Supply and Demand Psychotherapy

I am a believer in psychotherapy. For close to three decades I had the privilege of working with clients as they transformed their lives in amazing ways. Nothing is more satisfying in life than hearing from a former client years later and learning about the wonderful ways their lives unfolded after our therapy was completed. As a psychotherapist, my entire focus was on the person sitting in the chair across from me. I rarely thought about the people who didn’t make it into my office. I didn’t focus on the waiting list or the people who were referred out. I was content and satisfied in providing effective therapy and a great therapeutic relationship to my clients.

When I became an administrator, whose primary clinical responsibilities were to oversee all of service delivery, my awareness of those who don’t make it into a therapist’s office was heightened. I worked in college and university mental health clinics, and the consequences for students who were made to wait were dire. If a student waited four weeks to get treatment for their depression, they were likely to lose their entire semester. If they failed classes in a particular semester, the entire trajectory of their lives could be altered. Their graduation prospects were in jeopardy, graduate and professional school could be out of reach, and job recruiters might very well may pass on them.

As an administrator, I found myself in the intolerable position of determining who would flourish and who would flounder based entirely on the date on which that student sought services. If a student arrived in late August, we rolled out the smorgasbord; group therapy, individual therapy, biofeedback, psychiatric consultation. Whatever they wanted we could provide. In contrast, if a student arrived in early October, they would get a quick triage and then be placed on a waitlist, sometimes for a month to 6 weeks.

Compounding the problem were the obvious differences between the people who came in August and those who waited a few weeks. Students who sought services in August were more likely to have been in therapy before. They were also more likely to come from higher socioeconomic groups-they were more often white. On the other hand, students who waited tended to be from lower SES families, first generation college students and “of color.” We were operating a system that provided advantages to the already privileged, and disadvantages to the already oppressed.

I could not continue to have our agency work this way. I had to find new ways to provide effective help to these young people on their way to adulthood. We needed to increase our capacity without sacrificing effectiveness, knowing we would never be able to hire our way out of our supply and demand problem. Our efforts to solve this problem lead to the creation of my company, Therapy Assistance Online (TAO). Problems of supply and demand are not unique to college counseling centers. Over 106 million people in the US live in federally designated underserved areas for mental health. About 56% of US counties have no licensed psychologists or licensed clinical social workers. We are unlikely to ever meet the mental health needs of the population through face-to-face individual psychotherapy. In digital and online tools and services we have the best hope for putting a dent in the problem.

Our software (TAO Connect, Inc.) is used in 120 college and university counseling centers and we’ve expanded into community mental health centers, employee assistance programs in the US and Australia, a Canadian Province, and two large provider groups. I am very proud to know that our software is helpful to ten times more people than I was able to treat with individual therapy. Recently, one of our university clinicians told me the story of a student whose anxiety disorder was so overwhelming that she had to leave school. She did not have insurance to cover any private therapist, so she worked with TAO’s online CBT for anxiety course. She was able to recover fully and returned to school, and had a great semester. She credited the TAO course with teaching mindfulness skills and learning to challenge her unhelpful thoughts.

As a field we need to explore, develop, research, and test digital and online tools, especially to populations at great risk. Too often mental health apps are developed by software engineers with little or no input from mental health practitioners. Our input is vital if effective tools are going to be developed consistent with what we know works. Practitioners in mental health need to be at the forefront of addressing these dire supply and demand problems and we need to lead in the development of effective tools. We can’t afford to concede our field to software engineers.
    

from http://www.psychotherapy.net/blog/title/supply-and-demand-psychotherapy

How to Deal with an Especially Cruel Inner Critic

It’s common for you to have a running commentary in your mind that sounds something like this:

You’ll never get that job. You’re not smart, cool or creative enough. That fight was all your fault. You don’t belong at that party with those accomplished people. You’ll never finish that project. You’ll never achieve that goal. Who do you think you are? If you don’t get a perfect grade on that paper, it’ll confirm you’re a fraud. Scratch that. You are a fraud. You’re also a terrible mother. You also can’t do anything right. You also aren’t worthy of _______ and ________. And ________. 

And you assume these constant, cruel words are the truth. You assume they’re gospel.

Many clients who see Lauren Canonico realize they’re hard on themselves. But they’re less aware of the stringent, sky-high standards they set and where those standards stem from, said Canonico, LCSW, a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice in New York City.

“Most people don’t know how they came to feel the way they do about themselves.”

The inner critic originates from early experiences with primary caregivers. We internalize how these significant caregivers relate and perceive us in the world, said Christina Cruz, Psy.D, a life coach who specializes in low self-esteem, perfectionism, anxiety, depression and body image.

“Their voice and perceptions of us become our voice and become how we relate to ourselves. Because primary caregivers have such a strong role in our lives, it is difficult to develop a sense of self outside of what others believe us to be.”

We also internalize our caregivers’ feelings and criticisms of themselves, and “hold ourselves to those same standards,” said Canonico, who offers affirmative counseling and therapy to adults and teens, and clinical consulting services to individuals and organizations.

Societal messages make a difference, too. Maybe you’ve received cruel messages about your race, religion, sexual orientation or size, which may “seemingly confirm the inner critic’s negative stance and strengthen it even further,” Canonico said.

At the core of our inner critic is usually an overwhelming feeling of not being good enough, Cruz said. Which, again, leads the inner critic to continuously scan for evidence that supposedly substantiates our worthlessness.

But it doesn’t matter how cruel and awful and persistent your inner critic is because you can reduce it. You can change your relationship with yourself. Sometimes that means working with a therapist to unpack the origins of your critic and to work through it. Either way, you can start the work with the below strategies.

Better understand your inner critic. Change starts with understanding our personal triggers for negative self-talk, said  Darcy Lawton, LCSW, a psychotherapist who specializes in self-esteem, anxiety, relationships and the performing arts. She suggested creating a flow-chart that includes the following:

• When and where your inner critic is activated
• Emotions that arise
• Thoughts that arise
• Evidence that supports or refutes its words

For the last category, it’s critical to let go of extreme thinking (more on that below) and be honest with yourself, Cruz said. For instance, is it really true that no one cares about you?

“I am certain you will find evidence that does not support some of the thoughts you have about yourself,” Cruz said. “When you ask yourself this very simple question—Is this true? —you will find holes in the story you have been believing.”

Use present, action-oriented language. The inner critic tends to use phrases such as “I should have, could have, would have,” said Lawton. It also uses extreme words, such as “always, never, have to, no one, must, nothing, perfectly, only and can’t,” said Cruz.

Instead, Lawton suggested using present-focused language, such as “I feel this, I experience that, I hope for this,” because it nudges our inner critic to a more supportive space. 

Focus on your younger self. While changing how you talk to yourself is important, it’s equally essential to change how you relate to yourself, Cruz said. Which is why she helps clients incorporate self-compassion into their lives: “[I]t’s what inevitably makes the biggest difference in silencing their inner critic.”

For instance, she asks her clients to imagine their younger selves at a critical time in their lives, and to reflect on what that child really needed. Because what that little girl or boy needed is usually what we need too: compassion, security, love.

How can you give yourself compassion, security and love? What loving actions can you take today? What loving decisions can you make? Where do you need your own patience and understanding?

Empathize with your inner critic. While it rarely feels like it, the inner critic is trying to protect us—from potential rejection, harm, failure. It has good intentions. As Canonico said, “the inner critic wants us to succeed.”

But, of course, its approach is awful, because it originates from fear. Frequently, “our inner critic is fearful of not being enough which most often can be overcome with what it needs the most: compassion and love,” Cruz said.

Consider that your inner critic is trying to help. For instance, according to Canonico, you might acknowledge: “Wow, this promotion or this friendship must be really important to me if I am being so hard on myself about it and am so afraid of losing it. How can I work towards it?”

Prioritize self-care. This is huge, Canonico said. Practicing self-care reminds you that you deserve compassionate care and positive, pleasurable experiences. Self-care is highly personal, but it might include: waking up early to journal about your thoughts and feelings as you sip on a warm cup of tea; sleeping in because you need the rest; taking a restorative yoga class; meeting a friend for lunch; spending Sunday on the couch with a good book.

Acknowledge the positive. Canonico suggested taking note of positive feedback or small moments that go well (e.g., keeping a gratitude journal). Because that’s part of the reality, too. For instance, maybe you’re a thoughtful friend, a good writer or a hard worker. Sure, maybe you have room to grow, but so does everyone. We are constantly evolving, aren’t we?

Canonico also noted that these strategies introduce new and different information about ourselves. “Not allowing the inner critic to have a monopoly on what we say to ourselves is key.”

While we can’t eliminate the inner critic, we can start to relate to it differently. We can start to relate to ourselves differently. We can start with a single kind gesture—empathizing with our inner child, forgiving ourselves for making a mistake, remembering we’re not alone—and go from there.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-an-especially-cruel-inner-critic/

Best of Our Blogs: October 2, 2018

I don’t know about you, but all the things on the news can be especially trying when you’re battling an illness. Even if you’re not, it’s easy to get anxious or depressed about the state of the world.

There is an antidote to the helplessness you feel.

I heard once that feeling empathy can lead to emotional overload. But action and loving thoughts can move us towards hopefulness.

This week as you navigate the stress and unpredictability of our daily lives, see if you can find pockets of change in the way you react to and understand the people in your life.

8 Toxic Ways Narcissistic Mothers Emotionally Abuse Their Children
(Recovering from a Narcissist) – Your inner critic and self-doubt may have to do with this.

Core Personality: The D-Factor
(Therapy Soup) – It’s a personality trait you might not have known about. But read about it, and you’ll recognize it in that difficult person you know.

How Victims are groomed by Abusive Predators
(The Recovery Expert) – It’s an important factor that explains why people stay in abusive relationships.

The 2 Types Of Childhood Emotional Neglect: Active and Passive
(Childhood Emotional Neglect) – If you think you know everything about childhood emotional neglect, this will surprise you.

When Your Partner Has A Sexual Issue
(Let’s Talk Sex) – There’s been a dry spell in your relationship. This could be the reason.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/best-of-our-blogs-october-2-2018/

8 Tips to Curb Your Child’s Obsessive Smartphone Use

“I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” – Albert Einstein

Amid the growing body of research pointing to the negative effects of constant smartphone use, especially among today’s youth, parents may well wonder how to act to rein in this pernicious habit in their own kids. Indeed, obsessive smartphone use has been linked to depression, insomnia, high stress and a host of other ills, not to mention a significant decline in face-to-face interaction — which may have long-term consequences for development of social skills and self-presentation. Smartphone obsession has also contributed to a steep decline in reading books, whether in print or on an e-reader such as Kindle.

Kids growing up today haven’t known a world without smartphones, so you can’t blame them for using them — especially if you promoted that when they were young as a convenient distraction.

Now, though, things may have gotten so out of hand that something must be done about obsessive smartphone use. Consider these 10 tips to help curb that habit.

Model by changing your own behavior.

Children mimic adult behavior. In fact, keen observation by children as young as toddler age shows a pattern that parallels what their parents do. If you’ve always got your smartphone in your hand, drive while texting, using social media, dashing off an email or checking directions, making a reservation and so on, guess what? Your kids learn by the behavior you model. While the habit may currently be tough to change, on both sides, you can make a conscious effort to reduce your digital distraction, put down the smartphone and pay more attention to your kids one-on-one. After all, there’s no greater connection than that which exists between parent and child. Besides, limiting your time on electronic devices is healthier for your own well-being as well.

Insist on device-free meals.

How long does a meal last? Surely this time can be devoted to talking with each other about the day’s events, future plans, interests, anything concerning, laughing and showing affection for each other as a family. For this to happen, though, you must insist that smartphones be turned off, put on silent or, better yet, left in another room. If it’s not sitting on the table beside them (or you, for that matter), it can’t serve as a distraction from what is supposed to be a time of family bonding. Besides, recent research found that even minor phone usage during meals made diners feel distracted and reduced their mealtime enjoyment. Pew research also found that when one person uses a cellphone at the table, others are likely to follow suit. Your kids are going to object, probably quite strenuously, saying you’re being unreasonable, that they have to be available for an important call or text. Be the parent. Make mealtime smartphone-free time.

Make a house rule that phones are turned off at bedtime.

Considerable research on the harmful effects of blue light from electronic devices in the bedroom should be enough to convince you to incorporate a new house rule: all phones are to be turned off at bedtime. At the very least, make sure they’re left in another room so the temptation to glance and use won’t interfere with sleep. Expect another outcry from your kids. Tell them this is the appropriate time to charge the phone’s battery. Everyone wants a full charge, the better to do all that streaming, right?

Plan outside activities where phones can’t be used.

You can’t use a smartphone when you’re playing sports, or skiing downhill, water skiing, tobogganing, sledding and countless other outside activities. The more you can encourage your children – and model by example, doing things together as a family – to be outside and active, the less likely they are to have their necks craned down tapping texts into their smartphones. A bonus is that being outside in nature is conducive to lowering stress levels and boosting overall physical and mental health.

Invite your child’s friends over for face-to-face get-togethers – no phones allowed.

Since kids today are prone to use smartphones rather than hang out together, one thing parents can do is to encourage their children to have their friends over. With little kids, this is called play dates, but the principle is the same for adolescents and teens. Have a Friday night pizza night, maybe after a school football game. Have holiday parties, like a Halloween costume invite. While it might be tough to say that no phones are allowed, if there are activities to keep the kids busy, they’ll have less time to be on those phones and staring at those screens. Depending on the age of the kids, parents may be in the room, helping out with refreshments, etc. For older adolescents and teens, just make sure your presence is known, checking in with them from time to time.

Monitor your child’s screen time.

How do you know what your child is looking at on the smartphone, or the computer? There are cyberstalkers out there and dangerous situations kids can get themselves into without knowing it. If you feel queasy about such monitoring, talk with other parents or do some research online on how best to do this without coming off as overbearing and intrusive of privacy. Again, remember that you are the parent. You have to be protective of your child’s welfare and that entails monitoring screen time.

Insist that homework comes first.

Kids can talk for hours – make that text, send IMs and hang out on social media. This can definitely result in plummeting grades. Let your kids know that homework comes first and communicating with friends comes later. Of course, you’ll have to monitor what they’re doing to ensure that the activity is homework. Another caution: don’t fall for the excuse that their friend/classmate is involved with them in a project and they have to communicate. If that’s the case, invite the friend over so the two can study/work on the project together, in real time.

No games (such as Fortnite) on school nights.

Maybe your teen or adolescent is hooked on video games. One popular one in our family is Fortnite. It’s become so much of a problem that we’ve put guidelines in place: no games at all on school nights. And, in addition, time spent on such gaming is limited when it is allowed. No endless hours spent with the controller, eyes glued to the big screen. One recent study estimates that 160 million American adults play Internet-based games, although another survey found that 0.3 to 1.0 percent of the general population might qualify for a potential diagnosis of acute Internet gaming disorder.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/8-tips-to-curb-your-childs-obsessive-smartphone-use/

Whom Do We Believe?

You may be thinking about it as a “she said, he said” story. But it may well be a “she remembers, he doesn’t” story.

For him, the night may have been just another insignificant, inconsequential, meaningless event. One more beer party in which trying to score with a girl was the goal. Such a memory is easily forgotten, especially with an alcohol-soaked brain and a belief that you did nothing wrong. Though she terms it attempted rape, he, and his frat beer buddies, probably viewed it as nothing more than “scoring.” No big deal.

He may truly have no memory of the event. Or, if he has residual memory, it’s best for him to keep it away from his conscious mind to avoid seeing the suffering and sorrow his behavior caused.

For her, the night was a terrifying, traumatic, life-altering experience; an experience frozen in time. How can you ever forget being pushed into a room, held down, groped, forcefully silenced and almost raped? How can you ever forget who it was who tried to rape you? Though you may forget the exact date of the party, you will never forget the struggle, the fright, the terror. It remains a vivid lifetime memory decades later.

This is the nature of post-traumatic stress. Even if you want to forget it, you can’t. Traumatic memories are deeply encoded in the brain and the body.

But then why didn’t she tell anyone? Why didn’t she report it?

Lots of reasons. Here are a few possibilities:

1. She was scared. Maybe she shouldn’t have been at the party. Maybe she felt that she would be yelled at. Why did you go upstairs? Why didn’t you go with a friend? Why did you wear that outfit? Yes, sometimes the blame for an attack falls on the victim. Not only from law enforcement officials, but also from parents who want their daughters to be safe and know that “boys will be boys” behavior is often at the girl’s expense.
2. The behavior had no name. Today we talk about it as “sexual assault.” In the ’80s, however, that term was rarely used, particularly when referring to what takes place at teen parties. It’s not easy to talk about what happened when what happened has no name. How do you describe it? Who do you tell? When do you tell it? Will you be blamed in the process? Will anything be done about it anyway? Maybe it’s easier to just keep quiet.
3. A power differential existed. He was older. He was cool. He was at Georgetown Prep. He had friends with him. A vital ingredient of frat friends is that each brother supports the stories of the other. She was just 15 years old. Young. Inexperienced. Mortified about what happened. She didn’t know what to do. Or what to say. Or who to tell. Or how to tell it. Teens often keep embarrassing, overwhelming thoughts to themselves.
4. To speak up takes courage, especially if you may not be believed. Years ago, if you pitted a male’s version of what took place against a female’s version, guess who was believed? It was the girl who was “hysterical,” “hormonal,” and “crazy.” The guy, on the other hand, was “rational,” “right-minded” and “clear-thinking.” An equal playing field? I don’t think so.

Now that Dr. Blasey Ford has told her story in such a believable manner, it is generally acknowledged that yes, the attempted rape happened. Yet, some still believe that her memory of who did it is entirely wrong. And Judge Brett Kavanagh’s memory of not doing it is entirely right.

 I ask you: whose memory shall we trust?

• One who has a vivid recall of an emotionally charged, terrifying event that changed her life?
• Or one who admits to frequently attending parties where he drank too much and has declared, “What happens at Georgetown Prep stays at Georgetown Prep. That’s been a good thing for all of us, I think.”

©2018

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/whom-do-we-believe/

Memories Can Be Distorted – But Not in the Way That You Think

After the recent hearings of Judge Kavanaugh regarding his nomination to the Supreme Court, the recollection of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came into question. One conservative pundit, Ben Shapiro, suggested that because we had “two believable testimonies and no corroborating evidence” we should basically not fault Kavanaugh for this accusation.

But in a disjointed opinion piece published on Newsweek.com, Shapiro confuses the science of memory to distort what we actually know about how the brain forms and keeps memories. Let’s walk through his claims and what science actually says about memory.

Ben Shapiro is a political conservative pundit and a one-time lawyer who now runs a conservative website. I guess it is for these reasons he believes he’s somehow a good authority to speak about how memory works in humans in general, and in sexual assault cases specifically.¹ Shapiro begins by suggesting that “One report from the U.S. National Research Council explains that eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable.”

That’s great if we were talking about an eyewitness to a traffic accident or bank robbery. But a person who has been sexually assaulted is not an eyewitness at all — they are the victim. Those are two completely different things, but it’s something Shapiro hopes you don’t think too critically about as he barrels through his muddy analysis.

This carries into a discussion about false memories and Elizabeth Loftus, who he says that:

… memories are “more easily modified, for instance, when the passage of time allows the original memory to fade.” False memories “are constructed by combining actual memories with the content of suggestions received from others.”

False memories have very little to do with ordinary memories, and even less to do with how memory works in victims of trauma, such as sexual assault. False memories can be introduced by suggestion, or by biased questioning in attempt to manipulate another person. There’s been no evidence that Dr. Blasey Ford’s memories are the result of false memories, so this digression is meaningless to her recollection of her trauma.

Last, Shapiro correctly notes that, “findings from basic psychological research and neuroscience studies indicate that memory is a reconstructive process that is susceptible to distortion.” What specific kind of distortion? To dive into that question would put his argument at risk, so he doesn’t elaborate on this — the most important aspect in the discussion of victim memory.

Research Into Memory

Over decades of research, we have some idea about how human memories work. But to say we understand exactly how the brain stores, processes, and recalls memories at a later date would be overstepping our current knowledge. We have sets of theories and models about both memory and memory recall, and data to support a variety of them.

One thing we do know is that memory is not like a video recording or your computer’s memory. While in rare instances it may offer something close to precise recall, most memories are not stored in a way that gives us access to an exact recording of what happened. Instead, we store the memory for a period of time in short-term memory.

When we have a reason to keep a memory around, the brain appears to keep it alive due to an ongoing, long-term connection between the brain’s synaptic contacts. Because if there’s no strong emotional connection to the memory (or some other reason to keep recalling it), the brain will over time seemingly lose the ability to recall it (Texas A&M University, 2016). This is what happens to most of our memories.

Long-term memory is divided into two categories. Explicit memory is what people usually think of when they think of memory — consciously remembering events that happened to you. But there’s a second type of memory that’s just as important called implicit memory, which refers to how you remember to do things, such as doing the laundry. Psychologists call this procedural, nonconscious memory. Also included in implicit memory are emotional memories (Cozolino, 2002).

When lawyers like Shapiro refer to memory and eyewitness accounts, they are referring to explicit memory. And that’s why they get easily confused by accounts of sexual assault — which instead involves a form of implicit memory, emotional memory (Lodrick, 2007).

Sexual Assault & Memory

What does all this mean to a sexual assault victim?

This means that the threatened individual will potentially perceive the passing of time and concepts such as space, distance, and proximity inaccurately. Ultimately, this is likely to affect how such concepts are recalled. For some, the distortion in how they experienced an event will be recognised and they may, for example, declare “it felt like hours but, I suppose, it could have been a minute – I don’t know” […]

The effect on brain function […] can severely impair the person’s ability to recall details of the assault and recall may change over time. Memories of the traumatic event are often initially experienced as fragmented. Thus, for victims, sensory components, feelings, and emotions may be more easily recalled while a detailed narrative may not, initially, be accessible. (Mason & Lodrick, 2012).

This explains exactly why a sexual assault victim may not remember the exact time or details of the assault, but can still remember the perpetrator. What is distorted in a victim’s memory is a traditional narrative and timeline of the event — things that the police and prosecutors are most interested in. But the lack of this sort of detail doesn’t make the memory any less valid or credible — that’s just how victims encode this traumatic event into their memory (Koss et al., 1999).

This is what the police and prosecutors regularly get right about rape and sexual assault victim’s memory. They erroneously believe that because a victim can’t recall details of the event in exact detail and order, their memories are not credible or reliable (Hohl et al., 2017). This goes against everything that the scientific data tell us about victim memory.²

Afterwards, these memories become encoded in long-term memory because they are emotional memories. They are connected to a specific traumatic event in the person’s life — something most of us would have a hard time forgetting. And for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) — over 92 percent of victims after the first week and 43 percent of victims after 3 months — they keep recalling the memory over and over again, keeping that important brain synaptic connection alive.

This isn’t up for debate — this is scientific knowledge and widely accepted fact by psychologists and sexual assault researchers.

Who Can We Believe? The Victims

In a piece masquerading as a scientific analysis of memory, Shapiro shows his true political colors in concluding: “This is why no allegation, no matter how credible on the surface, should be taken at face value without a scintilla of corroborating evidence.”

Except, of course, when the science suggests that emotional memory is just as important and valid as explicit long-term memory. And the one thing victims rarely forget is the face of their rapist or perpetrator of the assault.

 

Read Shapiro’s opinion piece on Newsweek.com: Two Believable Testimonies, No Corroborating Evidence

 

References

Cozolino, L. (2002). The neuroscience of psychotherapy: building and rebuilding the human brain. Norton, New York.

Hohl, Katrin; Conway, Martin A. (2017). Memory as evidence: How normal features of victim memory lead to the attrition of rape complaints. Criminology & Criminal Justice: An International Journal, 17(3), 248-265.

Koss, Mary P.; Figueredo, Aurelio José; Bell, Iris; Tharan, Melinda; Tromp, S. (1999). Traumatic memory characteristics: A cross-validated mediational model of response to rape among employed women. In: Trauma & memory. Williams, Linda M. (Ed); Banyard, Victoria L. (Ed). Sage Publications, Inc, 273-290.

Lodrick, Z. (2007). Psychological trauma: what every trauma worker should know. Br J Psychother Integr, 4, 18-28

Mason, F. & Lodrick, Z. (2012). Psychological consequences of sexual assault. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 27 (1), 27-37.

Texas A&M University. (2016). How does memory work? ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 May 2016. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160517131928.htm

 

Special thanks to Elsevier’s ScienceDirect for access to their research database.

Footnotes:

1. It’s too bad that Newsweek.com tarnishes its reputation by publishing this opinion piece with apparently little editorial oversight or vetting, because this is one of the sloppiest pieces of attempted science journalism I’ve ever read in the mainstream news media. Whenever a non-scientist starts talking about research studies, you can usually be assured you’re going to get some clumsy, mediocre analysis.
2. This is one of the primary reasons I would never take my scientific analysis from a one-time lawyer — they come at it from a distinct, legal-oriented bias that may not be consistent with the scientific evidence.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/memories-can-be-distorted-but-not-in-the-way-that-you-think/

BS Podcast: Help! I’m Mentally Ill and I Want to Act Normal

Normal. It’s one of those words that we all pretend to understand, but honestly none of us really do. People living with mental illness are usually striving to be normal, or act normal, or feel normal – but how do we know when we’ve succeeded? What is normal?

In this episode of A Bipolar, a Schizophrenic, and a Podcast, Gabe and Michelle discuss the various ways that people living with mental illness typically react to different events in their lives versus the way people living without mental illness may react.

In every scenario, our hosts talk about mistakes they’ve made, do-overs they’d like to have, and in some cases question whether the typical reaction is really all that reasonable to begin with.

 

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW

  

  

 

 

“If your actions are causing you more negatives than positives, it’s time to re-evaluate your actions.”
– Gabe Howard

 

Highlights From ‘Normal’ Episode

[1:30] Gabe and Michelle are discussing “Normal” Reactions vs. How People with Mental Illness React.

[2:15] What Michelle was first taught about Mental Illness. Gabe explains the accurate definitions.

[4:50] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person:  Reactions to a mistake at work

[6:30] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: Friends cancel plans on them

[7:50] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: How to make their momma happy

[9:20] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person:  Losing a lacrosse game

[14:00] “Normal” person vs. mentally ill person: How to be successful at school

[20:00] Exploring the different ways we grieve death before and after recovery.

[23:00] How should we react? Is there a correct way?

 

Meet Your Bipolar and Schizophrenic Hosts

GABE HOWARD was formally diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders after being committed to a psychiatric hospital in 2003. Now in recovery, Gabe is a prominent mental health activist and host of the award-winning Psych Central Show podcast. He is also an award-winning writer and speaker, traveling nationally to share the humorous, yet educational, story of his bipolar life. To work with Gabe, visit gabehoward.com.

 

MICHELLE HAMMER was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 22, but incorrectly diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 18. Michelle is an award-winning mental health advocate who has been featured in press all over the world. In May 2015, Michelle founded the company Schizophrenic.NYC, a mental health clothing line, with the mission of reducing stigma by starting conversations about mental health. She is a firm believer that confidence can get you anywhere. To work with Michelle, visit Schizophrenic.NYC.

from World of Psychology https://psychcentral.com/blog/bs-podcast-help-im-mentally-ill-and-i-want-to-act-normal/