Specialties in Psych

Welcome to the non-conventional area to help those who don’t have the time or means to seek formal professional help… This is to offer some simple guidance for people surfing the internet or others who come across content that’s for health professionals… People have reached out and asked for assistance either for themselves or kids, etc. and I usually give people some general tips since I’m not the person’s provider and can’t give medical advice. Nevertheless, I talk to people the way I hope people will talk to my love ones.

Top Reasons Seeking Professional Help is MANDATORY

Any thoughts of harming yourself or others: I have to explain to people, that no matter how horrible life is -you can’t hurt others or commit crimes, thus you cannot hurt yourself. What’s the difference between a little or huge threat? I gauge if the patient is able to redirect the thought, and I know we all have bad days or get angry….for example, people who get mad while they’re driving -but they should be able to redirect themselves when they’re NOT driving… but also be mindful when people overreact, get triggered, super angry or overall poor coping skills…. these are things a person needs to focus on to avoid bigger problems. To be clear, just because someone isn’t claiming depression or has a diagnosis doesn’t mean immediate actions can’t take place…pay attention/take action if a person doesn’t have good coping skills to basic stressors.
Any Psychosis: hearing or seeing things that aren’t there or giving a response to hallucinations is not normal…now I have kids and adults who claim they saw ghosts and living in a haunted house… the key here or what I normally ask is if the psych symptoms are occurring OUTSIDE the home or in public… Maybe the house is haunted okay, but this shouldn’t occur outside… If it is occurring, rule out drugs because I still give people my public service announcement about how substances especially marijuana and hallucinogens will cause psych symptoms. Psychosis also causes paranoia which leads to more dangerous thoughts and situations.
Any Abuse or Unsafe Situations: I know it should be obvious, but times are changing and some things may not be clear especially what’s allowed online. I’m glad that family vlogs are being put on notice and legislation is being passed because some of these social media outlets and YouTube channels have exploited and possibly abused their families…I usually don’t watch them, but it’s really heartbreaking when they’re in the news for abuse. It’s been times when I will beg the parents not to record their children being bad or something to prove how “bad the kid is”… with them not realizing that it reflects on their “bad” parenting, violates the child’s privacy, etc… but if things seem shady whether online or in general, providers are still mandatory reporters and I’m transparent and explain to parents/guardian why and what I’m reporting to at least to send a message sooner than later what’s not appropriate behavior.
To Receive Specialize Care: hence this section… because family, OB, pediatricians, etc. can only do so much and it’s somewhat negligent to practice something the provider isn’t specialized in, nor has received any formal training.. people may argue that it’s better than nothing, but in actuality, it may make the situation a lot worse. I caution people seeking advice from family and friends, because although they can have good intentions, they may enable bad behaviors by not being more objective, or a person may not feel completely comfortable with disclosing self-harm thoughts or not being completely honest, which could lead to worse outcomes.

What Should a Person Be Working On for One’s Mental Health?

In general, there are certain things that all of us humans should be prioritizing and working on to give us a purpose and motivation.

Prioritize Self-Care: this simply means nurturing yourself during downtime or time alone. Some people are afraid of being alone, but not if you think about it as a time to recharge and replenish, so it can be as easy as getting a cold glass of water… but be mindful this is about being balanced, not using the time alone to smoke, binge, and drink ETOH.. so use this time to fast or rest. Remind yourself that you’re NOT a robot.

Increase Coping Skills: You need to have more than the debilitating emotions i.e. sadness, anger, and panic. You can’t get rid of all the emotions, but you have to know the difference between healthy (natural anxiety) and unhealthy stress (emotionally responding to everything). I tell people to pick their battles because if you’re battling everything -you’re only going to get exhausted and mainly hurt yourself… My friend used to tell me I only care about babies and old people otherwise we’re all basically in the same boat…and I don’t completely agree with the statement, but it doesn’t matter find your own mantra or statement to build those coping skills and have better control of your emotions and life.

AVOID Harmful Content: social media, news, horror entertainment, etc. will create more triggers and mood dysregulation. I tell people it doesn’t have to be forever, but at least until you can better control your emotions and improve your mood… I used to work in trauma so I know how to dissociate and redirect my thoughts…but most of the general public can’t, therefore, it’s somewhat irresponsible how graphic things can get in the media so I sometimes have to take a break, and encouraged others to do the same, but if you’re still greatly affected consider avoiding triggering content altogether or more often.

AVOID Substances: yes I sometimes act like the stepmother that nobody asked for but it goes back to creating a balance and improving the coping skills… I work in healthcare so I avoid everything just by default but here’s another little unknown fact… One of the reasons why psych is so in demand is because many people have past records that prevent many from going to school, taking boards, working in the city/community jobs, being unable to gain experience, etc. Working in psych or in healthcare, workers may have access to everything that’s regulated, which isn’t a problem if you never had issues, but if you DO the job can be like a candy store so yes it’s getting more STRICT, and more people are being disqualified. Replace the bad habits with something good (and stay balanced).

In addition to the above suggestions, I created specialty sections to address additional concerns for health professionals. The moral of the story is to prioritize taking care of yourself, and then consider helping others:

Behavioral Treatments: about different therapies and apps for mental health
Complementary Health: discussing and learning about alternative treatments
Female Mental: an area dedicated to women’s mental health
Kids’ Mental Health: all about children and topics in mental health
Male Mental Health: we can’t forget about males, they make up the majority of violence
Sleep Issues: improving sleeping habits
Substance Abuse: substances can make mental health and psych symptoms worse