ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2009) — Angst could be more than a rite of passage for insecure teenagers, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain. Researchers from the Université de Montréal, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and McGill University have discovered that insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain and joint pain. These teens are also more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments.

Dr. Isabelle Tremblay, a researcher at the Université de Montréal and its affiliated Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center, and Dr. Michael Sullivan, a psychology professor at McGill University, launched this study to build on previous findings that childhood experiences play a major role in the relationships people develop in later life. Simply put: insecure infants grow up to be insecure adolescents, and later, insecure adults.

“Although previous studies in adults found that an individual’s security level was influenced by painful experiences, it was not clear why relationship security should be related to pain,” says Dr. Tremblay. “We found that adolescents with insecure relationships tend to be more ‘alarmist’ about their pain symptoms; they have a tendency to amplify the degree of threat or severity of their pain. This amplification leads to more intense pain and more severe depressive symptoms.”

Some 382 students, from Grades 8 through 12, were recruited for the study from a francophone high school in Montreal, Canada. Participants were asked to fill questionnaires on the frequency and intensity of their emotional and physical pain.

“It is possible that individuals who have insecure relationships may perceive the world as more threatening or more stressful and that manifests in physical symptoms,” says Dr. Sullivan. “Alternately, it is possible that individuals who feel insecure might ‘express’ more intense distress as a means of eliciting support from others in their social environment.”

Interpersonal factors must be considered when managing adolescent experiences of pain and depression, according to the researchers. “Adolescents have different health and mental health needs than adults. Although interpersonal factors have not been considered integral component of the treatment of pain and depression in adults, these factors might need to be considered in the treatment of adolescents,” stresses Dr. Sullivan.

Adapted from materials provided by University of Montreal, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091125110849.htm

Bottling up work woes increases heart risk: study

LONDON (AFP) – November 24, 2009 – Men who bottle up frustrations about unfair treatment at work are twice as likely to have a heart attack, a study published on Tuesday suggests.

Those who express their feelings openly, for example by getting angry, have no increased risk of heart problems, said the study which warned of the dangers of “covert coping.”

“Covert coping is strongly related to increased risk of hard-endpoint cardiovascular disease,” said the study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The research, led by experts at the Stress Research Unit at Stockholm University, grouped men according to how they react to conflict, with reactions ranging from: saying nothing, walking away, or expressing their anger at home later.

Men who sometimes or always walked away from conflict had three times the risk of a heart attack or dying from heart disease, with overall figures showing those who avoided conflict had twice as high a risk.

By contrast, those who reacted to unfair treatment in an open way, such as talking directly to the person with whom they were in conflict or getting angry, had no increased risk of heart attack, it said.

“We all find different things stressful and symptoms of stress can vary,” said Judy O’Sullivan, senior cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, responding to the study.

“But the important thing is that we need to find ways of coping with it in our lives in a positive way, whether at work or home,” she added.

The average age of the more than 2,700 participants was 41 at the start of the study. None had had a heart attack when screening started in 1992. But by 2003, 47 had suffered a heart attack or died from heart disease.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/afp/healthheartbritainswedenlabourpsychology_20091124155855.html

Question:

My 12-year-old son exhibits all the symptoms of childhood schizophrenia, but his therapist and doctors won’t diagnose him because of his age. No one disputes that he meets the criteria for schizophrenia. At what age can he be diagnosed?

Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:

Early childhood schizophrenia is rare. But schizophrenia can be diagnosed in children as young as 8 years old.

Typically, schizophrenia first appears in the late teens and early 20s. Because of its lifelong implications and the complexity of its symptoms, doctors are reluctant to make a diagnosis of schizophrenia until other potential illnesses have been carefully considered and appropriately excluded. Also, because childhood schizophrenia is rare, doctors not specializing in pediatric psychiatry may have limited experience with diagnosing childhood schizophrenia.

To provide the most accurate diagnosis and safest treatment recommendations, your child’s doctors will conduct:

·         A complete medical, social and family history

·         Interviews with the child and parents or guardians to assess possible psychotic symptoms, behavior changes and other potential psychiatric disorders

·         Tests to assess cognitive skills and functional abilities in daily life

·         A review of school records and interviews with teachers and other school staff regarding notable changes in school behavior and performance

·         Blood and brain-imaging tests to rule out other medical conditions

This process takes time. Your psychiatrist will make a diagnosis of schizophrenia only if psychotic behaviors and other diagnostic criteria continue for at least six months.

Also, some signs and symptoms of schizophrenia overlap with those of other psychiatric and developmental disorders, including bipolar disorder, severe anxiety disorder, severe depression, autism and personality disorders. Your child’s doctors will want to rule out these disorders before making a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-schizophrenia/AN01516

By Associated Press – Sun Nov 22, 2009 – Quebec – A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun.

N. Blanchard has been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Quebec, for the last year.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday she was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits from insurance giant Manulife.

But the payments dried up this fall and when Blanchard called Manulife, she says she was told she was available to work because of Facebook.

She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday.

Blanchard said Manulife told her it’s evidence she is no longer depressed. She’s fighting to get her benefits reinstated and says her lawyer is exploring what the next step should be.

Blanchard told the CBC that on her doctor’s advice, she tried to have fun, including nights out at her local bar with friends and short getaways to sun destinations, as a way to forget her problems.

Manulife wouldn’t comment on Blanchard’s case, but did say they would not deny or terminate a claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook.

http://health.yahoo.com/news/ap/cn_canada_facebook_insurance.html

Mental Illness and Work

 When discussing mental illness and work, “work” can mean a number of things.

 It can mean the workplace, as in where we go to do our jobs. It can also mean the act of working, what we do at our jobs, as a volunteer in the community, or what we like to do in the garden, kitchen or workshop to relax.

The relationship between mental illness and work can be looked at in a number of different ways, including:

 ·         the stresses and strains today’s workplace places on us

 ·         the incredible pressure placed upon people to continue to perform at work when an illness strikes, and the extra strain this places on their families and friends;

  ·         the difficult barriers those persons diagnosed with a mental illness face in the working world;

  ·         the strain encountered by people who work while they care for someone with a mental illness at home;

  ·         the therapeutic role the act of work plays in helping to reduce stress and improve mental health; and the benefits work can bring in guiding people diagnosed with a mental illness toward recovery, rebuilding their self-esteem and hopefully returning to the jobs they left when the illness struck

 Mental Illness in the Workplace

 Of all persons with disabilities, those with a mental illness face the highest degree of stigmatization in the workplace and the greatest barriers to employment opportunities.  Persons diagnosed with a mental illness are more likely to experience long term unemployment, underemployment and dependency on social assistance.

 Many employers and employees have unwarranted fears and see persons with psychiatric disabilities as unskilled, unproductive, unreliable, violent or unable to handle workplace pressures.  This stigma creates climate in which someone who has a problem and needs help may not seek it for fear of being labeled. 

  Undiagnosed mental illness also has a high cost in the workplace. If left undetected, overall work quality and productivity can be affected by an ill employee’s misunderstood behavior. Mental illnesses and the fact that they can be successfully treated must be understood by employers.  Only then can they begin to recognize and accept the symptoms of a true condition and know how to establish an internal management program to accommodate their employees.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

MY STORY:

Ten years of ping-ponging between home and hospitals, untreatable bipolar disorder and with life heading nowhere, my luck changed after a new psychiatrist entered my life. With correct meds finally, and great encouragement I began to take two steps forward.

I followed all of this doctor’s directions; volunteering, participating in the out-patient occupational therapy program, taking meds as prescribed, and finally I was on my way to wellness.  Moods were reasonably stable and I wanted to return to the workplace (this was 2005).  My dilemma though found me with limited computer skills caused by years of unemployment, non-usage of computers and coupled by memory loss from ECT.

My psychiatrist though, advised only returning part-time, but my bull-headed nature had me applying for full-time positions.  Tenacity prevailed with the computers; working daily on my typing skills, escalating my speed and relearning the computer programs.  I dejectedly sat back at times, recollecting when I used to instruct computers at my office prior to becoming ill and ending my career.  But, I regained the skills and thought I was finally ready.

At the outset, I had a spotty resume caused by years of illness.  Using my volunteer work, as well as, a short stint with self-employment, filled in the ‘experience’ section of my mottled resume, which began looking presentable.  Next came the job hunt.  I always felt, the search for a job is far more problematical than performing the job itself.

To be continued……. (stay tuned for part 2) 

Part 2 – The Interview

In Part 1, I discussed Mental Illness and Work and Mental Illness in the Workplace.  Also, discussed was my experience reentering the workplace (in 2005) after many, many years of illness – mental illness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I had my polished resume in hand and now I was prepared for the next step.  This was comparable to waiting at the bus stop…for the bus.

How times have changed compared to years gone by.  I’m ageing myself, but way back when, the procedure in my city entailed catching the bus downtown to Manpower on a Monday morning and scouring their job boards.  Once an enticing ad placed on a recipe sized card was found, you presented it to the recruiter who in turn would with any luck forward your name along to the prospective employer.  Nowadays, everything is so much easier; sending resume with cover letters via electronic mail.  Speaking of which, that was another aspect of the computer I had to get the handle on; e-mail and the cut/copy paste method.

I was essentially new at this job search, and concentrated my efforts on the personnel agencies and employment internet sites such as: monster.ca and workopolis.com.

Months of e-mailing, telephone calls and mainly waiting for ‘that call’, at last paid off. I received ‘that call’, but yet felt frozen facing an actual interview.  Years had passed since an interview was necessary of me, only that of doctors requesting information on my well being in hospital.

The actual interview:  I tried on seven different outfits; most didn’t fit due to an expanded waistline from weight gain over the years, but did find one suitable.  Arriving early and before even interviewed, I was whisked away to a small room with a computer designated for testing.  This was an “intelligence” test.    I felt extremely nervous from the get-go, and by question #36 I was losing interest.  The computer automatically scored it; I was unable to see my score, but surmised it not too well when kept waiting for the person I was scheduled to see.  Finally, I was brought into her office and she announced I did not pass the test (failed with flying colors), asked me a few questions, and in essence said my interviewing skills were weak.  I was not on top of the world that day.

Weeks went by, another agency called, passed the interview this time around (intelligence test included), however, they were acting on behalf of their client, and therefore another interview was mandatory from the client.  The agency suggested I practice my spiel as this was a sales/customer service position within the banking field, so that I did.  I met with this banking client, was exceptionally proud of myself at this interview, gave it everything I possibly had, and lo and behold I landed the job.  I was extremely energized – more than anyone could ever know; I felt a bona fide victory proving these bozo doctors (who said I would never work again) wrong. 

However, prior to beginning this position, it was compulsory to attend a two-week training session.  I considered this a breeze.  I was gravely mistaken.  My balloon was to become majorly deflated and I was about to land flat on my ass.

To be continued……..(see part 3)

In Part 1 & 2 – I spoke about Mental Illness in the Workplace, seeking employment, the job hunt and the job interview.  Now comes the really difficult part…..THE JOB.

I was so excited by this new venture; I could hardly sleep at night waiting for the first day.  That ‘first day of school’ feeling.  Luckily, the dress code was business casual otherwise I would have had to purchase an entire wardrobe.   Training would begin at 7:00 a.m., which practically killed me getting up that early in the morning, but I knew I had to get used to this.

The first day was a disaster, as it was essential to become accustomed to their internal computer system, and I sat in confusion having problems with straightforward tasks such as passwords and locating screens.  A panic situation ensued immediately, causing me to actually vomit in the washroom for the first three days due to this.  My thinking pattern was in a ‘frozen’ mode, with no new information able to funnel through.

On one day in particular, I was actually in tears in the washroom, so completely frustrated and angry at myself for not grasping anything.  Why did I continue?  I didn’t want to be a failure again, I suppose, and thought if I failed at this – where would I be then.  So I plodded on. 

The remaining two weeks met with more perplexity, and slowly my self-confidence, self-esteem and self-doubt tumbled downward even further.  I was the slowest and oldest in the class. But, I forged ahead, bull-headed, passed and began the position.

 The position itself was not too difficult, however, I encountered problems with their computer system practically every shift.  The Help Desk was there for Q & A, but after awhile they tired of my Q & A and became unfriendly and not very “helpful”. The position was in sales and customer service.  I was to learn a script to implement during a customer’s call – this was an impossible task.  My memory is impaired at best, never mind learning a script for sales on the phone.  So I basically read verbatim, and though it may have sounded as if I was reading from a sheet, it seemed to go over ok.  My stats weren’t wonderful; yet they weren’t the worst either.  That was another thing; I had to worry now about stats.  People were counting on me; managers, their managers and so forth, for stats. I had to produce good stats so my manager looked good.  The everyday routine felt so bizarre after years of illness at home and in hospital.

Enjoying the job to a degree, I was discontented with management and other factors played, and so, unfortunately after three months I discovered this job just wasn’t for me.

My stomach did flip-flops over this.  I was frightened to quit this position, yet I was unhappy there also.  The job did provide some experience into the working world, brushing up on computer skills (will always have trouble), day-to-day routine and learning how to mix with people again.  I could have given up at this point – but didn’t.

Now the time came for my search for greener pastures.

To be continued……….(see last part 4)

In Part 1, 2, 3 – I spoke about Mental Illness in the Workplace, Seeking Employment, the Job Hunt, The Interview, Looking for a Job, now part 4.

I was sort of in a quandary and very nervous; do I seek further employment or take some time off.  It was November of 2005, and pdoc and my husband were in cahoots, both advising me to wait until after Christmas.  But, I resisted and applied for some positions.

There was a hiring blitz at two financial institutions and I e-mailed my resume.  One never called, the other phoned the next day and an interview set up the following afternoon.  I wondered what was happening here, and surmised that having the last position’s experience counted for something on the resume – perhaps all of that turmoil was possibly worth it.

The interview went smooth, the manager pleasant, no tests and they advised me “we will let you know by next week”.  I thought “I’ve heard that before”, but by the next afternoon – I HAD THE JOB.  Wow, I was to start in two weeks – but….there was a two week training session to be completed first.  My heart sank.  Here we go again.

The training session was taxing, but this time around, I wasn’t filled with as much panic.  As usual though, adapting to their computer system was again complicated for me to grasp.  Also, learning their policies and procedures also presented somewhat of a challenge, and at the end of the two week session, a quiz was necessary.  I froze at the very mention of a ‘quiz’, failed the first time out, re-wrote and passed.

The monthly reviews I dread so much though; always expecting the negative, and ultimately surprised by the positive.  I feel sometimes like a little kid waiting for a pat on the head saying “good girl, you did a good job”.  Self-confidence and self-esteem have returned to some degree, but I’m still working on it.  I am meeting company stats and competing with the younger folk there – I’m in the running every month.  Depression leaves a scar, but I have learned that a scar can fade.

I do not share my past with co-workers, due to the fact of **stigma.  I recognize I would be treated in a different way, as the general public does not comprehend mental illness.  In secret, I wish my co-workers/management to be acquainted with my triumph.  Existing under a veil of blackness for so many years, then at last standing upright and functioning in the ‘working world’, I feel,  is something of a phenomenon.  I do experience a sensation of gratefulness for this company, as they took a risk hiring me with a resume packed with holes.  They apparently saw the potential I forgot I possessed.

So there are steps: having the strength in preparing to look for a job; the job hunt; the interview; landing the job and most of all keeping the job.  Every step is a difficult step.  

The dramatic mood swings of bipolar disorder do not follow a set pattern. Depression does not always follow mania. A person may experience the same mood state several times — for weeks, months, even years at a time before experiencing a change in mood. Also, the severity of mood phases can differ from person to person.

The depressive periods can be equally intense. Sadness and anxiety affect every aspect of life — thoughts, feelings, sleeping, eating, physical health, relationships, ability to function at work. If depression is not treated, it only grows worse. There may seem to be no way out of this overwhelming mood.

These depressive feelings have been described this way:

Depression: I doubt completely my ability to do anything well. It seems as though my mind has slowed down and burned out to the point of being virtually useless… . [I am] haunt[ed] … with the total, the desperate hopelessness of it all. Others say, “It’s only temporary, it will pass, you will get over it,” but, of course, they haven’t any idea of how I feel, although they are certain they do. If I can’t feel, move, think, or care, then what on earth is the point?

A depressive episode involves five or more of these symptoms most of the day — nearly every day — for two weeks or longer:

Symptoms of depression:

• Sad, anxious, irritability
• Loss of energy
• Feelings of guilt, hopelessness, or worthlessness
• Loss of interest or enjoyment from things that were once pleasurable
• Difficulty concentrating
• Uncontrollable crying
• Difficulty making decisions
• Irritability
• Increased need for sleep
• Insomnia
• Change in appetite causing weight loss or gain
• Thoughts of death or suicide
• Attempting suicide

When a person with psychosis is in a depressive stage, there may be delusions of guilt or worthlessness — perhaps there is an inaccurate belief of being ruined and penniless, or having committed a terrible crime.

If untreated, depressive episodes tend to come closer together and are harder to treat. They may switch into mania. But treatment can prevent this from happening. With medication and therapy, its possible to live normally — to have a happy, productive life.

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology.

Online source:  www.WebMD.com

I thought I would re-post this since that I am seeing a different therapist after all of these years.  Therapy NOW is not dealing with the horrid sexual abuse issues, however, we have discussed what occurred in the ’90’s.  My therapist now always leaves me with   something to think about or work on.  This is much different than the psychodynamic therapy where I left the office after the session and that was that.  I still stand by my opinion and experience that I should never have sought therapy for sexual abuse issues.

~~~~

I concur that a number of people have been ‘saved’ by psychotherapy, and that is wonderful, however, when is the finale time for therapy.  For me was 5 years a little absurd?  Five years of non-stop, re-living the long-ago hurts and dreadful memories.  My therapist should have taken the ‘bull by the horns’, so to speak and said enough is enough long before this time.

I met Betty in 1994.   

Months of unspeakable dreams and flashbacks were consuming my life.  Crying spells were occurring at home, work, at the mall, while driving – I honestly thought I was losing it. 

An ad in our weekly newspaper seeking volunteers to participate in a study, asking if “Are you experiencing flashbacks, troubling dreams or nightmares?”  HOWEVER, ANSWERING THIS AD WAS TO BE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF MY ENTIRE LIFE.  Hindsight, as they say, is in fact ‘20/20’.

I knew nothing of psychotherapy, or any therapy for that matter.  I explained a few concerns I had with these flashbacks and Betty thought individual therapy would be best suited.  She said it was called Psychodynamic psychotherapy.

As weeks progressed and months rolled on, I was stepping one foot deeper into choppy waters.  I was dealing with a childhood sexual abuse issue, and in retrospect wished I had let ‘sleeping dogs lie’.  These sessions were leaving me exhausted, causing horrid crying outbursts and next a giant spiral into a deep, deep depression.

The depression became so severe that it was debilitating and incapacitating, enough that hospitalization was ordered.  This was to start the ball rolling onto a new life; a black, muddy life spent the better part in hospitals, and ironic as it was, I still remained with Betty and therapy.  Betty either realized it but was too proud to admit that she was over her head with my case of abuse.

I consider after the first few months of therapy, when hospitalization deemed necessary, the pdoc and her ought to have consulted and determined that perhaps therapy wasn’t the best route to take.  Therapy was not therapeutic – it began a path – destroying everything in my life.  I was obsessed with suicidal thinking daily.  Every session brought upon vicious crying outbursts, and I would fill up with tears everywhere I went, or so it seemed – in the car/grocery store/job/home/wherever.  Sessions were 2X per week and presume I was searching for something but didn’t know what.  Yes, let sleeping dogs lie.  Couldn’t they see this?

Betty, visiting me in the hospital, was head-scratching and dumb on her part.  Visualize visiting your patient in a hospital room whilst she is sobbing her brains out, irrepressible, begging to die?  Then discharged, continues therapy, months pass and she is re-admitted, once again suffering from severe depression.  I felt a hamster on one of those wheels.  Zilch was ever suggested until approaching the five year mark that it best therapy should end.  I was so unwell and confused; I didn’t know which end was up.

I appreciate that no one, particularly a therapist, knows the outcome of a situation.  No one has a crystal ball, but a trained therapist should see in which course and at what speed a car is driving.  Is it literally heading towards a brick wall?  Will it be crashing?  Do I have this patient’s best interests at heart?  Am I causing destruction?

I think the downfall with Betty’s therapy was, she didn’t show me better ways to cope and solve problems, or set realistic goals. When my life was falling apart so terribly, and hospitalizations were so frequent, she should have put a ‘cease and desist’ order on my file.  We were hitting a brick wall, and I was becoming more ill as the months and years passed.  Therapy at this point was redundant. Regaining a sense of happiness and control in my life was too far in the future.

For me, and I recollect on this today, I feel psychotherapy was a grave mistake.  I’ve deliberated over and over, and frankly, what was the point of dredging up deep-rooted, hurtful wounds.  The past really is the past – you can’t change it.  Why must we get ‘in touch’ with ourselves’?  I feel sometimes we invite trouble.  Memories still bring about fright and make me weep, but they fade away swiftly now.

There are excellent therapists in practice; some who have saved peoples ‘lives’, but there are some like Betty who should have backed off, and realized that this therapy was serving no benefit, and claiming a life – my life.

Thanks to Betty and Dr. L. I almost lost my house/lost my career/hospitalized 33 times/77 ECT’s/attempted suicide 4 times/lived in the bottom of a black pit for too, too long.  This could have been avoided if psychotherapy had been handled in the proper manner or not at all.  Long term therapy, in my opinion, is not the way to go.  Once again, my opinion only.  I believe that people sometimes become ‘attached’ to their therapists, like I did, depending on them to lead them.

But for now, I am not holding on to this anger.  Where would it get me?  I have a career now and a good life.  Although I am struggling with it at the moment with work issues, I am still working and not sitting there at home in a black haze.  They put me in a situation that I had to dig myself out of, but I vowed that neither they, nor my abuser (who caused this whole thing) were ever going to win. 

I am not a big success story, and I don’t want congrats, but I do want people to know that therapy is not always the way out of their ‘demons’ and continuing is detrimental in some cases.  Look at yourself, and ask yourself – is this the route to go and should I stick with this?  If it is yes – well then…you make the choice.

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