I excitedly began scrolling through chose best bipolar disorder blogs.  There was the bipolar blog from Psych Central.  The psychcentral.com has a specific blog that I contribute to called Mental Health Discoveries.

Health Line’s 2018 Best Bipolar Blogs Award to Life Conquering

Scroll, scroll, scroll.  Oh my goodness!  The first thing I saw was the Life Conquering logo on the left then a marvelous write-up of my blog on the right.  I did a double take.  I was so excited!  I am just super honored to be on the Best Bipolar Disorder Blogs list.  My passion, hard work and patience have paid off. 

Life Conquering a Mental Health Organization and Blog

The award is displayed on the landing/front page of the Life Conquering Blog.  Scroll down to the end of the page and you will see all of my blog awards.

2018 Best Blogs – Bipolar Disorder

Blog award dedicated to a Father and a Veteran

This weekend is perfect to dedicate this award to my late father, Don Pierce.  He was diagnosed with a mental illness called PTSD after serving in the Vietnam War as a Military Police officer.

Vietnam Soldiers War Memorial

I miss our times on the back deck talking about the latest in politics, cranking up the 70’s music station and asking questions about his tour in Vietnam.  My dad did not die in combat.  However, he died due to a combat-related medical issue.  I miss him.  I wish he were here on my tough days when I feel alone and the bipolar is overwhelming me.  I know he would not mind me leaning on him for strength.  Dad always had great advice.

I will see him real soon in Heaven which takes the sting out of the missing part of his absence in my life.  That makes me smile.

Scripture references to know you are saved

Romans 10:9, which says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

Ephesians 2:8, which says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith.”

References

https://www.christianitytoday.com/iyf/advice/faithdoubt/how-can-i-be-sure-im-saved.html

https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/best-blogs-of-the-year#8

https://lifeconquering.org/

PTSD, Veterans and VA Funding Service Dogs Go together like Cats and Dogs

PTSD Suggestions for Someone Who is Struggling

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Is it a mental illness?

Have you ever noticed strange mental health or even physical symptoms that begin without any reason?  What do you do?  Shrug it off and pretend it was never there or be proactive and do something about it?  Below are suggestions as to what you should do if you think you might have a  mental illness.  The first thing is deciding between a therapist and a psychologist.

therapist and a psychologist

Do not be afraid of change

When I finally realized there was something wrong with me, I went straight to the people I knew I could trust.  Over the nearly 11 years that I have been diagnosed having bipolar disorder, I am on my fifth psychiatrist.  Now, I am seeing a psychologist after two therapists and a counselor.

Please be honest with yourself.  Listen to what the provider has to say and then research, research, research.  I was researching all the time and still are just to know my illness better and to see what needed to be done about it medically and therapeutically,

Now researching is not a way of elevating yourself over your doctor, therapist or psychologist.  It is a tool for you to be more informed.

Preparing for the first visit

1. I would write down a list of your strange symptoms, while they are fresh in your memory.  Include dates as well as times, special events, life-altering situations (death, baby born, loss of job, divorce, going back to school, new house).
2. Get as much information as you can about the mental health of family members.  Go as far back as you can.  I found out ta few years ago hat I have a family member on my dad’s side who had bipolar.  He also committed suicide.
3. If you have family and good friends or even close co-workers, ask them if they can shed light onto your situation.  How are you different?  Personality?  Behavior?

4. 

   therapist and a psychologist

5. Time to make the appointment with a therapist or psychologist.
6. If you are unsure of which provider to choose (therapist or psychologist), take a look at the link above titled, What is the difference between a therapist and a psychologist?  That link will explain the difference between the two as well as the pros and cons of each.

Each therapist and psychologist have their own methods as well as their obvious differences.  You may be unsure of which provider to go to.  Go to the link at the top of this page that will take you to a site to help you chose.

Going Further

How to Handle Your First Psychiatric Appointment

The post Therapist and a psychologist – making that first appointment appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

You might not know that your mail carrier has PTSD; the barista at your favorite coffee shop has anxiety; the secretary where you work has depression; and the list goes on.  You might not think this is possible, then you need to read these 17 facts.

Here are 17 facts that prove mental illnesses are more prevalent in out society then we might have thought.  It is important for you to know and realize that mental illness is unfortunately growing.  As the science behind mental illness recovery and the medicines that are prescribed, more of the mentally ill will have the confidence to hold down a job; worship outside of their home; travel; have children; in other words, have an actual life.

17 mental illness facts

1.  61,500,000

The number of Americans who will experience a mental illness during any given year.

2.  $100,000,000,000

The economic strain on our country due to the untreated individuals with a mental illness.

untreated mental health

3.  70 – 90%

This is the percentage of individuals who are mentally ill who improved with some sort of therapy.

4.  800,000

The number of individuals who die by suicide globally.

 5.  25%

This is the percentage of mentally ill individuals who feel that others are compassionate or understanding to the mentally ill.

compassion and understanding

 6.  350,000,000

The amount of people worldwide affected by depression.

7.  79%

The percentage of all U.S. suicides carried out by men.

8.  40,000,000

The adults in America who suffer from anxiety disorders.

anxiety

9.  7.5%

The amount of college students who reported feeling depressed to the point where it negatively impacted their ability to function.

10.  22

According to a 2013 report by the DVA, this is the underestimated number of veterans who died by suicide each day.

veteran suicides

11.  10%

The percentage of children and adolescents who were disrupted in their day-to-day lives by a mental and emotional disorder.

12.  3,500,000

The figure of Americans who suffer from schizophrenia.

schizophrenia

13.  60%

The percentage of adults who didn’t receive mental health assistance in 2012.

14.  6,100,000

This is the number of bipolars who live in the U.S.

bipolar

15.  21%

“The percentage of mothers polled in a recent Baby Center survey who stated they have been diagnosed with postpartum depression. Approximately 40 percent of them did not seek medical treatment.”

16.  5,200,000

The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) adults who suffer with this disorder in a given year.

PTSD

17.  7

“The number of people who die by suicide per hour in the Americas.”

References

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/01/mental-illness-statistics_n_6193660.html

http://www.worldbipolarday.org/

If you are contemplating hurting yourself, click on this.

The post 17 Facts about mental illness which proves it is more prevalent appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

Well, this morning has been successful in one way and a total failure in another in bipolar land.  I was able to type a draft last night for Blasting News where I am a contributing author.  I just got an email indicating that my article I submitted is being published.  Ya-hooo!

On the flip side I just tried to edit a blog I also drafted last night and get it read for publishing today.  I can’t tell if I have two different topics or just one or five.  It feels as if I am walking through a corridor of Laffy Taffy.  I just feel like this blog is all sticky and I am unable to fight through the bands of taffy in order to see clearly.

A day I didn’t see coming

Have you ever had a day like that?  Hmmm.  It happens to all of us.  We feel inadequate at our job because we feel like we have just forgotten the entire manual on their job.  While waiting tables you break almost every coffee cup you touch.  The copier is jammed every time you go to use it.  You just now noticed you have a coffee stain in a very prominent place on your suit.  And the meeting you are chairing is set for five minutes from now.

Life happens, doesn’t it?  On these days I usually can’t get a topic to write about.  My words do not flow.  And if I were to look at the main ideas coming from my head down my arms to my fingers to type onto the laptop, it would look like a game of Pick-up Sticks.  Just ideas going all over the place, intersecting in bizzare places.

On these days, I want to give up.  At least that is what I used to do.  I gave up.  I too a nap.  I chatted on social media.  I did everything except address the problem.  Now I want to F.I.G.H.T.!  No more wimping out.  I am resolved not to let this mental illness get the best of me.

Just now as I write this blog about fighting against the battles of life, I am sleepy from staying up later than usual.  I would like to take a nap.  However, I know all the work that needs to be done will swirl around in my brain, keeping me from sleep.

Stay in the game

As you go about your day, whether you have a mental illness or have a flat tire on the side of the road, FIGHT to stay in the game.  Don’t check out!  You have a lot to learn from yourself today.  But if you you don’t fight, that is okay too.  There is always tomorrow.

A Call To Action

If you have a success story or a failure story where you learned to FIGHT and as a result learned something from it, please email.  I would love to read the story as well as the lesson learned.  [email protected]

Going Further

http://www.pendulum.org/bpcoping.htm

22 Mindfulness Exercises, Techniques & Activities For Adults (+ PDF’s)

Bipolar Roller Coaster: Nineteen Jobs since College

Anxiety-Provoking Staplers in the Den of Work Life

The post How do you deal with a bipolar brain that is made of Laffy Taffy? appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

Do you have a mental illness? You could have anxiety or schizophrenia or any number of the other mental illnesses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  When the feeling strikes that you have a decision to make with no idea what to do, it can be a scary thing.  Your mental illness has formed a shroud over your head.  You feel temporarily paralyzed.

For instance, anxiety disengages the part of the brain that is imperative to decision making. “Schizophrenia patients with prominent positive symptoms were unable to integrate cognitive and emotional components of decision making which may contribute to their inability to generate adaptive behaviours in social and individual environments.” (1)  And we must not forget, bipolar disorder.  With the various and numerous mood swings, they make it extremely difficult to nail down a decision.  This is especially the case during manic episodes.

mental illness

Symptoms of the inability to make a decision

• Brain fog;
• Paralyzed;
• Unable to conjure up basic problem solving skills;
• The world does not turn to black and white. Everything is a muted gray so it makes it even more difficult to make a decision;
• Your brain is sawed in half;
• Your brain is asleep;
• Stressed;
• Feel wrong making any decision or no decision;
• Overwhelmed;
• A heavy weight on you;
• Cannot function;
• Distracted;
• Annoyed; and
• Emotional.

How to overcome

1. Make a list – When I need to make a big decision, I have been told to make a list ever since I was a teenager. Whenever I had a big decision to make like where to go to college, I got out a piece of paper and filled that paper until the lists were exhausted.  Taking the time out of the very emotional experience of making a decision, helps to clear our minds, relax us, breathe and see the big picture.
2. Cool down the emotions – Like I said before, being mentally ill and trying to make a decision is very emotional. Make a list of the emotions you would feel making each decision. Go to a quiet place and close your eyes.  Feel the emotions drain out of you onto the floor.    Relax.  Once you relax, you can look at the situation in a different light and make a sound decision.
3. Sleep on it – You probably heard someone say to “sleep on it”. My husband and I have done this with big purchases like a vehicle or a home.  It is as if all the chemicals in your head got together and made a decision for you.  Then, the next morning you feel confident in your decision.
4. Tell the truth – This has happened to me lots of times where I get caught up in trying to make the decision and I lie to myself. Yes!  All these previous suggestions can help you distinguish between the truth and a lie.
5. Take your time – Some decisions can take a couple minutes, hours or days to make. If you have the time, take every second.  Make your list, sleep on it.  It will help you make a clearer choice.
6. Talk it out – Find someone in your life whom you trust and has a history of making good decisions. Go talk to them. Take your pros and cons list.  Discuss these items and hear what he or she has to say.  Remember, their answer does not have to agree with yours in the end.

Call to Action

Share this information with a friend who has mental illness or share it with a friend who you know needs help making decisions.

mental illness

Comments

Tell me how you make your decisions in the comments below.  Or you may email me at [email protected].

References

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20022219

Going Further

https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/02/03/do-you-have-difficulty-making-decisions/

http://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-interferes-decision-making-stop-intruding/

https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2015/07/depression-i-cant-make-a-decision-everything-feels-wrong/

The post Mental Illness: Making a Decision, Heads or Tails appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

I have PTSD.  The nightmares, flashbacks and the feeling in the pit of my stomach makes the trips down memory lane unbearable.  Sometimes it feels like it is starting all over again.  I can only image the pain and suffering a war veteran would feel.  The pain must be crushing.

Service Dogs Loyalty

The love and loyalty given by a service dog to his master is second to none.  Knowing what information I know about PTSD from my own experiences and the friendship with my own two dogs, Jake and Sam, I find a dog very comforting, supportive and loving when you are experiencing mental stress. Also, service dogs are often used to help people with mobility issues, hearing and visual impairments as well as physical difficulties.

Service Dog

With service dogs, you have a four-legged therapist with you 24/7.  Petting the dog and grooming him or her, taking a walk with your service dog and having the service dog next to you in a crowded store can soothe your nerves and help you pull it back together.

Research

There is research on the effectiveness a service dog has on people with PTSD.  The evidence shows that a service dog can help the veteran ease back into civilian life and help create a calming atmosphere when in a stressful or hostile environment.

On the flip side of the coin, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a policy in place where it does not make funding available for former military personnel with PTSD to own service dogs. They believe that not enough research has yet been conducted to justify such a program. However, the agency helps veterans keep service dogs if they have visual, hearing or mobility problems, but not for PTSD.

Comments

What do you think?  Do you think the VA should fund the service dog program for veterans with PTSD?  Do you have a mental illness or disability and have your own service dog?  Tell us about it.

Going Further

http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-benefits-therapy-service-dogs/

https://www.sovhealth.com/mental-health/service-animals-emotional-support-animals/

http://www.redbarninc.com/blog/benefits-therapy-animals/

The post PTSD, Veterans and VA Funding Service Dogs Go together like Cats and Dogs appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

I know my most current post was about the same subject.  June is actually PTSD Awareness Month.  Most of the time in June spent for me was not writing for this blog but was caught up into my own mental hell.  This sounded like another good topic for PTSD Awareness, so here goes.

What is this mental disorder?

People with this mental disorder can feel like they are fighting through quicksand just to get through what is perceived as a normal day for somebody else.  Depending upon the trauma as well as its manifestation will be based on the individual person.

According to Dr. Paul Hokemeyer, a certified trauma professional, this disorder is deeply embedded into a person’s body.  This is due to the individual going through an event which completely compromises the central nervous system.  Even though the triggering event may vary from person to person, the reaction remains fairly consistent.

What is a friend to do?

Being in any kind of relationship with someone with this type of mental disorder, it is imperative that you fully comprehend to the best of your ability what your friend is experiencing.

“The worst thing you can do is try to comfort them by saying something to the effect of ‘it’s not that bad,’ or ‘look at all you have to be grateful for’ when they have a negative reaction” explains Dr. Hokemeyer.  This will shame and diminish their integrity.

5 Suggestions to Aid a Person with PTSD

1. Suggest doing something fun;
2. Tell your friend you will go with them in whatever it is they need;
3. Mirror back the comments they make to you;
4. Introduce positive future plans; and
5. Tell them you are here to stay.

Comments

I have had so many uncaring remarks made to me with my mental illness by friends and family alike.  I realize they are not meaning to be uncaring.  They are just ignorant.  I just wish they would listen with open ears and closed mouths.  Period.  Type your comments below.  Email me at: [email protected].

Going Further

http://www.thefreshquotes.com/ptsd/

https://www.pinterest.com/explore/ptsd-quotes/

https://traumadissociation.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/inspiring-positive-quotes1/

Deleting Memories: From Snails to PTSD Research

The post PTSD Suggestions for Someone Who is Struggling appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.

An impressive study on PTSD from Columbia University Center could be the breakthrough to bring relief to millions of people who suffer from this mental disorder.

How did they do that?

Researchers published their findings in Current Biology which showed how they were able to erase certain memories housed on the same neurons as other memories, without disturbing the others.

This amazing feat was done by blocking specific molecules connected with particular protein linked to long-term memory.  Who were the subjects, you ask?  Snails.

There is a caveat: the researchers are not certain the memories were erased forever.  I guess you can’t really give a memory check-up to a snail.  At the same time, these results on this study go a long way in aiding future research on memory which can make a huge impact on people who have this mental illness.

Studies like these can eventually lead to medications that could alter people’s brain chemistry and break the connection for them from pairing certain objects with traumatic events which leads to an episode.

“By isolating the exact molecules that maintain non-associative memory, we may be able to develop drugs that can treat anxiety without affecting the patient’s normal memory of past events,” Dr. Jiangyuan Hu, an associate research scientist at Columbia and co-author of the paper, said in a statement.

Still Learn from Long-term Memory

The researchers have said they want to leave associative long-term memories intact.  This way people can learn from their mistakes and maintain a working memory without the pain and suffering that go with it.

Objections to New PTSD Research?

There are some obvious reasons for objection.  Scientists could reverse the process and implant false memories and associations.

Comments

Please share your comments in the section below.  You may always email me at [email protected].

Going Further

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml

https://www.ptsd.va.gov/PTSD/professional/research-bio/research/index.asp

https://www.bbrfoundation.org/research/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

Alcohol and Anxiety

Anxiety Fools Your Brain to Direct Your Actions and Thoughts

The post Deleting Memories: From Snails to PTSD Research appeared first on Life Conquering Blog.