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How Mental Health Affects Second-Generation Adolescents

June 12, 2019 in Educate Yourself

The demographics in the United States have shifted significantly. The Pew Research Center reported that there were 44.4 million immigrants living in the country in 2017, making up 13.6% of boy-1300401_1280the total population. The increase in the immigrant population in the United States also means an increase in second-generation Americans – those who are born in the United States to immigrant parents (some people may also refer to these people as first-generation Americans, however).  The number of second-generation immigrants was nearly as much back in 2013 at 36 million, making up 12% of the population.

Immigrants bring much of their culture with them when the come to a new country. This is what makes America a melting pot: immigrants bring their food, traditions, and their languages with them, just to name a few things. It’s a way for them to keep their ties to their home country (after all, it’s what they grew up with), but it’s also a way for them to introduce something new to Americans, as well as connecting their children with their home culture.

ronny-sison-1138972-unsplashImmigrants also bring their cultural norms and beliefs with them too. For example, Asians (one of the largest groups of immigrants) and Asian-American adolescents underutilize mental health services. This has been linked to the strong stigma against mental health that resonates in the Asian community (most Asian immigrant parents interviewed in one study felt that adolescents don’t seek counseling because of the “shame” of having a mental illness and the effect it can have on their education and career).

Another study looked into mental health trends in both Asians and Latinx people (the other largest group of American immigrants). While there didn’t seem to be any significant increases in risks or diagnoses among the immigrants themselves, second-generation immigrants were more likely to have higher rates of substance use disorders.

There are several reasons why second-generation Americans have trouble seeking help for their mental health or even identifying it and acknowledging that it’s there in the first place. There’s the cultural clash that can occur with being raised in a culture and environment that’s different than your parents (which is jordan-whitfield-112404-unsplashharder in adolescents where you can feel like you’re constantly questioning your identity), and then there’s also immigrant guilt. This is the feeling that children of immigrants can have where they feel like they have to fight through or ignore their struggles because of the risks and sacrifices their parents made to come here. They may feel like what they’re going through is not as difficult as what their parents went through, or that they have to succeed to prove that their parents’ move was worth making.

bus-43991_1280External barriers also play a role. Second-generation Americans may have difficulty accessing mental health care because of their worry that their clinician won’t understand their culture, the costs of going to treatment, and not having accessible transportation to get there.

The number of second-generation Americans continues to grow as the country becomes larger and more diverse. It’s necessary to address these barriers and stigma that specifically affects this population as they grow up and not only enter adolescence but navigate their place in adulthood too.

Are you the child of immigrants? How do you think this affects your view on mental health? Do you feel comfortable talking to your parents about what you’re going through?  What are their beliefs on mental health?

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Affirmations

June 10, 2019 in Be Positive

taylor-smith-605201-unsplashWhile they may seem cheesy at first, affirmations can be pretty powerful. Self-affirmations are sayings that people say aloud with confidence about things that they are trying to believe in. By saying these frequently, out loud, and with assurance and confidence, it can help people believe in the very things that there are saying, making it come true.

It’s simple: find a phrase that you think is something you either need to hear or would feel really happy hearing from a loved one. From there, say it aloud whenever. It can be as a part of your morning routine while fixing up your hair, or something you quietly say out loud to yourself before doing an activity that may stress you out.

There are tons of affirmations available online. Some are common phrases too – you may have heard of people saying “I am good enough” or “I can do this.” You don’t have to stick to these though. Affirmations are meant to just for you and the things you want to believe in, and a way to fake it until you make it.

Do you have any affirmations? What are some that you say to yourself?

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Podcasts about Mental Health

June 7, 2019 in LINKS

microphone-307365_1280Podcasts are everywhere these days. You can find any podcast about any topic imaginable, story retellings, or completely fictional podcasts that are the 21st century versions of the old kinds of radio shows that were popular back in the 50s. You can learn a new skill or find more information about decades-old crime stories, or even just listen to a few people talk about nothing significant and just what’s been going on in their lives.

It shouldn’t be a surprise then that there are definitely podcasts available that candidly discuss mental health. Even these can be hard to navigate though; sometimes you may not feel like you’re the right demographic or what the people are talking about is something you can really relate to.

We tried to find a few podcasts about mental health that keep young adults and adolescents as one of their main audiences – check them out below!

The Bright Sessions Possibly one of the most popular podcasts, The Bright Sessions is a fictional audio drama about a psychologist’s sessions with her patients (with a bit of a twist). One blogging ambassador has previously recommended and talked about this podcast – check it out here!

This is Normal This podcasts gives the average, everyday young adult the microphone. Each episode has a different young adult talk about their challenges and struggles with mental health, offering advice and their experiences to remind listeners that they’re not going through their problems alone.

Teen Health Matters While the focus of this podcast isn’t specifically on mental health per se, it was still designed to be an educational tool for adolescents on all sorts of health matters. There are several episodes that relate to mental health (there’s one about dealing with back to school stress, social media and body image, and depression), but others may be of use as well (for example, there’s even one talking about managing money as a teenager). Professionals and doctors who are experts on these topics come into provide as much information as possible.

Do you listen to podcasts? If so, do you listen to any that focus on mental health? Share any of your recommendations!

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Have You Ever Airdropped a Meme?

June 6, 2019 in Social Media Guide

Another day, another viral trend. You may have recently heard of or participated in AirDropping images to strangers around you whenever you’re in public.

Image-1 (1)For those who may not know, AirDropping is a feature on Apple products that allows users to easily share images and files with other Apple users nearby without needing to attach them in a text or email. All you need is to be relatively physically close, have your Bluetooth or WiFi on, and with a simple tap, you can send whatever you want to whoever also has AirDrop on.

This may sound strange if it’s not something you haven’t heard of or have never participated in. It can be a bit of a game though, with someone sending you a meme, you sending a similar one back, and suddenly there’s an exchange going on to see who has the most powerful, yet silly image. You can also compete with others around you to see how many of these chains you can get going on at once. At its best, it can be reassuring – people can sometimes AirDrop positive images and things about self-love, or they aim to AirDrop content that they hope will make the other person laugh.  It’s a way to socialize on a minimal, harmless level with your peers around you and can be a fun thing to do to kill time while waiting for an event to start.

But while it may be lighthearted and fun for the most part, there are still several risks. For example, you have to agree to receive the files and save them to your device, but you can still what the content is when it pops up. This could potentially contain NSFW or triggering content (even if the content isn’t “frightening” itself, everyone can be sensitive to different things) and be upsetting to see, especially in public. It can even feel overwhelming and can possibly cause feelings of anxiety, especially in spaces where there are tons of people (concerts are one the most popular places where AirDropping occurs). There might be an element of social anxiety involved too, since someone you most likely don’t know is technically contacting you, and you may not know how to react, feel comfortable accepting the image, or are afraid of responding.

ooi-jiet-428957-unsplashThere are ways to avoid the activity if AirDropping isn’t for you, or think it may be a trigger for stress. For one thing, you’re not participating at all if you have an Android device. Those who have an Apple device can also disable it completely. If you use AirDrop for other things (for example, sharing photos with friends that you took of them), you can limit AirDrop to just your contacts. At the end of the day, you do have some power over your level of participation, even if it’s as simple as sending yet another Spongebob meme to one of your friends when you see them in the hallway.

Have you ever heard of AirDropping memes? Have you ever done it? What do you think of the idea?

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Mental Health Expenses

June 5, 2019 in Educate Yourself

Mental health issues among teens are a growing issue in the US. The demands for mental health services and treatment clearly exceed our nation’s supply, and the effects of this imbalance are making their mark.jp-valery-1497987-unsplash

The suicide rate among young people ages 10 to 19 increased by 56% from 2007 to 2016.  According to the CDC, suicide and suicide attempts cost the nation $70 billion in lifetime costs for medical care and lost work hours alone. Serious mental illness in the US cost $193.2 billion in losses of personal earnings in 2002, translating to a massive loss of human productivity.  Prescription opioid misuse, another epidemic associated with mental health conditions, costed $78.5 billion in 2013, including costs from health care, the criminal justice system, and lost productivity.  How do we address these issues that weigh so heavily on our nation’s economy? We target a common source of these mental health issues – children.

noah-silliman-202795-unsplashMany mental health issues begin in childhood. With the short supply of child and adolescent psychiatrists, it is easy for children to slip through the cracks of treatment and have their mental health deteriorate further in adulthood; only 40% of adolescents received treatment for major depression in 2017. It is also not uncommon for children to wait days in an ER for an opening of a hospital bed in a psychiatric unit. In Fairfax County, VA, parents often drive hours to take a bed that has opened late at night. Washington, D.C. is the only place in the US with sufficient child and adolescent psychiatrists for its population, while the rest of the country is severely lacking. This shortage isn’t without reason – psychiatry is one of the lowest-paying specialties, and new psychiatry hospital wings and treatment advances can easily fall off the priority list when compared with cutting-edge medical technologies in more competitive and glorified fields such as surgery.

As the staggering costs of mental health attract more attention to this serious public health issue, other outlets are being explored to expand mental health resources to reach the youth that need them:

  • The pediatrician work force is being called to action to manage basic mental health issues. Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued guidelines for adolescent depression in primary care, targeting youth ages 10 to 21. Educating primary care doctors in mental health is a top priority.social-media-2314696_1920
  • Nonprofit organizations also offer mental health programming when government funding falls short. Strength in Our Voices trains high school students and teachers in suicide prevention in schools in Washington, D.C. The Beautiful Minds Initiative in Florida is a collaboration among health care providers, community mental health professionals, social services, and public school systems to bring mental health care to at-risk children in Collier County. Adapting for Life, Surviving the Teens is an outreach program from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio that educates young people in junior high and high schools on drivers of suicidal behavior and ways to cope with them.

Have you ever sought help for mental health? If so, what resources did you use to get the help you need? Do you have mental health awareness programs at your school? If so, what are they like? What resources or programs did you wish were out there? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

This SOVA blog post was based off an article from Jayne O’Donnell in USA Today, “Help Hard to Find for Teens Struggling with Mental Health, Thoughts of Suicide.” To access the original post, check it out here.

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Can Mental Health Affect Cancer Care?

June 4, 2019 in Educate Yourself

daan-stevens-282446-unsplashA cancer diagnosis is not an event anyone wants to encounter. The International Agency for Research on Cancer reports that over 18 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide in 2018 – nearly 10% of those were in the United States. The burden of cancer on finances, the healthcare system and human lives is huge and well documented, but a new factor is being heavily researched on its impact.

Cancer care often focuses on the physical effects of the disease, but many patients are left without access to mental health resources. This might seem like an unavoidable effect in the face of a cancer diagnosis, but it doesn’t end there. Cancer patients who experience these mental health concerns are also more likely to experience worse cancer symptoms and higher disease mortality. Sadly, mortality among cancer patients is most likely to co-occur among younger people.

A study by Dutch researchers at Tilburg University in the Netherlands looks into the connection between mental health issues and worsening helloquence-61189-unsplashcancer symptoms. The study found that depressed patients with various types of cancer  — the study examined lymphoma, multiple myeloma, endometrial and colorectal cancers  — are twice as likely to die than their non-depressed counterparts.

The study also included research on breast cancer patients from Dr. David Spiegel at Stanford University. According to Spiegel, “as many oncologists now view pain as a symptom to be treated, they should also consider depression a symptom to be treated to improve the quality of — and possibly extend — life.” According to Dr. Spiegel’s research, the positive effects of therapy cannot always extend a patient’s life span, but they can result in increased quality of life.

This kind of research could be especially useful in severe forms of cancer where high pain levels and short life expectancies are common. Lung cancers have been associated with “greater morbidity and higher levels of psychological distress than any other form,” according to an Australian study.

Cancers that come from environmental factors — think tobacco smoke, tanning beds with UV radiation, and minerals like asbestos — can leave patients feeling angry that they are “at fault” for their diagnosis. An evaluation of a palliative care program for mesothelioma patients, a cancer caused by asbestos, found high levels of emotional difficulties like shock of diagnosis, anxiety and depression, anger towards employers who did not alert them to the hazards of asbestos, and stress of resulting lawsuits.

michael-browning-246513-unsplashPalliative care refers to care programs that focus on relieving cancer symptoms. Mental health is becoming an important part of these plans, not only for a patient’s mental wellbeing, but also for the chances of life extension. The study, from the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, found that leaving these issues unaddressed can lead to lasting mental health issues that decrease quality of life.

Incorporating psychological resources into care programs for all kinds of cancer could have incredible effects. A 2017 paper outlines some of the hurdles to correctly treating depression in cancer patients: “Cancer care professionals tend to confuse clinical depression or anxiety disorders with normal sadness and preoccupation, with the mistaken belief that ‘it is normal to feel sad or anxious because of cancer.’” As a result, 30-40 percent of cancer patients experience undiagnosed psychological issues.

Hopefully this changes with the recent renaissance in recognizing mental health issues as legitimate conditions. Research from Psychology Today has found that cancer patients are almost twice as likely to commit suicide than the general population, 25% more likely to experience depression, and 42% more likely to have anxiety disorders. Psychological care needs to be a component of all stages of cancer care, from diagnosis to treatment and either follow-up or end-of-life care.

Do you think that mental health treatment should be incorporated into cancer treatment? Why do you think mental health care hasn’t historically been a priority in cancer treatment? Do you have any experiences that you’re comfortable with sharing?

Special thanks to Sarah Wolverton for the article. Sarah Wolverton is a Communications Specialist at Mesothelioma.com, the foremost source of asbestos and mesothelioma cancer information. Sarah delves into the world of cancer and consumer health in her work and advocates for a full asbestos ban. 

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The Act of Smiling

June 3, 2019 in Be Positive

caju-gomes-500579-unsplashYou might have heard the phrase that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. The amount of muscles that it takes is up for debate (some places say it takes 13 to smile and 33 to frown, some say 22 to smile and 37 to frown) and it’s not really a fact – it hasn’t even been proven to be true – but the mentality remains: it’s better to smile than it is to frown, and takes less effort.

Happiness itself isn’t a choice; mental illness can make it difficult to feel positive and happy, but just the act of smiling can make a difference. Just like deep breathing or going for a walk, this action sends messages to your brain to help lift up your mood. Laughing also has the same effect, but sometimes that can feel like too much effort at times (after all, forcing laughter can feel so awkward). Choosing to smile and making yourself lift the corners of your mouth upwards activates the release of hormones like dopamine and endorphins, which can make you feel better and combat stress.

emoticon-2120024_1920Then of course, there’s the common belief that smiling is also contagious. This goes both ways: by smiling, you might inspire someone around you, whether you know them or not, to feel a little happier and smile themselves, or you can surround yourself with people who have a smiley disposition and feel the effects of being around that.

It might seem silly to try smiling at nothing, but it can be a boost of energy and positivity by using just a few muscles (13, or 22, or whatever number it is depending on who you ask).

Have you ever tried smiling without any reason? What do you think of the idea? What makes you smile?

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Using Your Watch to Practice Deep Breathing

May 31, 2019 in LINKS

black-2383778_1920There are tons of breathing and meditation apps available online (we’ve covered a few of them before if you want some suggestions!). If you’re running out of space, unsure which one is best for you, or just want something that’s convenient, finding a tool to help guide you with your breathing to help you get or stay calm may be easier to find than you think.

adam-birkett-347694-unsplashIf you have any type of smartwatch, chances are, there’s some sort of app or guide you can use that’s already on there to help you. The Apple Watch has an animation you can follow and a section on the Apple Watch app on the iPhone that you can use to set reminders, goals, and durations. Those with Android watches (or any watch that has Google software like Fossil watches) can use the Fit Breathe app on their device – there’s a corresponding Google Fit app you can also get to help keep track of it. With it, you can keep your eyes closed, and your watch will vibrate to tell you when to inhale, hold, or exhale. Fitbits have a Relax app with two or five minute long sessions to help you practice deep breathing too.

cbx-214431-unsplashYou don’t need a smartwatch to be able to practice deep breathing at anytime though. You can use any kind of watch to time yourself taking breaths (make sure you can see the second hand though – holding your breath for minutes at a time isn’t really relaxing). One such way is through the 4-7-8 breathing method. It’s pretty simple: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, then slowly release for 8 seconds.

alarm-4172631_1280Watches have become so much more than simply telling time. Ironically, having watches and always knowing what time it is can have us spending time thinking about how little time we have to do things and may make us stress and worry about how we need to be on top of things and meet deadlines. It doesn’t help that smartwatches can constantly buzz with notifications and overwhelm us with not answering and responding to things right away. But even though time can feel daunting and nerve-wracking, using some of those minutes to try deep breathing can make the biggest difference.

Do you own a smartwatch? What suggestions do you have to practice deep breathing? Do they require technology?

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Mental Health Experts on Social Media

May 30, 2019 in LINKS, Social Media Guide

social-media-1177293_1280When people talk about social media and its effect on people, it’s almost always negative. Many have mentioned and researched about the effect of social media on mental health: feeling unproductive, worrying about what we said or did online, and experiencing FOMO are just a few of the things that affect us from using social media.

Social media knows this though. Even though those feelings can still be present, many are also using the platforms to spread awareness about their own experiences, and social media sites themselves are promoting content to spread awareness about mental health.

These can be sporadic though. No one has an obligation to constantly and only post about mental health awareness – whether it be specifically about their own or as a whole – and social media platforms may only promote mental well-being when it may feel necessary (think of this month as Mental Health Awareness Month wraps up).

Most organizations today have social media handles so they can help promote their causes to as many people as possible: those focusing on mental health are no icon-1674909_1280exception. However, experts and doctors are also creating their own social media accounts so they can give direct advice and help about mental health, stigma, and overall spreading awareness and educating about mental health.

One such example is Dr. Jessica Clemons, who has an Instagram account giving tips about tackling stigma and taking care of one’s self, especially in the black community (she even has Beyonce’s approval!). Similar accounts from psychiatrists and doctors educating about mental health include Dr. Vania Manipod and Dr. Lisa Long.

maddi-bazzocco-1555818-unsplashWhile it could be easy to assume that medical and professional information can be dry, all of these accounts know how to use social media, engaging it in a way that feels like any other fashion, food, or friend’s account. They can seamlessly fit in into your feed, but can have the opposite, more fulfilling effect than the FOMO, self-consciousness, and unproductivity you might feel from other posts.  

Do you follow any doctors or medical professionals on social media? Why do you think following professionals can be helpful, especially those focusing on mental health?

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“Is It My Fault?”

May 29, 2019 in Educate Yourself

A common mindset among those who are diagnosed with mental illnesses is wondering if it’s something that they brought onto themselves. There may be guilt associated with it, like the person thinking they did something wrong or ashamed that they didn’t handle past situations well enough.

One study looked at this in more detail, focusing specifically on adolescents and their beliefs about mental health after being diagnosed with depression. Navigating how you’re feeling andmolly-belle-73279-unsplash your mental health as an adolescent can be really difficult: this is a stage where you start wondering if what you’re feeling and doing is similar to what your peers are also going through. At this age, you want to fit in and if you don’t, you might think there’s something wrong with you and then you’ll be rejected as a result. This could be why experiencing mental illness symptoms can be scary, especially when you feel like you’re the only one going through them.

Researchers found three common trends when asking adolescents aged 11-17 about their diagnosis and what they think about mental health. These were confusion about why they were depressed, feeling that they were depressed as a result of rejection, victimization, and stress, and that they blamed something inside of themselves for feeling this way.

Many of these adolescents seemed to experience and feel a lot of guilt when managing their feelings about depression. This guilt had come from things like feeling like letting people down and not being good enough, which contributed to their depressive symptoms, or things like feeling guilty that they were being dramatic about something their “teenage phase.”

mitch-lensink-220106-unsplashDespite these feelings, however, it seemed that a lot of these adolescents wanted to understand other sources for why they were depressed – the study suggests that the self-blame and criticism adolescents place on themselves needs to be addressed, since it could be a barrier for them to seek treatment or further help.

Although it can feel like the feelings associated with depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses, are the result of something you’ve done wrong or that they’re something that no one else is experiencing, results like the ones in the study can remind you that you’re not alone. These are common beliefs when it comes to experiencing symptoms and being diagnosed, but even though these feelings are frequent, they aren’t necessarily true. It’s a difficult process to realize, but mental illness isn’t one’s fault and something they brought onto themselves, and trying to overcome that can make seeking treatment, finding help, and talking to others a little bit easier.

How did you feel when you first started experiencing symptoms? Did you feel like you needed to blame something or find a reason why you were feeling this way? Share your experiences below!

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