Mental Health and Drugs

A few thoughts about the importance of not relying solely on drugs to achieve mental health. All drugs need to be carefully evaluated and none, yes none, not even the supposedly simple ones such as those we are allowed to buy freely over the counter. They all have side effects, or some effect that changes the normal way the body is supposed to act. In other words, treat them all with respect and by all means don't go overboard with their use.

Why are drugs important? They stop pain, prevent illnesses, cure illnesses, but often there's a price to pay. Sure, those in severe pain need pain killers, no one argues with that, but ask yourself does every little ache need medication. Pain is a symptom, not a disease. It is the body's way of alerting that something is wrong. As an example, if your shoes are too tight, you are going to experience pain and discomfort, maybe a blister, or reddened toes. Common sense will tell us to change shoes, not take a pill to relieve the discomfort, maybe  foot soaking will help. Another example, perhaps you have discomfort from having slept with your head on a wrong pillow during the night, or in some cramped position. Rather than grab a pain pill, you massage your neck, put up the slight discomfort and be sure to correct the wrong sleeping arrangements. All this is just common sense; in fact a lot of facts about medicine is just common sense and is learned often by simply living.

But drug addiction is escalating and now everyone wants to know why, wants to do something about it and in fact many look around to see what or who is at fault. How come society has allowed this to happen? While drug addiction is not new, it has been around for centuries, but why now does it take over most of the front sections of newspapers? Why are the statistics so alarming? Surely something is not being done right. What can we do, what can I do, and on and on goes the questioning. There is no simple answers only precautions:

1. Understand all medication, even supplements are potentially dangerous. Even a simple aspirin can cause hemorrhaging in some situations and can lead to ulcers, but yes, it has even a greater use, that of preventing heart attacks. (Discuss this matter with your doctor). All medicine need to be thought through carefully before it is taken.

2. Everyone has pain, physical or physical, at some time and much of this discomfort will disappear with insight as to why it is happening. It is normal to be down and somewhat depressed sometimes, to be otherwise cheerful and having not a care in the world is not possible, not in today's world, possibly never. It is these feeling that tell us something is not exactly right and it is up to us to understand, or to try to understand their cause. However if the situation gets worse, help is available and hopefully much of it can be overcome without a lot of drugs.

3. Understand the role of the doctor who prescribes the pain medicine. Take as observed. But you as a patient will need to know that possibly, where pain medicine is concerned, you may not need as much as you have been given. In other words, say you have had surgery and you leave the hospital or clinic with a prescription for pain medicine. Depending on the surgery and the amount of pain, you may need less than prescribed. Only you will know this. No two people are alike and the medical person overseeing your need will not be privileged to your pain level thus they have standard levels to go by. But you know your level of pain and it will be to your credit to take only the amount needed. Perhaps, you may not need an addictive drug, your surgery was minor and a simple over-the-counter pain killer works well. You tried this first and to your credit, and your foresight, you did not ever get the prescription filled.  Of course good mental health also assumes you know not to take more of the drug than is necessary.  You've noticed the pain medicine lasts longer than the prescribed four hours, but the instruction say every four hours. Maybe you need stretch the time out, or maybe even take a lesser amount, if possible, split the tablet in half. It's all up to you. In other words it's up to you to prevent addiction.

4. Your doctor needs your help in your care. They will welcome your comments and your observations about your drug needs. They will be especially happy if you can do with less because, if they are honorable and most are, they are not out to cause addiction and in order to do this they need your help.

Whatever, everyone who is concerned with mental health as opposed to mental illness, or illness of any sort,  need to get in the habit of learning how to treat themselves better. Yes, a person is the largest share holder of his own health, and it behooves any of us to sabotage that by drug addiction.

Pray and Pray Often and Why it's Important

Praying isn't complicated, it's only communicating with God. You can tell him anything you want to tell him, ask questions, and yes, even gripe. Of course you must realize, that he, being all knowing and will instantaneously know your innermost workings, will not turn you off. What he might do is find a way of helping you better understand yourself, thus your problems and frustrations. But, there's one thing you must do, be sincere. There is no way you are going to pull one over on the Master.

How can I say these things, you ask? From experience! I have learned that no matter how painful or terrible my feelings are, talking the matter or the dilemma over with him, gives me insight. It also gives me truthful looks into my own soul. Maybe, I have been careless, have committed a few little sins, (at my age, no big ones, I've learned better. The price is too high.) Little sins? Well, perhaps I've talked a little too freely about someone, been impatient when I should have been thoughtful, been lazy, vain, etc, etc, etc.

I can also say these things because it is apparent the world, the shape it's in now, must be in need of only what he can deliver, the truth of his existence and his favors. When human beings, earth creatures who try to manage on their own, or create their own god from outside of themselves, they miss the mark totally. Only he knows each person inside and out, and when you pray  and pray with heartfelt longing to understand your purpose on this earth, he will open pathways for you to get in touch with your better self. Of course it all starts with the truth. The truth as you know it, of course. Once you learn more about yourself and have cleaned out  your mental storage vaults where you've kept your lies hidden, the truth of yourself shines through. What a difference that will make. You will be amazed at the new you.

In this final thought, only one more thing. My views on the controversy over the three persons in one God. The father is in heaven. Yet, over two-thousand years ago, finding no easier solution, had himself born on earth. In this way he came to show the world its errant ways and find a means for their redemption. You know of course what happened to him, but he bore it feely for our sake. After going back to heaven he sent his spirt, just as he had promised, and his followers carried on. The way he worked his wonders then is still at work today, but there's much distraction and disbelief getting in the way. What can you do?

Pray.

Points to ponder

Most of us fail to clean out our mental storage files and go on daily telling our selves ideas and notions that aren't true. These false notions take up valuable space in our mental storage vaults, crowding out more worthwhile ideas and facts. It's easy to see where others are wrong in the ideas they hold, but how many of us, especially in these fast paced erratic times, sift through our own wrong notions and misguided bits of information? How does this work, you may ask?

Get in the habit of frequently checking in on your mode of thinking: Ask yourself, am I prone to be critical of others but pass over my own blunders easily and feel confident that we are excused for making a bad mental turn. If so, be more harsh on yourself than on others. Accept them at face value and neither accept nor deny what they say. But get in the habit of quieting praying (yes praying) to God to show you where you too may need some remedial work. Why Him? Well He created you and only he knows you better than you know yourself; it will also be Him that will show you when you've taken paths contrary to His wishes. after you've done this for a few times, you will be amazed at what you will learn. And the most surprising you'll probably learn is how much better you will get along with yourself.

First of all once we learn of our shortcoming and our inabilities and accept them, life gets easier. Then we are ready to do what we can do (with God's help of course) without trying to be who we are not, doing what we are not programmed to do. In other words, we can stop pretending and play acting. It's truly uncanny how many people insist on seeing themselves through the eyes of others. They do this by looking outward rather than by looking inward. Of course at first this may be a bit painful. We find gaping holes in our carefully wrought image we've created of ourselves and knowing and admitting to ourselves that others don't see us in a flattering light may be a bit traumatizing. So be it. Accept that, it is humbling.

Seeing ourselves as others see us is of course humbling, but it is also enlightening. They don't get the whole picture of the real you and once you rip off your facade, exposing the real you to yourself, it will free up lots of energy for working on the job you were meant to do. Each one is created for a certain purpose in life and the sooner you understand this the more mentally healthy you will be. It's a work of a lifetime but well worth every ounce of energy put forth.

Where do we start? We start where we are. We must live with the misfits we've made of ourselves but in time you may be able to even make good use of them. All those wrong pathways you've taken in the past may now show you what not to do. It will also make you a better example for others. When do we start? Now, at this moment. Ask God to guide you and tell Him truthfully everything you now do will be for Him. It's now easy and you may have to start over each day, but never, never give up. Remember He and the world needs you to be the person you were created to be. With the help of God, be glad and rejoice in the adventure. As truly, life when lived with the right purpose in mind, is a fabulous adventure.

Mental Health and Drugs

Drugs are a necessary part of mental health, but they can also be a hindrance. This is especially so for those who don't understand how easily it is to get hooked on drugs. Those who want to remain mentally healthy and who insist on knowing the effect of any drug they take into their bodies will insist on taking medicine when it is absolutely necessary. Of course, if they are in the midst of an acute episode of mental illness, that decision will be made by medical professionals, or should be, but what I am speaking of here is the daily routine of simply taking a pill for every little down moment or slight pain they may have.

What I am thinking of is how to get messages across to people to learn more about their bodies, no one knows it better than the person claiming it as their own, In other words, don't reach for a pain pill, even a mild pain pill purchased over the counter, until you fully understand the reason for the pain. Think. Review your past activities and see what you may have done, or have not done, that brought about the headache, the backache, the other negative feelings that are mentally painful. As an illustration, are you lacking in sleep, have you been lifting heavy objects that you know from experience you should not do or are needlessly worrying over things others are doing that is not under your control. Be truthful with yourself and begin to use your mind to help you discover the reasons for your discomfort.

(Understand that I am only speaking to those who may be in a danger zone of becoming addicted to powerful pain killers, and not those already addicted or who, for whatever reason are in need of strong pain killers.) Your mind is your best friend when it becomes necessary to make important decisions and one of the most important ones you'll ever make is to not become a drug addict. Yes, yes, yes, you do have that choice and it is much easier to decide before you have gone into the deep.

It's not necessary for me to point out how people become addicts, who helped the horrendous process along, what is being done about, etc. because all you have to do is to listen the news on the TV, read the paper to find all kinds of information. I have many ideas along those lines but for me, the decision to not become hooked on drugs started very early in life. I was warned by caring instructors when, nearly seventy years ago, as a nursing student, how important and dangerous drugs are. I never forgot.

So where do you begin your preventive measures to be healthier and more caring toward your own body? Now. You can't do anything about the past, but you are in control of now and that will make an important dent in how you feel tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Too, don't forget about your creator, unbelievable help will come from simply praying and asking Him for guidance. And It's free!

Procrastination; procrastination; procrastination afflicts us all

It is so easy to put off doing what we know we should be doing and I am guilty of doing just that. I want to tell the world about the ideas I have that may help another toward better mental health, but I do not always find the time. I hope to do better in the future. Since I no longer write for Helium, I have almost abandoned the Internet entirely. I do so for a valid reason: My eyesight is poor and I need whatever light I have to do my daily chores, therefore I have all but abandoned my goal of making known my thoughts and ideas on mental health.

However, what is more important and what better use can one make of the remaining time one has here on earth? I will answer that quite truthfully--for me at least--I am selfish. I find it more pleasurable to read. At the present I am reading the works of Willa Cather and am fascinated by her descriptive viewpoints of the Midwest at the turn of the Century. Yet, henceforth, I will try to limit myself to one or two chapters a day and in the meantime try to take notes so that I can share some viewpoints I have of mental health in general. She was a fantastic writer and she knew human nature and shows, without any preaching and any holier-than-thou attitudes, the ways in which humans react to the struggles of life. And believe me, and her, at the turn of the century as immigrants from Europe and from the Eastern US moved into the new virgin territories there was plenty of struggles. Fascination reading, to say the least.

As for better mental health, it's better to get those chores or meaning to things done first and when we do that, we free ourselves for others that may be more pleasurable. Yet, I do not mean to imply that writing these blogs, six or seven on this theme, is a chore. Far from it, but I will have to admit after I have added added insights I do feel as if I have accomplished something that others may likewise enjoy. We certainly cannot keep all our good activities and thoughts to ourselves. Our Creator programmed us toward his interests and our journey on earth should be in that direction. The Bible clearly states, somewhere in Gospels, that its no good to hide our light under bushel baskets.

Who really knows when words put together honestly and with the thought of maybe lightening another's load will find a welcome? They often do and for that reason I hereby intend to stop procrastinating and will attempt to be a better blogger. What would we who have so few outlets for our thoughts find a better place than Google. I thank them with my whole heart.

Mental Health is a first Priority in Public Health

An article in this morning;s news “Mental Health must be at the heart of public health” says it all. Nursing in Practice is to be commended for passing on this obvious truth. The reasons this UK article gave were, according to the following:

*People with a mental disorder smoke almost half of all tobacco consumed in the UK and account for almost half of all smoking-related deaths.

*Depression doubles the risk of developing coronary heart disease.

*People with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder die an average 20 years earlier than the general population, largely owing to physical health problems.

*People with two or more long-term physical illnesses have a seven times greater risk of depression.

*Children from the poorest households have a three-fold greater risk of mental ill health than children from the richest households.

But there is more: Consider that mental health in itself blocks all other avenues toward better health.When a person's mind is not functioning the way it should, it sabotages the rest of the body. It gives wrong directions, makes excuses, cannot see the obvious, disrupts and creates disharmony.

Where pubic health is concerned, where ever it is, here in the United States, in the UK, In China, France, Russia, Australia, South America, Canada, and actually all over the globe, it is the minds behind the effort that will decide whether mental health is an important issue, or is one to be bypassed, or considered unimportant.

Consider smoking. Who in their right mind will smokes? Looking at it from the standpoint of mental health possibly could cause some people to take another look at their reasons for smoking.

Depression is a broad term is most often it is associated with other problems but it needs to be better understood. It should be disassociated from the normal downs of every day living.

The actual mental illnesses need better definitions where the quality of life is concerned. Up to now, mental illness has been separated as a disease in itself, and has not been given its place in association with other diseases. It is possible, the body chemistry and each body's peculiar makeup, or lack of having been put together from the beginning of life, is at the heart of their causes. Who knows for sure, but it is public health's business to find out.

Where poverty is concerned, it takes it toll on bodies and minds. But by means, does that rule out those who are the decision makers and the those with fat pocket books.

Whatever, these tidbits are tough morsels to gnaw on, where public health is concerned. But gnaw on them we should.

Bipolar explored: Its ups and its downs

As I've explained in Mood Disorders: An introduction to bipolar disorders, Bipolar is a mental illness but of mood swings and of varying energy levels. The pendulum swings wide, high and then low. At much lower and more normal situations, these mirror the normal ups and downs of people in their daily lives. The difference is, however, the bi-polar victim is way out of bounds. At times, he speeds on far ahead of others, then they run out of fuel, is way down in the dumps, can't see anything but doom, can't work, and is in some much psychic pain it becomes almost unbearable.

The pain comes from the terrible guilt of having mistreated others, having spoken harshly, having failed to to complete impossible tasks, having lost their jobs, their friends, and seeing nothing but doom ahead. Once this cycle is weathered, then normalcy begins to creep. Assuming this is mild, and not too far from normal life with its problems, most manage to cope quite well. But let a full blown bipolar episode strike and there's no way to go but to let it run its coarse. Most likely hospitilazition will necessary.

Recent news items about Bipolar have taken on different facets of the disease, depression from the Palm Beach Post with the politics of mental illness; The Merced Sun Star: Bridging the Mental Illness Gap in College; the use of bipolar drugs to treat misbehavior and other unruly youth from The Fortworth Star Telegram; Salt Lake Tribunal Healing Through arts;Fair View Post with Bipolar Presentation opens Hearts and Minds; Sydney Morning Herald and Teenagers Sleep a clue to Mental Health risk, and many others.

It is this kind of opening up of discussion and input that will eventually lead to more knowledgeable treatment of the disease. Each victim, each observer, each psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, co-workers, friends, and family members that observe and share their ideas is where the next breakthroughs will come form.