Suicide is a major health crisis with it being the 12th leading cause of death overall in the United States. In 2021, it claimed the lives of over 45,900 people. Suicide is the act of harming oneself with the goal of ending one’s life. A suicide attempt is when the individual has a goal to end his/her life but fails to do so. Some warning signs to look out for when spotting someone who is suicidal is:
Talking about wanting to die
Feeling like they have no desire to live
Having unbearable emotional or physical pain
Talking about feeling like a burden to others
Talking or thinking about death often
Preparing a will
Giving away personal important possessions
Using alcohol or drugs more often
Withdrawing from friends and family members
These warning signs must not be ignored since they are signs of extreme distress that can lead to dangerous outcomes if ignored. The action steps to take include:
Asking the individual if they think about harming themselves
Keeping them safe by reducing access to lethal items/places
Being there and actively listening to their thoughts and feelings
Helping them connect to a Suicide & Crisis Hotline number. Call 201-262-HELP (4357)
Staying connected with the individual and following up after a crisis.
You are loved and you are making a difference by taking the necessary steps to bring awareness.
If you or someone you know is experiencing Suicidal thoughts, 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 https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Retirement is thought to be one of the most admirable events that happen in one’s life. However, there is also a darker side to retirement that many people do not know about when making the big decision to take their 401K savings investment and leave their jobs. Retirement, although seemingly glamorous and freeing, can also be extremely lonely, unfulfilling, and cause major financial issues. The average age of retirement in the U.S. is 63 years[1] and the average lifespan of a person in the U.S. is 79.1 years[2]. This means that many people, on average, have 16 more years after retirement to accomplish everything they have always wanted to do. While 16 years may not seem like a very long time to some people, it can feel extremely long to many retired individuals who only make $1,620 a month through social security, become empty nesters in their homes, or have lost their spouse or friends to old age and illness. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the pros and cons before retiring from your job.
Pros:
May improve physical health by having more time to exercise, get outside, and eat healthier[3]
More time to travel
More time to pursue passions
More time for friend and family relationships
Cons:
May lead to decline in mental health (e.g. depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, panic)
May lead to feelings of loneliness and boredom
Feelings of loss of purpose in life
Lack of daily structure
Social Security benefits will be smaller if retiring earlier than your “full retirement age”[4]
Losing employer-sponsored health benefits
Outliving your savings
It is important to be aware of the issues that retiring early may cause. After retirement, it is vital to keep an active life style, both mentally and physically. This includes keeping up with preventive care, exercising regularly, eating and drinking healthily, staying social with friends and family, and finding a new purpose in life[5]. However, if you are struggling mentally due to early retirement, it is vital to seek professional treatment to avoid any more serious symptoms.
If you or someone you know is struggling with retirement and/or depression, 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 https://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): a Cognitive Behavioral Approach
By: Jasmyn Cuate
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a combination of cognitive and behavior therapy, supported by empirical-based evidence that teaches patients skills to cope with and change unhealthy behaviors. The main goals of DBT are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others.
DBT focuses on four key areas in therapeutic skills:
Mindfulness: focuses on improving your ability to accept and be present in the current moment, helping you use healthy coping skills instead of using negative impulsive behaviors
Distress tolerance: teaches you how to feel intense emotions without reacting impulsively or using self-injury or substance abuse to escape from it. Helping you prepare for intense emotions and cope with a more positive long-term outlook
Emotion regulation: teaches you how to identify, label, and change your emotions without judging them– learning how your emotions shape your behavior and what obstacles prevent you from managing your emotions, reducing your emotional vulnerability and helps you have more positive emotional experiences
Interpersonal effectiveness: allows you to communicate more effectively with others, become more assertive, maintain self-respect and respect for others, while keeping a relationship positive and healthy
DBT goes through a multistage approach where the therapist first treats the patient’s most self-destructive behavior followed by the therapist addressing quality-of-life skills, then focus on improving the patient’s relationships and self-esteem, with the last stage focusing on promoting more joy and relationship connections. Standard comprehensive DBT is often used in the following settings:
Individual therapy: with a trained professional, you learn how to apply DBT skills to specific challenges and situations in your life– patients agree to do homework to practice new skills and fill out diary cards which are completed daily to keep track of their emotions, urges, behaviors, and skills used throughout the week and brought to weekly sessions for the therapist and client to discuss and see if there’s progress being made. Diary cards are designed to record instances of target behaviors, thoughts and urges, and the use of behavioral skills client’s applied to cope with the problem
Group skills training: patients have the opportunity to role-play new behavioral skills and interact with others
Phone coaching: with DBT, your therapist is available by the phone for in-the-moment support between sessions if you’re in a difficult situation and need guidance
While your therapist works with you through the DBT approach, it can be challenging to stay motivated. Therefore, therapists have consultation groups,which are a group of professionals who met regularly helping one another to navigate potential stressors, monitor their devotion to treatment, develop and increase their skills, and sustain their motivation to work with high-risk, difficult-to-treat clients.
DBT was developed by Marsha Linehan, originally intended to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD) and suicidal behaviors but has been modified to treat other mental health conditions and have been effective in treating:
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Bipolar disorder
Substance use or impulsive behaviors
Eating disorders
Depression
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) or suicidal behavior
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Overall, DBT offers validation for patients, helping them understand their actions within the context of their personal experiences without necessarily agreeing that their actions are the best approach to solving a problem. This helps patients become more likely to cooperate and work towards self-acceptance and change. The best way to find out if DBT is right for you is to talk with a professional. They will evaluate your symptoms, treatment history, and therapy goals to see if DBT is the best treatment option for you.
If you or someone you know is seeking for dialectical behavior therapy, 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/
Losing a loved one by suicide can be overwhelming and heart wrenching. Grief in response to suicide can be complicated. You may be consumed with guilt and wonder to yourself if you could have done something to prevent their death. Feelings of anger, shame, guilt, regret and blame are very common, but it can make it hard for you to talk about their death due to stigma that is associated with it. It is important to note that there is NO right way to grieve losing a loved one to suicide!
In the aftermath, you may feel like you will never enjoy life again. To be honest, you may always wonder why it happened and experience reminders that can trigger painful feelings. However, the intensity of your grief will fade as time goes on but will probably never fully pass. In the meantime, it is beneficial for you to adopt healthy coping mechanisms. Such as:
Keep in touch with loved ones, friends, and other supporters
Don’t rush yourself
Consider a support group for families affected by suicide
Grieve in your own way
Expect setbacks
Be prepared for painful reminders
It important for you to understand the following: You should accept that some things are beyond your control, separate responsibility from blame, and understand that anyone can miss the warning signs.
If you are someone or you know someone who appears to be suffering from suicide grief, 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/.
Living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) not only affects the individual, but those with whom they have formed a relationship. Relationships are present and strong, but experience more turbulence due to key symptoms of BPD such as: intense reactions, self- doubt, extreme idolization or devaluation, fear of abandonment, mood swings, risky behaviors, etc. There is no one “cause” of a personality disorder like BPD, but studies show that patients with BPD come from families of severe pathology leading to their provocative behavior patterns.
People with BPD engage in provocative behaviors like making wild accusations, over- the- top demands, threatening suicide, etc., all with the intention of being invalidated by their counterparts as they have been their whole life. They feel invalidated (which fuels self- doubts) when they evoke one of three reactions from their counterpart: anxious helplessness, anxious guilt, or overt hostility. If these reactions are displayed, their poor behavior is rewarded and will continue, and feelings of self- doubt are reaffirmed.
When someone with BPD makes a wild accusation, resist invalidating them while disagreeing with the accusation. If they say, for example, “I can tell you hate me,” you can reply with, “I’m sorry you feel that way. I wish there was something I could do that would convince you I love you.” Here, you are disagreeing with the accusation while validating their feelings, and not showing one of the craved reactions. Their poor behaviors are thus not rewarded and feelings of self- doubt are not reaffirmed. Further, simply listen and be attentive. People with BPD most likely grew up being invalidated so they want to feel cared about. When talking to someone with BPD, incorporate the counseling technique “reflection of feelings”. This is defined by interpreting one’s feelings based on their verbal and nonverbal cues. When you’re able to interpret someone’s feelings, it demonstrates that you are paying attention and care, which is of utmost importance to someone with BPD.
If you or someone you know is seeking therapy for a codependent relationship, 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/
The COVID-19 epidemic quickly became an international crisis, impacting each and every one of us to varying degrees. Even for those of us who do not personally know someone affected with COVID-19, the mental health toll that the virus is taking is pervasive. In fact, calls to one national mental health hotline have increased by 1000% in April alone.
One unfortunate secondary consequence of COVID-19 and its effects on public mental health is increased suicide risk: It is predicted that the suicide rate will drastically increase in the coming months. This is likely the result of the anxiety surrounding COVID-19, coupled with resulting economic stress and social distancing.
National Anxiety
The threat of COVID-19 serves as an immense stressor, having the potential to increase the rates of onset of mental health conditions and/or to exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions. According to the Washington Post, nearly half of Americans cited COVID-19 as being harmful to their mental health.
Economic Stress
COVID-19 has brought about an unprecedented economic crisis, with unemployment rates skyrocketing. Previous research has documented that suicide rates tend to increase by 1.6% for each percentage point increase in the unemployment rate. This means that with current unemployment rates estimated at around 15%, we may see a 24% increase in suicide rates.
Social Distancing
Increased suicide rates may also be an unintended consequence of social distancing measures. Ironically, what is keeping us physically safe and healthy may be putting our mental health at risk. Humans require connection to survive, especially in times of duress. In times of forced isolation, it is only natural that the risk of suicide will increase. Social distancing measures are also limiting access to community and religious support systems, as well as to mental health care—all of which have been demonstrated to lower suicide risk.
How can suicide risk be addressed in the era of COVID-19?
Despite the stress associated with the COVID-19 crisis, measures can still be taken to lower suicide risk through awareness of risk factors, increased access to teletherapy, and maintaining social connections (via Zoom, FaceTime, etc.).
If you or a loved one appears to be at risk for anxiety, depression, or suicide, 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/
If someone you care about has recently expressed suicidal thoughts or has told you they have attempted suicide, it is important to offer support to that person and to seek professional help. Suicide attempts are often triggered when a person cannot handle the certain stressors and do not have stable coping mechanisms to overcome these obstacles. People considering suicide typically struggle with other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well as a variety of other conditions. If someone has shared their suicidal thoughts with you, provide them with close comfort by staying with them. Even if you are unsure of what to say, it is important for that person to know that they are not alone.
It is important to make a plan, that encourages at risk individuals to see a provider such as a psychologist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who can offer professional help. If they are overwhelmed by their workload, perhaps try to ease their worries by offering to help them complete specific burdening tasks. It is important to offer them a way in which they can surround themselves with supportive people, perhaps invite them to a relaxing and judgement free space with a few friends. Additionally, help them to find ways in which they can practice self-care, healthy eating, exercise, and sleep, as well as listening to music and other activities that help to boost mood.
It is important to recognize that although you are trying to help a loved one to the best of your ability, the person struggling with suicidal thoughts needs professional care and therapy. There is only so much you can do to help and that is why reaching out to safety networks is essential. Other resources you should find in your area include mental health providers such as a psychologist or psychiatric nurse practitioner who can work with the patient to create a plan and prescribe medication. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1 to request immediate assistance and hospitalization to prevent self-harm or a possible suicide from happening. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24/7 confidential Lifeline which is available at any time for anyone in the United States to get support if you or a loved one is in crisis. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s number is 1-800-273-8255. To find more information on how to help yourself or someone in crisis can be found on these websites:
If you or a loved one is suffering from suicidal thoughts please contact Arista Counseling & Psychotherapy, located in New York and New Jersey to speak to licensed professional psychologists, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners or psychotherapists. To contact the office in Paramus NJ, call (201) 368-3700. To contact the office in Manhattan, call (212) 722-1920. For more information, please visit http://www.counselingpsychotherapynjny.com/ .
Having a mental illness can be extremely scary especially when suicidal thoughts creep into the mind. These thoughts are known as suicidal ideations; which are not uncommon in people suffering from mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mood disorders. Suicidal ideations often consist of frequent thoughts about committing suicide but they can extend as far as incomplete attempts. Not everyone with a mental illness attempts suicide. However, many have fleeting thoughts about it which can grow into a more dangerous situation if left unaided.
If you or someone you know may attempt suicide or are experiencing any of the following actions, get immediate help now!
Please call 911 or the suicide hotline 1-800-273-8255
Detailed planning
Having a step by step plan
Role playing
Sitting with a bottle of pills or standing on a chair with a noose
Incomplete attempts
Usually constructed not to be completed or discovered
May be fully intended to cause death
If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or experiencing any of the following thoughts please seek medical help from your doctor or mental health professional:
Fleeting thoughts
Example: “I’m nothing” or “I’m worthless”
Extensive thoughts
Example: “I wish I was dead” or “the world would be better without me”
Intrusive thoughts
Example: “I could crash my car right now”
Additional Warning Signs:
Withdrawal from social contact
Mood swings
Changing of routines
Self-destructive actions
Increase use of drugs and alcohol, reckless driving
Giving away personal belongings for no logical reasons
Acquiring the means to commit suicide
Stockpiling pills, unexplained purchases of razor blades, knives, or guns
Unexplained notions of love followed by a goodbye that is seemingly to final
If you or a loved one appears to be suffering from Suicidal Ideations, 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/
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