Treatment

Overcoming the “8 Reasons Why People Don’t Get Treatment for Mental Illness”

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My most popular blog post to date is “8 Reasons Why People Don’t Get Treatment for Mental Illness.” In it, I described several common obstacles and barriers which often keep people from seeking or obtaining treatment for mental illness. This post clearly struck a chord with a lot of people, including those who have had negative experiences with treatment and family members trying to persuade their loved ones to seek help. You can read the original post here. I thought it …

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Singing the Praises of Music Therapy

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We’ve probably all had the experience of hearing a favorite song and how it immediately brings back thoughts, feelings and memories, both happy and sad. Music really is the universal language, and it has the power to move us deeply. But did you know that music therapy is a well-established treatment now often used to help individuals with mental illness or addiction? Recently I was fortunate to be able to interview Jennifer Jarred Peyton, a board-certified music therapist and colleague …

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A Dozen Tips for the Safe Use of Psychiatric Medications

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Many individuals receiving care for mental illness or addiction are prescribed psychiatric medications as an important part of an overall treatment plan which often includes psychotherapy, other therapies and suggested lifestyle changes. In the treatment settings where I’ve worked, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many highly experienced prescribers, including psychiatrists and nurse practitioners. I’ve also benefited from the wisdom of several terrific pharmacists. From these professional experiences, I learned first-hand just how important it is to take psychiatric medications …

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Learning About Mindfulness

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A Conversation with Dr. Ruth Baer, Ph.D. I recently had the opportunity to talk with my colleague Dr. Ruth Baer, a clinical psychology professor and internationally recognized expert on mindfulness. I asked her a few questions to help us better understand what mindfulness is and how it can help with a variety of mental health issues. Here’s our conversation: DS: Mindfulness is certainly very popular these days. For those who aren’t very familiar with the topic, what’s a simple way …

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Fighting Opioid Misuse and Chronic Pain

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Guest Post by Amanda Merchant, Ph.D., Lisa Willner, Ph.D. and Jonathon Cole, Ph.D. Psychologists who treat those with chronic pain are well aware that living with daily pain for months or years on end can take a significant toll. Being limited in daily activities due to pain can lead to loss of job and livelihood, reduced ability to care for and interact with others, loss of leisure-time activities, depression, irritability, anger, loss of concentration and sleep disruption. Whether the pain …

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National Recovery Month

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Each September, SAMHSA, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors “National Recovery Month” to increase awareness of mental health and substance use issues. Key themes include: 1) mental health is essential to overall health; 2) prevention works; 3) treatments are effective; and 4) recovery is possible. The Recovery Month initiative encourages persons with mental health or substance use issues and their supporters to become active in promoting positive change through advocacy events by discussing prevention, treatment, and recovery. Current statistics Here’s …

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Psychotherapy Works!

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Chances are good either you or someone you know has participated in psychotherapy. In psychotherapy, you and a trained mental health professional work together to help you reduce distress, feel better and work toward achieving your personal goals. But how well does psychotherapy work? I still run into folks who question whether psychotherapy is really effective or not. They question how “talk therapy” can help bring about any positive benefits, and many people still have only the classic image of …

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7 Myths About Physical Restraints in Psychiatric Facilities

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We’ve probably all seen television shows or movies such as “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (starring Jack Nicholson), where an individual with a mental illness is placed in a straitjacket in a psychiatric hospital due to being aggressive or out of control. These images are often disturbing and hard to forget. Further, they perpetuate the myth that this is how people with mental illness are treated in psychiatric facilities when they become violent or unpredictable. Having worked in a …

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