Mental Health, Naturally: The Family Guide to Holistic Care for a Healthy Mind and Body (paperback) review

Book Description

Those seeking alternative methodologies for achieving optimal mental health will learn effective, safe, natural, and generally more affordable strategies and treatments in this guidebook. With up-to-date research, illustrative examples, and a practical approach for individuals and families, this handbook features an overview of mental health disorders, basic strategies for improving as well as preventing mental health issues, therapies that go beyond the fundamentals, and specific strategies for those struggling with ADHD, depression, anxiety, stress, and substance abuse. In addition to outlining the basics—such as the role of exercise and activity, restful sleep, nutrition, and supplements—the text details stress-management practices and discusses alternate techniques including homeopathy, massage and bodywork therapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic and osteopathic work. A section on advocacy and resources is also available.

Threatening Children's Toys Children's Mental Health?

 Once we understand the importance of mental health, then we can see around us especially in our immediate neighborhood as a family. Whether in our family there are signs or symptoms of this mental health disorder. Mental health condition at this point tend to have a concern, as data released in solo.com (12/11), it looks at the increasing number of negative behaviors such as fighting, drug abuse, promiscuity, suicide, religious radicalism, and the like. That's why all parties are expected to increase the awareness for the fight with the build quality and mental health of the nation. "Data in 2007, 11.6% or about 19 million children and adolescents Indonesia impaired mental and social health. It makes them easily swept away and easy activities that are involved in negative activities. So let us together try to make efforts to promote mental health from an early age, starting either from family, government, educators and all interested parties.

Starting from an early age, then what should we do since from now on our children at home, school and neighborhood? Beginning of the foundation of a good awakening of a nation is of the family. It is inevitable role of the family here is very important. With care and good reception from the family of his son would reduce the potential for the formation of aberrant behavior in children. Good parenting will shape the child's emotional development degan good. The newly born child as white papers, was dropped as it would then that is what will shape the personality and build children's mental health.

Why in this paper the authors want to convey that the toys could threaten the health of children. The most effective teaching methods for children at preschool age children to play while learning, and the activities that one used yag is a toy. Toys for children at the age of 0-6 years are most commonly used tools and activities to accompany the child in learning or play well wherever he is. Even after that age is still a lot of toys that children used to accompany all its activities to hobbinya. Part of patterns of parenting in child pick out or facilitating the child's toy that will be used is one element that contributed to building a child's mental health.

Toys are having a devastating effect on children can be started from the ignorance of children with the function of the toy. Parents have an obligation to facilitate a child with a toy that could increase the potential of children and give children the opportunity to explore the game. If a game does not make a child can enhance creativity and potential of children and having a devastating effect on his personality then the parents are obliged to steer. It is conceivable that children really like toys that are too trigger aggressiveness of children? Such as toys that can increase the aggressiveness of the child and interfere with the child's emotional development: a pistol, a sword that looks almost like the original size, parents may introduce various forms and uses of various objects around him but can with a picture, or shape of objects is quite safe for children and not harm the child's emotional development and personality in general.

Children who already have aggressive potential in him, if parents are not sensitive in nurturing and providing support to developing toys that aggressiveness is likely the child will grow up because there are no mental health problems. Vice versa if children with high levels of sensitivity with a game that is not appropriate then the kids grow into a vulnerable adult at the time of her transplant. So it's good for parents mom and dad have to recognize the personality of the child in advance so that it can provide the right toys for child development. Parents should be wise in choosing a toy, not only if the child is quiet / do not cry then give all the parents what the child asks.

• Reflexology Massage Therapy and Reiki Can Work Together

   

• Wise Tips of Mental Health Treatments

• 3 Simple Tips Of Health Solutions for 

• Exercise Your Brain For Mental Health

• Mental Health Illness Medications: 3 Points To Raise With Your Doctor Before Taking a New Medicine

• The Anatomy Of A Natural Health Education

•  The Deviant in Mental Health

Windmill Health Products Focus Formula Brain Enhancement Supplement Caplets, 60-Count Boxes (Pack of 2)

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Women and Gender

Women are subject and object. There are opinions that say that women were actually in the "master" it. This means that he is respected. Likewise it is still not reducing the weight of himself as an object. It could even be said to attempt an explanation, as mentioned above arises when the object dimensions are so prominent.

Women's issues are also gender issues. Understanding of Gender in essence is a concentrated understanding of the nuances of the West (Western invention-Connell, 1993). Gender as a concept rests on the biological aspects (biological reductionism). Cucchiari (1994) says that in her Gender has two biological categories different but complementary categories: first male and the second is the category of women. Each category contains a sense of meaning varies from one society to another. Every activity, attitudes, values ​​and symbols are given meaning by the supporters according to their biological category. Therefore, the actual status and role of women in every place and culture is not always the same. In Bali, women actively make highways or transport sand from the river, the strange thing is done by women in Java or Sumatra. In Africa, is a commonplace that women participate in farming and logging, while elsewhere it is probably in tabukan.

Gender in the West feel concentrations as expressed by Connell (1993) said, rests on the West civilisasi through the Industrial Revolution. Industrial phase, and then worldwide, is the phase of the hegemony of men. In the period of the Industrial Revolution, the most important element is the matter of division of labor based on gender differences. This is where the emerging injustices against women. Women, like dikemukakn by Simone de Beavoir, described as "nature" is characterized by things-static passive, permissive, domestic and gentle. Men, on the contrary, is characterized as a battering ram, active, and strong public control. In the phase of the Industrial Revolution in which the shape of physical strength is the determining factor, it is practically excluded women from production processes. Way of looking at the division of labor based on gender differences between the simple and it is contrary to the industrial community. If the community is simply the difference in nature to co-exist and complement, and full of harmony, then vice versa in the industry was used to abolish the distinction and demeaning the dignity of women in an effort to elevate the status of men.

Patriarchal culture (where the position of the dominant male) is in line with the Industrial Revolution is the main pillar of Western civilization. Indonesia, not the exception especially since he also had the experience of the colony of Western colonialism for approximately 350 years old. Numerous studies show how women experience marginalization of the agricultural sector in the event of "green revolution" in the mid 70's and early 80's.

Paradigm In Mental Health

Paradigm in Mental Health
Understand the principles of the Mental Health has revealed
Schneiders since 1964, which includes three things:
11 principles based on human nature, namely:
A. Mental health and adjustment can not be separated from physical health and
integrity of the organism.
2. In mental health care, is inseparable from human nature as
personal moral, intellectual, religious, emotional, and social.
3. Mental health and adjustment requires the integration and control
themselves, include: control of thought, imagination, passion, emotion and behavior.
4. Expanding self-knowledge is a necessity in achieving and
mental health care.
5. Mental health requires a healthy self-concept, including: acceptance
self and a realistic effort to status and self-esteem.
6. Understanding and self-acceptance should be increased in an attempt
enhance the self and self-realization to achieve mental health.
7. Mental stability requires the continued development of self-menerusdalam
individuals, is associated with: wisdom, courage, law, fortitude,
moral, and humility.
8. Attainment in mental health care associated with the planting
good habits.
9. Mental stability requires adaptability, capacity to change the situation
and personality.
10. Mental stability requires a maturity of thought, decisions,
emotionality, and behavior.
11. Learn to cope with mental health needs effectively and
sense of mental conflict, failure, and the tensions that arise.
Then as the second principle is based on three principles
man's relationship with its environment, namely:

A. Mental health is influenced by a healthy interpersonal relationships,
especially in the family.
2. A good adjustment and peace of mind influenced by the adequacy
individuals in job satisfaction.
3. Mental health requires a realistic attitude, ie accept the reality
without distortion and objective.
And the latter principle, the two principles are based on the relationship
individual with God, namely:

A. Mental stability requires the development of awareness of the realities of the largest
of itself as the place to rely on any action
fundamental.
2. Mental health and sobriety requires a constant relationship
between man and God.
The paradigm used in the study of Mental Health
which is believed to be multifactorial review, among others: BIOLOGICAL APPROACH. By studying brain function, endocrine,
and sensory function, this approach believe that mental health
individual is strongly influenced by genetic factors and conditions during pregnancy, as well as
related to external factors: nutrition, radiation, age, complications of the disease.
PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACH. Such an approach is believed that the factors
large psychological effect on a person's mental condition, which in
psychological approach has three major views that address
on the matter, namely:
A. Psychoanalysis
Approach believe that the individual interactions in early life
and intrapsychic conflicts that occur will affect the development
one's mental health. Epigenetic factors studied maturity
developing a person's psychological as physical growth in tahaptahap
individual development, is an important determinant of health
mental individual.
B. Behavioristic
The learning process approach and believe in the social learning process
will affect a person's personality. Individual errors in the process
learning and social learning will lead to mental disorders.
C. Humanistic
Individual behavior is influenced by the need to have hierarchies. In addition,
individuals believed to have the ability to understand their potential and
developed to achieve self-actualization.
Social cultural approach. Has several approaches, namely:
Social stratification that addresses socio-economic factors and social selection;
SOCIAL INTERACTION which discusses the function in an interpersonal relationship
(Psychodynamic Theory, Theory of low social interaction: isolation, loneliness); THEORY OF FAMILIES who studied the effect of parenting, the interaction between
family members, and family functioning of individual mental health:
Social Change, which relates the long-term change, migration and
industrialization, as well as a crisis situation with an individual's mental condition;
SOCIO-CULTURAL, who studied the influence of religion and culture conditions
mental one;
Social stressors, which studied the effect of various social situations
psychological impact (eg, marriage, death, crime, the recession)
to the mental condition of individuals.
APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENT. This approach has two dimensions, namely:
DIMENSIONS PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, related to: space, time, and means
(Nutrients) that accompany.
CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT DIMENSIONS, related to: pollution,
radiation, viruses and bacteria, the population of other living creatures.

Gracefully Insane: Life and Death Inside America's Premier Mental Hospital

Its landscaped ground, chosen by Frederick Law Olmsted and dotted with Tudor mansions, could belong to a New England prep school. There are no fences, no guards, no locked gates. But McLean Hospital is a mental institution-one of the most famous, most elite, and once most luxurious in America. McLean "alumni" include Olmsted himself, Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, James Taylor and Ray Charles, as well as (more secretly) other notables from among the rich and famous. In its "golden age," McLean provided as genteel an environment for the treatment of mental illness as one could imagine. But the golden age is over, and a downsized, downscale McLean-despite its affiliation with Harvard University-is struggling to stay afloat. Gracefully Insane, by Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam, is a fascinating and emotional biography of McLean Hospital from its founding in 1817 through today. It is filled with stories about patients and doctors: the Ralph Waldo Emerson protégé whose brilliance disappeared along with his madness; Anne Sexton's poetry seminar, and many more. The story of McLean is also the story of the hopes and failures of psychology and psychotherapy; of the evolution of attitudes about mental illness, of approaches to treatment, and of the economic pressures that are making McLean-and other institutions like it-relics of a bygone age.

This is a compelling and often oddly poignant reading for fans of books like Plath's The Bell Jar and Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted (both inspired by their author's stays at McLean) and for anyone interested in the history of medicine or psychotherapy, or the social history of New England.

The Package Deal: Mental Illness, Stigma, and Discrimination [Kindle Edition]

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

My longtime friend, Jean Lyon, encouraged me to write a book about my experiences with the mental health system. "You should write a book," she said.

"No, I couldn't. No one would believe me," I replied.

"Yes, you could," Jean insisted. "You could call it One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the Sequel--it's worse than the original."

The Package Deal is a short, 4500-word memoir that takes the reader into a world that most people do not know about. My non-fictional account provides an inside, uncensored look at societal discrimination against people with mental illness.

This eBook consists of two distinctly different parts. Part one, titled Unplanned Patienthood, provides a humorous glimpse of the mental health professionals whom I have been fortunate, and not so fortunate, to encounter. Part two, titled A System Without Oversight, opens with my voluntary admission to a psychiatric unit in Northern Virginia. This part chronicles my conflict with the mental health system, which began when hospital personnel assaulted me. It covers the facts surrounding the assault, as well as my resultant struggle for justice, not only with the mental health system, but also with the criminal justice system and government oversight agencies.

At every turn in my search for justice, I faced discrimination. This eBook echoes an all-too-common situation for those who happen to have a mental illness. Discrimination against this marginalized population too often goes unreported and unchallenged. In addition to being enlightening, the narrative is entertaining, suspenseful, and incorporates humor as a powerful communication tool.

From the Author

I humbly hope that my eBook serves not only to help open society's blind eye to the plight of mentally ill persons, but also as a catalyst for change.

Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So

I'll cut to the chase: I loved this book.
Five stars. Two thumbs up.

When I read books, especially psychiatry books that I write about on Shrink Rap, I often read more carefully and sometimes more critically. I was so immersed in reading Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So that I didn't stop to think, I just went on the journey.

Mark Vonnegut is a pediatrician and he is also the son of my favorite author from when I was in junior high school. His memoir is a poignant and candid account of his struggles with...well... life in general, and life with a psychotic illness in particular. Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder---who knows (I'll vote for bipolar disorder)? Some illness where he had three episodes in his twenties, then another episode 14 years later. Thorazine and lithium and megavitamins and psych wards. Xanax and alcohol and how humiliating it is to be psychotic on a stretcher in the ER hallway of the hospital where he works. Divorce and remarriage. First and second families. Childhood as the son of a financially struggling, not-yet-famous, eccentric writer, and adulthood as the son of an icon. Vonnegut is a hippy, a mainstream doctor, a middle-aged softball player, then finally a guy who accidentally poisons himself with wild mushrooms.

Dr. Vonnegut's struggles are those of vulnerability, fragility, hope, and resilience. He comes back from these life-altering episodes of psychosis and applies to 20 medical schools. He gets in to Harvard, and only Harvard. If you're going to apply to med school with a 1.8 science GPA from college, then I imagine it's helpful to have a very famous dad who teaches at Harvard. Vonnegut does well enough that he stays for residency and teaches there after. His illness and the possibility of its return hang on him--once you've heard voices, he says, you're never like someone who hasn't. As serious as the topic is, the author is able to make light of himself and the writing is funny and tragic all at once. It's a quick and engrossing read.

In case I didn't like this memoir enough, Vonnegut makes intermittent jabs about the tedious things that weigh down life as a doctor-- paperwork (my favorite rant), the influence of big pharma, and insurance companies.

So would I like Mark Vonnegut in real life? I liked him in his book. And so it goes.

Fishy Pedicure Ban

I was rummaging through the legal news lately when I came across a case that made me flash back to our old Cure for Fish Phobia post.

It appears that the state of Arizona has passed a law banning the use of tiny little fish for pedicures. Arizona wasn't the first either. New Hampshire decided that the fish were "beauty salon tools" that had to be cleaned in between use. Texas is concerned that the fish bowls aren't cleaned between use and could transmit disease.

Will pedicure fish now come with a black box warning? CAUTION: Fish, use only as directed. For external use only. Possible side effects may include drowsiness, dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, the aftertaste of sushi, syncope, seizures, coma and death. Oh yeah, and scaly skin.

How To Find A Psychiatrist

Seems like a simple enough questions: How do you find a shrink?

It's not that easy to answer. There are all sorts of shrinks who do all sorts of things (therapy, not therapy, specific forms of therapy like psychoanalysis or CBT), and then there's the overriding insurance question. Not to mention location, location, location.

We've talked before about insurance, and if you haven't read Why Shrinks Don't Take Your Insurance, please do. It's a good place to start. In areas where shrinks are in short supply, often, they do take insurances and they only see patients for medication management. In areas where there are more docs and people have treatment options, they may split between those who do and don't take insurance. You should be aware that if a shrink doesn't take your insurance, you will likely still get reimbursed, but there may be a higher deductible, you'll need to mail in the form yourself, and there will be a long wait (and assorted hassles) for the money to come back. Some people are reimbursed very well, others or not. If your insurance is an HMO or has no out-of-network benefits, then a non-insurance doc will costs you the entire fee.

So start here:
--Does it matter if the shrink is in your insurance network?
If it does, and you live in an area where many shrinks don't participate with insurance, then call the insurance company and get names and numbers and do hope they aren't all dead or not-accepting patients.

--What kind of shrink? If the patient is under age 16-18, your best best is a child & adolescent psychiatrist. Be aware that many psychiatrists at academic centers run research projects and teach, and don't see many outpatients. That's not to say never---and most have a few patients, but they are often a bit harder to reach, especially when they are presenting at conferences or have grants dues, and may have difficult parking. So child, general adult, or is there some specialty need which may be very restrictive---for example treatment of sexual or eating disorders or psychoanalysis? For ClinkShrink, I will throw in that if you are looking for evaluation for a matter pertaining to the legal system, you may want to look specifically for a forensic psychiatrist.

--Finally: does it matter to you if the shrink does psychotherapy or are you fine seeing one person for therapy (if necessary) and another for meds? If it matters, you need to clarify this upfront.

Now you've got the big three questions. There are other obvious ones: parking is always a biggy, the setting may be a concern (is your ex-lover working in the same practice?), how difficult is it to get an appointment? How long do appointments last? If the first evaluation is routinely scheduled for under 50 minutes and you have a choice as to where you go: then go somewhere else. In an institution---jails, a substance abuse clinic, the medical unit of a hospital, an emergency room--- evaluations may be very brief, but in these settings your records may be available for review and the evaluation may have a very specific and limited purpose. But for a thoughtful, comprehensive evaluation before beginning on-going treatment, the usual is a minimum of 50 minutes and often 90-120 minutes. Some psychiatrists do their evaluation over several sessions.

Okay, so to start:
If you have no insurance and no money, your options are limited. The traditional place for treatment in this case is a local Community Mental Health Center or CMHC and the standard has been to have one per geographic catchment area. These clinics usually offer split care, there may be a wait, and you don't get to choose your shrink. They take Medicare and Medicaid, and they sometimes don't take private insurance. How do you find your CMHC (or OMHC)...I'm not really sure. Try Google, and then call any clinic in your area and have a heart-to-heart with the receptionist. He may be able to give you the number of the clinic that serves you.

There are other agencies that over care for the indigent. In Baltimore, HealthCare for the Homeless offers psychiatric treatment, and The Pro Bono Counseling Project will give referrals for free or discounted care from professionals in the community who have agreed to volunteer their time. Again, there's no choice in which shrink you get.

If you have insurance and want to stay in network: Call your insurance company for a list of names.

Aside from money concerns, here are the best ways to find a good shrink:

• If you know someone who likes their doc, see that doc!

• If you know someone who like their doc, but you can't see their doc, ask your friend to get some names from their doc, or call yourself.

• Call your state psychiatric society and ask for a referral. If the office is located near where you live, the staff may well know some of the psychiatrists and you can ask for a nice one.

• Ask your primary care doctor, they are used to making referrals.

• Ask a Shrink. Ask any shrink---shrinks tend to know each other....so if you can get one on the phone, they may give you names even if they can't see you. In our state, we have a shrink listserv, and people frequently post, "Does anyone know a psychiatrist in Timbuktu?" for a patient who is moving, a child of a patient, friend of a friend of a friend. As a rule, shrinks don't know what insurance networks other docs participate in.

• Ask a doc, any doc. A random doc may not be able to help you, but they may. My favorite was the friend who asked me for a referral for a breast surgeon in another part of the state. Not something I'd know, but my neighbor the breast radiologist was able to give some names and so I was email-helpful. Between listservs, Facebook, email, etc...people can sometimes find names.

• If you're a student, try the school's counseling/health center. They may also be able to suggest off-campus referrals.

What to ask on the phone (besides the obvious money issues):
It's fine to tell someone the one-sentence version of what you want help for and to ask if they are taking new patients. It's probably a burden to try to tell them your whole history.
It's fine to ask how long the evaluation is, how long a typical appointment is, and if the shrink sees people for therapy or just meds.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

 

I'd like to ask your help for a moment.  I'm going to write a blog post for this week's Clinical Psychiatry News on Bipolar Disorder.  I'd like to know how you see the term used, or the symptoms that are hallmarks of the illness for you.  If you respond as my favorite commenter, "Anonymous," could I ask that you define yourself...psychiatrist, psychologist, pediatrician, patient with bipolar disorder, friend of someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder....

Also, please just off the top of your head, I can read DSM or Google myself, and I'm more interested in your ideas about what exactly the disorder is.

I may not use your responses (I sort of know what I want to say) but no matter what, I'm curious.  

Thank you so much...