Do you have the sensation that your cell phone is ringing or vibrating when it's not?

or

You hear a ringtone - then you and ten other people reach into pockets and purses for the cell phone, but only one emerges as the recipient of the call?

If so, you may have RINGXIETY.

Dr. David Laramie, from California's School of Professional Psychology, is the originator of the term and experiences "Ringxiety" as well. According to Dr. Laramie, people have grown emotionally dependent on cell phones for feelings of self-worth or for needing to be connected. Some more snarky experts think that "Ringxiety" is a need to feel popular, while sound experts believe hearing sounds that seem like a telephone's ring send an expectant brain into action, a checking-the-phone-reflex, so to speak. Whatever the origin, it appears that these needs cause people to be so desperate not to miss a call that they hear phones ringing or feel phones vibrating even when they are not.

I have the opposite of "Ringxiety". My phone is never on. I rarely use it. I spend money just to have it. I think the name of that disorder is "Sqaunderitis".

I really gotta get a prepaid phone.

References
New York Times
Wordspy

 

"Mondayitis"

"The Monday Blues"

"Having A Case of the Mondays"

Call it what you want, but "Mondayitis" - and its other monikers - is a feeling of weariness, sadness and apathy that many individuals feel when starting the Monday morning work week. And people who work at home or tend to household chores can also have "Mondayitis".

There is a notion that claims that "Mondayitis" is a real illness based on the human circadian rhythm being incompatible with a 40-hour work week. And "Mondayitis" has been linked to depression too. I also believe that weather impacts "Mondayitis". If it is dreary and rainy, "Mondayitis" is more likely to occur than when a sunny, pleasant day is peeking through the curtains.

ehow.com lists several ways to fight "Mondayitis"

1. If you can, sleep in an extra hour on Monday mornings. Going to bed early on Sunday night doesn't always help because most people will remain awake until their usual bedtime.

2. If you can't sleep in by a full hour (and most of us can't), take action Sunday night to shorten your morning preparation time so that you can set the alarm for 15 minutes later than usual.

3. Hop out of bed the moment you wake up on Monday morning. Lingering in that downy comforter will only draw out the agony.

4. End your shower with a jolt of cold water to tear yourself out of your grogginess. Or exercise in the morning to get your blood pumping and to release those feel-good endorphins.

5. Get out in the sunlight. Bright light tells your body that it is indeed the morning and helps reset your internal clock.

6. Drink coffee or another caffeine beverage. Although it's not healthy to drink caffeine to the point of addiction, caffeine, when used in moderation, can give your Monday mornings that much-needed oomph and alertness.

7. Anticipate your Monday morning on Friday afternoon. Fight the temptation to race away from a messy desk . Clean up your desk and leave yourself a to-do list to make Monday morning a little more tolerable.

I 'd like to add that if you work from your home or are a homemaker, let certain things go on Monday. Like, right now, I feel really blah, so I'll forgo making the beds, and I'll probably order take in for dinner. I also work on Mondays, and knowing that I sometimes get "Mondayitis", I arrange that my patient schedule starts later and is shorter than the rest of the week.

Many people experience "Mondayitis". So take comfort knowing you are not alone if the Monday Blues get you. But if you are blue or depressed beyond just the Monday theme, it would be wise to think about seeking medical attention. It may not just be the Monday Blues. It could be depression.

Mother's Day is a holiday that is marked world-wide. Countries such as the United States, Canada, The UK, Australia, China and Japan, just to name a few, highlight the day on their yearly calendar (How Stuff Works, 2004).

Historically, Mother's Day has been a day where children and other family members honor mothers or individuals who are nurturing and caretaking in maternal ways. For some, it is a day of celebration, of expressing one's love and appreciation for a mothering figure. The day is met with happiness and the sharing of joyous memories of times past and the anticipation of good times to come.

However, for others, Mother's Day is not so easy. It can bring forth sadness, loss and yearning if one's mother has died. Or if a mother has lost a child, it can become an excruciating day filled with grief. Anger and resentment can percolate if a person has not had a good relationship with his or her mother. There are many more examples....too many to list in this post (Hinton, 2004).

In my work, landmark days, anniversary dates or holidays of any kind can be especially difficult for anyone who has experienced loss, death or the recognition of toxicity in a relationship. Of all the days in the calendar year, Mother's Day and Father's Day evoke the most profound emotional responses (Pollock, 1970).

To those of you who struggle with this day, know that you are not alone. Give yourself permission to feel and think whatever may come from within. It is important for your to mother yourself.

To those of you who can celebrate this day with joy, I wish you a most happy day.

I wish everyone a Mother's Day that brings them well being.

References:
Hinton, Clara. (2004). How to Handle Mother's Day. Silent Grief

Pollock, G. H. (1970). Anniversary Reactions, Trauma, and Mourning. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 39:347-371.

__________(2004). Who Came Up with Mother's Day and Why?. Accessed at How Stuff Works

• Many believe that recognizing emotions is an automatic thing.

  An instinct.

  A given.

  But, actually, there are many people who have trouble identifying their own feelings. The clinical name for this is "Alexithymia" ~pronounced Alex-ee-time-eeya.

  People who experience Alexithymia are unable to recognize their own emotions and their subtleties, to understand or describe these emotions, and they sometimes misunderstand the emotional experience of others.

  Alexithymia was coined from the Greek word LEXIS, ("word") and THYMOS ("feelings"), and literally means "a lack of words for feelings".

  Alexithymia has not been a well publicized issue and most professionals as well as non-professionals know little or nothing about it.

  Alexithymia is not a disorder, but is seen as a trait. Some characteristics noted are:

  *Difficulty identifying different types of feelings

  *Difficulty distinguishing between emotional feelings and bodily feelings

  * Limited understanding of what caused the feelings

  * Difficulty verbalizing feelings

  * Limited imagination

  * Functional, constricted style of thinking

  * Physical complaints

  * Lack of enjoyment and pleasure-seeking

  * Stiffened posture and/or facial expressions

  Many individuals who have Alexithymia can sometimes find themselves doing counterproductive non-verbal activities to communicate their feelings. Activities like cutting, or breaking things, engaging in drinking or dabbling in drug use, for example. Learning to recognize feelings to productively verbalize and communicate is the goal here. And the goal is also to find productive non-verbal activities like art, exercise, and sports to allow for more meaningful experiences in life.

  Alexithymia is not something to fear. If you experience this, just be be patient as you learn how to recognize and name your own feelings and bodily experiences.

  If you have difficulty doing this on your own, a mental health professional can help to show you the way.

  References:
  Taylor, G. J., & Bagby, R. M. (2000) An overview of the alexithymia construct, in ed. R. Bar-On & J. D. A. Parker, The Handbook of Emotional Intelligence, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., Ch.3, pp.41-67.

Original posting:       http://drdeborahserani.blogspot.com/2006/05/alexithymia-what-heck-is-that.html

The crimson river flows
and the pain recedes.
Circles, lines and bows
The sweetness of the bleed.
~ Anne

This is a poem written by a teenage girl with whom I have been working. She chose to use the name Anne, after her favorite poet, Anne Sexton. Now, some of you may know that Anne Sexton killed herself, and that my patient’s choice to use her name is somewhat suspect. But this Anne, a sixteen year old girl, has no intention of hurting herself. She is like most people who cut. She is trying to soothe herself, not kill herself.

What is Cutting?

Cutting falls under the umbrella of Self-Injurious Behaviors (SIB). Other forms of SIB include burning, skin-picking, wound-picking, skin puncturing and flaying. This paper, however, will focus specifically on cutting behaviors in individuals who are not psychotic or brain damaged.

Cutting can range from severe tissue damage to minor skin scratches. Cuts can take form in delicate lines, swirls, patterns and initials. “Like a tattoo,” one patient revealed. Cutting can be smooth from beginning to end, suggesting a slow, steadied hand doing the deed. Cuts can occur in haphazard slashes, revealing a fury in the strokes. Cutting wounds can present in a rippled manner, where blood spills intermittently through the skin, giving the lesion a bumpy, prickly look. Redness can accompany cuts, as can bruising. Cuts can be thick, deep and long, and as one patient discovered, can get infected and require hospital attention. Cutting is usually assigned to hidden places, not readily visible to the casual observer. With regard to moderate and mild cutting, clothing conceals them, bracelets hide them, band-aids cover them. More severe cutting may be noticeable in the way a person carries his/her posture (limping, hobbling or recoiling).

The style of cutting will be as individual as the person. So, too, will be the instrument chosen for accomplishing the act. Tools for cutting can be items specifically designed to cut: scissors, knives, razors. Ordinary items can be employed: pins, paper clips, needles, pen caps, forks, broken glass…anything that can break the skin.

Translating Cutting in Psychological Terms

The cutting, carving and scratching of skin in is an attempt to control overwhelming emotions, feelings of helplessness, and for some is a way to manage anger or shame. Cutting is a way to manage self-punishment, self-hate or self-nurturance. In its simplest form, cutting is a physical solution to a psychic wound. It is a deliberate, private act that can be habitual or isolated in occurrence. It is not attention seeking behavior, not meant to be manipulative, nor is it a conscious attempt to end one’s life. (Azar, 1995; Carll, 2003; Froeschle & Moyer, 2004; Kress White, 2003; Levenkron, 1999; Strong 1999).

Symbolically speaking, cutting is viewed psychologically as a method to communicate what cannot be spoken. The skin is the projected canvas, an encasement of sorts, where aspects of the psyche reside. Anzeiu’s (1989) theory of skin-ego best describes this, and is compelling reading for professionals. “Mutilations of the skin are dramatic attempts to maintain the boundaries of the body and the Ego, and to re-establish a sense of being intact and cohesive” (Anzeiu, 1989, p.20). It is important for psychologists to understand the skin’s symbolic representation in the act of cutting and the ego organization that is being attempted by the individual. Talk is always preferred over action in therapy. So the goal here is to help the patient translate verbally what is occurring physically.

Who is Cutting?

At present, little is known regarding etiology, course, diagnosis, assessment and appropriate treatment interventions for cutting. The data available focuses on self-injury behaviors as a whole.

Statistically speaking, approximately 4% of the population in the United States uses self-injury as a way of coping (Briere & Gil, 1998). Individuals who self-injure are represented in all SES brackets in the United States (Brier & Gil, 1998; Dieter et. al., 2000). The behavior usually has its origin in adolescence, and has been shown to continue for some into adulthood (Kress White, 2004). Girls and women tend to self-injure more than boys and men, but this maybe represented by the fact that females tend to turn to professional help more than males.

Cutting and the DSM

Cutting is not a separate category in the DSMIV-TR, but researchers in the field are pushing for its inclusion in the DSMV. Pattison & Kahan (1983) have been writing about Deliberate Self-Harm Syndrome for over two decades, urging the recognition of cutting and the other self-injury behaviors as distinct disorders. Favazza & Rosenthal (1993) have supported this as well and have been detailing their research about Repetitive Self-Harm Syndrome for over a decade. For now, cutting can be diagnosed as an Impulse-Control Disorder NOS.

Cutting has been markedly linked to borderline personality disorder (Brodsky, et. al., 1995; Russ et. al., 1995). Akhtar (1995) states that the borderline individual uses cutting as both an attempt at self-delineation and to express a connection (or lack of connection) with others. Cutting has been moderately associated with histrionic and narcissistic personality disorders (Konicki & Schulz, 1989; Kress White, 2003), suggesting that the reactive traits in these disorders raises the likelihood of cutting tendencies. Disorders of the Self have also been companioned with cutting and can be seen in the impairment of a patient’s self-capacity for tolerating strong affect and the maintaining of a sense of self worth (Dieter et.al. 2000). Depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders and eating disorders have also been associated with cutting as have childhood trauma, sexual abuse, and gender identity, though not statistically linked as previously mentioned.

Research into self injury has revealed that the act can become physiologically and psychologically addictive. Clinical studies to date have attended to the role of endogenous opioids. Endorphins function as natural narcotics or opiates in the body as the self-injury occurs, and an individual learns to associate the act of cutting with the rush from the endorphin release (Azar, 1995; Simeon et al.; 1992; Villalba & Harrington, 2000). This “high” secures the cyclic addiction. Individuals who self injure also report feeling no pain as the cutting occurs. This is similar to "stress-induced analgesia" that wounded soldiers and athletes report experiencing (Hilgard, 1976).

Why is Cutting more Prevalent

Cutting behaviors have been reported for many years and are on the rise, reaching epidemic proportions (Froeshcle & Moyer, 2004), but there is no hard and fast evidence as to why. Concern is at such a fevered pitch that the American Self-Harm Information Clearinghouse named March 1, 2005 as National Self Injury Awareness Day to educate and inform medical and mental health professionals and the general public about the self injury. The United Kingdom and Australia have marked March 1st as National Self-Injury Awareness day in their respective countries as well.

Media contagion seems to be a common theory as to why cutting is on the rise. High profile individuals like Princess Diana, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Fiona Apple, Angelina Jolie, and Courtney Love have revealed that they deliberately cut or self injured. Movies like “Girl Interrupted” and “Thirteen”, depict individuals using cutting behaviors as a means to reduce adversity. This gets translated as a possible option for individuals who are grappling with significant emotional turmoil. Peer contagion is also a factor in school and work settings - If she tried it, maybe this can work for me.

Assessment and Interventions

Kress White (2003) tells us that we are still in need of finding better assessment and intervention tools for cutting behaviors. For now, many clinical practitioners and school psychologists use eclectic approaches when dealing with cutting.

The first step in assessment is to determine if cutting is a suicide attempt. Therefore, a standard suicide assessment is paramount. Once ideation, intent, and plan are ruled out, the inquiry should address the patterns of cutting, the conflicts the teen or adult experiences, as well as inspection of said cuts if given permission to see them. Educating the individual about what cutting is in psychological terms will help start the recovery process.

Duty to warn will be a matter of interest. A breach of confidentiality may be appropriate when cutting occurs. Teens and adults who cut do not want to end their life, but cutting can put one at risk for significant injury and infection, tissue or muscle damage and accidental death.

Exploring family dynamics is another area that should receive great coverage. The person who cuts often feels that h/she doesn’t have the right to assert him/herself, doesn’t feel that thoughts and feelings are respected, or gets punished for his/her expression by family members (Levenkron, 1999; Strong, 1999). The exploring of the family dynamics will reveal that the family constellation is in need of help as well. Family therapy is very essential modality for recovery.

For teens that are not comfortable with family therapy, cognitive and behavioral approaches can be pursued to help address the maladaptive coping schemas. Psychodynamic therapy can also be a considered orientation to uncover the unconscious and symbolic aspects of the cutting.

Interventions that have been used with patients with dissociative disorders have been useful with individuals who cut. Visualization can be used to move through painful thoughts or affects, and keeps the person in-the-moment. Sensory Grounding Skills, holding something soft, listening to soothing music, drawing or writing, for example, can interrupt the trance-like state and can shift the person from engaging in the maldaptive cutting. Cognitive Grounding Skills, like “Who am I really mad at”, ”What is setting me off”, “I am safe and I am in control”, re-orient a person to the here-and-now, and can keep the impulse to cut from emerging.

Conclusions

If cutting is not addressed, a person will not only suffer scarring on a physical level, but will experience poor self-esteem, an inability to tolerate and master conflicts, and constriction in social and intimate relationships, just to name a few. Trust, expression and connection will likely be tentative and tumultuous at school, work and home as well.

Returning to Anne, she reports less frequency in her cutting, and her urges have lessened in intensity. She and I have come to learn that her personality and behavioral traits are dependent in nature. She sees how her need for attachment and the need to not be alone causes her to cut. She has taken very well to journal writing, giving new meaning to the phrase “the pen is mightier than the sword”.

Resources

http://www.selfinjury.info/ - Based in the United Kingdom, this website is volunteer based that raises awareness about self injury worldwide. Many of the contributors are former self injurers.
http://www.selfinjury.org/ - The American Self-Harm Information Clearinghouse website offers articles and resources to inform the general public as well as health professionals about the phenomenon of self-harm.
http://www.selfmutilatorsanonymous.org/ – Using a 12 step program, Self Mutilators Anonymous offers in-person and online fellowships to help in the recovery from self injurious behaviors.
http://www.sidran.org/ - The Sidran Institute, along with Ruta Mazelis, publish The Cutting Edge Newsletter. Articles are often penned by teens and adults living with self injurious behaviors, and there are empirical articles and clinical papers from professionals in the field who treat patients who engage in SIB as well.

References

American Self Injury Clearinghouse - www.selfinjury.org

Azar, B. (1995). The body can become addicted to self-injury. Supplemental readings from the APA Monitor. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Akhtar, S. (1995). Losing and fusing. Borderline transitional object and self relations. Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 64:583-588.

Anzieu, D. (1985). The Skin-Ego. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Briere, J. & Gil E. (1998). Self-mutilation in clinical and general population samples: Prevalence, correlates, and functions. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68 (4), 609-620.

Brodsky, B., Cloitre, M. & Dulit, R. A. (1995). Relationship of dissociation to self-mutilation and childhood abuse in borderline personality disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152 (12), 1788-1792.

Carll, E.K (2003). Self-injury behavior: Emerging trends. Bulletin of the Psychologists in Independent Practice, 23 (3).

Dieter, P.J., Nicholls, S.S. & Pearlman, L.A. (2000). Self-injury and self capacities: Assisting an individual in crisis. Journal of clinical psychology, 56 (9): 1173-1191.

Favazza, A.R. & Rosenthal, R.J. (1993). Diagnostic issues in self-mutilation. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 44: 134-140.

Froeschle, J. & Moyer, M. (2004). Just cut it out: Legal and ethical challenges in counseling students who self-mutilate. Professional School Counseling. 7(4), 231-235.

Gardner, A.R. & Gardner A.J. (1975). Self-mutilation, obsessionality and narcissism. British Journal of Psychiatry,127:127–132.

Glassner, B. (2000). The culture of fear: Why americans are afraid of the wrong things. New York, Basic Books.

Haines, Janet, & Williams, Christopher L. (1997). Coping and Problem Solving of Self-Mutilators. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53 (2), 177-186.

Hilgard, E.R. (1976), Neodissociation theory of multiple cognitive systems. In: Consciousness and Self-Regulation, Schwartz G.E. & Shapiro, D. eds. New York: Plenum Press.

Konicki, P. E. & Shulz, S. C. (1989). Rationale of clinical trials of opiate antagonists in treating patients with personality disorders and self-injurious behaviour, Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 15: 556-563.

Kress White, V.E. (2003). Self-injurious behaviors: Assessment and diagnosis. Journal of Counseling & Development. 81(4), 490-496.

Levenkron, S. (1999). Cutting: Understanding and overcoming self-mutilation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

Pattison, E.M. & Kahan, J. (1983). The deliberate self-harm syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 140:867-872.

Russ, M.J., Clark, W.C., Cross, L.W., Kemperman, I. Kakuma, T. & Harrison, K. (1995). Pain and self injury in borderline patients: Sensory decision theory, coping strategies and locus of control. Psychiatry Residency, 63: 57-65.

Simeon, D.; Stanley, B.; Frances. (1992).Self-mutilation in personality disorders: psychological and biological correlates. American Journal of Psychiatry, 149(2):221-226.

Strong, M. (1999). Bright red scream: Self-mutilation and the language of pain.
New York: Penguin Books.

Villalba, R.; Harrington, C.J. (2000). Repetitive self-injurious behavior: A neuropsychiatric perspective and review of pharmacologic treatments. Seminars in Clinical Neuropsychiatry, 5(4):215-226.

World Health Day, celebrated annually on April 7th, will be devoted to the health workforce crisis.

On this day around the globe, hundreds of organizations will host events to draw attention to the global health workforce crisis and celebrate the dignity and value of working for health. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the issue that without caring volunteers and professionals, healthcare cannot reach those in need.

Massage is one of the oldest healing arts.

Chinese records dating back 3,000 years document its use - the ancient Hindus, Persians and Egyptians applied forms of massage for many ailments - and Hippocrates wrote papers recommending the use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory problems.

Today, the benefits of massage are varied and far-reaching. Massage Therapy does not only ease the stress and tension of everyday life. It has been shown to be beneficial for many chronic conditions, including low back pain, arthritis, bursitis, fatigue, high blood pressure, diabetes, immunity suppression, infertility, and more.

Massage Therapy is also excellent for individuals with anxiety or depression, and for anyone recovering from trauma. I often recommend Massage Therapy when I work with patients.

What is Massage Therapy?

Massage Therapy, involves applications of various techniques to the muscular structure and soft tissues of the human body. Through this healing touch, muscles are relaxed, toxins are released and endorphins flow. There are more than 200 variations of massage, bodywork, and somatic therapies and many practitioners utilize many different kinds of techniques. Click here for more information on what to expect from Massage Therapy.

Massage Therapy can be obtained through spa services, medical offices, and privately through a licensed masseuse. And, uh, please make sure your Massage Therapist is a licensed one, so no hanky-panky goes on!

And if you can't get to a professional Massage Therapist, ask someone you love to get their hands on you!

Touch is so healing.

References
American Massage Therapy Association
MassageTherapy.com

Original post @ http://drdeborahserani.blogspot.com/2006/03/massage-therapy-its-health-benefits.html

 

Joel and The Mass Defective reminded me that I should get this on my blog.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness in the United States, presents this first comprehensive state-by-state analysis of mental health care systems in 15 years. Every U.S. state has been scored on 39 specific criteria resulting in an overall grade and four sub-category grades for each state. The national average grade is D. Five states receive grades in the B range. Eight receive F's. None received A's.

My state - New York- got a grade of "U"- that's right a "U", signifiying an "unresponsive" status in regard to the questions posed.

Select a state above to view its report card and NAMI's analysis. Click-Your-State.

Then, be sure to visit the Take Action area to find out how you can get involved and make a difference.

To my readers out of the country, I hope your healthcare is better than ours!

Resource:
National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI)

 

 

 

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, eating disorders are illnesses with a biological basis modified and influenced by emotional and cultural factors. The stigma associated with eating disorders has long kept individuals suffering in silence, inhibited funding for crucial research and created barriers to treatment. Because of insufficient information, the public and professionals fail to recognize the dangerous consequences of eating disorders. While eating disorders are serious, potentially life threatening illnesses, there is help available and recovery is possible.