Enter The Contest - The Simpsons Movie Contest

Enter The Simpsons Movie Contest with me!
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How about a short break away from Mental Wellness/Illness issues?

I'm entering The Simpsons Movie Contest that Fox TV and Opera (yes, the browser people) have put together recently. Contest ends July 27th - that's only 7 days from now, so enter The Simpsons Movie Contest with me before the 27th!

I have to run - I have to make sure that my friends have this information. I'm in a rush because I just found out about the contest a few hours ago.

More Information About The Simpsons Movie Contest
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I hope you'll enter the contest. Winner announcement will be on the 27th, the day that The Simpsons Movie premiers! I hope you win the contest!

Good Luck!

Back To The Topic of Self-Harm

I noticed a post in the 'comments' area of the 'Self-Harm' post a while back and have been surprised that it didn't gain some more comments. I think that it's a really good bit of information, so I've decided to bring it up front and copy it as an entry on its own so that people can see it.

"Vanessa Vega said...

Self-injury remains one of the most misunderstood disorders in the world. Because it is a disorder rooted in shame, few sufferers will come foreward and share their experiences. I am hoping to change that.
I have struggled with self-injury for more than 30 years. I have never met anyone else who self-injures or thinks the way I do. And yet I cannot imagine that I am alone. After many months of intensive therapy, I have come to understand some of the underlying factors behind my behavior. As a result, I have just celebrated my first year of being injury free! It has been a long, hard journey, but a deeply insightful one. It is my hope that by speaking out and claiming my behavior, others will have the confidence they need to seek out help. I have a blog and would love love visitors and comments! http://comes_the_light.livejournal.com "

I hope that readers will visit Vanessa's link. Vanessa's material at her Live Journal location is very down to earth, and personally revealing, and I think she is right in saying "Speak out" and claim your behaviors because it does, indeed, help other people gain the confidence they need to ask for help.

People need to know that they aren't experiencing symptoms of mental illness 'all alone.' Millions of people worldwide experience symptoms of mental illness and they need to speak out and gain help just like someone who has fallen while running might need to see a doctor and have a sprained ankle or broken ankle tended to properly. A person who falls while running isn't a freak. Maybe they aren't even clumsy - a fall can just happen. Mental Illness can just happen, too.

I haven't read ALL of Vanessa's posts on her Live Journal blog yet, so I'm going there now to finish reading

PTSD - More Common Than You Think

You may think that PTSD only happens to victims of war, rape, deliberate psychological abuse and things like that. You might think that PTSD only happens in soldiers, abused people, and people who have experienced severe accidents like plane crashes, automobile accidents and things like this.

You couldn't be more wrong!

Though the types of events mentioned above do contribute to causing PTSD and the types of people above often develop PTSD, there are a lot more details to the condition of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that need to be considered.

A person considered more 'emotionally sensitive' than those around him/her may experience certain events as 'traumatic,' whereas peers do not. In a sense, a main 'requirement' for developing PTSD is pretty simple:

If a person's response to an event or situation involves intense fear, feelings of helplessness, or horror...

This can lead to PTSD symptoms where the affected person might:

* Have recurrent recollections of the experience (thoughts, feelings, 'impressions' and perceptions)
* Have nightmares
* Feel, at times, as though the event is happening again (reliving the experience)
* Be triggered by visual, audio or any kind of 'cues' associated with even a small part of the event - and react severely to these triggers while experiencing intense psychological distress (panic, fear, despair, hopelessness, anger, etc)

There are more symptoms, but these are some basic ones.

Children often experience these symptoms if they have been exposed to violent videos at too young an age, before their 'life experience,' emotional and mental capabilities are able to sort out 'reality' from 'fantasy.' In certain cases, it would be correct to determine a child as suffering from PTSD - if they are having recurring nightmares, are having trouble determining that the experience is 'over' and instead, are 'reliving' the memory over and over again - if they feel intense fear, hopelessness, are feeling 'horrified' by whatever they have seen.

On a different note, it is possible that PTSD can also circulate on a mass level and reach people who do not actually experience DIRECT contact with a traumatic event. And example of this is how people reacted, internationally, to 9/11 with horror, fear, and hopelessness.

Do you think that there are still residual PTSD sufferers from 9/11 who weren't even in New York during the disaster?

Resilience Against PTSD

I've just been reading about a study concerned with measuring 'resilience' against PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Researchers have studied the survivors from the World Trade Centre Attack (9/11). Some of their findings were measured against some general information known about Viet Nam survivors. Researchers have been trying to find out why some people are more affected and suffer more mental illness symptoms than others after such traumatic events.

Not a lot of information was displayed about Viet Nam statistics but it seems that World Trade Centre Attack survivors fared a little better than Viet Nam survivors and this is probably because less was known about PTSD back in the 1970's. (This paragraph, my own assumptions - from general knowledge of Viet Nam dates and knowing that much more is known about PTSD Now than in the 70's). Also, some of the data from Viet Nam studies was probably gathered WELL AFTER the fact (I know that more formal and legitimate studies of Viet Nam vets and lasting effects of the war were not initiated until about a decade after the fact - not until after people noticed that Viet Nam vets were still suffering severe symptoms of PTSD long after they were removed from the 'war' situation), while WTC-Attack survivors were approached in a very timely manner (within 6 months) so that researchers could monitor PTSD reactions. This difference in timing will account for researchers knowing quite a bit less, in general, about Viet Nam vets and victims than about WTC survivors.

WTC survivors had 'support options' available to them shortly after the attack, whereas Viet Nam survivors gained 'support options' only a long time after their time of active stress.

The point of this post is to mention what items seemed to be most helpful about managing PTSD - but I felt I should clarify the difference in the two groups studied above because each group actually had very different variables. Usually, such differences can hamper research, however, the drawbacks or 'lack of support' and having less knowledge about PTSD in the one instance actually heightens the focus on 'support' for the study initiated to track the progress of 9/11 survivors.

Bottom line...

IMMEDIATE and APPROPRIATE support for victims of stressful disaster events is CRUCIAL.

For the 9/11 people, those who were able to access appropriate supports soonest were more likely to cope with the disaster and recover with less PTSD symptoms, in general - or - at least they were able to cope even when mental illness and continued stress symptoms occurred in reaction to 9/11 events.

9/11 survivors who had stong support systems (family, counsellors, mental health workers, discussion groups, physicians, etc) and accessed them regularly - showed more signs of recovering health and returning to more normal life skills, activities and work. Those who didn't access or who didn't really have solid support systems were often afflicted with symptoms of mental illness for longer - or they suffered more severe symptoms.

The New York City study of residents in the area near the 9/11 attacks numbered 2 752 and some of these individuals were actually inside the World Trade Centre when the attack happened. Of all these, two-thirds of the people displayed only one or NO SYMPTOMS of PTSD.

This study suggests, as well - that some people are very 'resilient' - moreso than we think! It was amazing to read that for this study, done only 6 months after the World Trade Centre Attack - a great number of people actually had NO SYMPTOMS of PTSD!

That's amazing - and the people from this study were RIGHT THERE...right in the city when the attacks occurred.

Too bad the world didn't realize how important 'support systems' were when the veterans came back out of Viet Nam decades ago! In essence, the Viet Nam Veterans who suffered so greatly for a decade after the war - were the ones who taught scientists, doctors, health professionsals, etc., that special supports are necessary after certain disastrous experiences and events.

Now, in North America, at least, we have a lot of known support protocols for many different severe events - even RAPE victims have better supports now and in a lot of North American cities, special 'teams' are in place when a female is admitted to a hospital and a rape is suspected as the cause of her injuries. With these teams, there are often 'all women' support workers - so that the victim has less emotional discomfort, receives some counselling right away, etc., on top of all the testing and questioning that has to be done.

Sometimes, for severe road accidents, there are special 'trauma team' workers who can come to the bedside of children whose parents were killed in accidents and the 'support' process can start immediately for unfortunate and innocent victims of such disasters.

Though sometimes PTSD is thought of as an 'overused' and convenient 'catch-phrase' for all kinds of things, it's nice to know that long-term stress is still being researched and is still taken very seriously.

PTSD is no joking or small matter. Too little is known about it - so I think that those who would minimize the effects and occurrence of PTSD problems and call PTSD 'convenient' for some - are sorely mistaken. It would be good to sometimes err on the side of caution, anyway, with this sensitive term rather than display the 'suck it up' or 'get over it' attitude, in my opinion.

I'm not sure exactly why this article struck me or why I felt I had to post this information to my blog...

Maybe - just 'cos it matters to me.

A general bit of info about 'Resilience' can be found at about.com and the following link can also lead you to some more in-depth studies on this topic if you're interested:

RESILIENCE

Please Take Manic Depression Seriously

Taking Manic Depression Seriously

Manic depression or Bipolar Disorder is actually considered as one of the worst type of depression that people can suffer from.

Characterized by sudden and extreme changes of mood, Manic depression is called such because manic = mania refers to the 'ups' while depression refers to 'downs' - in a cycle of mood changes that can persist for long periods of time. Many people actually experience very erratic changes, and so-called 'mood swings' may not just be caused by PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) or stress. Doctors actually have diagnosed mood swings as a common symptom of depression.

Often, when these so-called mood swings have progressed for an extended time, ranging from feeling simple 'annoyance' (even by very minor, simple things such as not getting a favorite ice cream flavor), this may not be just a sign of brattiness! If getting 'irked' means you'll cuss and swear at ice cream vendors, friends and family, throwing absurd tantrums - this behavior can be a sign of the onset of Manic depression.

'Manic' - 'ups' - are the times when a person suffering from Manic depression experiences overly 'high' periods. This means feelings of heightened energy, sudden outbursts of euphoric mood, extreme irritability, racing thoughts, and - unfortunately - agressive behavior, too (not always - but almost always!).

According to therapists, someone suffering from Manic depression may have Manic 'periods' whereby the sudden outbursts of euphoria and elevated mood can go on and on for more than a day - in fact, more than a week and beyond! Imagine how STRESSED the physical body of a person would be if their 'up' period were to last even one day! Some people go through this 'up' behavior and feeling for over a week. This is terribly taxing on the physical body.

When it comes to the so-called 'low' or 'down' periods, these can actually bring someone who is suffering from Manic depression very similar symptoms as those who are suffering from actual depression. People who have Manic depression may actually experience episodes of depression where they feel worthless, unloved, and they may start to experience very severe irrational, corrupt thinking. Varied symptoms like, guilt, extreme sadness, anxiety (including panic or anxiety attacks), feelings of not belonging, extreme pessimism and obvious loss for pleasure can all surface. Sometimes in combinations and almost all at once! According to therapists, an individual who is depressed consistently for more than a week can officially be diagnosed as someone who is suffering from Manic depression.

In spite of being one of the most common, yet severe types of depressive disorders, Manic depression, can actually be treated. Quite successfully too! If an individual with Manic depression identifies their symptoms with the help of a professional, follows proper procedures outlined by a good therapist, maintains proper taking of prescribed medications of the correct dosage, then Manic depression need not be unmanageable at all.

Also, individuals who are suffering from Manic depression should ensure that they are able to visit their therapists on a regular basis. This is helpful for allowing the individual to release pent up emotions with someone who can effectively interpret and understand what kinds of emotional and mental processes are going on. Here, though helpful family and friends are of extreme importance, the assistance of a professional is likely best (even if there is a therapist in the family) because the 'venting' can remain with and fall on the shoulders of an objective person, the therapist. This can help alleviate 'responsibilities' of family members and friends who might 'take on too much' responsibility, out of love and concern for the person diagnosed with Manic depression. In this, family and friends can be more stress-free and well-prepared for times when their loved one might need their understanding outside of regular therapy.

Although positive results for a Manic depressive patient can still be achieved from natural alternatives, a more lasting relief from Manic depressive symptoms can often be acquired through Cognitive Behavior Therapy. Contrary to some beliefs, long-held, about psychiatric treatments being the ultimate answer (or the only one) for dealing with Manic Depression, cognitive behavior therapists are actually some of the best professionals to consult for this illness.

Self Harm

Often, people with Mental Illnesses will deliberately harm themselves. This is a serious issue for obvious reasons. Please consider the less obvious form of self-harm (passive form, 'neglect'), as well - because this is often overlooked when placed beside the VISIBLE forms of self-harm like 'cutting,' visible substance abuse and other visually apparent evidence of self-harm.

NEGLECT if often overlooked - a mis-represented or hidden form of self-harm as well, so be careful to remember about this important element, too, when you are considering the topic of self-harm.

Sometimes, a person with Mental Illness will believe that they must punish themselves and will hurt themselves for this reason. Sometimes this punishment is in DENYING themselves something that healthy people do not deny themselves. These 'somethings' can be basic human needs that are being denied, such as food and water, human touch, human support, sleep, etc.

The reasons why someone might plan, obsess in the mind over, or engage in methods of self-harm are all quite complex...

I'm not a professional, so I won't pretend to delve into the complexities of this. I'm not attempting to explain away all the functions and elements related to 'self-harm' in this post - but rather, just tossing the topic in the air, offering some links to where 'self-harm' is explained in better and more thorough terms.

I believe that self-harm topics are uncomfortable - VERY UNCOMFORTABLE for most people to discuss and are, therefore, often pushed to the sidelines or even pushed under the carpet when they are present. For this reason, I am putting this post ON TOP OF THE CARPET and away from the sidelines.

Self-Harm can graduate all the way to the height of SUICIDE...but for some reason, people still find the topic an embarrassment and a discomfort - even despite the very serious nature of self-harm concerns! This attitude and way of dealing with the self-harm details will never allow many solutions to develop around this serious, sometimes life-threatening area.

People do not get embarrassed and try to hide other behaviors - even behaviors that are deliberately nasty and violent - like FIGHTS, unhealthy verbal exchanges and things like that - sometimes even violent actions like fighting are praised in society - if the actions were said to serve a good purpose. Fighting is almost never really a good action but it is accepted well above a person's QUIET cry for help in the form of self-harm (especially when in the passive form, the 'cry' is stifled into silence) - which might not physically harm anyone but the self-harming victim.

Even WARS are praised, but few people voice that this is an insane notion and occurence... where hundreds and thousands of people are deliberately killed, for any number of political agendas. By contrast, suggestions of 1 lone, single person experiencing Mental Illness and who engages in self-harming activities...is usually universally frowned upon as someone horrendously twisted - the acts themselves, horrifically perverted - that necessarily need be shoved in the closet as soon as possible before too many people find out about it!

Self-harm is often hidden by the individual, anyway - whether the self-harm is of a violent physical form or of a passive, neglectful form...so altogether, 'self-harm' is a very difficult subject that needs as much reasonable EXPOSURE as possible...rather than the typical or past blanket thrown over it!

Here is a site that has several articles about the nature of, some of the reasons for and some suggestons for intervening in self-harm.

This site contains a great deal of information - under such headings as:

"Understanding Self-Harm"
"What is Self Injury"
"Self Perfection"
"Smoking"
"Drinking"
"Drug Use"
"Positive Responsibility"
and
"Relationships"
Along with a lot more topics, too.

Some of the information at the "Accept and Adapt" portion of the "Project Spears" website will be disturbing to some people who didn't realize that they engage in self-harm - even though they are not diagnosed with an illness whatsoever...although they have never considered 'smoking' as such a bad thing - even if they just smoke a few cigarettes a day.....

Because of this last point...really - the problem of Self-Harm really isn't all connected ONLY to people diagnosed as having Mental Illness, either! This was a hard point for me to realize, but I have to conclude - after reading this information - that this is simply a rational, true statement! People who are considered 'mental-illness-free' are performing self-harm against themselves, in certain instances within our society, and they aren't even aware of it!

I encourage readers to go ahead and sign in to this site, instead of simply clicking on the available free article links. There are free downloads (You'll need Adobe for these), a 'diary' available and also, information about 'long term' dangers of self-injury.

Here's the 'Accept - Adapt" part of the site:

Accept Adapt Training

And here's the entrance to the full "PROJECT SPEAR" site:

Project Spear Website

Thanks for Reading...

I will post more about this topic once I learn a great deal more...

tr~~

Try This Fun Quiz

Your Theme Song is Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow

"I've got no one to blame For every time I feel lame I'm looking up" You're laid back, optimistic, and very together Like the sun, people feel warm and comfortable around you

What's Your Theme Song?

Do You Like Sheryl Crow Too?