Tuesday, September 18, 2012

We've moved!!!


Surf City Support has moved!

We are now Surf City Press Support and may be reached at:

http://support.surfcitypress.org/

See you there,

Jerry

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Compassion Fatigue


When our life involves caring for someone with a mood disorder we can become so caught up in helping that person that it’s easy to overlook our own well-being. We may feel that it just doesn’t seem appropriate to be thinking of ourselves when someone we care about very much is having a difficult time. We’ll get to us when we have time, we may decide, but right now our own needs will just have to wait.

Somewhere in the future those bottled up feelings and concerns are eventually going to surface. We may become so mentally fatigued and physically exhausted that we start isolating from others. When we are around other people they may remark that we appear preoccupied or even sad. We may deny this is the case, but we have to admit to ourselves that we are having trouble concentrating and we simply don’t feel very well. Our appearance may also seem less important. Then, unlike our usual calm and patient temperament, we begin blaming our loved one for our problems. We’ve even considered taking a drink or using a drug to help cope with the pressure, pressure that seems to be getting even worse.

A family member, companion or caregiver displaying these symptoms may themselves be suffering from a disorder: compassion fatigue. This is a normal condition that can result from the ongoing challenges of supporting a loved one in the throes of a brain illness. These are normal yet highly disruptive symptoms that will not go away on their own accord. Untreated, they are likely to only get worse.

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms such as these, it’s a good idea to see a therapist. Getting this negative condition under control will take hard work, but it can be treated. Talk to a therapist right away.


Just like you tell your loved one, he or she cannot get well by themselves. Maybe you can’t either.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Bipolar and the Treatment Team

 
Bipolar is an illness with many fronts:
 
  • The illness itself, its symptoms and treatment.
  • Possible blood pressure problems.
  • Possible blood sugar problems.
  • Diabetes concerns.
  • Heart disease awareness.
  • Weight issues.

Working closely with a doctor means all of the present and potential problems are on the table and are being addressed. A positive, close working relationship with a psychiatrist is basic, of course, but let’s not forget the important roles that families and caregivers play. And therapists, spiritual coaches and support groups can also prove quite helpful in remission and the probability of continuing recovery, both mental and physical.

Relationships are vital in the recovery process and they need to be built on solid trust. Spotty, irregular or infrequent visits to the doctor and other members of the treatment team are not very effective and of minimal help in recovery.

Having a brain illness is serious, so giving it our wholehearted attention and care is required to achieve maximum benefits such as long-term remission.

Taking a half-hearted approach may be more foolish than one realizes. It can forestall recovery and make someone more vulnerable to a number of additional problems--problems that may not only exacerbate the bipolar disorder but also raise the chances of exposure to risks on several additional fronts.

The smart thing to do is be an active and involved member of the treatment team, and look to a trusted psychiatrist as the captain of that team.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Be Careful of Misdiagnosis

Depression is a serious illness which can be quite disabling if it is not properly treated. The good news is that when accurately diagnosed and an appropriate treatment plan is implemented and followed, the severity of the symptoms of depression can be significantly reduced and the likelihood of future relapse minimized if not even prevented. The bad news is that depression can be difficult to accurately diagnose. All too often the illness is misdiagnosed and improperly treated, making an already challenging situation even worse.

Misdiagnosis sometimes occurs because symptoms of the depressive phase of bipolar disorder share a number of similarities to those of severe depression. Fortunately, most psychiatrists are fully aware of these similarities and understand how critical it is to conduct a thorough medical history before making a diagnosis and developing a treatment program. The treatment plans for persons who have severe depression are very different than those that are developed for persons in the depressive phase of a bipolar disorder.

Psychiatrists know this. It is the specialty in which they are board certified.

Non-psychiatrists do not know this. It is not their specialty. They may be general or family practitioners, internists, cardiologists or psychologists, but they are rarely board certified psychiatrists, as well. They do not know how to accurately diagnose patients with brain illnesses.

Avoid the serious problems of misdiagnosis. Make sure the physician doing the diagnosis is a psychiatrist. Accept no substitute.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Knowing Our Limits


Something all of us experience at one time or another are the challenges that can occur when we take on more than we’re able to handle. While these are often viewed as disappointments if not defeats, they may also be great teachers. Discovering and recognizing our limits can mean the difference between going out too far (and needing help to get back) or remaining on solid ground and keeping our sure footing (to be able to do whatever may be required).

Knowing our limitations helps us to focus on what we know we can do and gather the energy we need at the place and time it‘s needed. With our capabilities very much in mind, we may then:


  • Examine the situation or challenge and thoroughly think the matter through
  • Plan for the possibilities of unknown occurrences
  • Expect the unexpected and prepare for them
  • Do our very best…always
  • Exceed our expectations

For those of us caring for someone with bipolar or depression, it is important that we stay in good health. Our loved ones need us and may look to us to provide needed guidance and support when the challenges of their recovery become overwhelming. It’s vital that we’re able to provide the needed guidance and leadership whenever and wherever it is needed. Taking proper care of ourselves and respecting our own limits should be the goal of every companion. We never know when we’re going to be called upon, so always be ready to help.


Knowing our limits and staying grounded in our role of an effective and successful family member, caregiver or companion will help us to be ready for whatever’s next, regardless of what that may be.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Choosing the Positive

People who have mood disorders are on the receiving end of a lot of negative energy in their lives. Things like criticism, disagreement, discord, faultfinding, judgment and nitpicking are seldom strangers to someone who has depression or bipolar. Sometimes the negative feedback comes directly from the person themself. All too often they are their own worst critic, and this steady stream of negative feedback can make problems even worse:

  • It deepens discouragement that may trigger additional stress.
  • It usually adds to a loved one’s shame, guilt and already low self-esteem.
  • It makes difficult situations even more difficult.
  • It can cause a loved one to lose hope, give up and adopt a “what’s the use?” mentality.
  • It may eventually lead to suicide ideation, or even worse.

Something they don’t often get enough of is understanding and compassion, and this is so unfortunate. When we as companions, family members or caregivers are able to provide compassionate understanding of our loved one’s behavior, however irrational or inappropriate that behavior may be, we have the potential of gaining the following:

  • Greater insight of what our loved one is dealing with and how their illness is interfering with their ability to make healthy choices.
  • Identifying and prioritizing our loved one’s needs (medical care, therapy, support groups, nutrition, stress reduction, shelter, etc.)
  • Discovering and implementing recovery tools that help motivate our loved one toward achieving managed stability.
  • Establishing mutually agreed upon realistic goals (“small steps”) and avoiding pressurized unrealistic goals (“huge steps”), and then achieving those goals.

When our loved one uses poor judgment or makes an unhelpful or unhealthy choice, our choice should be to stay positive and remember that they may be doing the very best they can at the moment. Through compassionate understanding we and our loved one can continue to move in the direction of stability, regardless of how small the steps we are able to manage at the time.

Choosing positive directions is vital to recovery. Let’s try to always choose wisely.

 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Habit of Healthy Choices


Many of us have heard the phrase, I have bipolar but bipolar doesn’t have me! (Or, sometimes, I have depression but depression doesn’t have me!)

This can be especially true for those of us with loved ones who are doing everything they possibly can to assure their own ongoing stability and the enjoyment that comes with managed recovery. As companions, family members and caregivers, we can all feel blessed when someone we care very much about is consistently highly functional and maintains a daily habit of making healthy choices. Choices like:


  • Getting adequate sleep each night.
  • Eating regular, nutritious and balanced meals while maintaining weight control.
  • Following all aspects of their treatment plan and not deviating from the plan without first discussing any possible changes with their doctor.
  • Staying sober--no alcohol or un-prescribed drugs…ever.
  • Seeing their therapist…regularly.
  • Attending a support group…regularly.
  • Successfully avoiding all “triggers” (stressful situations, people, choices that can bring about anxiety and other emotional upsets).

Someone with a brain illness who is experiencing ongoing stability can see how recovering from a disabling mood disorder is always more successful when done with others in supportive roles. They also usually realize recovery is rarely successful when going it alone.

When our loved one has a mood disorder but their disorder doesn’t have them, we know it. And we know, too, it will never have us, either.


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Being of Help


Those of us involved with the challenges of brain illnesses, whether the illness is challenging us or someone we are trying to help, may depend on how well we are able to help ourselves. Or love ourselves. Being of help, some of us have discovered, is really dependent on our being able to love.

Karen Armstrong, a widely respected author, religious historian and compassion activist, teaches that if we are ever going to be able to love others, we must first learn to love ourselves. If we can’t love ourselves, with all of our past shortcomings and present faults, then loving someone else simply is beyond our capability. The way to learning to love ourselves, Ms. Armstrong suggests, is through compassion--knowing ourselves…accepting ourselves…loving ourselves.
 

When there is something we know about us, something about ourselves that we are not able to accept that keeps us from loving ourselves, then it is up to us to change it. In fact, we must change it. We must love ourselves so we can learn to love others. There are no shortcuts. Learning to have compassion for ourselves allows us to have compassion for others. Aligned with this concept, I suggest, is that of being of help.

How can we expect to help others if we fall short of being able to help ourselves? Changing the things about ourselves that we don’t like and cannot accept is key. Why don’t we do that? For many of us, the answer is fear. Facing our shortcomings, and accepting them, fills us with so much fear that we avoid going there. That prevents our ever reaching a place of forgiveness.

But love casts out fear, doesn’t it? Yes, perfect love…the love of the fearless.

So this is the way to be of help: fearlessness. We owe it to ourselves and to those we want to help.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Thin Ice Twice


For some of us who have a mental illness, recovery may be like making our way across a lake in winter. The lake, its top a smooth surface of glistening ice, appears safe. At first we hesitate. Finally, we step out. Although the ice feels solid as we carefully step further away from shore, we can’t shake a fearful thought: in some places the surface may be too thin to safely support us, and at any time it could break and we’ll plunge down into a dark icy abyss from which we’re not likely to return.

For those of us supporting a loved one in recovery, the trip across the ice can be just as challenging. We’re afraid about the firmness of the ice, too. Will it prove to be reliable? What if we think we hear the ice start to crack--should we immediately pull our loved one back? We’re not even sure we should be out there with them. If they go down, what’s to prevent us from going down with them?

All of us involved in recovering from the affects of a brain illness, or supporting someone else who is, will have times when we have second thoughts and want to hold back. This is especially true when we’ve never been in this situation before, and we’re not sure that we will achieve the outcome we seek. We’re concerned about the risks involved.

One way to cross a lake in the dead of winter is to seek out others who have successfully crossed the same lake. They will have some experience about crossing safely and can make wise suggestions about where to cross and just how best to go about it. The same holds true for recovering from a mental illness. Others who have been involved in recovery and have experiences of what has worked successfully (or not) can pass on valuable information as well as provide insight and suggestions on what has worked for them (or what hasn’t worked).

Procrastinating from taking any action toward recovery is not helpful. It may even propel things to becoming worse, and possibly catastrophic. Doing nothing is probably our worst choice.

Action with movement toward recovery is essential. How do we do that while avoiding getting caught on thin ice?

Talk with your doctor and therapist. Attend a support group, regularly. Read as much as your can about successful methods of recovery. Learn as much as you can about the illness you’re involved with. Do all these things while you’re taking continuing action.

Stop thinking about it… just do it.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Establishing Trust

There are few things as important for a companion or family member in helping a loved one who has a brain illness than having successfully established trust. It is essential. It may even help save a loved one’s life.

When a person is in a depressive state the recommended and necessary tasks of finding a doctor, receiving a correct diagnosis, taking helpful medication, finding an effective therapist and attending the right support group can be insurmountable obstacles for someone in the grips of a serious disease.

Having a strong and supportive companion, family member or caregiver who understands the negative and often defeatist attitudes this illness causes can forestall inaction and minimize or even prevent any worsening of the symptoms. This loving work depends on trust. Without it there are few words, warnings or threats that are going to realistically move a loved one in the direction of eventual meaningful recovery. When an unbreakable bond of trust is in place, a family member or companion can almost always encourage, motivate and move a loved one toward receiving help.


The world is full of people who have allowed themselves to be led to healing, thanks to an unbreakable bond of trust.
It may be one of love’s most vital links.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Danger of Isolation


Isolation should be a concern for a companion, family member or caregiver when a loved one is depressed over an extended period of time. As a loved one becomes increasingly depressed, activity usually lessens and there is a tendency to withdraw from the company of others. He or she may be caught up in pessimistic thoughts about themselves causing crumbling self-esteem. All interest in pleasurable activities slips away as our loved one’s loss of energy causes them not to want to leave the house. They may even have trouble getting out of bed.

Untreated or inadequately treated depression can lead to serious health challenges, further troublesome consequences and potential risks many companions can’t bring themselves to think about. But such risks are all too real, and we need to recognize isolation for the insidious trap it often becomes. Some doctors describe this situation as a race against time.

This is a major challenge for those of us supporting someone with a brain illness. Our loved one isn’t capable of recognizing just how ill they are, much less how dangerous isolation can be. If he or she were suffering from untreated diabetes or cancer, we might be able to persuade them that they either begin treatment for their disease or they’re going to die. The ability to see consequences of behavior may be readily pointed out to someone who eats sugar or smokes cigarettes and we can at least hope for, and possibly expect, behavioral changes. But someone with a brain illness doesn’t recognize the danger, so they don’t do anything about it.

Treatment for a brain illness often must come involuntarily, an uncomfortable process. The bottom line is this: there has to be treatment if our loved one is to survive. If treatment is delayed then our loved one is in an ever present and always increasing danger. Any companion, family member or care provider:

  • Who does not recognize, acknowledge and take positive action to help a loved one in untreated depressive isolation, is themselves in denial of reality and facing a terrible and possibly irreparable outcome;
  • Who takes action to help their loved one to trust their support team and do the hard work of acceptance, treatment and recovery can not only expect their loved one to survive but to thrive for having successfully done the work.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Goal of Medication: Recovery Without Relapse


Medication today is doing more than ever to stabilize sufferers of mood disorders and help them to have happy, functional and productive lives. For a large number of those fortunate enough to successfully manage their symptoms with the help of medicine, the road to recovery has not been an easy one. For many it’s taken months (if not years) for them and their doctors to finally discover just the right combination of medicines to achieve the most favorable results with the least side effects. But all of the time, numerous adjustments and faithful trust they’ve placed in their medical support team has ultimately paid off. This is the great goal the patients, their companions and family members, and the physicians prescribing these medicines have all been working toward: ongoing stability and recovery without relapse.

This is an amazing achievement. Especially in light of all the possible obstacles we meet on the road to recovery that, if we’re not careful, can cause us and our loved one to take our eyes off our goal and lose sight of our direction. When this happens, we can needlessly delay if not entirely derail our rightful recovery.

Here are just a few of those obstacles and why it’s important to overcome them:


  • Some allege that the medicines doctors could prescribe for our loved one may cause diabetes or other life-threatening diseases so it’s safer not to take them. Such claims are almost always incorrect and bring about a much more life-threatening situation by inadequately treating a brain illness. This is a concern that must be discussed with the treating physician.
  • Psychiatry and psychotropic medicines are destructive to society and should be avoided if not banned altogether. These kinds of charges are usually from science-ignorant cults and have no basis in fact. The closest such critics have ever come to a psychiatrist has been as an actor playing one in a film or on TV. Again, consult your doctor with any concerns you may have. 
  • Patients who have taken medications in the past may have experienced unpleasant side effects and now refuse psychotropic drugs to treat their illnesses. This is unfortunate as well as short-sighted. New medications are being developed all the time; some do not produce previous negative side effects. Medicines that are now available may not have been around when the previous unpleasantness occurred. Every day is a new day in the world of medicine, and it’s useful and smart to keep all our options open. Try to help your loved one not to permit the past to overshadow decisions that are more wisely made in the present.

Medication isn’t the only treatment tool available to help a loved one recover from a brain illness, but it is a very important one. Many healthy and happy people are alive and in recovery today because of it.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Depression…It Really Is the Pits


People in an episode of major depression often compare it to something like being in a deep hole, so deep that it’s extremely difficult to climb out of the dark mood they’re in. Left on their own to find their way out of their misery, it is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Their illness will prevent that from happening. Untreated depression seems to lead in only one direction--downward.

Someone in the clutches of deep depression is not thinking positively. Instead, they are often so down on themselves that they may be convinced that there is nothing they can do to lift them out of their depression. They may even believe that they don’t deserve to feel better, perhaps concluding that they are so broken that nothing can fix them. And, if left on their own, it’s possible nothing will. Clinical depression just doesn’t seem to go away with time. Unfortunately, it often gets worse…much worse. Sometimes, untreated depression can be a killer.

If your loved one is in the pits of deep depression, it may be time for you to give them a boost up. Remember, their illness is not going to go away on its own and it’s possibly going to get worse. Don’t delay. A compassionate companion, family member or caregiver is in the best position to take action if their loved one is going to receive the attention and care they need. Taking appropriate action is what successful companions always do.

Help your loved one climb up and out of the pits of depression, and back into healthy recovery and eventual joy. If you don’t know what to do, find out. There are answers to your questions. Ask them. Do it. Take action now.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Always Expect Recovery


In the course of my activities involving family members and companions who are helping a loved one with depression or bipolar, there are several problems that repeatedly come up. A recurring challenge that I believe to be one of the most important for me to meet and successfully overcome lies in that crucial area somewhere between hope and hopelessness.

When months go by without noticeable improvement in your loved one’s behavior, it’s difficult not to give in to discouragement. Who wouldn’t become discouraged if their loved one:
  • Stopped taking their meds without telling anyone because they were feeling so well that they decided on their own they didn’t need them anymore.
  • Made some inappropriate choices which came to the attention of authorities.
  • Started self-medicating again after a long period of sobriety, undoing much of the gains which had taken so long to achieve.
  • Withdrew from activities they used to enjoy and is now becoming more and more isolated, some days even having difficulty getting out of bed or leaving the house.
  • Blames the companion or family for their illness and all the problems that continue to result from having it.
  • Once again has been hospitalized.
If we allow ourselves to get stuck in disappointment we can soon be overcome with a sense of hopelessness. We must not allow this to happen. We need to keep in mind the fact that it is our loved one’s illness that’s causing the problems. We know there are better treatments available and we just have to find them. We must not give up hope. We must continue to expect things to get better with time, and for ever longer periods.

Take care of yourself. Make positive and hopeful decisions. Expect recovery. Always expect recovery.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Out of the Blue

When we grow up in a relatively stable family with parents who love and nurture us into adulthood; when we make a decision to spend our life with someone who has won our heart and we’ve chosen him or her to see us through the future regardless of what that future may hold; when we have children and make any and all necessary sacrifices in order to eventually propel them from the family nest and out into the vast unknown of self-survival…we do all this with expectations that we will have some challenges along the way, of course, but nothing that we won’t be able to handle.

Our parents will grow old and we expect they’ll need help getting to and from doctor visits, help with the marketing and perhaps even with preparing meals from time to time.

Our chosen partners will help us with the older folks, no doubt, but a day will probably come when we may even have to help our partner, too; there’s plenty of time to decide on how best to take care of those needs of the future.

Any children we gather along the way (our own, or through marriage or adoption) are our responsibility for a time but we know the day will come when they will be knocking on our door to gratefully repay all the kindnesses we have bestowed on them throughout their formative years… kindnesses they will be eager and prepared to return.

Then, out of the blue, our loved one comes down with a brain illness. Totally unexpected. We’re not sure of the details yet. All we know is they’ve crash landed somewhere and we really don’t know what to do, or if there is anything we can do. Besides worry. We find ourselves doing a lot of that.

Scientists sometimes refer to occurrences of this kind as unanticipated stress. We never see these situations coming, and often they are extremely stressful. Upheaval takes over. Turmoil rules the day. Everything in our life is upended. We’re frightened. It’s difficult to leave the house. Unanticipated stress, we soon discover, is stress of the worst kind. We're afraid that we and our loved one may not be able to survive this terrible situation. How do we survive such challenges? Where should we start.


A family support group may be a good place to find out. They're just about everywhere. If you need help finding one, let us know. 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Watch Out for Stress Overload

Brain illnesses are stressful--not only for the person who has the illness but also for the companion or family member who is caring for that person. When our role has unexpectedly become that of “caregiver,” we soon find it is an entirely different world than just fluffing up pillows and ladling out chicken soup.

The life of a caregiver can be demanding, usually more stressful than we had ever imagined. Faced with baffling medical symptoms, we may find ourselves having to make doctor appointments, keep track of medications, take care of finances--only to be the target of undeserved criticism and abuse. When did we sign up for this? we may even wonder. When things in our life upset us on a continuing basis, our feeling of being frazzled and overwhelmed may be our bodies warning us that our own health may be getting dangerously out of balance.

Scientists tell us that stress is a normal response to circumstances that are making us feel threatened. When our bodies go into a “fight-or-flight” reaction mode, sometimes referred to as stress response, it is our way of protecting our self. It’s automatic, and can even save our life. However, specialists also warn us that beyond a certain point too much stress stops being helpful and can cause significant damage to our health, more than we may realize.

Stress overload can affect our mind, body and behavior in a number of ways. We’re told that different people experience stress differently. Some of us become agitated or angry and overly emotional. Others become depressed and withdraw from normal activities. Sometimes, unfortunately, an overload of stress can even paralyze us.

Knowing our stress limit is very important. If we feel our tolerance level maxing out it may be time to talk to a therapist or doctor. Supportive friends and family members can help; we don’t want to allow ourselves to isolate. It’s important to keep an optimistic outlook, and this may be a time when spiritual guidance could make a positive difference. We should all learn how to become calm without resorting to drugs or alcohol. Remember, we are the best ones to monitor our stress level. It’s very important for caregivers to always have that in mind in order to keep our emotions in balance while maintaining our own health.

Caregivers must take care of themselves if they’re going to be physically and mentally able to care for a loved one who has a brain illness. There are few things more important than caring for an ailing loved one. Caring for ourselves first, however, may be one of them.

Friday, March 23, 2012

CBT: An Empowering Tool To A More Fulfilling Life

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a blend of cognitive therapy and behavioral therapy that helps people change their thinking away from unhealthy and defeating thoughts and directs their mind’s attention to more functional, uplifting and constructive ones.

Through a process learned in talk therapy, the patient can alter dysfunctional thought patterns (which lead to distorted and negative views of themselves and the world around them) to a more accurate and healthier thinking process that results in positive and healing outcomes.

This powerful psychotherapeutic approach demonstrates the power of thought. If we believe something it becomes our truth, whether it is actually true of not. The renowned psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck, who created cognitive therapy, understood that we have the power to identify our own distorted thoughts and change them to be more accurate and thus more rewarding.

People with mental disorders who are fortunate to have a therapist trained in cognitive restructuring are having dramatic positive results.

In some parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom, CBT is recommended for a number of mental health disorders. Care providers and companions everywhere might be wise to check it out as a possible tool. When it comes to helping someone recover from a brain illness, we should leave no tool unexamined.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

When A Loved One Is Euphoric

Sometimes a person in a hypomania state will give us cause for concern, and rightly so. Although our loved one may appear to be functioning fairly well with lots of activity and accomplishments, there is an aspect to their behavior that just doesn’t seem right. Our discomfort alarms keep going off. So what may be triggering them? There is something that we are seeing or hearing that is nudging us out of our comfort zone and into worry. Possibly several things.

There are some who believe that hypomania has so many positives that it can outweigh the negatives. Our loved one may even believe this. We might hear a great deal about creativity and courage, and less need for rest or sleep. We may see a super-friendly and uninhibited person racing around helping others, perhaps strangers, with little thought to the state of his or her own needs or general health.

Many companions who have gone through these episodes with a loved one, unfortunately, have come to witness a definite downside to this illness state. What at first may have been an unusual but tolerable activity soon morphed into a distracted, agitated and fast talking person caught up in a reckless spree of poor choices and extremely inappropriate behavior.

The outcomes of untreated hypomania can be quite costly, on many fronts. What should we do when our flighty and easily irritable loved one has obviously climbed into an elevated state and is moving still higher? Having them seen by their doctor, we eventually decide, would be the safe and intelligent thing to do. Many companions would agree: this is the course to take. But what if a loved one refuses to see their doctor? What if they insist they are getting a lot done and having entirely too much fun to want to change anything. What can a concerned and caring companion do then?

Many companions are faced with this question, only to find that answers are not always easy to come by. Any suggestions that may have worked for you that you’d like to share? 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Primary Care Physicians Training Inadequate in Mental Health

“Primary Care clinicians are not fully trained to diagnose or treat mental health problems, yet people with these conditions typically are seen in primary care more than any other setting,” so says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a recent issue of Research Activities, a publication of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The practice of underqualified physicians diagnosing and treating people without integrating mental health professionals into the process, is resulting in depression and other mental health problems being misdiagnosed or inadequately treated and inappropriate psychotropic drugs being prescribed with little follow-up.

The article goes on to say that the “training in mental health for primary care physicians is very superficial and not very deep…and they don’t know what to do if anything goes wrong.” There are presently major barriers to integration of mental health in the primary care setting, such as reimbursement problems and a fragmented workforce. Research is showing, however, that wherever a team approach is utilized, costs go down and patients get better.

Overall, integrated health care seems better for everyone.

Makes sense to this companion… an integrated approach seems the best way. Any thoughts?

Friday, March 9, 2012

Welcome to Surf City Support

This blog is intended for companions, family members and caregivers who are helping loved ones diagnosed with depression or bipolar. Its primary focus is one of education to aid us in providing intelligent, loving support. We all want and need to learn as much as we can about these illnesses and how best to use this essential knowledge. We recognize, as part of our primary role, a commitment to the following: provide effective, healthy support to our loved one; assist him or her in becoming increasingly stable; encourage them in learning how to successfully manage their illness to prevent relapse in the future. Helping our readers in achieving and maintaining recovery for their loved ones is the ultimate goal of this blog…recovery for everyone.

We are not physicians or mental health professionals. Our aim is sharing knowledge which contributes to our stated goal of recovery. The information provided in this blog is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. It is always recommended that a professional be consulted before changing any treatment or altering any medically recommended program.

Friday, February 24, 2012

New Mental Health Blog Coming Soon

Look for "Surf City Support" soon...