The post Suicide Signs in Children and Teens You don’t want to Miss appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>The truth is, mental health concerns grow exponentially each year. Because of this growth, mental health funding is stretched [beyond] its limits. In all reality, there isn’t enough money allocated to mental health programs and organizations to carry the burden of the needs of the mentally ill that are found in communities across America.
Statistics on Children and Suicide
Mental illness is so difficult to live with, diagnose, treat, and beat. 1 in 17 people in the US lives with a serious mental illness. As for children and teens, that figure is 1 in 10 and growing.
One of the toughest parts of living with a mental illness is living with a mental illness. It is the darkness of depression, voices of schizophrenia, the constant up and down moods of bipolar, the lack of motivation of ADHD, and the isolation of social anxiety.
Image living with a mental illness (there are a lot of people who live with multiple mental illnesses). Day and night. 24/7. It never goes away. Then the mentally ill person begins to look for an answer. They do not find an answer and no one will help. They conclude the only way out is through suicide.
“When we look at causes of death by age, it may surprise many that suicide is the number 2 cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10-24. Suicide is second only to accidental deaths in these age groups.” Dr. Kevin Most.
Screenings for Suicide in Youths
A study conducted by NIH discovered that 1/3 of children (10-12 yo) screened positive for suicide risk. This screening included all youths, regardless of the medical issue, who were seen at an ER.
Obviously, I cannot stress just how crucial screenings for suicide are for our children. Did you know that 6,000 youths died because of suicide in 2016? The sad thing is that half of the youth who committed suicide were seen in a medical facility the month prior.
The important thing to note is that the patient usually will not exhibit suicidal traits when they go to see their doctor. It will be day-to-day activities such as: at bedtime, going to school, youth groups, the ball field, arguments, recess, and family outings where the suicidal traits will show themselves. Therefore, it is important for family, friends, teachers, and counselors stay on top of any hunch that their child or teen is thinking of taking his/her life.
Suicide Signs in Children and Teens
Below are the suicide signs in children and teens. If you suspect your child may be a suicide risk, then contact your doctor immediately.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Call 1-800-273-8255
Conclusion
Being observant of someone you love, care a lot about, or in charge of can be the difference between life and death. Above all else, make sure he/she feels safe and comfortable in your company. But of course, you must act on the observations before the worst happens. Staying vigilant by talking to the child or teenager will help you determine if suicide is in their head and administer swift treatment.
References
Call to Action
There are some teens and children who are on medicine to help with mental illness. That’s great. A positive step in the right direction. But nothing can compare to someone close to the child making observations, talking, listening, and giving a hug.
If you have children in that age range, please keep an eye on them. All it takes is being unfriended, bullied, made fun of, dumped, or just plain rejected to push someone over the edge who is contemplating suicide.
Comments
Please leave your comments below or you can send me a private email to [email protected].
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255
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Life Conquering Blog
~ Conquering Bipolar through Jesus ~
Life Conquering Blog focuses on encouraging and educating the community and beyond about mental health and stigma. With my blogs and social media, I teach to reduce stigma regarding mental illnesses. I share what has worked for me as well as encourage readers to OVERCOME their CHALLENGES.
Life Conquering Blog has become a vessel to change lives for the last five years. To change lives, I use blogs and social media to share my ideas. Also, I use other talents such as public speaking to make a difference
I am available to speak to any size crowd of people whether it is a church, Bible study, civic organization, office, police department, school, hospital, etc. I share my life as someone with bipolar 1, mixed episodes, ultra-rapid cycling, GAD, social anxiety, OCD and ADHD. We will have small groups that discuss what the participants know about mental illness and what they do not know. The participants go on to share their interactions with mental health in small groups and maybe in the large groups as well. These exercises will help to flesh out what is stigma and what is the truth.
Life Conquering is an Award-Winning Blog
Please visit my award-winning blog at the addresses below.
“Top 100 Bipolar Blogs”
https://blog.feedspot.com/bipolar_disorder_blogs/.
“2018 Best Bipolar Disorder Blogs”
https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/best-blogs-of-the-year#8
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]]>The post Music that Comforts the Soul appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>It was difficult for me to chose one song for our first selection of music that comforts the soul. SO many songs to listen to and pick from. As you can imagine, I have a long list of songs that have given me joy despite my troubles.
The song that I have included in today’s post, is a song that has been with me ever since the first bipolar diagnosis. Jeremy Camp’s song, “Overcome” reminds me every time that I can fight and win against bipolar – only with God’s help.
My Biggest Challenge to Overcome
My biggest challenge is bipolar depression. I can deal with the mania and the psychosis. But get me out of this all-encompassing quick-sand called depression. All in all, I usually experience mixed episodes and ultra-rapid cycling. The past week I have been soaking in a tar pit of depression all by itself. It is raw, suffocating, and
Most of the time when bipolar depression tells me getting a shower is too hard, I listen to it. The weight of the routine of cleanliness is crippling. Taking off the clothes, putting them in the hamper, just turning on the water and stepping into the shower is like my legs are made of clay. And the duration of the shower seems endless.
The struggle with hygiene could also be brushing my teeth at night. Fixing my hair and putting on makeup in the morning. Getting dressed instead of staying in my pajamas or workout clothes.
Speaking of working out, a thirty-minute video feels like an eternity! And I used to be a gym fanatic, staying long hours exercising.
I CAN DO THIS!
But since I am an overcomer, I can pry myself off the couch and away from the laptop to get a shower before I go to bed. Now, I might not enjoy the shower at first. Eventually… I will be able to cut through the garbage in my mind and see an oasis in my shower.
As an overcomer, my dental hygiene will be spared from believing depression when it says, brushing my teeth is like me trying to study Quantum Physics. It is THAT hard. You get the idea.
I am an Overcomer
Since Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection emphatically tell me that I AM an overcomer, I can look bipolar depression in the face and say:
Jeremy Camp “Overcome”
I hope you enjoy Jeremy’s song. I hope it touches you as it touches me every time I listen to it. Let “Overcome” be the channel that God uses to show you His strength through you.
References
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/we-cry-out-the-worship-project/721212254
Call to Action
Do you have something in your life to overcome? Please share if you are comfortable. You may send your story to my private email address:
[email protected].
If you are ready, we can take it to Jesus simply by praying or talking to Him. God holds all our tears in a bottle. He sees you when you are hurting. Jesus knows just how you feel. He sticks closer than a brother. He died for you so you could be with Him for all eternity where there will be no mor tears, or pain, or sorrow.
If you have an Overcomer Story, we would love to celebrate with you. You can either leave a comment below or email me at [email protected].
Comments – Music that Comforts the Soul
Do you have music that comforts the soul? Please share with us in the comments below. I just might feature you and your song one week!
I would love to hear your comments concerning this post and especially the song. Be sure to…
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Life Conquering is a Christian ministry centered around mental health advocacy by encouraging and educating the community and beyond about bipolar as well as any mental health challenges.
Although mental health may be our focus, Amy reaches out to others who want to overcome their challenges which are outside this primary topic. Amy uses her knowledge and experience with challenges of all kinds to help other people overcome.
From its inception, this ministry has
Life Conquering is an Award-Winning Blog!
Please visit my award-winning blog at the addresses below.
“Top 100 Bipolar Blogs 2018 & 2019”
https://blog.feedspot.com/bipolar_disorder_blogs/.
“2018 Best Bipolar Disorder Blogs”
https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/best-blogs-of-the-year#8
Check us out on the W
We would love for you to
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]]>The post 21 Days of Motivation to Help You Lose Weight appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>In my most recent Psych Central Blog post, I discuss 21 different activities that have helped me get my move-on. As someone with bipolar 1, I have always struggled with motivation. Somedays, I hardly have the motivation to get out of bed, take a shower, take my medicine or text a friend.
It is difficult to explain. But the anti-motivation reminds me of a gigantic magnetic force holding me back from the activities I want, love or need to do.
The astounding truth is there is proof walking, for instance for a sustained period of time can help someone with a mental disorder.
I have always enjoyed ‘activity’ from the time I was a little girl with my first bicycle. Even when I am struggling with motivation, I know deep down that exercising is imperative for strong mental health. I pray this article detailing 21 different ways to motivate you to move, will inspire you to achieve
https://blogs.psychcentral.com/discoveries/2019/01/21-days-of-motivation-to-help-you-lose-weight/
Have fun moving!
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]]>The post New Post on ADHD and College at Psych Central Blog -Mental Health Discoveries appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>But I am back!
I have included a link to my blog on Psych Central – Mental Health Discoveries where I am a contributing author. The link takes you to my most recent post on the subjects ADHD and college students.
See link below.
https://blogs.psychcentral.com/discoveries/2018/12/3-truths-on-college-from-my-adhd-brain/
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]]>The post How to Survive a Crash between Bipolar Disorder and Physical Illness appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>The combination of bipolar disorder and physical illnesse stir up a nasty concoction in me every time. For example, depression and coughing collide while mania and fever slam into each other. Or it could be insomnia butting heads with exhaustion. You know the truth. Bipolar or depression and everything in between are not going to take a vacation when you have laryngitis.
The aftermath from the meeting of the two medical giants will generate lots of money shelled out at the pharmacy and a crick in the neck from sleeping on the couch for too long.
Has this ever happened to you? Yes? Well, you are in good company. I am the Queen of bipolar disorder and physical illness clashes. Based on my experiences, I will give you some suggestions on how I survived the unwelcomed meet-up of the mental and the physical sides.
When I come down with something which rubs against my mental illness symptoms in the wrong way, I usually fight hard against sleeping. I lay awake staring at the ceiling. I flip through the pages of a magazine. I read a book I haven’t touched in months. And of course, I play on my phone.
During this entire time, the psychotropic meds sit defiantly untouched while I lay awake all night. Over the years, I discovered two methods that helped me survive the battle between bipolar disorder and physical illness.
When I feel under the weather, like with a cold, I get so tired that I practically collapse into bed from just laying around doing nothing all day. The truth is we all need sleep! However, not everybody gets the right amount of shut-eye. Below is the most up-to-date sleep data for the United States.
Getting the correct amount of sleep for a mentally and physically well human being, each night is crucial. If you throw in a mental illness as well as the flu into the mix, the stakes go up. A sleep-deprived person (with any type of illness) driving a car is as impaired to get behind the wheel and stomp on the gas as a person who is driving drunk. This is serious stuff!
The bottom line here is to create an environment that will promote healthy sleep. This is what we call good sleep hygiene. It’s important to establish this level of health in order to function properly throughout the day.
Appropriate sleep hygiene means the following:
I am still attempting to achieve good consistent sleep hygiene. In the end, sleeping all the hours and minutes my body needs will, at the very least, assist me with decisions.
These decisions could be determined by the following questions: “How many hours of sleep do I need to get?”, or “Should I take my prescribed medications while I am sick with a stomach virus?”
Some of us have a tendency to skip our meds whether healthy or sick. I do take my medicine when I am well most of the time. Although when I am physically sick, I often go down kicking and screaming because I do not want to take my regular psychiatric tablets.
Here is what happens: My mind believes that my body’s mental health will carry on if I press pause on taking the remedy for my mental illness symptoms. With each passing hour to each passing day, my mental acuity tends to suffer greatly.
Every day, I experience varying levels of the following: short bouts odepression, psychosis, mania and little to no ability to stay focused to name a few.
If you take the above symptoms and mix them up real good, give the potion an electric shock, then you will have my high alert bipolar symptoms while contending with a fever, mucus, muscle aches, congestion and pains. Then if I stop taking any of my psychotropic medicines please add a triple shot to that espresso.
But the thing is, when I take all of my meds, my depression is more easily handled by usual treatments. The psychosis is still there, but it is back to its old pattern where I can better manage the paranoia and hallucinations. The mania is deflated for now and tucked away in a drawer until another day. And I can focus better than I did when I was not medicated.
I fulfilled my promise to you, my reader. In this blog post, I told you that from my experiences, getting enough sleep and taking my daily meds are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. These methods are used in order to ease up the time on the sidelines of life as well as the tough symptoms of bipolar and your sinus infection. When I become physically ill while living with a mental illness, it can be a madhouse.
Do you feel a triple dose of your symptoms happening to you whenever you experience mental illness episodes and physical sickness? Please share how you got through that flu, stomach bug, sinus infection or cold. You can either write a comment in the section below or send an email to me at [email protected].
References will be given upon individual requests.
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]]>The post Mental Health Food for Thought appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>Good morning and happy Tuesday!!!
— Life As Just Nikki (@LifeAsJustNikk1) November 6, 2018
The post Mental Health Food for Thought appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>The post Bipolar Disorder Warriors and the Weapons They Use in Battle appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>“I fight for my health every day in a way most people don’t understand. I’m not lazy. I’m a warrior.” – HealthyPlace.com
If you have bipolar disorder or any other affliction you can consider yourself a warrior. Type in the Comments section the diagnosis of an ailment, physical or mental affliction that you battle every day.
You might have a speech impediment, cancer, Tourettes Syndrome, anxiety, Lou Gehrig’s Disease or any of the numerous monsters I didn’t mention, you are a warrior. You become a force to be reckoned with the moment you say “(insert your illness)” will not get the best of me”! Of all the mental and physical ailments we have in this world, no matter your story, these monsters are extremely difficult to overcome. And just getting out of bed, taking one step at a time, breathing in and out, YOU ARE A WARRIOR.
Speaking as one of the brave Bipolar Disorder Warriors, I know if I go into battle, I must be prepared. As a warrior, I need the right weapons in order to pull myself out of the pit of despair when I am depressed; keep the argument with my boss from growing into a full-blown manic episode; or letting my proper sleep hygiene disappear among the stars.
In this blog post, I am going to introduce the number one weapon I use as a Bipolar Disorder Warrior. That weapon is prayer.
“Suffering provides the gym equipment on which my faith can be exercised.” – Joni Eareckson Tada
If you are a Christian, there are several weapons that you could use in the midst of the battle. Remember the Armor of God? My favorite weapon I like to go to, over and over and over again, is prayer. Some of my most challenging fights have been won with the battle implement prayer. Prayer taught me just how much I didn’t know about anything and especially just how much I am unfit for the battle. Prayer directs me to the Source of Power. That is why I pray to the One who knows everything and is Most Powerful, too.
I have been a Christian longer than I have had bipolar disorder. When I received the bipolar diagnosis 11 years after the symptoms surfaced, I had no idea how to respond as a Christian. Even though there is a history of mental illness on both sides of my family, that subject was never brought up at birthday parties or during the giving of gifts at Christmas. But that didn’t matter due to the fact the Christian exposure I received at church as a child, once maybe three times or more a week, actually helped me when I was in compromising situations or when I have suicidal ideations.
I do not always believe I measure up as a Bipolar Disorder Warrior. I bet some of you think that way, too.
In the midst of the roller coaster of moods, OCD, ADHD, and severe anxiety, I always expect for the warrior feeling to show up. And of course I should expect to feel like a warrior. God made me. He knitted me together in my mother’s womb. He knows the number of hairs on my head. And those statements above are facts from the Bible, let yourself believe.
Sometimes the belief in my prayers is likened to a direct line (without any busy signals) to the Creator of the Universe. Other times, because I am human, I feel all I will get are busy signals or the voicemail. I know from years of seeing God work that He will give me an answer in due time. Whether it is yes, no, maybe, wait awhile, God will answer us in His perfect timing.
When God turns me around to stand in front of His holy mirror, I see myself as He sees me. Standing in front of God’s mirror, I feel immersed in all of God’s power and strength. I also feel loved. There are no personal judgements glaring at me. I feel peace like none other before. When I see myself the way God sees me, I become that warrior, yes, even the warrior with bipolar 1 including psychotic features, one who will walk tall and shout loudly to share God’s love for a mentally ill middle-aged woman.
At that point is when I know I am ready to face any problem inside my head or out. The Bible says when I am weak, God is strong. He will fight for me. God will give me whatever signals I need to make prayer the first thing I reach for when the challenges begin!
What is the first thing you reach for when in the middle of a challenge mentally or physically? Write your answers in the Comments section below.
Share about a time when you felt like a Warrior. How does it feel to be a Warrior? How do you conjure up those warrior feelings when the going gets tough? Put your answers in the comment section below or email me at [email protected].
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/faith-in-life/prayer/prayer
https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/
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]]>The post Bipolar Blog New Focus and Prayer Requests appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>When I first created Life Conquering four years ago, I did share my faith. Throughout the years, I have allowed my spiritual life to mingle off and on with my mental health all this time. But, that is not how a Christian is called to live. Life has shown me a huge lesson that I cannot keep those two sections of my life apart. When I tried to separate them, inevitably one side loses or the other side is inadequate.
I look forward to beginning a new journey with you as we meander through the maze of mental illness on Life Conquering Bipolar Blog. We will have the frequent talks about Jesus working in and through our mental health, demonstrating His love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and, self-control in our own mentally mixed-up lives via the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
What do you think about offering prayer requests on this bipolar blog? Type your answer in the Comments section. Prayer is such an integral part of my therapy. I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for prayer. More on prayer at a later date.
If you feel comfortable, leave a prayer request in the Comments section. If you want your request to stay between the two of us, send it to my email address: [email protected]. I will be honored to take your prayers to the throne room of God.
While the focus of this bipolar blog is on our faith seeing us through the roller coaster rides of our moods, we will also talk specifically on bipolar. As you may recall from my diagnosis in 2014, it included a laundry list of other mental illnesses. Topics such as ADHD and mixed episodes will continue to be discussed here on the Life Conquering Blog since those are the subjects I know and live.
In the Comments section for today’s post, I encourage you to share your feedback on the transition of Life Conquering Blog. Also, you might already have a prayer request. Leave it here in the Comments section or email me at [email protected]. I will pray for you.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205:22-23&version=NIV
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]]>Over the past two years, Google has apparently been screening websites to see if the individual sites are secure and trustworthy to view. If I did not purchase an SSL certificate, Google would deem the blog “not secure”. Those two words would then be posted on my site so that people surfing the internet who find my blog will be alerted to a site that is “not secure”.
SSL Certificate for Life Conquering Blog
The adoption of SSL/TLS encryption for online organizations has become a security best practice, and is increasingly becoming a requirement due to pressures by large technology companies aspiring to build a safer Internet. For example, the Google Chrome web browser began visibly labeling websites not using HTTPS as “Not Secure” for their users at the end of 20161. In parallel, Mozilla’s FireFox web browser began issuing even graver warnings to users who attempt to submit information info forms not protected by HTTPS.2
For more on the article above, please click here.
I invite you to log onto https://lifeconquering.org/ , look through previous posts and feel free to securely post your comments.
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]]>The post The curveball shows up a lot in life. Let me help you practice your skills for the next game. appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.
]]>Curveballs usually take us by surprise. No matter how a curveball is thrown, you need to eventually catch it in order to win the game. I will help you identify key skills which could affect your game scorecard. Here you will learn how to make a triumphant catch from the Three R’s thus eliminating the negative feelings in the pit of your stomach by the sight of a curveball careening toward you.
My curveball came in the form of a handful of odd symptoms that just wouldn’t quit. Confusion, horribly painful stomach cramps, dark brown urine, inability to urinate and dull pains circling my belly button rounded out the list. The curveball pitch was screwed up so much and was released from the pitcher’s hand so fast that I decided to go to the urgent care clinic closest to my house.
The doctor at the urgent care clinic pronounced the ER was my next stop. Before I left the tiny examining room, the doctor in her thick Russian accent said acute appendicitis or kidney stones could be the source of my medical problems.
On the way to the ER, I wondered which surgery could be worse, an appendectomy or kidney stones. I was able to leave a urine specimen shortly after five minutes in the ER waiting room unlike the three failed attempts at the clinic.
About eight hours and five prescriptions later, I was discharged and diagnosed with a bacterial infection of my large intestines.
It took a day or two following my visit to the hospital to lose the confusion. At that point, I eagerly took the time to research my diagnosis and the antibiotics I am continuing to take. Since that ER trip, I have been taking 2100 mg of two different antibiotics a day. I was a very sick gal.
In order to make a successful catch of my curveball, I used the Three R’s.
The first R is recognizing a curveball. They can come from anywhere. The curveball can originate from:
Once you resolve where the curveball originated, next you make plans on how to catch it.
The last R is to realize you are a human being and you can make mistakes, too.
Curveballs can be like herding cats without an enclosure to contain them. Be sure to have a plan prior to the ball screaming towards you. I have given you the Three R’s to help you navigate some potentially tough times in your life.
There are nine innings in a baseball game. I think I am around the eighth inning. There are still days worth of antibiotics left to take. The stomach and feet bloating from the massive level of antibiotics are having a negative effect on me.
What was a memorable curveball that you experienced? Was it a successful catch? Why or why not? Drop me a line below in the comments section and give me your ways of making a successful catch.
“Top 100 Bipolar Blogs”
https://blog.feedspot.com/bipolar_disorder_blogs/.
“2018 Best Bipolar Disorder Blogs”
https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/best-blogs-of-the-year#8
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]]>