mental illness, these celebrities are helping to take steps in the right direction by opening up and sharing personal experiences. It’s great that some celebrities are helping to get the conversation started about the importance of mental health. Read through the list and let us know what you think!
Does one quote stand out to you as particularly powerful? Why?
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