Category: Social Anxiety

The 365 Challenge: Raising Awareness of PTSD By David Baum with Mind (Guest Post)

~ Eleanor Segall ~ Leave a comment

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What is The 365 Challenge?  www.the365challenge.org.uk

The 365 Challenge was created by David Baum, a 58 year old business man from Bushey, Hertfordshire. It evolved out of the 22 x 22 x 22 challenge, which started in the US about a year ago, to recognise that 22 ex-service men and women commit suicide every day due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

David worked out that this equated to 8030 ex-service personnel, this however did not take into consideration the thousands of men, women and children who are diagnosed every year with PTSD. So he decided to extend the Challenge from 22 days to 365 days.

What makes The Challenge so important?

Many of the thousands of men, women and children diagnosed with PTSD go untreated. So much so that in addition to the 22 ex-service personnel who commit suicide every day, in the UK a further 473 service personnel are discharged every year through PTSD. However, this doesn’t include life events such as cancer, murder, bullying or other attacks that can bring on PTSD. Unfortunately, the list goes on.

David’s own story is typical of a large number of sufferers own story:
“When I was at school I was bullied mercilessly, it could have been because I was Jewish or not very tall or slightly chubby or wore glasses or that I wasn’t brilliant at football. Unfortunately, bullies never tell you why they are physically attacking you, other than they think it is funny or even a bit of banter. When I left school, I thought I would move on, but whenever I saw one of the bullies, I would come out in a cold sweat and want to walk the other way. I then had a number of car smashes, a couple which were my fault, the others I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I tried to get on with my life, however, every time I heard the sound of a car smash or saw a fight I would break out into a cold sweat.

It was only after my wife Mel was diagnosed with Breast Cancer 20 years ago – fortunately she is in remission – I realised that I had to tackle the demons that were haunting me. Through counselling I came to realise that the bullying wasn’t my fault and accidents happens. Through a number of sessions, I was able to shake myself free of the traumas of my younger self. However, many are not so lucky. This is the reason why I created the 365 Challenge, and that I ask that people to like and share my efforts, to draw attention to the fact that you don’t have to be a member of the armed forces, a member of the Police or emergency services to develop PTSD, ANYONE CAN.”

Once David decided to create The 365 Challenge he approached MIND and The Gym Group who readily agreed to back the 365 Challenge.

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So how does The 365 Challenge work?
The Challenge is very simple and split in to 4 parts:

– Part 1 is from day 1 to 99 when the participant has to perform 22 reps of an exercise every day, preferably a different one as this adds to the challenge.
– Day 100 to 199 the number of reps increases to 30.
– Day 200 to 299 it’s 40 reps a day.
– For the final 65 days it’s 50 reps.

Unlike other charity challenges or dares, nobody is asked to make any donations or nominate anyone else. The person undertaking the Challenge is asked to commit to spending 1 to 2 minutes a day for 365 days film the session and post films on social media asking their connections to ‘like’ and ‘share’ – the most effective way to increase awareness of PTSD.

Since David launched The 365 Challenge, it has been taken up by people in the UK and the US, each has their own reasons for taking part and each is finding that spending 1 to 2 minutes a day very therapeutic. However you don’t have to go in to a gym or perform a physical exercise to take part a number of people are just walking 22 paces. To date the uploaded videos are being viewed around 10,000 times a month!

Now we are looking for more people to take up The 365 Challenge. Are you up for a Challenge?

Once you have made the decision to take up the Challenge, it is very simple to take part. The first thing to know is you can take part anywhere, in the gym, at home, at work or in the park. There are only two rules, the first is the Challenge in four parts:

– Part 1 is from day 1 to 99 the participant performs 22 reps of an exercise every day, preferably a different one as this adds to the challenge.
– Day 100 to 199 the number of reps increases to 30.
– Day 200 to 299 it’s 40 reps a day.
– For the final 65 days it’s 50 reps.

The second part is to upload the film you have taken on to social media. You should say in the film “Today is (whatever number day) of The 365 Challenge in association with MIND & The Gym Group, raising awareness of the effects of PTSD. Now that I’ve completed my 22 reps (or 30 or 40 or 50) can I please ask that you like and share my video.” When you upload the film you should also write the same.

If you are unable to upload the film on to social media then please email it to me & I will upload to Facebook & Twitter, as well as to the 365 Challenge website.

For more information contact:
David Baum Tel: 07985 991773 Email: busheybaums@ntlworld.com
www.the365challenge.org.uk

The 365 Challenge can be followed on: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/The365Challenge/PTSD or Twitter: @Bogfather & @Bimbom

Psychiatric Medication and Weight Gain- a Journey to taking back control.

~ Eleanor Segall ~ 13 Comments

This post is intensely personal for me as it encompasses 3 years of recovery from  a severe bipolar manic episode that left me hospitalised. Weight gain is a side effect from more than one of my medications and in this article I will explain my journey and why now I want to take control back.

I have (up until the past few years) always been tall, slim and curvy and never had to worry about my weight. It simply didnt register to me that I couldn’t eat carbs or ice cream or pizza (or my favourite food in the world- pasta)- my height, at 5 foot 10, meant I could carry my weight more than the average short person.

The first time I put on significant amounts of weight due to psychiatric medication was after going on the anti psychotic Olanzepine, aged 16 after an acute episode of depression. I ballooned in weight (due to cravings) and put on maybe 2 stone (not sure what that is in kilos)- but at the time as I was a teenager with a fast metabolism, I was able to lose the weight once I came off the Olanzepine and go back to being a size 12 . My first mood stabiliser- Carbamazepine, that I was on for 10 years didn’t cause the weight gain I have now seen and I went back to being slim.

Over the years as I was put on different anti depressants and experienced suicidal depressions and social anxiety, I comfort ate- pasta, chocolate, cheese to take away the pain of the depression. Still, in 2013, I was maybe only a UK size 14-16 (having been an average 12-14). As mentioned, my tall frame meant I didn’t look big.

Then, in 2014, I was hospitalised due to mania and psychosis and given many medications for psychosis and anxiety- Haloperidol, Benzodiazepines, Upped dosage of Quetaipine in addition to my mood stabiliser and anti depressants . Also during the mania, my mind was so busy that I constantly craved food and snacks and couldn’t regulate my appetite. So weight gain was inevitable.

I put on a lot of weight over my time in hospital, day hospital and at home when recovering afterwards- I wasn’t working, was very anxious and low and the comfort eating began. Add to the lack of exercise- I became overweight and unfit fast. I also found that my new stabiliser Lithium, plus the Quetaipine and anti deps, meant I had bad sugar cravings and became addicted to sugar. I still am, but I am trying to regulate it. This meant I was drinking a lot of juice and eating chocolate.

This week I went to the Doctor and was weighed. I have put on 5 stone in 3 years since Ive been unwell. This was a huge wake up call. The Doctor told me that reducing the Quetaipine would help my weight loss as it causes increase in appetite.

I have bought the Slimming world cook book and Exercise DVDS and really need to find the willpower to just start my diet and exercise regime. Being the size I am- I need to lose weight for health reasons and this is what is spurring me on to begin.

On Pacing Myself

~ Eleanor Segall ~ 2 Comments

pace1I am very much enjoying my work at the moment- however one thing has come to the forefront and that is balancing my work and social life. I have learnt how important it is to pace myself and take things at a slower pace in order to achieve what I would like. Also, my anxiety becomes triggered if I do too much and all at once and so its really important for me to have down time to balance out the other parts of my life.

My anxiety can strike randomly and I have to cancel arrangements, which I hate doing, but is sometimes essential. I try and do too much- so this is a reminder for me to be kind to myself and take things at the right pace for me.

I think this should be applied as a general rule. I can’t be everything to everyone. I must take time to breathe and slow down and appreciate. For only then can I be truly and optimally happy.

Guest Post: The Efficacy of Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy- CBT by Dr Stacey Leibowitz- Levy

~ Eleanor Segall ~ 1 Comment

We are delighted to have Dr Stacey Leibowitz-Levy, psychologist writing about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for us. As with any therapeutic practice, it is very much individual as to whether it will work for you and CBT will not work for everyone- but has been proven to work for many. Here Dr Leibowitz-Levy explains how it can work online.                        

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Online counselling is a growing field with more and more people turning to the internet to seek out counselling help. Counselling services offered online incorporate the range of therapeutic approaches that have been developed within the field of psychology. Approaches to understanding mental ill health and treatment include therapeutic approaches such as logo therapy, psychodynamic therapy, systemic therapy, psychodynamic therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). How do these therapeutic modalities translate to the online environment? This article will address the compatibility of CBT in particular as an online counselling approach.

CBT is a widely-utilised mode of therapy that focuses on an awareness of the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The aim of CBT is to address difficulties through modifying distorted thoughts, unhelpful behaviour and unpleasant emotions. In order to achieve this end, the client works collaboratively with the therapist in building awareness and understanding of his/her condition, and an accompanying skill set for evaluating and changing distorted beliefs (as well as modifying dysfunctional behavior). The therapist develops clear objectives and a treatment plan that requires active participation from the client during sessions, and follows through on homework assignments between sessions.

This form of therapy is characterized by a structured, time limited and outcome focused approach to managing mental health challenges. Often CBT is focused on a specific issue such as anxiety or managing depressive thoughts and, as such, many CBT interventions are available in a protocol format. CBT offers a delineated and clearly defined intervention that is largely directed by a clearly defined process and structure. This is in contrast to many other therapeutic approaches that have less defined parameters and take their cue on a session to session basis from the client.

The format and approach of CBT lends itself to an online format in that the structure and process are not only defined and constrained by the relationship between therapist and client but are also defined by a clearly delineated therapeutic procedure. This procedure offers a framework within which to deliver support which can easily be translated to an online process. CBT follows a set format. It is driven by the imperative of building an understanding of the issues the client is experiencing and imparting a certain skill set to assist the client in managing his/her mental health issues. CBT is thus based on specific content and has a strong psychoeducational aspect, which means that delivery online can be located in tangible and clear cut content and outcomes for the client.

This also allows for versatility in the delivery of CBT online. While face to face time with a therapist may be desirable for some clients, the option of online delivery of psychoeducational as well as skills based elements in other formats also works well. For instance, the psychoeducational aspect could be communicated very effectively through a video delivery. CBT lends itself to the format of online courses where clients are guided through a process of identifying and understanding their particular issues and developing the skills to manage them. Interspersing this with face to face time or the opportunity to clarify or ask questions in a chat or e-mail format makes for a very effective online intervention.

While many of the issues addressed in CBT are personal to the client, the possibility of locating these issues within a more general format is very much part of the CBT approach. There is a set way of getting information from, and accessing and understanding the client’s experience, with the client having to act on this information between sessions. This more “scientific” process also makes for an approach that lends itself to an online format.

The efficacy of CBT as an online intervention is borne out by the number of sites specifically offering online CBT in a variety of formats (for some examples, see here and here). The online availability of this well researched and well-verified approach to managing mental health problems offers increased affordability, accessibility and greater choice for mental health consumers.

Dr. Stacey Leibowitz-Levy is a highly-experienced psychologist with a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and a PhD in the area of stress and its relation to goals and emotion. Dr. Stacey has wide ranging skills and expertise in the areas of trauma, complex trauma, anxiety, stress and adjustment issues. Stacey enjoys spending time with her husband and children, being outdoors and doing yoga.

The Anxiety Wave: On waking up with anxiety

~ Eleanor Segall ~ 8 Comments

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In previous posts about my mental health journey, I have mentioned having an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are triggered in the brain and can be very hard to keep under control. Thankfully, most of the time, I can function at optimum health. Yet, sometimes stressors come along and throw me a little off course.

The main anxiety issue I have is usually morning anxiety. This is when you wake up and almost freeze from fear- you feel like you can’t do anything or enjoy the day, panic floods the body. Sometimes, after a few hours this form of terror dissipates. You can distract yourself and it goes – but sometimes it takes a little longer for it to go and it causes exhaustion. This is due to the hormones adrenaline and cortisol which are triggered pre or during a panic attack.

I am still learning to ride the anxiety wave- it can make you feel very tired and far less productive. For me, it often happens after I have had time away from work or a disruption to my routine, the anxious thoughts and feelings will flood back, making life that little bit harder again.

It is not easy nor straightforward dealing with this. I have to be kind to myself and know it will pass. Breathe, and distract my mind. Try and use meditation techniques to keep it under control.

Peer Support Work: A New Adventure

~ Eleanor Segall ~ Leave a comment

I very much felt inspired to write today because its Friday and on Monday I begin my new job role as a Peer Support Worker for a mental health charity here in the UK.

Peer support takes people like me who have lived experience of mental health issues and are in recovery, and able to promote or assist wellness and recovery in others. This can be done through therapeutic groups, talking to service users and working in a collaborative team of occupational therapists, social workers and mental health coordinators. A lot of the work I will be doing is confidential so I won’t be able to disclose it here.

Its such an amazing- yet strange turn of events to be on the ‘other side’ (i.e. not a service user myself). I am embarking on a very new and exciting journey and very thankful to be able to help others.

I also just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reads, likes, follows my blog. I will continue to blog and share mine and others stories.

Guest Post by Diamond EhealthInformer: Can some Mental Health Problems be treated with Technology?

~ Eleanor Segall ~ Leave a comment

As we move into 2017 going full steam ahead, we can see how far technology has come in recent years. I wanted to set myself the task of finding out how far this tech had come in terms of treating mental illnesses, as there is some speculation and fogginess to the science and results that people are supposedly getting.

It turns out that there are multiple useful and FDA approved technologies that do indeed help treat mental health problems. In this article, I aim to uncover some actionable, useful data and solutions that will aid sufferers of various mental health issues.

Crisis Centres

This solution may surprise you, but it utilizes technology and has proven to be very effective in serious circumstances. When people feel pushed to the end of their tether with anxiety and depression, they need to be talked to, supported and experience a sense of connection to alleviate the feeling of alienation. Sometimes your best friends and family members aren’t available or you don’t feel like talking to them. You want something completely confidential, which is why text and call centres are so effective.

They’re always open and running, plus the staff are fully trained for both mild and severe cases of anxiety and depression and other mental illnesses. You can always rely on someone picking up at the other end that will know how to talk to you and do their best to bring you back to a state of calm through grounding techniques.

Having the option to text message or call is also beneficial for those who prefer to communicate in different manners. Some sufferers may not feel like talking, but texting will work for them and their mood at that given time. On the contrary, hearing a soothing and reassuring voice on the other end of the line may be more effective for certain sufferers. Both options are there to use, whenever and wherever a person may need them.

Using Apps for Improved Mental Wellness

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There are thousands of mental health apps available for both iOS and Android phones. That being said, it’s important that before you download anything, that you do your research. Given the fact that there are so many apps to choose from, you can take an educated guess and see that a lot of them won’t be very effective.

Also, be sure to check the privacy settings for the apps you’d like to download, as you’ll most likely be entering personal information and data into them. You can always protect your information using privacy tools, removing some of the worry and stress from using specific apps.

Apps such as Pacifica help to monitor and alleviate stress levels so that individuals can work out and reduce anxiety symptoms through cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation techniques. By using an app such as Pacifica, you can prevent your symptoms from worsening and control your stress levels to produce a healthy state of mind.

Spire

 

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Spire works through wearing a clip-on device that measures your emotions, sending signals through to your smartphone which will alert you as to what your body is currently experiencing. I know this may sound a little “out there,” but Spire has been proven to reduce stress levels by up to 50 percent in certain scenarios. When emotions are detected, the device will send signals to your phone, which then pop up on your screen telling you how you can improve your mood and emotional well-being.

The nifty device is easily clipped to a belt or bra for completely anonymous use. Repetitive high-stress levels can lead to physical health issues affecting the digestive and reproductive system (as well as other areas of the body). Stress can leave you feeling drained and lethargic, so having a device that alerts you to your emotional wellbeing and gives you advice and tips on how to reduce those stress levels is very useful.

 

Conclusion

I set out to discover whether technology really could help to treat mental health problems and to see what some of the most effective and accessible treatments available are. I think it’s fair to say that there are many ways in which technology can aid sufferers of various mental illnesses. Using apps, crisis centres, and body measuring devices we can stay on top of our stress levels, and use signals to prevent our conditions and symptoms from worsening.

I feel that using these technological solutions will work best in collaboration with any existing treatment a sufferer is undergoing- with a supportive medical team. Through using medication and counseling, these modern alternatives can provide additional beneficial results that could  boost the recovery of a patient.

Living with Uncertainty- Life and Journeys with Mental Illness

~ Eleanor Segall ~ Leave a comment

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*Trigger warning- talks about severe depression. Please be careful when reading*

There is so much I want to write on here that I havn’t yet written. Some topics  are too deep or painful for me to address- particularly surrounding certain aspects of previous hospitalisations. I hope one day I can share these with you. However, as a writer, I often get into the flow and just want to spill whats in my heart. So, this blog is about what living with mental illness can mean- its uncertainty and coming to terms with my own brain.

As most of you know, I was diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder, a mood disorder, as a teenager. I was poorly with depression and a mixed state in hospital when diagnosed and I don’t think fully came to terms with what the diagnosis meant until a few years later.

Being diagnosed so young instilled a lot of fear in me and a lot of avoidance. I decided not to drink alcohol or try drugs- as I didn’t know their effect on my brain and I was already  pretty anti drugs for many reasons. I knew my illness meant that the chemistry in my brain wasnt the same as everyone else without it- I had either too little seretonin causing depression, or too much causing hypomania and manic episodes. I felt often that despite taking mood stabilising medication and anti depressants and tablets to help PMS- that everything was uncertain. I had no idea when the next episode would strike- or if I would  be well enough recognise it.

I am lucky. My illness is very severe when it happens. Yet, I went 10 years without a manic episode or hospitalisation, though I suffered from acute depression that got truly so bad I didn’t want to be here anymore- which is quite a common side effect of being depressed. I was able to be supported at home and with my psychiatrist. I knew it was my depressed thoughts and not me- but this uncertainty  was incredibly stressful to myself and my family. I spent years being depressed and anxious and trying (and failing at times) to function- because my medication wasn’t holding me and my brain correctly.

Despite the uncertainty of so many things- dating, the effect of stressors in my life, work, etc- I am doing well at the moment. However, the uncertainty of the illness makes you worry that you could suddenly get ill again.

I practise a lot of self care- try to get to bed early, eat well, take my medication, tell my family or friends if feeling low etc. However, I always live with the knowledge that my Bipolar may pop up at different times in my life- and important times.

Due to having had this for 13 years- I am used to living with the chronic nature of my mental health condition. It can still be frightening and distressing and down right annoying. Yet, with the right support network and medical team, I know I can stay well for as long as my brain allows me- and I can get well and recover.

Recovery makes you stronger, Living through the pain makes you stronger, Surviving an episode makes you stronger.

You are not alone.

Guest Post by Juno Medical: 9 Things People with Anxiety Disorders Would Rather not Hear You Say

~ Eleanor Segall ~ Leave a comment

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Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and social anxiety disorders. 1 in 12 people suffers from anxiety globally, and women are twice as likely as men to experience anxiety.

If you feel overwhelmed by the behaviour of a person with anxiety, try to put yourself in their shoes, and show understanding, not stigma.

For more see www.junomedical.com

 

Full Circle- From Bipolar and Mental Illness to Recovery

~ Eleanor Segall ~ Leave a comment

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It was summer 2014. I sat on a sadly impersonal green NHS couch in a quiet side room , my feet dangling over the edge, holding my wordsearch book and counting down the hours until I could leave the Day Unit. I had been feeling exhausted from my new medication, wobbly, teary and lacking in confidence all day and I had just started taking Lithium as a therapeutic medication. As such I had weekly blood tests as the Lithium level in my blood fluctuated between 0.4 and the optimum dose of 0.8, where you start to feel much better.  Lithium has to reach a certain amount in the blood to work on your brain (where it stops or tames mania and mood disorders).  They also had to check it didn’t become toxic in my blood and so weekly tests were needed which were exhausting at the time.

I had just received test results that day informing me that I was feeling a bit fragile because the Lithium was only at 0.4 in my blood. All I wanted to do was hide away from the rest of the therapy group in that little room, peacefully colouring in photos and doing wordsearches to keep me occupied. All I really wanted to do was go home, to where I felt safe and I didn’t have to face the reality of being ill.

This was at the beginning of my recovery journey in 2014. I had left hospital as an in patient after a manic episode and was a voluntary patient at an Acute Day Unit specialising in group therapies. Eventually, I grew to love it and the other people there- although I always wanted to leave faster than the Doctors thought I was ready! I stayed there 3 months in total and some people stay there 2 weeks. I very much needed the healing nature of the therapies even though I didn’t feel it at the time.

I realised these past few weeks how far I have come in my journey- from ill service user needing the support of my psychiatrist, nurses and OTs, to not needing that support currently (on 6 monthly psychiatrist meetings) and helping others in a similar setting in my new job.

I really have come full circle. There may be times when I am ill again in the future or not feeling at my best. I may need more support again. I may get panic attacks or mania or depression. However, for now I am feeling positive and hoping I stay well for a long time on my medication.

Recovery is possible. I am so thankful to all who have helped me on my journey and continue to provide guidance and love.