Mental & Emotional Health

A study published in December,2007 in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology found people over 65 could lower their risk of developing dementia by up to 29 percent.

They didn’t say exactly why this was but a theory that made sense was that it gets the blood flow pumping better through the brain. This lessens the likelihood of strokes, which also affects the memory.

Luckily, moderate exercise is still effective like walking because once you’re over 65 you may not be into anything too strenuous.

“Our findings show moderate physical activity, such as walking, and all physical activities combined lowered the risk of vascular dementia in the elderly independent of several sociodemographic, genetic and medical factors,” said study author Giovanni Ravaglia, MD, with University Hospital S. Orsola Malpighi, in Bologna, Italy. “It’s important to note that an easy-to-perform moderate activity like walking provided the same cognitive benefits as other, more demanding activities.” (ScienceDaily, Dec. 21, 2007—ST. PAUL, Minn)

Wayne Dyer discusses what happens if you act as if you are deficient in some way or need fixed. Of course you will never feel you have enough with this mind set but many of us do it. It’s basically “the secret� before it came out in different packaging.

If you ever said or thought, “Once I get that fill in the blank, then I’ll be happy� then you’re operating on the premise that you’re deficient. I have been doing this lately with sleep. Once I get a good nights sleep, I will be alight.

If you can’t stop and appreciate what you have in the present, then you will probably not be grateful for what you get in the future. You never “arriveâ€? because you’re still not satisfied since something is always lacking. Even when some people obtain their dream house they will say, It’s nice but it’s too bad it doesn’t have a fireplace, bigger yard, better scenery etc. It’s never enough.

Wayne Dyer is one of my favorite authors and has helped me through plenty of my messed up moments. He was still in the process of writing “You’ll See it When You Believe It� in this talk, which is also an excellent book.

This video is part 1 of Wayne Dyer on No Limit People, who he says accept themselves for who they are. They also appreciate what they have so are able to enjoy the present moment instead of worrying about what they don’t have.

When is the last time you took time out for a hobby you enjoy? Sometimes people say they’re too busy but most of us can make time to do something.

It can mean that you’re becoming depressed if you no longer participate in activities you used to enjoy. I know I get depressed if I stop doing things I enjoy anyway.

Not everyone is into the same things but maybe there’s a painting you wanted to paint or a fish you wanted to catch.

My husband is mad about fishing. I enjoy it but after a few hours, I get a little jumpy if I don’t have a book. Luckily, I think ahead and bring a couple novels to read.

Simply getting out and being in touch with nature is therapeutic or even just flying a kite. I like to walk and look at scenery because it helps clear my head and lift my spirits. Of course, it’s good for your health too.

I bought a couple patterns weeks ago and tonight am finally going to start cross-stitching one of them. They say funny things on them like “chill out�and “get lost� and a couple other ones are quite obscene but they make me happy.

The last couple of days have been a little hairy because half our household is sick and a couple of them are getting snappy. Since I can’t command that they all go to bed this early I’m escaping into the basement with my book and my stitching.

• The message for today is to take time out to play or participate in some sort of leisure activity or hobby you enjoy. If you don’t have any hobbies, start one. I have a neighbor in her seventies who goes to yoga classes regularly and it sounds like fun.

I have included the video Stop Getting Abused and Learn Healthy Boundaries which briefly goes over these fighting words. Thanks to Jef Gazley M.S. from AsktheInternetTherapist.

You

When trying to communicate feelings to someone one of the worst words to start a conversation with is you. It comes across as finger pointing and blaming. It puts people on the defensive because it makes it sound as though they’re on trial.

Examples: “You ruined dinner.” “You made me mad.” “You hurt my feelings.”

Better: Use I statements. “I was disappointed dinner was disrupted.” “I feel angry about that.” My feelings were hurt…or I feel sad, hurt etc.

Always

This one probably drives just about everyone crazy because most don’t always do anything. “You’re always late.” “You always say that.” One of my kids has grabbed onto this one and I keep correcting her. Ahhh! I don’t always say that! This is another good reason not to use it because it will come back to haunt you from your children.

Never

This sounds just as drastic as the word always and ticks people off. You never help me. You never come through. Again, it puts people on the defensive and will add more fuel to the fire. If you truly want help with something, starting out by saying someone never helps will not motivate them to do so.

The best way to manage anger is by avoiding unnecessary conflict with your own behavior and words. You could combine these words and fire them all out at once. I have probably done it at one point or another but it’s not very smart or mature. It will also probably cause an argument if one wasn’t already happening.

Boundaries: Stop Getting Abused And Learn Healthy Boundaries

Plenty of people become stressed and depressed in their forties but I wonder how many of them are really having a mid life crisis.

Maybe some people just want out of a marriage and decide they don’t want the responsibility of raising children or get bored of their spouse and job so run away.

Sometimes they run away with someone much younger. It seems mighty convenient that it’s almost expected and accepted that people will go through this crisis because you can always say “Oh that was because I was having a mid-life crisis.”

Does this make running off with someone half your age or abandoning your children ok? Is this something that we are supposed to simply acknowledge will happen and it’s quite alright for people to act like selfish jerks because they’re going through a mid life crisis?

Dr. Richard A. Friedman wrote an interesting article about using a mid life crisis as an excuse for bad behavior.

“The first five years of his marriage were exciting. “It was like we were dating all the time,â€? he recalled wistfully. But once they had a child, he felt an unwelcome sense of drudgery and responsibility creep into his life.

Being middle-aged had nothing to do with his predicament; it was just that it took him 49 years to reach a situation where he had to seriously take account of someone else’s needs, namely those of his baby son. In all likelihood, the same thing would have happened if he had become a father at 25.”(Crisis? Maybe He’s a Narcissistic Jerk, Jan.15, 2008)

I do believe people experience a mid life crisis in the sense that they question things and wonder if they should reevaluate their lives and their goals. This doesn’t always have to involve negative changes like affairs and/or drugs though and can in fact lead to positive changes.

I just don’t think it’s too productive for anyone’s relationship to say “Yeah, it’s alright if you take off, buy that motorcycle, go on drugs and trade me in for a young one with no kids. I’ll hold down the fort while you go sort things out. Have fun.”

Prevention

It’s better to catch these things before they happen by communicating and going for counseling together to avoid further harm to a family. It can work both ways and there’s plenty of run away wives as well. Perhaps some of these marriages are beyond repair anyway so someone had to have some sort of crisis to get out of it.

Encouraging the perception that most will have a mid life crisis because it’s the norm is not a good idea in my opinion because it leads many to have a handy excuse for irresponsible behavior.

Instead of simply allowing the mid life crisis to run it’s course, how about treating the depression first by exploring problems with a counselor, therapist and/or your spouse? It seems a more likely method to avoid divorce but it does take two.

Happy Valentines day all. I guess that wasn’t a very romantic post but I did actually have a wonderful dinner with my husband. I wish you all peace and happiness whether you’re single or married.

• Rena Sherwood is glad she’s single because she has apparently discovered that sex causes headaches. Check out Sex, Orgasms and Headaches for more.

The U.S. Supreme Court banned the death penalty for juveniles under 18 in 2005.

I agree with that decision but the conclusions drawn regarding past abuse, mental illness and addiction problems are things that will probably remain constant so will still apply when they’re adults.

Past abuse

Most of the convicted had suffered from some form of psychological, sexual and/or extreme physical abuse in their families. Past family abuse is a well known risk factor for future violent behavior so this doesn’t seem like a surprising find.

Mental Illness

A study of 18 convicted males was “to clarify the ways in which immaturity of their central nervous systems, traumas to their brains, predispositions to psychiatric illness, and chaotic, violent and abusive upbringings may have diminished their judgment and self-control.” (Lewis and colleagues study, 2004)

Signs and symptoms were present in 83% of the condemned, indicating either bi-polar disorder or schizoaffective disorder. I’m not sure how they came up with those labels. It seems many juveniles don’t have fully developed consciences so could be accused of being anti-social as well.

Yet another study confirmed that most psychosocial maturity is incomplete up until the age of 19. This could explain the bi-polar and/or schizo affective disorder suggestion since impulse control is lacking in both. Being mentally ill alone does not necessarily make a person more likely to be violent but an abusive violent family home does.

Addictions

Addictions were also mentioned as a contributing factor but how many youths suffered from a drug addiction wasn’t mentioned. This wouldn’t help anyone’s judgment though regardless of age.

• The only thing that will change is they will probably mature so their impulse control may improve. If juveniles are mentally ill and their frontal lobe is affected, growing older does not guarantee better impulse controls either. Medication may help but that’s only if they’re properly diagnosed and treated once released.

See When is it ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’? Supreme Court Bans Juvenile Death Penalty, Arline Kaplin, 2005 for more.

I watched an interesting film today on Pbs.org about ADHD and medicating kids. It attempted to address why two or three kids in every U.S. classroom are diagnosed with ADHD.

Part of the reason is because some doctors who specialize in ADHD also receive money from drug companies for promoting ADHD awareness. Some of the drug companies create presentations and lectures that include incentives and prizes.

They boost their sales through these promotional events since advertising psychiatric drugs or stimulants directly to consumers is prohibited by the DEA.

Since teachers see children every day, they are frequently in the position of making the suggestion for medication as well. They’re not qualified to give the diagnosis so should they be suggesting medication?

Who is qualified to make the diagnosis? If drug companies are paying off doctors who specialize in ADHD, how do you know which doctors diagnosis to trust?

• Noelle and Alex are two of the children on the film that seem happier on the medication than off. They say they feel better and their concentration improves.

• Robin stopped taking the medication saying it made him jittery and didn’t help. He was put on several medications until he finally refused any more and was angry with his mother for trying to force it on him.

• Nicholas was only three when his parents were told he had ADHD and medication was suggested. They refused and decided to take him out of preschool and spend more time with him instead.

Medication such as Ritalin and Aderol has helped some people. I think ADHD is being over diagnosed, which means some children are on medications that don’t need it.

If you haven’t seen the film Medicating Kids, it expands on the issue. It’s about an hour long and is broken into five parts.

Symptoms of a panic attack often include dizziness, tightness in chest, sweating and difficulty breathing. When this happens on a frequent basis, it’s called a panic disorder but otherwise is considered an isolated incident.

Of course it could also be a heart attack so don’t be afraid to get to a doctors if you’re in actual pain.

There are medications available to help with panic and/or anxiety but cognitive behavior therapy is sometimes recommended. (More information at Psychology Today)

This seems like a sensible long-term plan because then you can work on changing both your thoughts and your behavior to help deal with the panic attacks so that they will eventually go away.

Both cognitive and behavior therapy are my favorite choices because they deal with the present and give you a sense of empowerment over your thoughts and your actions. Psychotherapy might be helpful with some who need to get in touch with their past or memories but I prefer to try to stay focused on what can be done now.

I can sort of understand how panic disorders can grow because they usually start with one particular thing but then lead to others.

As an example, years ago a dog snarled and lunged at me and its owner said that he never acted that way before. I ended up taking this to heart. While intellectually I knew it didn’t make sense, I was afraid to walk on the same side a dog was on for months after that.

If I did not get over that, I may have eventually avoided sidewalks and then going out altogether. What I did the first time was hold my breath and walked past stiff as a board, and the next time it was a little better and by the third I was all right.

I don’t mean to downplay an actual panic disorder and I’m sure it would be more challenging but that’s the closest thing I could think of that I experienced.

For more information or to seek support or help see:

• About.com’s pages on Panic Disorder
• AnxietyCentre.com
• Panic Attack Tips

Depending on where you read them, the prison stats vary. Most quote over half the prison population has some sort of mental disorder.

While I don’t have all the exact stats, drug abuse seems to be a close match.

Many people with mental disorders tend to self medicate, especially if they haven’t had a proper medical diagnosis or received help.

From Statistics on Mental Health

• More than 70% of the prison population has two or more mental health disorders. Male prisoners are 14 times more likely to have two or more disorders than men in general, and female prisoners 35 times more likely than women in general. Social Exclusion Unit (2004) quoting, Psychiatric Morbidity Among Prisoners In England And Wales, (1998)

From U.S. Department of Justice & PsychiatryOnline.org

• More than half of prison and jail inmates were found to have a mental health problem, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics in September.

From England’s Department of Health

• Sixty to seventy per cent of them were using drugs before imprisonment and over 70% suffer from at least two mental disorders.

On young people from Prison Reform Trust

• Over 90 per cent of imprisoned young offenders have at least one, or combination of, the following: personality disorder, psychosis, neurotic disorder, or substance misuse.

Lack of Medical Treatment

It appears that many young people with mental disorders end up in prison before they receive medical treatment for their disorder.

There are of course plenty of people with mental disorders who manage to stay out of the prison system. If they have both a drug addiction and a mental disorder the chances of landing in prison seem to increase. Obviously access to a proper diagnosis and treatment is a factor as well.

For example it can take up to ten years to be properly diagnosed with bipolar disorder and many are initially misdiagnosed. Part of the problem there seems to be that many won’t seek help unless they’re depressed. Then of course, they’re diagnosed as having depression.

To me it seems extremely important to diagnose young people earlier because it would improve not only their future prospects but also the rest of society. If a young person ends up in prison when they should have instead been hospitalized, that is bound to make any existing mental illness worse.