by Dianne E. Butts “Please help me, God,” I prayed silently. Tension squeezed the muscles in my upper back, crawling into my shoulders, climbing up my neck. I smiled weakly at the others filling the room. Relax, I coached myself. You can do this. I buried my icy hands beneath my Bible. “Welcome to…
Tag: Mental and Emotional Health
Panic – Where to Go for Help
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly a fourth (24.9%) of the adult population in the United States will struggle with an anxiety disorder sometime during their lives.1 If you or someone you love is struggling with an anxiety disorder, the following organizations* offer help: Anxiety Disorders Association of America6000 Executive Boulevard, Suite…
Mind Games
by Susan J. Shelley In February 1996 my ex-husband Frank Velez, a former deputy sheriff from Los Angeles County, was released from prison. He had served ten years for murdering our seventeen-year-old son in our Arizona home. I had suspected something was wrong with Frank several months before he killed Frank Jr. His eyes…
Panic – What are Anxiety Disorders?
Everyone experiences anxiety, whether it’s dreading tomorrow’s math test or fearing a dangerous situation. However, anxiety disorders cause anxiety out of proportion to the situation and interfere with normal, daily activities. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), exaggerated tension without apparent cause, can be debilitating but doesn’t usually cause people to avoid certain situations. People with GAD…
Mind Games – Manic-depression & Schizophrenia
Manic-depression Manic-depression usually results from a personality disorder. Extreme stress can also trigger it. Mild cases can be treated with medication, psychotherapy, and rehabilitation. Symptoms Extreme mood swings Mood cycles of elated overactivity (mania) to irregular, deep depression Sleep disturbances, awakening earlier each day; inability to stay in bed Decreased work output; distraction and restlessness…
Mind Games – Mental illness vs. mental retardation
Contrary to what some think, mental illness isn’t the same as mental retardation. Retardation stems from a learning and intellectual disability. Mental illness is a biologically based brain disease that hinders a person’s ability to reason or relate to reality. Mental illness is far more common than cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis. One in…
Mind Games – Criminal law
Insanity is used as a defense against responsibility for a crime. The first modern test of insanity was the M’Naghten rule (1843). It held that a person was insane if he or she had such a defect of reason at the time of committing a criminal act that he or she did not know…
Mind Games – If a loved one threatens violence
Don’t think you can handle it alone. Contact a mental health organization, such as NAMI, and call a friend or neighbor to help. Don’t leave the person alone. List all peculiar behavior and behavior patterns: times, dates, length of pattern. List questions, suspicions, and fears to ask professionals. If the person refuses to see a…
I Am Bipolar
Meeting God in the pit of depression. by Nancy Hagerman The door swung shut behind me, and the automatic lock clicked on. Shoes and socks, watch, purse, and even my wedding ring were confiscated at the front desk. The uniform — sweat pants and t-shirt — was doled out, and I changed under the…
Mind Games – Additional Organizations
Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 800-826-2950 Grief Recovery Helpline 800-445-4808 Information Referrals & Crisis Helpline 800-233-4357 National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association 800-826-DMDA (3632) National Foundation for Depressive Illness (NAFDI) 800-248-4381 National Institute of Mental Health Information, Resources and Inquiries Branch 800-64PANIC (72642); provides information on panic disorders. National Mental Health Association 800-969-NMHA (6642) National…