Mental Health 101: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This one is going to be short (sorry!)...

Everyone has that one friend that is particular about certain things...you may have said that they have OCD because they are very anal (and quite annoying) but OCD is actually a serious anxiety disorder that can get in the way of someone's everyday life.  OCD affects approximately three percent of the world's population and runs in families.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions, inappropriate and repetitive thoughts, feelings, or ideas; and/or compulsions, behaviors that make them feel like they have to do in response to their obsessions.  These thoughts and behaviors are more than everyday worries or routines; they are unrealistic, time consuming, very distressing to the person, and can get in the way of a person's everyday life.   An OCD diagnosis can be specified by whether the person is aware that their obsessions and compulsions are a problem. 

The best treatment for OCD is a combination of therapy and medication.  If you or someone else you know experience obsessions and compulsions seek help from a mental health provider or your primary care provider.  There are also support groups online for OCD that are local and national.  Below are just a couple of start you off.

http://www.ocdtribe.com/groups/
http://ocd.supportgroups.com/

Be on the lookout for more posts!

Take care,
-Kimmy

Participatory Action Research (yucky!)

One of my classes is kicking my butt!

The class is called Contemporary Issues in Studies in Human Behavior and the class is about Participatory Action Research or PAR.  PARs get different groups together to collaborate on a community problem and solve it.  With that said, the class gives me a major headache! I find PARs quite boring and the readings for the class either put me to sleep or give me a headache...sometimes both! The professor says I'm doing a good job but geez!  The next eight weeks are going to be torture!

On the LMHC Intern front, I mailed all my additional documents for my application early last week.  Now I wait...

I'm done with the tax preparer job...super yay!!

I'm now at 340 views on the blog!  Let's get to 500!

Thank you guys for your support!  A new Mental Health 101 post is coming this week in-between the school assignments.

Well, have a AWESOME week!

Take care,
-Kimmy

Mental Health 101: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Everyone hopes to not experience anything traumatic in their life but as we know no one is immune to bad things happening to them.  Some people may through or witness some very horrific things and it may stay with them...in some cases to the point that it's debilitating to their everyday life. 

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the brain's normal reaction to abnormal events.  Symptoms to PTSD can appear days, months, or even years after a traumatic event.  Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptom clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. A fifth criterion concerns duration of symptoms and a sixth assesses functioning. The person's response to the traumatic event involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. In children, it may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior.

A person with PTSD recollects the traumatic event through recollections, flashbacks, dreams, and/or internal and external triggers.  They may also avoid the trauma by memory lapses, blackouts, avoiding things, places, and people associated with the trauma, detaching themselves from loved ones, or have a shortened sense of future.  A person with PTSD are easily aroused, meaning that they easily startled, irritable, or have difficulty sleeping and/or concentrating.  Symptoms like I just stated have to be present for a least one month for a possible PTSD diagnosis. 

If you or someone you know are experiencing these symptoms, please seek help immediately.  If you are someone is in crisis call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room!!  There are medications and therapy available to treat PTSD.  There are also a lot of support groups.  As always, here are some links to help you.

http://www.abct.org/Members/?m=FindTherapist&fa=FT_Form&nolm=1
http://locator.apa.org/
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_search.php
http://store.samhsa.gov/mhlocator

For Veterans
http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/ptsd_flsh.asp
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/get_help_with_va.asp
http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/
Call 1-800-273-8255 and press "1"

Support Groups
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-ptsd&lgnF=y
http://www.adaa.org/finding-help/getting-support/support-groups

Take care,
-Kimmy

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Revised 4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Readjusting to online learning

Well I'm wrapping up my first week of school at Capella...online school is a beast!  Since this is a doctoral program, I gotta bring it...which required more time that I'd thought I would spend on my discussion posts.  It took a while for me to come up with intelligent postings.  I managed to turn them in on time although I was cutting it close with the SafeAssign...now I know I DEFINITELY can't procrastinate.  *Sigh*

I applied for a grant and if I get selected I'll be heading to California in June.  I'll find out in the next few weeks or so.  I definitely need that grant since I'll max out my Stafford loan limit when I get around to my dissertation.  I'm also looking into fellowships to lessen the blow.  There's also a scholarship I'm going to apply for next month...one of the requirements is that I gotta sucessfully complete a class (which I haven't done yet) and some other stuff...I gotta get this free money to pay for school!

If I get all my work done, I may sneak in a Mental Health 101 post this afternoon but I definitely plan of doing some posts over the next few days since tax season is over.  I'm definitely looking forward to going back to Zumba and I can officially start looking for a dog to adopt. 

I would like to than @Hypno_Gary for mentioning me to his followers on Twitter.  You support means a lot! :)

That's it for now...just wanted to check in. :)

Take care,
-Kimmy

Bouncing Back

Christians celebrate Easter to observe Jesus Christ rising from the dead after he was crucified.  They believe that by his rising from the dead, he overcame the devil which represents evil.  Most Christians use this time to reflect on triumphing over the bad and because of that triumph, their sins are forgiven and they will go to heaven.  With that said, I want to talk about overcoming adversary...

No one is immune to life's tribulations...it's a matter of how you react to them.  Some people feel hopeless and give up while others push through to get past their troubles.  Some things are out of one's control while other situations are a result of one's choices.  It's important to be able to differentiate between the two.  Some problems are fixable while others are not.  Only you can figure that part out. 

While going through the tough times it's important to have support of the people you love and care about.  Hopefully you're not at a point where you have no support system but if you are it's your responsibility to seek a new support system.  You also have to do what you can and take it a day at a time.  A storm doesn't suddenly end.  Also use adversity as a time of self-reflection:  what do you need to do so you're not in the same mess again?  You may also find that some people may stick around while others will run.  The ones who run most likely do not need to be in your life in the first place.  If you need to, religion and spiritually may help you through your tough times.  Take the time to strengthen your faith or find a new faith/belief system.  A counselor or mental health professional can help you with your journey if you need it.  Many therapists have low cost options for those with financial hardships.

While you spend time with the people you care about most this Easter, remember that you can overcome the hard times.  This too shall pass...

Happy Easter!

Take care,
-Kimmy

Back to School

School, school, school...

I've been some kind of orientation all week for school...like 3 or 4. I guess Capella wants to be sure that I don't flunk out.  My enrollment advisor dropped the ball with my book voucher info and I was lost for a minute but it's fixed although I'm not going to have my books in time for my first week of class.  It's all good though.  I will admit I'm getting tired of the orientations because I don't like repetition.  The next few years will be interesting.

On a high note, I've submitted my LMHC application!  I'm so excited!  I gotta turn in some additional documents but I think I'll have my number by late May/early June and I can start studying for the exam over the summer.  If I can get the LMHC exam out of the way by early fall I'll be able to focus on my PhD and working. 

Despite the craziness I'm going out of town quite a bit (I LOVE traveling!). I'm going to Orlando, NYC, Daytona Beach, Tampa, Biloxi/New Orleans, and to see my family in the BVI.  All of this while I'm doing my studies.  I'm not worried because I've been more mischievous and gotten my schoolwork done. 

As always, I'll keep you posted and be on the lookout for more posts.  I still want to do my advice column so email me at kimmycounselingservices@gmail.com with your questions! :)

Website

Hi guys!

I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not but I have a website.  It has more information about myself and my current services.  Some of the blog posts are on there too.  It's also viewable on your cell phone.  Check it out and tell your friends about me!

http://kimmycounselingservices.webs.com/

Hope everyone has a great Sunday and try not to become an April's fool! :)

-Take care,
Kimmy