Sources: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/index.shtml https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/exposure-and-response-prevention
Anxiety
Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, ADHD, Et al: How to Support a Friend with Mental Illness
By: Sarah Cohen
When helping a friend with a mental illness, the first step should be assessment of their symptoms. Sometimes they just might be going through a difficult time, but if certain common symptoms associated with mental health issues persist it is imperative to respond sensitively. Majority of the time, friends will just want to know they have your support and that you care about them. A good way to show your support is by talking to them. If you provide a non-judgmental space for them to speak about their issues it will help encourage them to be open with their problems. Let them lead the conversation and don’t pressure them to reveal information. It can be incredibly difficult and painful to speak about these issues and they might not be ready to share everything. If you aren’t their therapist do not diagnose them or make assumptions about how they are feeling, just listen and show you understand. If someone doesn’t want to speak with you, don’t take it personally, just continue to show them you care about their wellbeing and want to help as much as possible. Just knowing they have support can give them the strength they need to contact someone who can help them.
If a friend is having a crisis, such as a panic attack or suicidal thoughts, you must stay calm. Try not to overwhelm them by asking a lot of questions and confronting them in a public setting. Ask them gently what would be helpful to them right now or reassure them. If they hurt themselves, get first aid as soon as possible. If someone is suicidal, contact the suicide hotline at 800-237-8255 immediately.
The best way to help someone is by connecting them to professional help. By expressing your concern and support you can show them that they can get help and their mental health problems can be treated.
If you or someone you know needs support with their mental illness, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/supporting-someone-mental-health-problem
https://www.mentalhealth.gov/talk/friends-family-members
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Mental Illness in Young Adults
By: Melissa Molina
You may think you’re all grown up, you might even be the tallest you’ll ever be at this point in your life but young adults, ages 18 to 29, are still experiencing cognitive development. Brain development does not stop once you reach 18. In fact, the cognitive growth process is only half way done. Parental controls, attending college, changes and experiences that happen to young adults in their early twenties can affect and significantly shape brain development. This is why mental illnesses can present at this time in life.
Mental Illness envelops a wide assortment of issues that exist on a severity continuum. Some can be brief or temporary reactions to emergency or different encounters, while others are chronic conditions. Mental Illnesses have different causes and triggers and present in different ways.
Mental Illnesses that Commonly Present in Young Adults:
- Eating Disorders (anorexia,bulimia, bingeing)
- Addiction (opioids, tobacco, alcohol)
- Anxiety Disorders (social anxiety, generalized anxiety, phobias)
- Personality Disorders (antisocial, borderline personality disorder)
- Mood Disorders (bipolar disorders, major depressive disorder)
- Thought Disorders (schizophrenia)
Young adults are at a particularly vulnerable time in their development, which might give reason as to why 1 of every 5 is affected by mental illness. Given the right conditions, stress can trigger mental illness.
Considering young adults’ brains are still developing, diagnosing mental illness and treating or managing it can improve chances of a great outcome. Most young adults with mental illness can learn to successfully manage symptoms and live happy lives with the right help.
If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental illness, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Source: skylandtrail.org/onset-of-mental-illness-first-signs-and-symptoms-in-young-adults/
Image Source: images.app.goo.gl/4DkjJ5zpS5cuFP747
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After The Affair: How Therapy Can Help
By: Melissa Molina
Marriage therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps couples recognize problems and offer solutions to their relationships. Through therapy, couples can choose to strengthen their relationships or part ways. Affairs or unfaithfulness can be challenging to overcome in any marriage. Therapy can be successful and infidelity shall not recur if all parties, including the therapist, are compassionate, respectful and empathetic.
Counseling a couple after infidelity can be painful but successful in most cases. A study by Shirley Glass in 2000 found that 71% of couples she had seen in therapy after an infidelity stayed together.
What Helps the Couple Heal?
The betrayer must be patient and understand the hurt partners feelings can help the process. Details and all questions must be answered to serve the purpose of giving the hurt partner a feeling of control.
Therapists can start a ritual with the couple of burying the past, putting the infidelity behind them and remembering the good memories in their relationship.
In early stages, the hurt partner might need to hear the words “sorry” everyday.
In therapy, open discussions about what both partners need from each other sexually are very important.
Marriage Therapy can help address each partner’s needs, desires and aspirations. The hurt spouse can learn to trust the betrayer and the betrayer can learn to express their feelings in therapy. Giving yourself and your relationship the opportunity to heal and grow with marriage therapy is slow and hard work but your marriage is worth it.
If you or someone you know needs support with their marriage, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/ .
Source: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-dance-connection/201302/will-your-marriage-survive-the-affair
Image Source: intentblog.com/time-seek-therapist-can-couples-counseling-help/
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COVID-19: Coping with Anxiety
By: Melissa Molina
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic might be upsetting and stressful for individuals. Anxiety and fear about the virus and what could happen can be overpowering and cause forceful feelings in adults and children. General well-being activities, for example, social distancing or wearing masks, can cause individuals to feel detached and forlorn and can result in anxiety. Nonetheless, these activities are important to decrease the spread of COVID-19.
Being able to cope with anxiety due to COVID-19 is important and here are some tips on how to do just that:
- Educate yourself and your loved ones on what to do if one is sick. Contact a healthcare provider before starting any self treatment for the coronavirus.
- Take breaks and do not over-stress yourself with reading fake news, social media and/or conspiracies.
- Isolate and protect yourself but stay connected with friends and loved ones.
- Find a new hobby, something to keep you busy and something you can control.
- Focus on positives: cooking, reading a new book or tv shows.
- Practice self care: try to eat well balanced meals, get plenty of sleep and unwind by taking deep breaths.
It is completely ordinary and justifiable to feel anxiety in the time of COVID-19. Indeed, uneasiness is a solid response to new, perhaps difficult conditions. It can provoke us to focus, prepare, and guard ourselves. However, your anxiety, when coped with, can in turn transform from something that controls you to something that can help you.
If you or someone you know needs support with anxiety, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/ .
Sources: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-resilience/202003/coping-anxiety-in-the-age-covid-19 https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/coronavirus-anxiety.htm
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Sarah Cohen
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, commonly referred to as OCD, is a disorder that is composed of patterns of unwanted or intrusive thoughts that cause repetitive actions or compulsions that create difficulties by interfering with day to day activities. This is different than being a perfectionist because OCD thoughts are not just extra worrying about real life issues or enjoying a clean house. When most people think of OCD, they usually imagine someone who is always cleaning, and while this can be a manifestation of OCD, there are many other themes OCD might center around. For example, checking things such as light switches and locks excessively in order to get to a “good” number of times. Symptoms of OCD include obsessive and/or compulsive thoughts that take up a large amount of time and prevent normal work or school functioning. Obsessions are persistent, unwanted thoughts or urges that cause anxiety and distress usually followed by compulsions which are repeated actions meant to lessen the anxiety from the obsessions or prevent something bad from occurring. OCD is more common in women than men and usually begins during the teen or young adult years. Symptoms usually start off little by little and vary throughout the lifetime of the patient. Risk factors for OCD include a family history of OCD, physical differences in the brain, traumatic life events, or other mental health disorders. While there is no cure, if a patient can manage their symptoms well, they can lead a normal life. Treatments include psychotherapy, meditation, medication, and in rare cases when both medication and therapy are not effective, neuromodulation.
If you or someone you know needs support managing their OCD, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/ .
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/obsessive-compulsive-disorder#2 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20354432
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Perfectionism: Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
Perfectionism: Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)
By: Isabelle Siegel
Oftentimes when people say “I’m so OCD,” what they really mean is “I’m a perfectionist.” Perfectionism is a trait characterized by a rigid need to be perfect: that is, without flaws. Although perfectionism is often thought of as being a positive trait, it can be maladaptive in many ways. Perfectionists tend to have unrealistically high standards, to take longer to complete tasks, to struggle with collaboration, and to place immense pressure on themselves. When perfectionism is extreme, it may meet criteria for Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD).
OCPD, not to be confused with OCD, is a personality disorder characterized by a pattern of inflexibility and a fixation with perfection. This fixation can interfere with one’s ability to complete tasks, one’s interpersonal relationships, and other aspects of one’s life. People with OCPD attempt to control life using details, rules, lists, order, organization, and/or schedules. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, OCPD is diagnosed when an individual demonstrates:
- a fixation with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules
- perfectionism that interferes with task completion
- overemphasis on work and productivity, leaving no time for leisure or relaxation
- a fixation with morality and ethical responsibility
- hoarding of objects and/or money
- an inability to delegate tasks to others
- an overall rigidity and/or stubbornness
Like other psychological disorders, OCPD can be treated with therapy and medication. Therapies for OCPD emphasize identifying and modifying maladaptive behavioral patterns, as well as targeting triggers (such as stress) for overly perfectionistic behavior.
If you or a loved one demonstrates symptoms of OCPD, the licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy can assist you. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Sources:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/perfectionism
https://www.ocduk.org/related-disorders/obsessive-compulsive-personality-disorder/clinical-classification-of-obsessive-compulsive-personality-disorder/
Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Signs_of_OCPD_1.png
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OCD: Perinatal/Maternal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Perinatal/Maternal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
By: Isabelle Siegel
Conversations about postpartum depression have recently become commonplace, leading many people to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of this condition. As a result, new mothers are much quicker to recognize and label their struggles and to seek help. However, the same attention has not been paid to a similar condition: Perinatal or Maternal Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
What is Perinatal/Maternal OCD?
Perinatal/Maternal OCD is essentially OCD with onset during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. In general, OCD involves the presence of obsessions (“unwelcome thoughts, images, urges, worries or doubts that repeatedly appear in your mind”) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or thought patterns performed to relieve anxiety caused by the obsessions).
Expecting and new mothers with Perinatal/Maternal OCD commonly experience obsessive thoughts about their infant’s safety, including intrusive thoughts about:
- Unintentionally harming the infant
- Sexually abusing the infant
- Contaminating the infant
- Making wrong or harmful parenting decisions
They may then engage in compulsive behaviors or thought patterns in order to relieve the resulting anxiety, including:
- Repetitively calling the doctor or other health professionals
- Repetitively checking on the infant
- Total avoidance of the infant
- Excessive washing of anything with which the infant might come in contact
Treatments for Perinatal OCD
Mothers experiencing Perinatal/Maternal OCD are not hopeless. As with other forms of OCD, Perinatal/Maternal OCD can be addressed with therapy and/or medication. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and, more specifically, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) can be used to target obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.
If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of Perinatal or Maternal OCD, the licensed psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy can assist you. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/
Sources:
Image Source: https://www.mothersclub.sg/mum-confessions-1/
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Anxiety during COVID-19
Anxiety during COVID-19
By: Alexa Greenbaum
Reported rates of anxiety have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people reporting anxiety and fear symptoms is well above historical norms. Polls have found that nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health. Hotlines have seen consistent results. During April alone, a month in which most Americans were in quarantine, the federal government’s distress hotline increased text rates more than 1,000 percent. In addition, dozens of states and locally run distress hotlines have reported sizeable increases in call volume as well. If you are experiencing anxiety during this time, you are not alone.
Americans who are in quarantine and sheltering in place are suffering. Outbreaks are stressful and symptoms of anxiety can include:
• Fear and worry about your health and the health of your loved ones.
• Changes in sleep or eating patterns.
• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
• Worsening of chronic health problems.
• Worsening of mental health conditions.
• Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.
In particular, those who have reported high rates of fear and anxiety include:
• Minorities
• Women
• Older people and people with preexisting health conditions who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 as well as people who have mental health conditions including problems with substance abuse
• Adults under the age of 34 (children and teens)
• People who are helping with the response to COVID-19 (doctors, health care providers, and first responders
During this time, it is more important than ever to take care of your mental health. Asking for and accepting help is a sign of strength. Call your health care provider if you are experiencing stress or anxiety. Health care providers can help you by providing a procedure and referrals.
If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety from COVID-19 or another crisis, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/ .
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-covid-19-is-doing-to-our-mental-health
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COVID-19: Anxiety
COVID-19: Anxiety
By: Alexa Greenbaum
Reported rates of anxiety have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of people reporting anxiety and fear symptoms is well above historical norms. Polls have found that nearly half of Americans report the coronavirus crisis is harming their mental health. Hotlines have seen consistent results. During April alone, a month in which most Americans were in quarantine, the federal government’s distress hotline increased text rates more than 1,000 percent. In addition, dozens of states and locally run distress hotlines have reported sizeable increases in call volume as well. If you are experiencing anxiety during this time, you are not alone.
Americans who are in quarantine and sheltering in place are suffering. Outbreaks are stressful and symptoms of anxiety can include:
• Fear and worry about your health and the health of your loved ones.
• Changes in sleep or eating patterns.
• Difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
• Worsening of chronic health problems.
• Worsening of mental health conditions.
• Increased use of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.
In particular, those who have reported high rates of fear and anxiety include:
• Minorities
• Women
• Older people and people with preexisting health conditions who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 as well as people who have mental health conditions including problems with substance abuse
• Adults under the age of 34 (children and teens)
• People who are helping with the response to COVID-19 (doctors, health care providers, and first responders
During this time, it is more important than ever to take care of your mental health. Asking for and accepting help is a sign of strength. Call your health care provider if you are experiencing stress or anxiety. Health care providers can help you by providing a procedure and referrals.
If you or someone you know is experiencing anxiety from COVID-19 or another crisis, please contact our psychotherapy offices in New York or New Jersey to talk to one of our licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, or psychotherapists at Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy. Contact our Paramus, NJ or Manhattan, NY offices respectively, at (201) 368-3700 or (212) 722-1920 to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/ .
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-covid-19-is-doing-to-our-mental-health
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