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Let’s Talk Day

January 30, 2019 in Educate Yourself

quino-al-302041-unsplashToday is Bell Let’s Talk Day. This is a Canadian campaign by Bell Canada, one of the country’s primary telecommuncations company, that started in September 2010 with the goal of creating a national conversation about mental health. Through the campaign, institutions and organizations are provided with new funding for access, care and research all focused on mental health. To date, Bell Let’s Talk has raised $93,423,628.80 and are hoping to meet their goal of raising over $100,000,000 by the end of today.

Bell Let’s Talk is an organization whose goal is to promote awareness and action for mental health by employing a strategy based on 4 pillars:

Anti-stigma To address changing the stigma on mental health, Bell Let’s Talk has an annual campaign that brings awareness and a specific day that helps to increase the national conversation around the topic. The hope is that as conversations about mental health increases, the stigma around mental health will decrease.

Care and access Bell Let’s Talk supports organizations such as local hospitals, universities and helloquence-61190-unsplashagencies with the support services they need to continue their missions relating to mental health.

Research The campaign invests into the top research programs that continue to explore mental health. They choose programs that they feel have the potential to have transformative effects on Canadian mental health and wellbeing.

tim-gouw-68319-unsplashWorkplace Health Through adapting the voluntary standard of Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace themselves, Bell Let’s Talk models and encourages other businesses to adapt these standards of mental health in their workplaces.

While this is a campaign that occurs in Canada, there are many ways that people in the United States and all over the world can help raise money for this amazing cause. Listed below are the best ways to get involved!

  • Tweet Every time someone watches the Bell Let’s Talk Day video or tweets using the hashtag #BellLetsTalk, 5 cents is donated towards the mental health initiative
  • Instagram For every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video, Bell donates 5 cents
  • Facebook For every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video or for using the Bell Let’s Talk Frame, Bell donates 5 cents
  • Snapchat For every view of the Bell Let’s Talk Day video or for using the Bell Let’s Talk Filer, Bell will donate 5 cents

What do you think about the campaign? Do you think other major companies should follow Bell’s lead here in the United States in mental health activism?

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Better Sleep, Better You

January 29, 2019 in Educate Yourself

We recently had the chance to speak with Dr. Jessica C. Levenson again, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She investigates techniques and intervention strategies that can improve adolescent sleep for overall well-being, both physically and mentally.

Last time we talked with Dr. Levenson, she answered the question, “What is Therapy?” and told us more about we can expect in therapy sessions. Here, we will be talking with her about why sleep is important and why we should try to get more of it.

Jessica C. Levenson, PhD University of Pittsburgh

Jessica C. Levenson, PhD
University of Pittsburgh

How is Dr. Levenson’s team studying sleep in adolescents?

Dr. Levenson explores ways adolescents can get more sleep to improve health and functioning. For example, research shows that sleep affects grades, attendance in school, emotions, attention, and risky behavior. In her recent research, teens attend one session with a therapist that focuses on sleep, and then they use web-based smartphone communication, designed by Dr. Levenson’s team, to track how much sleep they got, what their activity before bed was, and other information. Sometimes, she also measures movement during sleep using an activity monitor watch similar to a Fitbit.

Is this an intervention that is available as an app we can download?

The intervention was a web-based communication, not necessarily an app, and is not available at this time. However, there are other apps out there that can help you track your sleep, such as Sleep Cycle.

Check out some more options that might help you get a better night’s rest.

Why is improving sleep for adolescents so important?

Research suggests that teens need between 8 to 10 hours of sleep, but most only get about 6.5 to 6.7 hours of sleep per night. Adolescents who are chronically sleep deprived have been shown to have negative health consequences like depression and other mental health issues, poor grades, or drowsy driving. Poor sleep is also connected with obesity and substance use. Helping teens get more sleep could be a way to prevent or improve these outcomes.

More sleep and better rest helps us do our best throughout the day. A study from Stanford University showed that their basketball team performed better in timed sprint and shooting accuracy after getting 10 hours of sleep a night or more!

We have heard of things like changing the light on your phone to “sleep mode,” playing relaxing sounds, and special lamps to help people sleep. Do these things actually work??

clock-1673583_1280Dr. Levenson pointed out these things are not yet fully examined by research. However, everyone has different needs. Changing the light on your phone is not likely to harm you, so it is worth a try if you use your phone before bed. Different things work for different people. For example, some people need the TV on to sleep, and others need absolutely no noise or light. Get to know yourself and see what works for you to achieve healthy long-term sleep.

What are your thoughts on medications to help with sleep?

Medicine and sleep aids have a place in our efforts to getting better sleep. However, this is not the answer for everyone and this should be a discussion with your doctor. Besides, simply changing your behavior to improve sleep (and not medications) has been shown to have a better long-term effect and tends to have fewer side effects.

What are some calming activities we can do before bed?

Dr. Levenson says it is a good idea to start winding down from your day about an hour before bed. For example, stop using your phone, maybe read a book or magazine, listen to some music or StockSnap_0NHAJYXZP1a podcast, do a crossword, journal, do some mindfulness meditation, etc. Some other healthy habits are not to have too much caffeine during the day (and definitely not close to bed time) and making sure you only use your bed for sleep. Find other places to do other activities like homework or watching TV. Also, having regular sleep cycles is very important.

What if using your phone is a way for you to wind down at the end of the day?

Again, everyone is different. Generally, the recommendation is not to because using your phone can be very stimulating. But pay attention to your own patterns and if you have no problem sleeping, then do what works for you. Find your own calming activity.

Last bit of advice:

Adolescence is a time when lots of things are changing and it is good to start setting good behaviors and healthy habits now, rather than dealing with the consequences later.

What are your sleep habits like? Do you have any tips about what helps you fall asleep? Have you ever tried an app to track your sleeping patterns? Share your experiences below!

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Organizations for Mental Health and Youth Around the World

January 25, 2019 in Educate Yourself, LINKS

andrew-butler-325931-unsplashEveryone’s experience with mental health and how they handle it are different. This is especially true on a global scale: no two countries provide the exact same treatment and share the exact same stigmas and beliefs about mental health.

As global organizations are focusing more on mental health around the world, particularly with the growing youth population, those living in different countries around the world are also making the effort to help their young citizens. While these aren’t the only resources for young adults to access in their respective countries, the websites below can give you some look into how other countries around the world are also trying to help children and adolescents learn more about mental illnesses and suicide prevention:

clark-tibbs-367075-unsplash (1)Australia Youth Beyond Blue (Instagram) is the youth-centered branch of Beyond Blue, an organization that uses their platform to share knowledge and increase mental health literacy in Australians. Youth Beyond Blue specifically focuses on 12-25 year olds and shares not just knowledge about mental illness and suicide, but coping strategies, how to help others, and other ways to get involved. They even have a Check-In app that adolescents can download in order to figure out the best way to talk to a friend who might be going through something but is afraid of saying the “wrong” thing.

Canada With the mission to have every young person in Canada feel comfortable talking about mental health, jack.org (Instagram) centers and is led by Canadian youths to make that mission a reality. The website is extensive, offering programs, talks, and leading summits in an effort to educate youths across the country.  

England Just like jack.org, Young Minds (Instagram) is a charity organization focused on improving the emotional wellbeing and mental health of the UK’s youth and adolescent population.valeriia-bugaiova-702284-unsplash They offer training programs for teachers, toolkits for youth-centered organizations, and have a section that talks about the various situations that affect mental health, like bullying, body image, and death and loss.The site also offers links if someone needs urgent help, how to find treatment, and resources for parents as well.

India It’s Okay to Talk (Instagram) is the first youth-centered campaign in India to focus specifically on mental health. Around 45% of the country’s population is under 25, and with a total population of over 1.2 billion people, that is a lot of youths, importantly so when you consider how one student commits suicide every hour in India, with youth suicide rates continuing to increase.The website allows youths to open up about their mental health, whether through posts sharing their stories or using the hashtag #ItsOkayBaatKaro (“it’s okay to talk”) in an effort for them to realize that they’re not alone and reduce the strong stigma against mental illness.

austin-pacheco-703798-unsplashSouth Korea The country has the highest suicide rates in the world, where suicide is the fourth most common form of death and the number one cause in adolescents aged 10-19. After the passing of the K-Pop idol Jonghyun Kim, who commited suicide in 2017, his mother opened up the Shiny Foundation (Instagram), which supports youths in the arts and aims to give them counseling and open up a therapy center as they work towards their creative goals.

How do you think culture plays a role in how adolescents view their mental health around the world? Do you know anyone in a different country, and if so, do their views on mental health differ from yours?

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Is Technology Use Really that Bad?

January 24, 2019 in Social Media Guide

alexandru-acea-752861-unsplashThere’s a lot of back and forth about the impact of technology on people, particularly adolescents. Children and young adults are constantly connected to screens, and Generation Z (those born in between the mid-90s and early 2000s) are the first group to have Internet their entire lives. Additionally, there’s an argument that states that those in Gen Z can’t be addicted to technology, because it’s all that they’ve known, not remembering a time without it.

So between the articles and arguments that social media, technology, and the amount of time people are “plugged in” are all damaging (items we’ve also covered here before), is it actually causing harm if it’s all they have known?

An intense study conducted by Oxford surveyed over a quarter of a million adolescents (350,000 to be exact!) to see how their screen time use and how often they were “plugged in” affected their mental wellbeing. Percentage wise, where average wellbeing is at 0, technology affects mood by -0.4%, which is as harmless as eating potatoes. The study describes other items that had a more negative impact on emotional wellbeing on the participants, such as wearing glasses and bullying.

Everyone’s experience with technology is different however, and the results of the study shouldn’t suggest that things like cyberbullying and losing productivity don’t exist. However, discussion based around the results talk about how the media (ironically, mostly doing so through screens like TV and on websites), exaggerate just how bad the effects of technology are on a whole, especially when it comes to adolescents. Other factors can affect how technology impacts our emotions and our wellbeing – for example, having a mental illness might increase that -0.4% because of how your brain processes information and events. This is also about technology as a whole, and specific items like social media and video games can likely have different results.

However, technology by itself has an overall small impact on adolescent wellbeing, and based off the study, it can feel significantly worse because of a combination of other factors. Your use with technology is up to you at the end of the day though, despite what studies and the media say.

Do you agree with the results? What do you think about news outlets and the media speaking for adolescents and how technology negatively affects them?

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Are You a Tulip, Orchid, or Dandelion?

January 23, 2019 in Educate Yourself

jessica-knowlden-589517-unsplashYou’ve probably heard of flower language before, where each plant and flower represents something. Some are pretty popular, like roses meaning love, some are obvious, like forget-me-nots, and others can be negative, like marigolds meaning grief.

Most of the time, these symbols give meaning in things like stories and tattoos, giving the image of the flowers a meaning behind it and giving it importance. While it doesn’t meet the artsy approach that flower language typically has, scientists and psychologists have created a bit of flower language of their own, comparing three types of flowers to each other and associating them with a type of behavior and reactions to situations.

This is known as the “orchid hypothesis,” and is used with children in particular. The hypothesis categorizes people into three categories based on how sensitive they are:

  • If someone is an orchid, they’re highly sensitive and have to be in the right environment, otherwise they’ll “wither.” Those who receive proper care and attention “thrive.”
  • Those who are dandelions are considered to be “tough” and can adapt to any situation, no matter where they areStockSnap_AE651BHJBY
  • Tulips fall somewhere in the middle, not “delicate” like orchids, but aren’t as “strong” as dandelions

Assigning someone to one of the flowers is not a diagnosis, but it is simply a way to describe and put someone in a category based on how they react to their environment based on their genetic makeup. There have been studies conducted to see where this link is established, such as one focusing on the CHRM2 gene specifically. CHRM2 is involved with brain functions like memory and learning, and is already associated with alcohol dependency, something that is put in the same group as childhood conduct disorders.

Another study looked to see if there was a relationship between sensitivity and other genes like DAT1, DRD2, and DRD4 (which control dopamine, or how we process reward and emotions and physical movements), MAOA (known as the “Warrior Gene” because of its link to aggression, and helps regulate serotonin and dopamine) , and 5-HTTLPR (this controls serotonin and has associations with mental illnesses like anxiety and depression).

rob-potter-408301-unsplashBeing an orchid, tulip, or dandelion isn’t all just about the biology and if there is a genetic reason for these behaviors. Scientists and psychologists also use these classifications to predict if the child’s environment and upbringing can protect them from the barriers they may face if they were an orchid. For example, if an orchid child grew up in a home with a supportive family, they are less likely to show the more extreme signs of sensitivity. An orchid child growing up in a more negative environment, however, would be more vulnerable to having negative reactions when bad things happen. A dandelion child in a similar negative environment would be genetically “stronger” enough to handle bad situations, and therefore wouldn’t have those negative reactions, or their negative reactions wouldn’t be as extreme.

If there’s anything to take away from this hypothesis, however, is that being an orchid isn’t a bad thing, and does not mean that orchids have poor reactions to negative changes around them. The hypothesis assumes that these flower titles aren’t something that we can control and are based in our biology, but shows that our environment plays a huge difference in whether those qualities show or not.

Do you think you’re an orchid, dandelion, or tulip? Do you think that the flower you are can predict things like anxiety and depression?

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Linking with a Buddy

January 18, 2019 in LINKS

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It’s not uncommon for those with mental illnesses to experience loneliness. Sometimes, it’s the brain tricking you into thinking you’re alone despite being around people close to you, or it can be self-inflicted and isolating yourself from others, unable to bring yourself to be social in any way.

Gabby Frost, a college student at Drexel, recognized this, and started a non-profit called The Buddy Project. The program pairs teens and young adults who feel are going through a difficult time, such as poor mental health or thoughts of suicide, matching them up based off of interest. As the sign-up process describes, the users need to sign up through either their Instagram or Twitter accounts, and once they’re eventually paired with their buddy, are allowed to talk about whatever they want. This isn’t just exclusive to the U.S. and is available for youths around the world, aiming to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and introducing compassionate and empathetic concepts at an early age before mental illness symptoms could possibly worsen.

Gabby first began the program in 2013 at 14 years old, and in the almost six years since it’s started, has paired up more than 230,000 teens and young adults! Another part of The Buddy Project is through its own Instagram: the posts are pastel, aesthetically pleasing, and short, featuring facts, reminders, and even short poems submitted by users.

Check out more about The Buddy Project here!  

What do you think about the program? Do you know any other adolescents who are also creating a platform to talk about mental health?

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Why has JUUL Attracted so Many Adolescents?

January 17, 2019 in Social Media Guide

Chances are, you’ve heard of JUUL. Like any phenomenon and trend, the word itself may cause an immediate response: recognition, mocking, maybe even confusion. But like any phenomenon or trends, especially one that’s mostly popular with teenagers and young adults, everyone has an opinion on them.

For those who don’t know, JUUL is a kind of e-cigarette. First created in 2015, JUULs look like flashdrives and are skinnier than standard vapes, providing the tobacco through flavored pods. Each JUUL pod contains about 200 puffs, with the same amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. Though they were initially created to help adult smokers on their journey to quit, they captured the attention of adolescents, and their popularity boomed.

vaping-3677963_1920Statistics have shown that up until recently, the rates of tobacco and drug use among adolescents has been decreasing. This has started to change in the past couple of years, where teenagers are actually starting to increase their tobacco use. Naturally, the most popular product for tobacco is through e-cigarettes: 1 in 5 high schoolers reported using an e-cigarette in the past 30 days, as well as 1 in 20 middle schoolers. Both of these are higher than the statistics reported in 2011. There’s a connection between the rise of e-cigarette use and general smoking habits as well: tobacco use in middle and high schoolers started to increase again in 2017, at the same time that e-cigarette use specifically started to spike.

JUUL has a strong social media presence, which may explain the reason that it attracted so many adolescents. For example, JUUL used to pay social media influencers to advertise their product on their pages. Although this has been discontinued and only involved a few influencers, the power of social media can have a giant impact on many with just one account. If one popular person posts about a product, word of mouth and reshares can immediately reach thousands of people. Teens will also share posts of themselves vaping in an effort to feel accepted by their peers.

Another way that JUUL has attracted adolescents is because of the way they advertise their flavored pods, which makes adolescents think that the product is less dangerous. Because JUUL advertises that their product will help people stop smoking cigarettes (which also has teens think the product isn’t as harmful), studies show that vaping can actually lead to cigarette use.

rawpixel-1054659-unsplashStatistics also show that there is a connection between those with mental health issues and tobacco use: nearly half of those who consume cigarettes have a form of mental illness. This is also true for adolescents (especially since most adult smokers tried smoking for the first time when they were teens): Interviews with adolescents with mental illnesses have mentioned that they also turn to smoking when they are experiencing stress or anxiety, feeling that it will calm them down.

Given the frequent use of social media by adolescents, the increase of mental illness diagnoses in adolescents, and the connection between drug use and mental health in youth, it isn’t a surprise that e-cigarettes are causing tobacco use in adolescents to start increasing again. Many have noted this: the FDA has threatened to ban JUUL and is investigating their marketing tactics, referring to it as an epidemic. The effects of nicotine are still there, which are significantly more harmful for adolescents, whose brains are still developing. This includes being more vulnerable to addiction, so those who start at a young age are likely to continue smoking into adulthood.

While the message is getting out that JUULs and other e-cigarettes are just as harmful as “regular” smoking, it’s much easier said than done to stop a harmful trend, especially for youths, and especially for those who think that it helps them cope with issues like mental health.

Do you smoke, or know anyone who smokes? Why do you think JUULs and e-cigarettes are popular with adolescents? What’s your opinion on them? What do you think can be done to help adolescents stop smoking?

 

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Addressing Boys and Mental Health

January 16, 2019 in Educate Yourself

anna-vander-stel-60342-unsplashWith the recent rising rates of depression in the US, mental health is being recognized as a crisis in American youth. While mental illness is commonly thought to be associated with girls, statistics tell us that boys are just as vulnerable.

Teen girls attempt suicide more than teen boys do, but boys are more likely to die from their attempts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,537 boys 15-19 years old died because of suicide in 2015, versus 524 girls. Boys are also found to be less likely to seek treatment. According to Dennis Barbour, president of the Partnership for Male Youth, some boys see doing so as a sign of weakness. Even if they don’t see it this way, boys are less likely to be spotted by a physician. Unlike girls, who may regularly see a gynecologist as they grow out of their pediatrician, boys tend to see their doctors less frequently, especially if they don’t see their pediatrician anymore.

Societal pressures also play a significant factor. A national poll in 2018 showed that one-third of boys between the ages of 10-19 years old felt that society expects them to “be a man” and “suck it up” when they feel sad or scared. Another third felt they need to suppress their feelings, and half wanted to know more about having the right to feel the way they feel, despite pressures from society.

Major protective factors against depression and other mental health issues are friendships and relationships with others. 6 in 10 American teens say that most of their daily interactions with friends are online rather than in-person, and their reason for the lack of face-to-face time is having “too many other obligations,” according to the Pew Research Center. Some experts blame this friendship-1081843_1920increasing use of social media for the rising rate of depression among teens, which in 2016 increased by 63% from the previous year. Niobe Way, an NYU professor of applied psychology, found that while 85% of teen boys wanted close friendships with other boys, they stop forming these relationships because valuing relationships is to “not be a man.”

Little has been done toward addressing mental health issues in boys and men. The Partnership for Male Youth is working towards educating clinicians, parents, and other educators by creating a toolkit for adolescent and young adult males that informs health providers of their unique needs around mental health. Way has developed “The Listening Project,” a program in New York City that trains seventh-graders to connect with their peers and form relationships.

While these programs are a start, much more needs to be done to remove both the stigma of mental health as something that only affects girls and the concept that “being a man” means not showing emotions or asking for help. Both men and women have the right to express our feelings and reach out for support, and to recognize our need to be real to the core of who we are.

Are you or do you know of a boy struggling with mental health issues? Do you have any thoughts on mental health stigma among boys? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

This SOVA blog post was based off of Julie Compton’s article from NBC News, “Boys need better access to mental health care. Why aren’t they getting it?” To access the original post, check it out here.

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Staying Warm

January 14, 2019 in Be Positive

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Even though it’s the fresh start to the year, January can feel exactly the opposite. There are no festive holidays – where it’s too late for stores to continue their Christmas and winter holiday promotions but far too early for the pinks and reds of Valentine’s Day – and it’s deep in the middle of winter. The weather can feel unpredictable lately, but generally, January is a time where winds are biting, it starts getting dark as early as 4:30 in the afternoon, and it’s just cold.

You may have heard of SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. While this can happen during any time of the year, it’s commonly associated and tends to be more likely during the winter. The “winter blues” can make everything feel so much worse, and between the more negative feelings and the less-than-ideal weather, it can be difficult to want to leave your bed during the season.

Very few people list winter as their favorite season, and have consistently had this opinion for decades. If you are someone who doesn’t particularly care for this time of year, whether it be because of the effect on their mental health, the reduced desire to go outside because of the cold, a combination of the two, or any other reason, you can be well assured that you are not alone. That doesn’t mean that you have to resign yourself to hibernate until the weather starts to turn around, however. Many sites provide all sorts of tips to battle the “winter blues,” including some of the few below:

bryan-minear-316499-unsplashLight Boxes These lamps are specifically designed to mimic outdoor light, so if you’re inside all day, or even in the afternoons when it gets dark earlier, small bursts of exposure to these lamps can help your inner clock and give some sort of Vitamin D boost to your body. There are tons you can find online, though the prices can vary.

rawpixel-1087145-unsplashExercise It can be hard wanting to move around, much less exercise, when leaving a warm blanket nest does not seem tempting in the slightest. Working out can be more than running outdoors – which can be both difficult and painful during this time of year. It can also be more than going to a gym, which requires going outside in order to get there. There are ways to move around inside though: YouTube provides tons of workouts that you can follow along with, especially yoga, and there are guides that provide short workouts that don’t require equipment. If you can’t do more than a few minutes, that’s okay, because even getting up and moving around just a little can help boost your mood and body temperature.

kelly-sikkema-72695-unsplashBundle Up If anything, the cold weather gives us a reason to wear as many fashionable clothes as possible, because when it’s in the 20s outside, there’s no such thing as too many layers. This could mean doing a little bit of retail therapy, especially online, and taking advantage of “end-of-season” sales as stores try to focus more on their spring and summer clothes. It could also mean going through your closet and coordinating outfits and accessories and seeing what kinds of combinations you can come up with.

Do you think that wintertime has an extreme effect on your mood and mental health? What tips do you have to help boost your mood and productivity?

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Finding a Therapist for Minorities

January 11, 2019 in LINKS

StockSnap_SKBXLJOILIWhen someone imagines a therapist, the typical image that comes up is that of an older white man or a young white woman. Unfortunately, this is more often accurate than not. A recent study from the American Psychological Association on the demographics of the U.S. psychology workforce between 2005 and 2013 showed that 83.6% of the workforce were white, followed by 5.3% blacks/African Americans, 5.0% Hispanics, and 4.3% Asians, which is considerably less diverse than the overall U.S. workforce. This can be a problem – a diverse pool of therapists is especially important to a diverse client population. Studies have shown that clients whose therapists match their racial and ethnic identity have a greater sense of trust toward their therapist as well as a greater perceived benefit of therapy than those who don’t have similarly matched therapists. While it is important that we all have some degree of cultural competence, there naomi-hebert-188183-unsplashis a special connection and understanding among those from similar communities that simply cannot be replaced.

In order to optimize mental health outcomes with therapy, it is important to find a good fit when it comes to working with a therapist. Jeff Baker, a black therapist from the LGBTQ community and mental health activist, recognizes that his strongest relationships are with some of his black clients, some of his queer clients, and all of his black queer clients. In his post on TeenVogue, he discusses how much one’s identity shapes one’s therapeutic experience, and he has compiled a list of directories of therapists and organizations from minority populations so that clients can find the resources to best meet their needs.

Here are a few directories from his list:

This SOVA blog post was inspired by Jeff Baker’s post on TeenVogue, “52 Mental Health Resources for Disabled People, POC, LGBTQ Folks, and More.” To see the original post and access his full list of culturally specific and general directories, check out his post here.

Do you have a therapist? Are they the same identity as you? If not, do you wish you had a therapist from your same community or culture? How much does identity matter to you when finding a good therapist? Please share your experiences or thoughts below!

 

 

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