Recovery Michigan

I remember early on, my first step into a pinball and video arcade, when the flashing lights and the booping and beeping coming from the machines made me think I was going crazy. I made it about 5 seconds before I snapped and walked out the door. However, I made a point out of going back; each time, trying to  stay longer as a way to acclimate myself to the environment.

It worked only somewhat, and only for a limited time, and I realized that being subjected to this type of stimulation was something that was never going to be fully resolved.

Snapping and I were, to some degree, together forever.

What was most interesting about my snapping, was the way it would happen; the evolution of the whole episode. Sometimes I would walk into a situation and I would immediately know I had to leave, but many times it would seem okay at first, and then, like the green ooze creeping into my pores, the noises or the stimulation or the light would creep into my being and I would standup like I was shot out of a gun and say, “I’ve got to leave!” or “We’ve got to go!”.

Nonresponsiveness to therapy is generally acknowledged, but only a few studies have tested switching to psychotherapy. This study is one of the first to examine the malleability of treatment-resistant patients using acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). The authors performed a randomized controlled trial that included 43 patients diagnosed with primary panic disorder and/or agoraphobia (PD/A) with prior unsuccessful state-of-the-art treatment (mean number of previous sessions = 42.2). Patients were treated with an ACT manual administered by novice therapists and followed up for 6 months. They were randomized to immediate treatment (n = 33) or a 4-week waiting list (n = 10) with delayed treatment (n = 8). Treatment consisted of eight sessions, implemented twice weekly over 4 weeks. Primary outcomes were measured with the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale (PAS), the Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and the Mobility Inventory (MI).

At post-treatment, patients who received ACT reported significantly more improvements on the PAS and CGI (d = 0.72 and 0.89, respectively) than those who were on the waiting list, while improvement on the MI (d = 0.50) was nearly significant. Follow-up assessments indicated a stable and continued improvement after treatment. The dropout rate was low (9%).

"Our results showed those who were bullied were more likely to suffer from mental health problems than those who were maltreated," states Prof. Wolke. "Being both bullied and maltreated also increased the risk of overall mental health problems, anxiety and depression in both groups."

A series of other studies have found that high school students who are bullied are more likely to report serious depression, consider suicide and carry weapons to school.

"Teens can be the victim of face-to-face bullying in school, electronic bullying outside of the classroom and dating violence," says senior investigator Dr. Andrew Adesman of Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, NY. "Each of these experiences are associated with a range of serious adverse consequences."

"The CDC reports that 11% of high school students experience dating violence, and 20% report being bullied," says principal investigator Alexis Tchaconas. "Greater prevention efforts are needed to protect the mental health and physical well-being of our teens."

"Being bullied is not a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up; it has serious long-term consequences," concludes Prof. Wolke. "It is important for schools, health services and other agencies to work together to reduce bullying and the adverse effects related to it."

No matter the quality of your prose, the act of writing itself leads to strong physical and mental health benefits, like long-term improvements in mood, stress levels and depressive symptoms. In a 2005 study on the emotional and physical health benefits of expressive writing, researchers found that just 15 to 20 minutes of writing three to five times over the course of the four-month study was enough to make a difference. 

By writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events, participants were significantly more likely to have fewer illnesses and be less affected by trauma. Participants ultimately spent less time in the hospital, enjoyed lower blood pressure and had better liver functionality than their counterparts. 

It turns out writing can make physical wounds heal faster as well. In 2013, New Zealand researchers monitored the recovery of wounds from medically necessary biopsies on 49 healthy adults. The adults wrote about their thoughts and feelings for just 20 minutes, three days in a row, two weeks before the biopsy. Eleven days later, 76% of the group that wrote had fully healed. Fifty-eight percent of the control group had not recovered. The study concluded that writing about distressing events helped participants make sense of the events and reduce distress.

Even those who suffer from specific diseases can improve their health through writing. Studies have shown that people with asthma who write have fewer attacks than those who don't; AIDS patients who write have higher T-cell counts. Cancer patients who write have more optimistic perspectives and improved quality of life.

The behavioral scientists found that just 41% of respondents believed that people are caring and sympathetic toward people with mental illnesses, while a huge 81% believed that those with mental illnesses experience high levels of prejudice and discrimination.

More than two thirds of respondents stated that they would definitely or probably hide a mental health problem they were experiencing from co-workers or classmates. More than one third also said they would disguise mental health problems from family and friends.

Nearly 9 in 10 of those who reported having had a mental health problem said they experienced discrimination as a result of it - most often in intimate social relationships, but also in high levels at school or work. Health care providers and law enforcement officials were also alleged to behave in a discriminatory way by the study respondents.

However, despite reporting high levels of discrimination, more than 80% of participants in the survey said they have plans in place for them to stay or become well and continue to meet personal goals.

Overall, most participants felt that recovery from mental illness is possible - more than 70% said they are satisfied with life - and that they would seek treatment for mental illness when it is needed.

During an average 5-year follow-up, 6% (2,874) of the prisoners died after being released from prison. Of these deaths, 44% (1,276) were due to potentially preventable external causes, such as accidents or suicide - accounting for around 3% of all external-cause deaths in Sweden in 2000-09.

When Tom Jones took his family on a summer vacation to Higgins Lake, the hotel nearly turned him away when he tried to check in with a service dog. Staff tried to switch his room, he said, and told him he couldn't take the animal outside.

Jones, a U.S. Army veteran from Livonia who served in Iraq with a field artillery unit, doesn't have any physical disabilities that visibly explain his need for a service dog.

But like many vets who have "seen the worst that man has to offer," Jones said he has a hidden injury: post-traumatic stress disorder.

Baxter, a service dog he was paired with through a non-profit in February of 2014, has played an important role in Jones' re-integration upon return from Iraq, but he explained that observers do not always understand the animal's role.