STAY MOTIVATED

The last couple of days have been a battle against staying in a depressive state.  This is a struggle that I’ve talked about often.  For me to get myself back on track I have to constantly feed my mind positive thoughts and I have to get my body moving.  If I do not do this then I can run the risk of being down for days.  What do I mean by moving?  Well, all the activities I feel like I don’t have the energy for I make an effort to still get to Zumba class or make my entrepreneur meeting.  If I go down I am more likely to stay down so movement becomes key.  What do I mean by feeding my mind positive thoughts.  For instance, I will tell myself get up and make class, you can do it, it’s okay baby girl, remember you are loved, you’ve come so far let’s go further, God got your back, etc.  This helps me stay motivated instead of defeated.  This helps me feel like I’ve accomplished my day to day task instead of feel like I’m letting everyone and everything down.  It’s hard work, but I remind myself I am up for the challenge.  

Remember when you feel yourself going down to depression it may take some hard, hard work, but you can do small things to keep yourself reminded how valuable you are and keep yourself moving. This does not replace taking your medicine, but an addition.  Stay motivated.  Be blessed!
 
https://symphonyreads.com/srm-blog/f/keep-motivated, FROM MINISTER MILLS


Getting Admitted

Getting Admitted

 
Your experience at the hospital will vary depending on your insurance, the hospital, the time of the day, your symptoms, if you are admitted involuntarily and if you are already on medications. But just because you make it to the hospital does not mean that you or your loved one will be admitted. For example, if you are already on medications, the hospital staff may call your outpatient treatment team for information, make adjustments and send you home with a follow-up appointment. However, while at the hospital waiting to be seen keep a few things in mind (again this list will vary).
 
1. You may be seen in the emergency room first unless previous arrangements were made or you are in a place like the District of Columbia that has a comprehensive psychiatric emergency admission hospital.
2. You may have a long wait (but don’t let that discourage you)
3. You will be asked many questions so be patient and if possible know what medications you or your loved one is taking
4. The first Doctor you may see may not be a Psychiatrist, many times the Psychiatrist will have to be called to the emergency room for an evaluation. So be prepared to tell your story more than one time.
5. Even if you feel that you or your loved one is experiencing a mental health event that requires admission into a hospital, the doctor at the hospital may not feel the same way. So be prepared to make a case. Yes, sometimes you have to make a case for admission. If there are very few beds, if the Doctor thinks that you or your loved one can be stabilized with a medication change and sent back home the same night or you have insurance issues, then you or your loved one may not be admitted.
 
If you feel that admission is needed, then say so, but be prepared to speak to why you are seeking help. Describe the symptoms you are experiencing and explain how those symptoms are negatively impacting your life. In the case of a loved one be able to speak to what you have seen. Unfortunately, many people feel that the only way for them or for someone that they love to be admitted into the hospital is to wait until things get bad or to say that they are suicidal, while this is still very true in some cases, know that there are other ways.
 
For example, if a person already has a chronic health condition, are the symptoms associated with the psychiatric illness such as not taking their medications keeping them from recognizing the need to take their diabetes medication? Are the symptoms of their mental illness causing disruptions to the neighbors or strangers in the area to the point that if not managed could cause harm to your loved one? Is your loved one sleeping and if not what are they doing when they are awake? Are they losing weight? Are they not eating? Do you or your loved one already have a Psychiatrist in the community who could call and coordinate a direct admission on your behalf? Do you have a crisis team in your area (a group of mental health professionals who will respond to you at your home or your location)? The Crisis team can help you to process your symptoms and help to navigate you through the mental health services in your area.
If you are a family member of a loved one, who is currently on a psychiatric ward, visit and be involved. Get to know the treatment team to include the Attending and treating Physician (may or may not be the same person). If possible, ask for a meeting with the Social worker and or Doctor. If a date for a team meeting (a meeting in which all of the professionals involved in your loved one care meet to discuss his or her case) has been set, try to attend. Your input is valuable and can help ensure that the treatment team is focusing on the right goals (your loved one may not be able to articulate their needs clearly).
 
Ask questions about the diagnosis, about the medications, inquire about the discharge plan and if you have concerns, share those concerns with the team. For example, you may feel that your loved one should be in the hospital for longer than two days. If that is the case be prepared to share with the team why you feel that way, let them know what you have been observing. Please understand that the goal of an inpatient hospital stay is to stabilize not to warehouse. Today many inpatient hospitals do not have enough beds to keep people long term and many of the newer psychotropic medications work faster so people can stabilize and can go home quicker.
 
However, you live with your family member, and you know the challenges that you and your loved one will have to face once he or she is discharged. So share those challenges with the team and ask them to help you to develop a realistic plan that takes into account those challenges. For example, if you know that there are limited mental health supports in your area and that the earliest your loved one can get a mental health appointment in the community is three weeks from the discharge date advocate with the inpatient doctor for enough medications to cover the time.


Admission and After

ADMISSIONANDAFTER

IGBATTMHO Copyright 2019.

 

Being admitted into a Psychiatric Ward is not a sign of failure or the end. An inpatient hospitalization stay can be the beginning of your recovery and could save your life. While in the hospital medications can be adjusted, diagnoses given or changed, and you can get answers to questions. No, I am not saying that a hospital stay is the best thing that will ever happen, and many people do not like being admitted. Some hospitals are better than others and sometimes getting admitted can be a problem. You may be in a room with people who you are not comfortable with, be surrounded by some not so friendly staff and even have to eat lousy food, but focus on you and why you are there. Take advantage of that time to ask questions, to learn from the other people around you and to get better.

 

If you are a family member of a loved one, who is currently on a psychiatric ward, visit and be involved. Get to know the treatment team to include the Attending and treating physician (may or may not be the same person). If possible, ask for a meeting with the Social worker and or Doctor. If a date for a team meeting (a meeting in which all of the professionals involved in your loved one care gets together to discuss his or her case) has been set, try to attend. Your input is valuable and can help ensure that the treatment team is focusing on the right goals (your loved one may not be able to articulate their needs clearly). Ask questions about the diagnosis, about the medications, inquire about the discharge plan and if you have concerns, share those concerns with the team. For example, you may feel that your loved one should be in the hospital for longer than two days. If that is the case be prepared to share with the team why you feel that way, let them know what you have been observing. Please understand that the goal of an inpatient hospital stay is to stabilize not to warehouse. Meaning today many inpatient hospitals do not have enough beds to keep people long term, many of the newer psychotropic medications work faster and people can stabilize to a point where the MD may feel that they can go home quicker. However, you live with your family member, and you know the challenges that you and your loved one will have to face once he or she is discharged. So share those challenges with the team and ask them to help you to develop a realistic plan that takes into account those challenges. For example, if you know that there are limited mental health supports in your area and that the earliest your loved one can get a mental health appointment in the community is three weeks from the discharge date advocate with the inpatient doctor for enough medications to cover the time.

 

Upon discharge ensure that you or your loved has a follow-up appointment with a psychiatrist or mental health clinic in your area. It will be vital for you to follow up and to continue the work you have done while in the hospital. Follow up with a mental health professional, medications, family, friends and faith can all be important components in your recovery plan. Unfortunately, some people do not follow up with a mental health team in their community. Because they feel good after the discharge they don’t feel the need to keep seeing anyone, so they don’t, unfortunately especially in the case of many illnesses, symptoms do return. Don’t let this be you; there are treatment options for you and your loved one to get the help that you need. So get them!



It Not Easy

 
Hard, struggle and painful are adjectives used by some people who live with clinical depression and persistent negative thoughts to describe their life. If you have not walked in their shoes please don’t speak against their walk. Encourage, support, speak life, go the extra mile when they can’t, pray for them when they don’t have the strength and most of all love them and encourage them to get help as needed. People don’t kill themselves because they don’t trust God, don’t have anyone to talk to are sick, broke etc. Ultimately people kill themselves because at that moment the strength that they had been using to fight the persistent negative thoughts and to keep hope alive paled in comparison to the strength of the negative thoughts that they were currently facing. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors go together. They were not weak or selfish, just at that moment overwhelmed. 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Yes, we are encouraged to stand in the Lord and to cast down those thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God, however how we operationalize those mandates may look different depending on what we are facing and on how long we have been dealing with a specific persistent negative situation. For example, a long-term illness like clinical depression or one that requires ongoing tests and medical interventions can lead to up and down emotions such as fear and worry. One day you are full of faith and feeling good and the next day you are afraid and feel like giving up. Cycles that have us vacillating between a clean bill of health, treatment, remission, re-occurrence, treatment, remission etc. can wear us out. Sometimes we are going through so much (job problems, family issues etc) that we can feel as if we do not have the physical, mental or spiritual strength needed to deal with the same thing or another day. But guess what? The Lord is not disqualifying you because you feel like giving up. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Before you knew anything about yourself there was a God who loved you. Even when you are without strength, positive attitude or hope He loves you. Sometimes we try to work and stay busy in hopes of putting a distance between us and our negative emotions but negative thoughts can be relentless.
When you have to confront the same negative thought, same health concern, the same fears over and over again you can become tired and weary. And even when things seem to be going well for the moment you can live in fear and with a sense of dread. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because  your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Thoughts that lead to our destruction (spiritually or emotionally) are tools that the enemy uses to destroy us. And just like the enemy who goes to and fro seeking whom he may devour, negative thoughts never give up. Negative thoughts such as those that generate fear, sadness and or defeat can seem like a formidable adversary in our quest to remain sane, hopeful and upbeat. Even when we are smiling and feeling good, those persistent negative thoughts can creep in. And when we least expect it those thoughts can invade our feelings and remind us that we are not really happy. Sometimes you just don’t have the emotional, physical or spiritual strength to keep going, but He does. We can sometimes think that if we are not quoting scripture, praying or confessing that we are not in faith. But faith goes beyond quoting scriptures and a good confession (while these things are important). Romans 4:2-4 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. The Lord knows that sometimes you will be dealing with something in your life that you will not have the strength to face. So don’t beat yourself up if you feel as if you don’t have the testimony that you think you should have or are not speaking in faith in the way you think you should. Each time your spirit cries out and points in the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ that is a manifestation of your faith. This is the time in which all you need to do is to trust Jesus. Your faith is found in your trust and reliance on Him and He does not count or measure your faith in the same way that you do. Never discount the Love of God. Jesus Christ is not as hard to get along with as you think. He will meet you when you don’t have the strength to meet him. He will sustain you even when you don’t have the strength to pray, fast, go to church, read your bible, put a smile on your face, talk faith or think positive thoughts. He will meet you where you are even when you don’t feel Him. If you don’t have the strength that you feel you need He does, even in your silence, your fear, worry and tears He is there and His strength is sufficient. So stop with the self-condemnation and feelings of guilt.  You do not have to do anything extra in this season but just rest in Him.


Mental Illness and The Young

Mental illness and young people

Many mental disorders often start in adolescence or early adulthood. When mental disorders start at this stage, they can affect the young person’s education, movement into adult occupational roles, their ability to form key social relationships and the establishment of healthy habits.  That is why it is so important to detect problems early and act appropriately



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