mental health - Page 2

Mental Health Challenges of Police Officers – Reason for Committing Acts of Misconduct?

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Police officers see humanity at its best and its worst. Besides minor traffic accidents, they are witnesses to felonies as well. All of this can influence a police officer’s mental health. It doesn’t even have to be a serious mental health illness. But some symptoms can regularly pop up in that line of work.

But can the state of their mental health impact how they act and behave in certain situations? Can they still perform their duties rationally?

That is why we’re here to discuss. What’s more, we’ll dive deeper into some of the most common mental health challenges that members of the law enforcement face nowadays.

Common Mental Health Disorders among Police Officers

Generally speaking, the following are considered to be the mental health disorders that most frequently come up in policemen and policewomen:

  • Disorders caused by trauma
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Disorders caused by use is substances
Img source: wikipedia

Even if they don’t develop PTSD, trauma-related disorders are a common thing. They can manifest as anxiety attacks, sleeping and eating disorders, trouble while breathing, and many more. These disorders vary from one officer to another and it all depends on their coping mechanisms as well as their previous experiences and stability of mental health. Click here for more information on how an eating disorder can affect teens.

Being a victim of a traumatizing event or participating in a series of such situations may lead to the developing of PTSD in members of law enforcement. If suitable help isn’t sought, the situation can worsen.

To easily get over a traumatic event, police officers may try ‘self-medication’. That’s very wrong as it can result in a cloud of judgment and eventually police misconduct when dealing with a suspect.

Dealing with the Disorders

Police officers shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help. Whether it’s from family, friends, and loved ones or professionals, it’s important to speak up and to let them know of the situation.

If a particular officer feels an urgent need of help, then they may call the help hotlines. There are numerous lifeline programs out there that offer a wide plethora of services that will aid officers in dealing with their mental health challenges. Some of these services may include treatments with experienced therapists, health plans, and other kinds of assistance.

Recap

Img source: nyclu.org

Police conduct can manifest itself in many forms and types. In general, it stands for the illegal behavior of a police officer.

And, understandably, this can sometimes be a result of an officer facing challenges with their mental health. PTSD, disorders caused by trauma or substances are all factors that can provoke the officer to use excessive force when the event doesn’t require that.

Regardless, the police misconduct act would be committed. And victims should ask for legal help from police misconduct lawyers about dealing with this type of misconduct. For example, one database for professional attorneys is USAttorneys.com.

How Sleeping Can Improve Your Mental health 

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Sleep is something that, while we jokingly say is “for the weak” is actually super important for your body and mind. If you don’t sleep for up to 10 days, you can actually die.  Sleep is so important for your body, but did you know that it can help with your mental health as well. Here, we’ll tap into how sleeping can improve your mental health, and the different aspects to consider.

A more Logical Mindset

Being well-rested allows you to have a more logical mindset. This can help in the office, your own personal interactions, and how you go about your day.  If you aren’t well-rested, this can cause you to lash out at people, and that’s no fun. Sometimes, you may struggle with sleep due to stress, but if you feel like there is something bigger there, you should check out Regain. They have trained therapists that can help you get to the bottom of why you feel the way that you do, creating a better, more sound idea on what you’re dealing with, improving your overall life.

Can Boost your Creativity

Img source: corporatehealthsummit.com

Did you know that sleep can boost your creativity? You can thank dreams for that.  Dreams actually help with your creativity, and some of them do have meaning.  Even if you don’t dream though, when you’re working with a well-rested body and mind, you’ll realize that the answers come to you a whole lot easier.  It is like magic what it can do for you. For many people, they don’t get enough sleep, and that, in turn, will ruin their creativity. While yes, you can have some really lucid creations when you have a couple of hours of sleep, if you’re someone in a creative field, it’s better to be well-rested.

Improves the Quality of your Life

When you are well-rested, you’ll realize your life has better quality and meaning.  Quality sleep is something that a lot of people struggle with, but if you do sleep enough, you’ll realize that the quality of your life is much better. You notice things that are wrong, and you’ll be much happier as a result. For many people, they don’t realize they allow a lot of bad things to slip on by, and that is due to usually not being aware of it. But, with the right kind of sleep, and the quality of sleep, you’ll be mentally better off, and much happier.

Can offset Health Issues

Img source: bettersleep.org

Finally, it can offset health issues that come about when you’re not well-rested.  These are both mental and physical conditions. High blood pressure for one, comes about when you don’t sleep, and it can also increase the risk of obesity, heart issues, and other problems.

It also can be a troublesome issue for your family. For example, if you’re supposed to go on a family vacation, but you’re not well-rested, it can often make things ten times worse. If you’re struggling with finding activities that you can do with your kids while you try to get your sleep schedule back on track, you can look here and here too in order to get some help. This can also help you too if you’re a new parent struggling with sleep issues due to the new child.

Sleep is super important for both mental and physical health that it is important to make sure that you take the time to better understand this. Sleep is something most of us take for granted, but it’s super important, and you should make sure that you’re getting the recommended rest as best as you can.

Stress-Reduction Strategies for New Yorkers

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If you live in New York City, you’ve probably heard it from a thousand visitors: “It’s wonderful — but ugh, I could never live here.” You disagree, of course, but there’s a haunting doubt in the back of your mind. Sure, these people spend too much time in Times Square, but the crowds in New York City don’t exist only in tourist traps. The long lines, the subway doors that close in your face, the rude people — they can be everywhere. They surround you. And they stress you out.

That’s why every New Yorker needs a stress strategy — or three. Here’s our best advice for cutting down on the big-city stress.

Get off the city streets

Img Source: srecnandyal.com

Be aware of work-life balance. Make sure you’re not working so hard that you mess up your mental health by denying yourself the rest you need. Well, we’d like to propose a new concept: city-life balance.

Sometimes, you just need to get off of these crowded city streets. Maybe you can take a break by meditating in your apartment, or maybe finding a “non-city” spot is as simple as going deep into one of New York City’s larger parks, like Central Park or Prospect Park. But you should also take a trip out of the city once in a while, especially to natural spaces. Being in nature calms our minds and helps our mental health.

If you’re exercising while you’re out of the city, that’s even better. Have you considered any of the hikes that you can do off of the Metro North trains? You don’t even need a car to escape the city in search of nature.

Focus on your sleep

Img Source: myfitnesspal.com

When the subway doors close in your face, you’re likely to feel furious. When a cab hits a puddle and soaks your pants, you’ll likely feel miserable. Sometimes, things just get stressful around here. But it’s also important to remember that how we feel about these setbacks and frustrations does not depend entirely on what’s going on in the moment — it’s not just the incident itself, or even our own thinking in the moment. The groundwork for the thoughts we’re having may have been laid last night, and the night before, and the night before that.

Lack of sleep makes us irritable. Lack of sleep makes us less effective at our jobs and less precise in our thinking and actions. Lack of sleep, in short, can make us more likely to get into stressful situations and more likely to react poorly to them.And considering how notoriously bad the “city that never sleeps” is for getting shut-eye, it’s a good idea for you to examine your sleep habits if you want to reduce stress in New York City. Fight the noise of traffic and revelers with white noise machines or earplugs. Fight the streetlights with blackout curtains or a sleep mask. Reclaim your sleep, and you just might find that you chill out.

Get therapy

Img Source: talkspace.com

Stress is bad for you. It’s hurting your health, and studies show that it can take years off of your life. If a physical ailment was threatening your lifespan, you would probably be in a doctor’s office very quickly — so why aren’t you getting help for your mental health?

Taking your mental health seriously means getting help from mental health professionals, explain the experts at Therapy Group of NYC. Don’t try to go it alone. New York City has a lot of great therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists who can help you find meaningful solutions to your mental health challenges, no matter how small or large they are (remember, you don’t have to have any kind of mental health condition to benefit from therapy or a check-in with a psychiatrist).

New York City is a wild and wonderful place to live. It will always have its stresses, but you can do a lot to make sure that New York’s worst won’t get to you. Enjoy your big-city life.

Meeting the Needs of LGBTQ Clients in Therapy

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As of 2016, Washington D.C. had the highest percentage of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, or questioning, (LGBTQ) individuals in the country, with 8.6 percent of adult residents identifying themselves as LGBTQ.

LGBTQ individuals face unique challenges. There are still issues with acceptance in society, which is just one of the reasons why people who identify as LGBTQ can benefit from therapy.

Mental health risks

Img source: namiccns.org

People who identify as LGBTQ may benefit from seeing a qualified LGBTQ therapist for a number of reasons. Those who identify as LGBTQ have a notably higher likelihood of facing mental health challenges and therapy can be helpful for dealing with a range of issues.

Prejudice is a significant issue in LGBTQ people’s lives, and it contributes to a range of mental health complications. They may be rejected by some or all of their family members, which can lead to isolation and doubts about their self-worth. The specter of discrimination can lead to a fear of exposure, which can cause people to struggle with self-acceptance and also contribute to anxiety. When individuals do not feel they can accept themselves or live with constant stress, they are more likely to develop other mental health issues, such as depression.

LGBTQ people often face discrimination in schools, workplaces, and community organizations. People who identify as LGBTQ have also reported that they have been denied medical care. As a result, LGBTQ individuals may not share pertinent information about their sexual history because of fear of rejection. Transgender individuals commonly experience discrimination, even from medical professionals.

Legal challenges over bathroom use have underscored the complications that transgender individuals can experience on a daily basis. They are also likely to have interactions with people who refuse to use their chosen pronouns to identify them and may have to fight to change their name to match their gender identity.

LGBTQ teenagers also face distinct challenges because they are dealing with puberty and developing an interest in sexual activities and relationships. This is a time of significant change for all individuals, and teens can feel excessive pressure to conform to meet gender and sexual orientation expectations.

The hormonal changes that teenagers experience can also be factors that cause many teens to experience depression. With the added challenges of bullying and rejection that LGBTQ teens face, the rate of suicide attempts for these teenagers is more than triple the suicide attempt rate for heterosexual teenagers. The rate of attempts increases to almost six times that of heterosexual youth when just looking at transgender teens.

Benefits of therapy

Img source: essence.com

Working with experienced LGBTQ therapists is important because these professionals are specifically trained to work with members of the LGBTQ community. They understand the challenges that are unique to LGBTQ individuals. They are sensitive to the needs of people who identify as LGBTQ and tailor their approach to these clients.

Professional therapy practices in DC can help LGBTQ individuals learn to accept themselves and overcome suicidal thoughts, but their focus actually extends far beyond these objectives. Many of them have a multifaceted approach to meet the needs of all LGBTQ clients, no matter what stage they’re at in their journey

They understand the legal challenges that LGBTQ individuals face as they experience discrimination and violations of their rights. They are also aware of the impact a person’s sexual orientation can have on their career and help individuals navigate workplace challenges.

Therapy practices that specialize in working with the LGBTQ community  can also be a valuable way of developing a support system that can help people navigate their unique challenges. With caring mental health professionals to guide them, LGBTQ clients can form connections, build confidence, and develop self-care strategies to help them cope with the challenges they face day to day.

Tips On How To Keep Your Anxiety Off

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In the times we are living, and with so much external stimuli around us, it is not that simple to stay positive especially when the universe seems to be working against us. And don’t worry, we have all felt like nothing is going right at some point – but accept it and let it pass; stressing over it will not do you any good and can just worsen the situation. Depression and anxiety are the two mental conditions that have been becoming more common in the past few decades. And while depression supposedly is the harder case of anxiety, neither of these are problems that don’t have a solution.

Anxiety is usually caused by insecurity and a feeling of shame. It is either due to past trauma and bad experiences, or overall lack of confidence whether in any type of social environment or relating to some exact situation. And though anxiety can be pretty persistent, it is nothing that can’t be put under control without taking a certain type of medication. Still, there are certain medications like Ativan that could be of help in the short-term.

Without further ado, let’s go ahead and take a look at the few tips on how to keep your anxiety off and under control!

source: ocduk.org

How To Keep Your Anxiety Under Control

1. Believe it or not, certain diet habits do have a lot of influence on your anxiety. And apart from the fact that you should strive for a healthy and nutritious diet and exclude refined sugar products and trans fats, there is two more advice that you should listen to. Both caffeine and alcohol are seen as anxiety inducers which means that you shouldn’t be drinking any of the two, especially in the situations when you already feel anxious as it can only worsen your condition. On the other, water as essential to life is a great choice, and some types of tea like chamomile could have a calming effect as well.

2. Go running. As soon as your anxiety starts crawling back on your start working out and wear it out. Whether it is a cardio exercise, weightlifting, or a yoga session believe us that workout session will be of great help and you should strive to do that at least 3-4 times a week.

source: mgsfl.com

3. Do something you like, and focus on self-care. Whether it’s going shopping, to a manicure or having a beer by yourself – go for it. The feeling of self-care and self-respect are the two most important ones when it comes to putting your anxiety under control.

4. You feel anxious? Start writing a journal. Write down what is causing you to feel insecure and discuss it with yourself or positive people that surround you. And a daily journal is always a good option as you will be able to keep track of all the good things that happened as well and reflect on those wherever you start feeling down again.

5. Last but not least is taking a certain kind of pharmaceutical drugs. Ativan is one of the rare anxiety medications that do have an instant effect and being a benzodiazepine it works by stimulating your GABA receptors and boosting its production, thus calming you and reducing the feeling of stress. It is said to be beneficial to people that suffer from frequent seizures as well, and some even recommend it as an aid during the alcohol withdrawal process.

source: netdoctor.co.uk

Summary

Anxiety is something that can absolutely be controlled, and with the right and healthy habits, you will beat it in no time. Certain medications can have a short-term effect, but it is always better to strive for long-term results and change your life as a whole. Regular exercise, healthy diet, and sleep routine, and positive people around you – that is a winning combination!

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