The truth is that we live in a very black & white society where things are perceived as either all or nothing. If you have a mental disease, you must be crazy, weak, or less functional. However, do we make such illogical claims for other organic diseases, such as cancer or heart disease? Have you ever given careful consideration to the organic difference between diseases of the mind versus that of the body when both have a biological basis?

Undeniably, your physical health is affected by your mental health. People who experience chronic elevated levels of anxiety are more vulnerable to heart and other diseases. Those suffering from depression have a slower rate of recovery from medical conditions. And honestly, is there truly anyone who doesn’t experience some ailment of the mind at one time or another? If so, then I ask why many have learned to rely on more acceptable forms of remedy, such as alcohol, marijuana, and other narcotics to ease the discomforts of the mind.

In reality, there are many shades of grey in life that we neglect to see. Mental health exists on this continuum. From the Mother Theresa’s to the Ted Bundy’s; the well-balanced to the unbalanced; our mental health as well as our physical health all fit along this line. In fact, some of the most brilliant, creative minds throughout history suffered from a mental illness. Many would not have been distinguished without their “insanity”.

Renowned writers, such as Virginia Woolf, Earnest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, and Leo Tolstoy were all documented to have suffered from severe, suicidal, major depression that often manifested in the emotional intensity of their novels and poetry. Famous artists and musicians, including Beethoven and van Gogh both had bipolar disorder, whereas Michelangelo suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Prominent leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, and Mahatma Gandhi all battled severe depression and suicidality. Even celebrated scientists and mathematicians, such as Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein struggled with OCD, while Sir Isaac Newton and John Nash suffered from schizophrenia. These legendary icons unmistakably demonstrate that mental illness is not just one note.

Depression has been shown to promote traits of realism and empathy. Mildly depressed individuals tend to see the world more as it is and are realistic enough to see painful truths, whereas many “normal” people suffer from positive illusion – an inflated sense of false control. OCD is known to encourage traits of perfectionism and meticulousness. Many people with OCD have enhanced organizational skills and a heightened ability to foresee sequences of events necessary for categorization and planning. The hypomania stage of bipolar disorder supports traits of energy, creativity, and confidence. When channeled to higher tasks, these qualities can result in outstanding productivity in some people.

ADHD sustains traits of hyperfocus, hyperspeed, and risk-taking behaviors. The stimulated brains of ADHD individuals allow them to effortlessly multi-task, quickly process information, and have an increased capacity for multiplex vision to solve problems outside the box during crisis situations. There are other mental diseases with useful traits that aren’t covered here. The goal is to illustrate that mental illness can be harnessed and redirected to beneficial use. And mental health treatments today are more effective than ever before to achieve this end.

“What doesn’t destroy me makes me stronger.”
~ Nietzsche

This is a credo I live by. So true that I even have it inked to my shoulder. Mental illness doesn’t make you crazy or weak. I’ve had my own personal battle with OCD since childhood. For me, once I was able to manage the unhealthy part of my mental disease, the beneficial traits of OCD shined. I can’t say that I would have reached my successes today without these attributes. However, I can say that my weakness was the force that drove my strength.

As today’s society continues to negatively stigmatize mental illness and its treatments, it is a reminder that there is much work ahead to raise awareness and de-stigmatize mental health.

In a society that values what can be easily defined, there are many states of suffering that get marginalized. Examples include depression, OCD, back pain, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and migraines. We are a unique group, looking fine on the outside, while internally enduring intense pain. Due to the ambiguous nature of these conditions, individuals are often met with doubt and frustration that leads to secondary suffering: stigma and guilt.

Following years of consulting countless specialists, it seemed that the medical community was not taking my pain seriously. At that time, IC was not consistently regarded as a “true” medical illness. Since IC can be present without the existence of clear tissue damage, it is considered an “invisible illness.” Eventually, my physician suggested that my pain was not based on a “true” medical illness, therefore “must be in [my] head.” I was referred to a psychiatrist, which left me feeling cast-out. It took years of researching and soul-searching to find comfort.

I, like most others, viewed my illness, within a dualistic and categorical framework. I adopted an “either/or” mentality to feel a sense of control. In fact, the infinitely complex interaction of the mind and body is more properly referred to as “mindbody.” Something as simple as changing a word can have a life altering effect on one’s perception of reality. Seeing the mindbody as one, allows for a “both/and” mentality. Black and white thinking distorts one’s perception of reality. Yet, by simply changing a word, we create a new language for pain.

Noting a correlation between increased stress and a painful episode, I knew that treatment necessitated an integrated approach. Gradually, I educated myself about a more systemic view, taking into account the interplay among the biological, psychological, and social aspects of pain, referred to as the biopsychosocial model. In studying the subjective experience of women living with IC for my doctoral dissertation, I was convinced that I would uncover a fault in the medical system. To my surprise, I discovered that blame was useless and that personal responsibility was the path to freedom. I learned effective ways to modulate pain using specific methods of controlling awareness and perception of reality, such as mindfulness training. Using these skills, I reduced my symptoms by 80%!

In therapy, I subscribe to a humanistic model by serving as a “co-pilot” in each patient’s treatment. This provides the self-efficacy necessary to overcome many of the struggles inherent in living with chronic pain. Both psychological and physiological factors must be explored. It is vital for therapists to communicate with doctors, family members, and other support systems. Since the disabling pain renders many sufferers housebound, therapists must be able to provide home visits or telehealth sessions. Tools such as psychoeducation, cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) are essential to engender power, acceptance, understanding, spirituality, and hope.

A change in perspective is a change in your subjective reality. For me, clarity came in a slow, uphill battle as well as in bursts of “ah-ha” moments. One of my favorite realizations was a teaching that ‘we learn more from our enemies than our friends’. I was viewing IC as a thing to “get rid of” as opposed to a part of myself from which to learn. Much of my healing was to accept and look into my pain with a compassionate attitude instead of trying to escape. This process lowered my frustration and anxiety, as I was left with a pure moment of peace.

By accepting discomfort, I was able to look at it in a calm and welcoming way. I truly realized that what we resist… persists. The application of this insight took years to internalize. As I look back at my journey, I have learned that by accepting, rather than blaming, one can rise above the river of stigma and shame. I am one story, and I encourage you to follow your dreams and share yours…

“Just because we have [IC, IC] doesn’t have us.” (HBO Documentary on Tourette’s, 2005).

In the recent second season finale of AMC’s TV hit show “The Walking Dead,” one hot topic amongst fans was the absurd reaction from the beloved group of survivors towards Rick’s alleged secret. News of each character being infected with the zombie disease, even while being fully alive, brewed the beginning of a possible mutiny – An undeserving betrayal from the man who, at least to the best of his ability, kept the whole group alive.

In comparison, this similar epidemic has been experienced by all of us. While actual sufferers of anxiety and mental health illnesses have an unfortunate Mount Everest to climb, those of us without mental health challenges also have brains with faulty wirings needing repair. For some reason, we as a society have a phobia of mental health. Our brains have been programmed to stigmatize those with mental health conditions for no good reason. We must recognize that we are all infected with this contagious, irrational thought processing.

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY! IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT

Let’s all shoot shame in the forehead, and acknowledge that ignorance towards mental health is more than just common – it is the norm. I am neither a doctor nor a medical student. However, my initial response about mental health diseases was very similar to the common trend. My Rorschach associations to “Mental Illness” were:

1. Insane People – Once you reach insanity, there is no return. First, even those who have legally been deemed insane are still treatable. Thus, the stigma of reaching such a point of no hope is illogical. Second, many mental health breakdowns result from accumulated stages of hidden stressors from everyday living. This should raise a red flag for more education and awareness about mental health and potential stressors that can lead to mental illness.

2. Dementia, Memory Loss, Aging – There’s no need to worry about mental health until you’re really old. The unfortunate early retirement of Pat Summit’s legendary NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Coaching Career hopefully serves to raise awareness to this small facet of mental health. Just like Summit’s career, mental health transcends all, and does not discriminate race or age.

SETTING THE STRAITJACKET STRAIGHT

Everybody loves Looney Tunes. Unfortunately, we all grew up with the notion that anyone associated with mental health issues must have flown over the cuckoo’s nest. Moments after Daffy Duck or Yosemite Sam gets hit in the head with a giant hammer, a team of medics quickly straps the garment of shame on the poor characters without fail. In the work of filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” Leonardo DiCaprio’s character was in denial of a very serious mental illness. And where does Leo’s character end up for proper treatment? You guessed it. A dungeon-like doghouse filled with other “crazies”. Since the setting took place in 1954, the impressions of mental illness may have been a bit old school.

Let’s restrain ourselves from being bound and gagged, and move to present time. Do insane asylums still exist? And if they do, are they the preferred settings for treatment? Sadly, they still are in many consumers’ minds. This is the very affliction many of us must overcome. We have to understand and take responsibility that we play a huge role in the treatment and recovery of our family and friends who may be unidentified, undiagnosed, and untreated sufferers of mental illness.

How can we expose ourselves to the truth and help those we love with a mental disease when we are anxious and fearful of mental illness ourselves? Education decreases ignorance and increases awareness. Today, there are many mental health centers dedicated to treating mental illness humanely with evidence-based therapies. Effective treatment is not asylums, strait jackets, or harmful pills.

Man’s greatest fear has always been that of the unknown. In today’s world, although mental health has largely been an unknown, you can play a big part in the cure for these underrated diseases. The first step is to accept mental illness as any other physical disease. At the end of the day, your head IS part of your physical body. Isn’t it?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

I consider myself a freedom connoisseur. After having lived many years as a prisoner to OCD and panic attacks, freedom from anxiety is certainly not something I take for granted. And I’m constantly reminded of that when anxiety sufferers share their own personal stories with me. It may surprise you to learn that anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem in nearly every country and affect over 28% of Americans alone. Sadly, this sobering fact reveals that many individuals all over the world struggle with the crippling effects of anxiety, and experience little, if any, relief. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer from debilitating anxiety, because evidence-based treatment exists. It’s called Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), and more specifically: Exposure Therapy.

Fear and anxiety serve as our survival mechanism when applied appropriately, because they keep us away from predators in our environment. However, more often than not, we misperceive the hazards of today’s world, and end up avoiding situations that pose no real danger at all. Unfortunately, this pattern of avoidance gives us a false sense of safety, and instead, keeps us in a prison of fear. If you want freedom from anxiety, you’ve got to practice “exposing” yourself to the fear itself… literally.

No other therapies that exist today will give you the lasting benefits of relief as prolonged and repeated exposures. Not only has exposure therapy been extensively researched for over 30 years demonstrating effective results, it’s actually a very logical approach. Just think about it. The more you avoid, the more power you bestow to the fear; the more you confront, the less substantial the fear becomes. As a recent fortune cookie read, “Comfort zones are most often expanded through discomfort.”

Although Exposure Therapy may seem daunting at first, especially when we’ve spent most of our lives avoiding that which we fear, it does get easier with concerted effort over time. Truthfully, nothing worth having is ever easy to come by. Freedom from fear can certainly be worth that extra effort. With guided exposures tailored to your specific needs, you too can be on your way to Renewed Freedom.

Although anxiety is is the most common mental health condition in children, ADHD is the diagnosis more often given, particularly when the child demonstrates inattention or listlessness in the classroom. However, inattention and listlessness in the classroom as well as many other symptoms may indicate the existence of an anxiety disorder, not necessarily ADHD. For instance, if a child spends a long time on homework it may be because of general distractedness and difficulty staying on task, which is indicative of ADHD. An alternative explanation may be that the child wants to ensure that his/her homework is completely correct for fear of turning in something that is not perfect, which instead is indicative of anxiety. Or, a child with OCD may need to make sure that compulsive rituals are performed before s/he can complete the homework, rituals that may not be obvious to an outsider (e.g., erasing/re-erasing, aligning certain numbers, answering questions in specific sequence).

An incorrect diagnosis of ADHD can be problematic for several reasons, particularly if your child is actually struggling with anxiety.

First, your child will not receive the treatment s/he need in order to reduce anxiety. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy combined with Family Systems Therapy is highly effective in treating anxiety disorders in children. This type of treatment is usually short-term and has long lasting effects. However, without a correct diagnosis your child will never be given the opportunity to overcome his or her anxiety. Without treatment, anxiety continues to persist into adulthood and generally becomes more severe.

Secondly, you may be encouraged to begin administering stimulant medication, such as Ritalin, Concerta, and Adderall, to your child as a pharmaceutical intervention. While stimulant medication can be highly effective in treating ADHD, it does have negative side effects, including drowsiness, appetite reduction, stomach aches, irritability, and headaches, among others. Your child will be exposed to the side effects of psychostimulants unnecessarily if s/he is taking the medication erroneously. In addition, stimulant medications actually worsen anxiety, since they are a class of drugs considered as “uppers” that will further increase the arousal already experienced in anxious children.

Thirdly, an incorrect diagnosis may adversely affect your child’s ability to perform in the classroom. Anxiety interferes with concentration and learning, and anxious children may become preoccupied with their fears, leaving them unable to concentrate on their lessons. Children with anxiety disorders often have difficulty making decisions, hindering their ability to engage in simple classroom activities. They may also be hesitant to ask questions or seek help. Treatment of ADHD is not likely to address any of these issues.

What can you do to ensure that your child is properly diagnosed?
1. Determine the reason for the symptom. It is not enough to assume that inattention may be due to ADHD. Inquire why the behaviors are occurring in a sensitive, straightforward manner.
2. Many pediatricians, teachers, and even mental health professionals are unaware of the overlap between symptoms of ADHD and anxiety. Make sure that the person providing your child’s assessment is familiar with both symptom clusters.
3. Continually assess your child’s progress. If your child continues to engage in similar behaviors after treatment for ADHD has begun, s/he may be suffering from a co-occurring disorder or another disorder altogether.

For example, if your child puts off doing homework and fails to complete an assignment, it is best to let him/her deal with the consequences of his/her own actions. Although it will feel counter-intuitive to let your child “sink”, the repercussions may serve as an effective life lesson which would be lost if a well-meaning parent felt the need to intervene.

2. Inconsistent discipline:
Consistent discipline is a mainstay in creating a feeling of stability, especially for children who struggle with anxiety. Since children seek to view their parents as reliable, both inconsistent punishment and reinforcement are ineffective, and can be detrimental to a child’s feeling of control over his/her environment. Consequences of such inconsistency may be a loss of trust in the parent, although some children will blame themselves instead, which leads to undue guilt and learned helplessness. Sadly, both of these conclusions tend to exacerbate anxiety.

3. Giving your child too much freedom:
Adopting an overly permissive parenting style can leave a child feeling overwhelmed and lost with too many options to choose from. It is better to give them a chance to practice making their own choices within a limited number of options (“Would you like pasta or pizza” vs. “what should we have for dinner?”). Otherwise, giving a child too much freedom is susceptible to developing a lack of boundaries that may result in a skewed power differential in the family. This dynamic may result in possible feelings of resentment and/or guilt leading to increased anxiety and strained family interactions.

4. Making all the decisions for your child:
Conversely, micro-managing a child communicates that s/he does not have the capacity to function individually. This type of over-involvement often leads to excessive dependency on authority figures, a lack of ability to become personally responsible and, ultimately, they become unable form their own identity.

5. Thinking your child will grow out of it:
Although anxiety waxes and wanes, if left untreated, it generally worsens over time. It is unrealistic to think that a child’s anxiety is simply going to abate. In the meantime, it will most likely have a detrimental effect on learning, social and other developmental skills as well as the child’s self-esteem.

6. Exposing your child to your own anxiety:
Exposing children to excessive fear-based behavior (i.e., consistently cringing at the sight of the dentist’s office, etc.) frequently teaches them to perceive an inaccurate view of reality. Further, this type of interaction models faulty coping skills (avoidance) and removes a much-needed sense of security for a child who is already dealing with high levels of anxiety.

7. Believing that treating your child’s anxiety is the source and solution of all family problems:
No one individual exists within a vacuum. More often than not, anxiety in a child will affect other family members, and negatively impact the family system (each part of a system affects the whole). When a systemic problem occurs, it cannot be “cured” by treating only the child without addressing related issues within the family. Although it may be simpler to perceive the problem as the child or to blame the disease, this mentality will only serve to prolong and exacerbate the anxiety. Therefore, scapegoating will not only serve to worsen the situation by wasting precious time and energy, it will likely exacerbate the circumstances by creating feelings of frustration, resentment, guilt, and shame among family members.

8. Blaming your own parenting skills as contributing to your child’s anxiety:
Even the best parenting techniques can fall short. Many parents may blame themselves rather than take into account and address components of the disease that are based on other environmental factors (a poorly organized classroom) or biological underpinnings (neurochemical imbalances). Also, consider that all children are born with the ability to manipulate their environment, which is an adaptive means for learning and survival. Thus, if you have been consistently modeling healthy behavior and providing appropriate structure for your child, then it may be more beneficial to focus your energy on other factors that may be contributing to your child’s anxiety. Focusing on one’s own shortcomings will only delay symptom improvements.

9. Looking for a “magic cure” or “quick-fix”:
It doesn’t exist!

10. Resisting a diagnosis for fear of a label:
Even today, there still exists a stigma associated with mental illness. This attitude may delay proper diagnosis and treatment, and consequently, allows anxiety to grow and worsen. Furthermore, the lack of a proper diagnosis prevents the much needed relief from understanding that anxiety disorders can be effectively treated and are neither the parent’s nor the child’s fault. However, if left untreated, anxiety disorders often become quite serious affecting both mind and body. In fact, untreated childhood anxiety will likely lead to more serious problems in adulthood such as obesity, addictions, and other self-defeating behaviors that can result in isolation, depression, heart disease and other health conditions, as well as loss of family, career opportunities, or financial success .
There is hope… anxiety disorders are treatable with evidence-based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), especially when caught in the early stages. Gaining a proper diagnosis and treatment plan, such as Family Systems Based CBT destigmatizes the condition and teaches the child and family that anxiety disorders are not un-common and they are not alone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgkstxfHku4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6ZXd-Ux_I4