Does Treatment for Anxiety Work?

Do you feel like you can’t leave the house or be around people? Do you try to avoid eye contact? Do you get nervous about things outside of your control? Do you overthink the choices or things you say? If so, you might struggle with anxiety. 

Anxiety can severely limit your ability to live a fulfilling life. Fortunately, there are various treatments for anxiety that can help. Anxiety treatments work and can help you live a more fulfilling life.

Understanding the Goals of Anxiety Treatment

Seeking treatment for anxiety can be frightening, confusing, or difficult to understand, with many available options. But it doesn’t have to be. While treatment plans can vary, the foundation of anxiety treatment stays true throughout. 

Ways treatment for anxiety can help:

• Lowers Anxiety Levels. With the right treatment, clients can feel their anxiety levels decrease, and anxieties become less frequent and debilitating. 

• Adds Coping Strategies. Clients will experiment with various coping strategies provided by a licensed professional. They will learn which work for them and best support their healing journey. 

• Creates Greater Self-Awareness. By reflecting on past experiences and reactions, some people report becoming more self-aware when dealing with anxiety or its after effects. 
• Encourages Healthy Habits. Treatment for anxiety can help clients everyday life by helping create and establish healthy habits around diet, sleep, communication, relationships, work, and more.

Sheena Miller, Clinical Manager at Integrative Life Center, said many people with anxiety disorders are on medication to help with symptoms. But the medication doesn’t necessarily allow the person to address the root cause of the disorder.

The goal, Sheena explains, is for the person to also be in therapy, so they can heal the underlying traumas contributing to their mental health struggles.

“The psychological therapy sessions are where a person can begin to find trauma resolution, healing and peace, hopefully, eventually leveling off the need for medication and living a fulfilling life,” Sheena said.

How is Anxiety Treated? 

An open, honest conversation about anxiety with a mental health professional can allow for a diagnosis and treatment plan. Treatment for anxiety depends on many factors, including your symptoms, what’s causing them, how severe they are, and how long you’ve had these feelings.

Treatment options for anxiety include: 

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). A form of talk therapy that helps people understand negative thought patterns and how they result in specific behaviors. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). A type of talk therapy that helps people with strong emotions understand how their thoughts affect emotions and behaviors.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). A psychotherapy treatment using lights and specific eye movements to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
• Exposure Therapy. A psychological treatment that helps people confront their fears in a safe space. 
• Medication. Medication can help control anxiety symptoms. Therapy and medicine can work together quite well for some clients. 

“Just as with a physical wound, the first step in healing a wounded soul is to stop the bleeding, basically keeping the situation from worsening,” Sheena said. “The focus is on helping the person understand the source of their issue so that we can address it.” 

How Long Does it Take for Anxiety Treatment to Work?

The duration of treatment for anxiety can vary. Sadly, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to how long it will take to complete treatment, as many factors can affect the process. A strong and willful mind can help treatment for anxiety by assisting the client in pushing through difficult stages of healing. 

Factors that affect anxiety treatment:

• Anxiety Type and Severity. Not everyone has the same anxiety type with equal severity. Some people may experience mild to extreme anxiety that can onset at any time or be trigger-specific. 
• The Individual. No two humans are exactly alike. Everyone’s brain is uniquely different, which means everyone’s healing process is different as well.
• Underlying Issues. During therapy sessions, one issue may lead to another deeper issue, causing more anxiety or stress and the need for further treatment. It’s best to remain patient and understanding during this process, as it will be better for the long-term goal to uncover and treat these issues that cause anxiety or stress. 

Measuring Your Success in Treatment for Anxiety

While treatment for anxiety may seem daunting, there are ways to monitor your success along the way to help you persevere. These might be tiny nitches to huge milestones, but each is important for overall success and mental well-being. 

Ways to monitor success: 

• Analyze Progress Toward Goals. Look back to Day 1 and see your steps and how different you feel throughout treatment. Creating three, six, nine, and 12-month treatment plans with your counselor can help you see the progress over an extended period. 
• Reflect on Changes in Daily Life. Compare how you approach and handle anxiety and stress now versus before treatment. Look at how it’s helped make tense situations seem more manageable. Reflect on treatment techniques used and how they help benefit your success. 
• Evaluate New Coping Skills. Experiment with new coping skills to find new ways to handle and manage anxiety. Examine which coping skills worked better than others, and think about how these new tools help you. 

How ILC Can Help

Anxiety can be frightening and lonely, and anxiety treatment can seem like a big obstacle. But you don’t have to do it alone. Getting help for these feelings and living your best life by talking with a professional is possible. Integrative Life Center offers treatment for anxiety. Contact us to learn more and start feeling better today.

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What To Do When Someone Refuses Mental Health Treatment

When someone you love refuses mental health treatment, it can feel like the situation is hopeless and you’re powerless to do anything, but that’s not the case. To help guide someone to residential mental health treatment, it’s essential to understand why someone may refuse treatment and what you can do to help.

Why Someone with Mental Health Illness Refuses Help

Someone who needs help with their mental health may refuse treatment for many reasons. They may not think they need help. There also is a stigma around treatment, including residential mental health treatment, that may make some people reluctant to go.

“There’s a desire to ‘just be normal,’ and a belief that having problems that necessitate a respite from daily life indicate abnormality, weakness, or brokenness,” states Ed Tilton, Regional Director of Integrative Life Network. 

Ed explained that fear driven by stigma is the most common reason someone refuses mental health treatment. He notes, “The thought of making one’s problems official brings with it the prospect of the debilitating shame associated with needing help.”

Other reasons someone may refuse mental health treatment include:

• They feel bad about their situation and blame themselves
• Treatment cost
• Concerns about privacy
• Negative views of treatment, including thinking it won’t help
• Discomfort with talking about their mental health concerns 

Once you understand why your loved one refuses, you can better understand how to approach the situation. It also gives you insight into their logic, so you’ll be able to help them remove obstacles to seeking help. Then, you can offer solutions that don’t make your loved one uncomfortable. 

What to Do When Someone Refuses Mental Health Treatment

It can be frustrating when someone you love refuses mental health treatment, but practicing compassion and empathy is vital. If you need to, step back and calm down before speaking to your loved one. Do whatever puts your mind at ease — it could be a walk or spending time with your pet. When you feel calm and less frustrated, you’re ready to speak with your loved one.

When someone refuses mental health treatment, you’re not helpless. There are some steps you can take to help, including:

• Education. Learn about mental illness and addiction. Information is power.
• Careful Language. Be careful using the words “mental illness.” If they’re not ready to confront their mental health concerns, avoid those words at first.
• Listening. Practice active listening. Help them feel heard by validating them and asking questions.
• Asking Questions. Rather than trying to fix and give advice, ask questions and offer help. 
• Avoiding Demands. Try not to tell them what to do, and don’t make or imply demands.
• Expressing Concern. Let them know you are concerned and specifically how their issues affect you.
• Seeking Solutions. Assist them in finding a solution that they’re comfortable with.
• Encouraging. Gently encourage them to seek support.
• Removing Stigma. Help remove the stigma of seeking mental health treatment through personal stories or sharing research. 
• Offering Support. Offer to go with the person to the doctor or treatment center. 
• Getting Support. Reach out to your own support system for help and guidance.
• Teaching Coping. Especially if you’re dealing with a child, teach them coping skills such as positive self-talk.

It’s also acceptable to let the person know how their mental illness hurts you, Tilton noted. He stated, “It’s okay, and sometimes necessary, for loved ones to acknowledge their own woundedness incurred through the desperation of watching a person suffer with mental health issues.” 

Sometimes, your loved one just needs to know that their mental health issues affect you too to motivate them to seek help.

What to Do in an Emergency 

In case you ever experience a mental health emergency with your loved one, it’s essential to have an action plan. Often, during an emergency, our brain is clouded and confused. An action plan will give you concrete steps to take without wasting time considering what to do.

To prepare for a mental health emergency:

• Know your nearest hospital. Write down the address.
• Have numbers for emergency hotlines readily available
• Document the person’s medication records, including what doses they’re taking.
• Have contact details for the doctors and mental health professionals responsible for their treatment
• Have access to insurance information
• Know which family members or other caregivers to notify.
• Plan a child care provider if you or your loved ones need it.

Store all this information together so you aren’t hunting it down during an emergency. An emergency is never easy, but being prepared can lessen the decision-making stress you’ll face, giving you clear, actionable steps. 

Another way to prepare for an emergency is to care for yourself starting now, so you can be in the right frame of mind if it happens. 

Ways to Care for Yourself

When it comes to helping a loved one, you also need to nurture yourself. The entire situation is incredibly stressful, and just like in an airplane emergency, when you have to put your oxygen mask on before you can help others, you have to take care of yourself before you can help someone else. 

Self-care may include:

• Knowing your limits and setting necessary boundaries
• Finding a support group full of people in the same situation
• Taking care of your physical and mental health
• Getting support from loved ones
• Taking time to relax and do what you love
• Seeking professional help if necessary

Tilton stated, “Loved ones have permission to seek help of their own if only to be assured that the problem is not their fault.” 

You can’t help others unless you’re okay, and sometimes you need a mental health professional to help you feel okay. 

How Integrative Life Center Can Help

When it comes to treatment for you or your loved one, there’s no one-size-fits-all. Treatment looks different for every person, depending on their mental illness and individual needs. At Integrative Life Center, we’re passionate about providing a kind, hopeful community that gives you the strength to heal. 

We offer residential mental health treatment, intensives, and out-patient treatment. To learn more about our treatment options, contact ILC today.

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What are the 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences?

Childhood experiences, positive and negative, can affect a person into adulthood. Experiencing trauma at a young age leaves the brain vulnerable. What are the 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences? The 10 ACEs are a list of traumatic childhood experiences. The more of them you experience, the more likely you are to have adverse consequences, even into adulthood.

An Introduction to ACEs 

ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. They can stem from various happenings like physical abuse or household dysfunction. ACEs can undermine a person’s sense of safety, stability, and capacity to form or maintain relationships.

In the Centers for Disease Control-Kaiser Permanente ACE study conducted from 1995-97, more than 17,000 members of the Health Maintenance Organization completed surveys related to their childhood experiences and current health. Researchers then compared the survey’s results to measures of adult risk behavior, health status, and disease.

The study is one of the largest investigations of childhood trauma and how it affects a person’s adult life. The results help experts understand the long-term complications affecting ACEs survivors. 

ACEs-based screenings give patients a score based on how many ACEs they have experienced. The higher your score, the higher chance you are at risk of experiencing the negative effects, even into adulthood.

What are the 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences?

So what are these childhood experiences with the potential to change the course of your life and impact you far into adulthood? Here they are.

1. Physical Abuse

Causing physical harm to a child by hitting, kicking, punching, scratching, beating, burning, throwing, or stabbing. It can result in injuries like bruises, cuts, and fractured or broken bones.

2. Sexual Abuse

Engaging in sexual behavior with a child, sexual exploitation of a child, or exposing oneself indecently to a child. This includes using a child in prostitution or pornography.

3. Verbal Abuse

Using the voice and words to scream, yell, curse at, assault, or manipulate a child.

4. Physical Neglect

Failing to provide a child’s basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter. This also includes failing to give a child proper medical care, providing clean clothes, or giving proper supervision.

5. Emotional Neglect

Behaving in a way that causes a child emotional harm and interferes with their mental health. This neglect can include ridiculing, blaming, threatening, isolating, or rejecting the child. 

6. Mental illness

A household member with a mental illness that impacts their ability to provide proper care for the child or has a profound impact on the child. This experience could be depression, a household member attempting suicide, or other mental illnesses.

7. Substance Addiction

A household member who is addicted to alcohol or another substance. The addiction can cause a caregiver to prioritize substance use over caring for the child.

8. Imprisonment

A household member who is incarcerated. It can cause a child to feel abandoned when the person leaves them. The person may also have modeled inappropriate behaviors before being imprisoned. 

9. Witnessing Abuse

Seeing violence, specifically against a mother, is particularly traumatizing because children tend to form a stronger attachment to a mother figure. It is difficult to watch a loved one’s abuse, and they may feel helpless because they cannot intervene.

10. Losing a Parent to Separation, Divorce, or Death 

When an important figure is removed from a child’s life, it can cause significant distress and feelings of abandonment.

Trauma also can occur outside of these categories and impact a child’s development and adult life. Researchers have begun including other types of experiences as they create the same biologic changes as the original ACEs.

Other types of adverse experiences that happen to young people include:

• Bullying
• Racism
• Community violence
• Natural disasters
• Refugee/wartime experiences
• Witnessing/experiencing acts of terrorism 
• Homelessness
• Food insecurity

Understanding the Effect of ACEs on Adults

ACEs aren’t a rare occurrence. About 61% of adults surveyed across 25 states reported they had experienced at least one ACE, and nearly 1-in-6 had experienced four or more. 

It’s important to note that some children are at greater risk of ACEs. Women and racial/ethnic marginalized groups are more likely to experience them.

Prolonged exposure to trauma can cause the body to experience toxic stress. Staying in this fight-or-flight mode for prolonged periods can lead to long-term physical and mental health issues.

Effects of ongoing trauma include:

• Impaired learning and memory
• Increased anxiety and depression
• Reduced attention control
• Hyperawareness of one’s surroundings
• Difficulty experiencing joy
• Difficulty understanding how to respond to situations
• Increased likelihood of substance use

ACEs are the root cause of many mental illnesses and chronic disorders, resulting in trauma symptoms well into adulthood. The CDC-Kaiser ACE study found that adults with an ACE score of four or more were at significantly greater risk for many behavioral, physical, and mental health issues later in life. These issues include alcoholism, drug use, smoking, depression, and suicide attempts. A higher number of ACEs also correlates with heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, liver disease, and many chronic health conditions.

“Experiencing trauma changes a person and how they experience the world around them if they can’t process it,” said Carmen Dominguez, Executive Clinical Director at Integrative Life Center.

“It can distort the person’s perceptions of their current situation. This leaves the person in a vulnerable position in that they can’t fully be present in the here and now,” she said. 

When ACEs impact children, they often carry those mental health concerns into adulthood.

“They feel disconnected to their intrinsic wisdom and to a greater truth of who they are,” Carmen said. “Individuals who have suffered trauma have a distorted sense of the world and themselves.”

Researchers have found connections between ACEs and a greater likelihood of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violent crime.  Additionally, ACEs can follow an intergenerational pattern, meaning a survivor of a violent assault in childhood is more likely to commit a violent assault in their adult life. Survivors are known to experience lower educational achievements and higher unemployment. They are less likely to have the same life opportunities as others and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors.

Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences

A child’s developing brain is vulnerable and malleable, which is why ACEs significantly impact adulthood. Even though trauma experiences can negatively affect the brain, protective experiences that encourage resilience can have a positive effect. 

To counterbalance adversity, you must institute healthy coping mechanisms and protective experiences. By fostering resilience in children facing ACEs, they have a great chance of overcoming their childhood trauma and finding healing. 

“The first step in healing trauma is reclaiming and restoring one’s sense of safety, dignity, and connection,” Carmen said. “In seeking safety, trauma survivors disconnect from their inherent worth. Self-esteem is key to our sense of well-being. The process of reclaiming self is critical to healing.”

Building a Safe Environment for Children

Facilitating a nurturing and stable environment for children is crucial to ensuring their success in adulthood. Methods include:

• Providing a nurturing environment
• Fostering resiliency 
• Cultivating meaningful relationships
• Investing in character development
• Teaching coping skills
• Intervening immediately in dangerous situations
• Raising awareness 

Preventing ACEs could reduce the number of adults with depression by as much as 44%, decrease the chance of developing asthma by 24%, and reduce kidney disease by 16%. Understanding how greatly ACEs impact children in their adult lives is crucial for healing. Opportunities for healing are available through treatment. 

Finding Peace 

Experiencing trauma doesn’t cause you to be irreparably damaged. You can heal from ACEs and find happiness. At ILC, we employ trauma-informed care centered on understanding trauma’s emotional, neurological, psychological, social, and biological effects. Our counselors cultivate a safe, trusting environment and keep the client’s mental well-being at the forefront. Contact us today to take back your life and find true healing.

The post What are the 10 Adverse Childhood Experiences? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

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What Does Trauma Treatment Include?

About 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one traumatic event during their lives. For some, this trauma can have adverse mental, behavioral, emotional, and even physical effects that last long after the event. These effects can significantly impact the survivor’s ability to function and overall quality of life if left untreated. 

Trauma treatment is an approach rooted in understanding and confronting your trauma and its effects to heal and move on with your life.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is slightly different for every person. It’s your body’s response to an extraordinarily stressful event, experience, or set of recurring experiences that leaves you stuck in a place that can affect your mental health and overall well-being for a long time.

Traumatic experiences frequently involve threats to life or safety and trigger a survival response. Once the initial reaction subsides, people experiencing trauma are left with the feeling that the world is unsafe.

Traumatic experiences include:

• Physical and sexual assault
• Domestic violence
• Abuse
• Neglect
• Emotional abuse
• Loss of a loved one
• Natural disasters
• Military combat
• Serious accidents and injuries – such as a car crash
• Ongoing stress – caused by chronic illness, racism, bullying, homelessness, etc

Not everyone who goes through a traumatic event experiences long-term consequences. But for some people, trauma can have negative psychological effects that last for years after the event.

Effects of trauma can include:

• Mental health issues
• Flashbacks and nightmares of the traumatic event
• Using substances to self soothe
• Uncontrollable and racing thoughts
• Relationship and attachment difficulties
• Feelings of loneliness and isolation
• Unhealthy emotional processing
• Reduced impulse control
• Eating disorders
• Sleeping disorders
• Suicidal thoughts

When left untreated, the effects of trauma can significantly impact your ability to function and your overall quality of life. 

What Does Trauma Treatment Include?

Trauma therapy is a holistic therapeutic approach. It switches the focus from “What’s wrong with you” to “What happened to you?” 

Trauma-informed therapy involves acknowledging past trauma, identifying triggers, and learning healthy coping strategies to manage symptoms. Confronting and understanding your trauma is vital so you can heal and move forward with your life.

Carmen Dominguez, Chief Clinical Officer at Integrative Life Center, noted that trauma survivors often feel a loss of safety and control of their lives and that the goal of trauma treatment is to help reestablish these feelings.

“We want to bring them back to a relationship with their authentic self and offer them a greater sense of self-agency,” she said.

Trauma and its effects can also lead to mental health issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. Trauma therapy helps get to the root of these conditions, so they can be treated in a trauma-informed manner.

Trauma Treatment Therapies

Trauma treatment can involve a combination of therapies. At Integrative Life Center, we create individual treatment plans for clients that may include the methods and modalities below, as well as others.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of talk therapy. It involves identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts and harmful behaviors related to trauma. Over time, CBT can help you develop healthy coping strategies to reduce symptoms.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy can help you face trauma by exposing you to the source of your fears for prolonged periods. Your therapist will create a safe space where you can confront your trauma-related fears, memories, and emotions head-on. Exposure can help you break your pattern of avoidance and eventually overcome these fears.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapeutic technique in which a mental health professional uses repetitive eye movements to reprogram memories associated with traumatic events. EMDR happens while you talk about your trauma. The goal is to help release emotions blocked by trauma.

Brainspotting

Brainspotting works by identifying, processing, and releasing core neurophysiological sources of trauma. Like EMDR, a practitioner will guide your eye movements until physical signals reveal a brain spot. The aim is to identify trauma by examining how it manifests in your body. Focusing on each brain spot, your mind must deal with trauma and begin healing.

Factors to Consider that Affect Trauma Treatment

As in all types of treatment, some individual factors can affect which trauma treatment will be most beneficial for you. It’s helpful to understand these factors, so you can start treatment from an informed place and get the best possible outcomes.

Your Commitment

Like with most things in life, you get out of therapy what you put in. Being unwilling or unprepared to face your trauma is one of the biggest barriers to trauma therapy. Maybe you’re worried about the stigma attached to therapy. Or maybe you’re scared about reopening old wounds. Either way, pushing past these hurdles and committing to your healing journey is crucial. A strong commitment is how you’ll get the most out of your trauma treatment.

Your Objectives

Another factor to consider is the overall goal of your treatment. Not everyone is looking to achieve the same thing with therapy. So what are your objectives for seeking help? Is your aim to experience deep healing of your underlying trauma? Or do you simply want to learn coping strategies to help you function better in everyday life? This part is up to you.

The Intensity and Persistence of the Trauma

The type and severity of your trauma can greatly influence the treatment required. It also influences how long your treatment can take. A single recent traumatic event experienced as an adult often takes a shorter time to heal than deep-rooted childhood trauma. Trauma symptoms that have persisted for many years after the initial event can be more difficult to treat initially. But over time, healing from the trauma is still possible.

Social Support

Having strong social support is crucial for healing from trauma. This support may come from close family and friends, or it may come from a support group. Either way, having people around who understand you and can offer support will make the treatment process easier.

Connection with Counselor

As an experienced clinician treating trauma, Carmen knows that the connection between the trauma survivor and mental health professional is also critical to healing. In trauma therapy, the counselor becomes an equal partner rather than an authority figure. They work alongside you and provide support during the recovery process. Carmen said:

“The No. 1 predictor of successful outcomes is the therapeutic relationship. To heal trauma, clients need to experience therapeutic relationships that make room for authenticity and mutuality and foster trauma-informed consideration such as transparency, collaboration, cultural humility, voice choice, and self-agency.”

At ILC, practitioners offering trauma-informed care are guided by five key principles.

These principles help nurture a relationship of mutual respect and trust between the practitioner and the client. They ensure your emotional and physical safety is a priority. And they reduce the risk of any further harm or re-traumatization.

Trauma-Informed Treatment at ILC

An effective trauma treatment plan is not one-size-fits-all. Understanding and confronting your trauma in a safe environment is a vital first step in your healing journey.

At Integrative Life Center, our trauma-informed therapy program focuses on understanding trauma’s complex and nuanced effects on your life. We can then help you overcome and correct negative thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors linked to your trauma, allowing you to heal and thrive.

If you or someone you know has experienced trauma, seeking professional help as soon as possible is key. Contact Integrative Life Center today to learn more about how our trauma-informed therapy program can help.

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What is the Psychological Treatment for Suicidal Ideation?

Life gets difficult and sometimes pushes people to contemplate suicide for multiple reasons. Heavy stress, significant pain from ailments, mental and physical abuse, and mental health conditions can cause some people to contemplate suicide — with or without a plan of action. 

If this describes you, don’t lose hope. There’s a lot of options for help to stop these thoughts and feelings. Psychological treatment for suicidal ideation can help eliminate these thoughts and help you feel better.

Suicide Statistics

Researchers and scientists worldwide have studied suicide and its effects on society, hoping to use the data to uncover psychological treatments for suicidal ideation, as it is one of the leading causes of death. Here are some of the facts we know about suicide:

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 45,000 people in the United States die by suicide each year, and PubMed research shows at least 800,000 worldwide. 

• Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States in 2019. 
• The annual prevalence of suicidal ideation in adults in the United States is 4%.
• Suicide rates have increased by more than 30% in half of the states since 1999. 
• Additionally, the CDC reported that about half of individuals who commit suicide in the United States use firearms. The other common methods are suffocation, usually by hanging, and poisoning, typically a drug overdose.
• Individuals with a lifelong history of suicidal ideation have a 33% probability of ever making a plan, and the likelihood of ever making a suicide attempt is 30%. 
• More than half of individuals with suicidal thoughts don’t receive mental health services.

• During the early part of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic, suicidal ideation rates doubled.

What Constitutes Suicidal Ideation?

Suicidal ideation describes a fixation with death, suicide, or self-harm. There are two types of suicidal ideation, passive and active. A person who has specific thoughts of suicide, of “not wanting to be alive” or “not wanting to wake up in the morning,” but doesn’t intend or plan to commit the action is considered passive. Active describes a person who not only thinks about suicide but also intends to execute the effort and creates a plan to carry it through. 

Not everyone with suicidal ideation has the same symptoms. But many people have symptoms in common.

Symptoms of suicidal ideation include: 

• Having a feeling of helplessness or having no reason to live, no purpose 
• Telling friends and family that they would be better off if you were not living
• Giving away personal possessions
• Exhibiting reckless behaviors, such as using drugs or alcohol often
• Avoiding social interactions
• Increasingly displaying or feeling rage or anger
• Appearing anxious or overly agitated
• Feeling guilt, shame, or trapped 
• Experiencing extreme mood swings
• Talking or posting on social media about wanting to die
• Making plans for suicide, such as buying a weapon or researching methods of suicide

Factors That Impact Suicide Ideation

Some people are more likely to have thoughts of suicide than others. Dr. Julie D. Eberwein, Executive Director at Integrative Life Center, said factors contributing to thoughts of suicide vary and include:

• Age 
• Race/ethnicity
• Gender: Suicide is more common in male-identifying people than female-identifying people 
• Sexual orientation
• Socioeconomic status 
• Mental health and substance use problems
• Medical conditions
• Grief and loss
• Low self-esteem
• Relationship problems
• Employment difficulties
• Familial discord

What to Do If You Have Suicidal Thoughts

Thoughts of suicide aren’t something to take lightly. These thoughts probably mean you should seek help immediately.

If you’re thinking about suicide:

• Seek Support from Loved Ones. Reach out to a trusted friend or family member to talk.
• Engage in Hobbies. Engage in activities that increase protective factors and decrease risk factors, like hobbies that may include a pet or going outside and getting fresh air. 
• Focus on Self-Care. Prioritize self-care by having daily habits like balanced nourishment, body movement, and restful sleep. These activities benefit the body and mind. Meditation and deep breathing also can help you feel more grounded.
• Practice Your Faith. If you have religious practices, try to pray or visit a clergy or mosque and speak with a religious figure like a priest or imam. 
• Call a Hotline. Call 9-8-8 to talk with a qualified professional. The hotline offers 24/7, free, confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
• Get Professional Help. Seek help from a mental health professional. If you are in an emergency, go to the hospital. Otherwise, schedule an appointment with a therapist.

Julie said anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should seek mental health care immediately.

“If there is an imminent risk of harm to self, treatment needs to be initiated through mobile crisis services or the local emergency room,” she said.

What is the Psychological Treatment for Suicidal Ideation?

Mental health professionals use various therapeutic modalities to treat suicidal ideation and associated illnesses. The treatment that’s right for you depends on your specific situation.

Therapies for suicidal ideation include:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). A type of talk therapy that helps people understand how thoughts affect emotions and behaviors. 
• Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT). A type of family therapy where mental health experts aim to help a parent and a child repair ruptures in their relationship and work to develop or rebuild an emotionally secure relationship. 
• Multisystemic Therapy-Psychiatric (MST-Psych). Includes evidenced-based interventions for youth substance use disorders and helps them avoid placement in juvenile justice and/or mental health treatment facilities.
• Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT). A manual-guided therapy comprised of education, mindfulness, and flexible thinking to improve Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms and substance use.
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). An evidence-based treatment for children and young adults impacted by trauma and their parents or guardians.

How ILC Can Help

Suicidal ideation is painful for the person experiencing it and frightening to their loved ones. But it’s possible to get help for these thoughts and to feel better. You don’t have to deal with suicidal thoughts or the issues that cause them alone. Integrative Life Center offers psychological treatment for suicidal ideation. Contact us to learn more and start healing.

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Is It Possible for Suicidal Thoughts to Disappear Without Treatment?

Suicidal thoughts are difficult to understand and even more challenging to cope with. Ideas of taking your own life can come and go at varying levels of intensity over long periods and have a hugely negative effect on a person’s life, even if they don’t lead to active suicide attempts. 

Without treatment, suicidal thoughts are unlikely to go away completely. So if you or someone you love are having suicidal thoughts, it may be time to seek suicide attempt treatment.

What Causes Suicidal Thoughts?

There is no definitive cause of suicidal thoughts. Suicidal ideation is highly individualized, and the reasons for these thoughts vary significantly from person to person. But, some factors can make certain individuals more vulnerable than others.

Dr. Julie D. Eberwein, Executive Director at Integrative Life Center, said factors contributing to thoughts of suicide include:

• Age
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Sex
• Socioeconomic status 
• Mental health issues
• Substance use problems
• Medical conditions
• Chronic pain
• Grief and loss
• Low self-esteem
• Relationship problems
• Employment difficulties
• Familial discord
• Past trauma or abuse

Depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health disorders are serious risk factors for suicide. And while the suicide rate is significantly higher among those with underlying mental health issues, anyone can experience suicidal thoughts. For many people, such thoughts can feel like the only way to deal with unbearable sadness or pain.

What to Do If You Have Suicidal Thoughts

Suicidal ideation exists on a spectrum, with passive on one end and active on the other. Passive suicidal ideation involves having recurring thoughts and ideas about death. Active suicidal ideation occurs when a person starts actively making plans to end their life. 

Someone having active suicidal ideation must seek emergency help immediately by calling 9-1-1 or going to the nearest emergency room.

An individual with passive suicidal ideation can take steps to curb these thoughts before they become a mental health emergency. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, the below measures can help keep you safe while getting long-term help. 

Distract Yourself

Distracting yourself can help manage thoughts of suicide in the short term. Rather than focusing on negative thoughts, try doing something you enjoy instead. 

Positive distractions could be:

• Spending time with friends or family
• Walking your dog
• Watching your favorite movie
• Reading a good book
• Playing a video game
• Doing puzzles
• Listening to music
• Wandering around a museum
• Taking yourself out for dinner

It’s key to remember that while distractions can help at the moment, they won’t make suicidal thoughts disappear entirely. Distractions are a short-term coping strategy.

Engage in Self-Care

Self-care may be at the bottom of your priority list when you’re feeling low or thinking negatively. But engaging in self-care activities can also help diminish suicidal thoughts in the short term. 

Self-care activities can include:

• Exercising
• Taking a long walk in nature
• Soaking in a hot bath
• Going for a relaxing massage
• Eating a balanced and nutritious meal
• Practicing meditation or mindfulness  

These self-care activities release dopamine and serotonin, the hormones in your brain that help reduce feelings of anxiety, shift negative thoughts or moods, and increase feelings of calmness. It’s also easier to focus on your emotional needs when your physical needs are being met.

Talk to Friends or Family

Feelings of guilt or shame often prevent those having suicidal thoughts from reaching out to loved ones. But talking to the people who care about you can get you the help and support you need. 

Reach out to a trusted friend or family member. Let them know you’re having a difficult time and need someone to be there for you. Having a support network and people you can talk to can help subdue suicidal thoughts and decrease the risk of suicide. 

Loved ones can also assist in finding you the professional help and treatment you need in the long run.

Talk to a Professional

Speaking with a qualified mental health professional is another essential step. Talking to a professional can help you process your feelings and determine the next step for you.

You can call 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. This hotline offers 24/7, free, and confidential support to people in suicidal crises or experiencing other emotional distress.

Seek Suicide Attempt Treatment 

If you have immediate thoughts of ending your life and already have a plan, you should call the emergency services at 9-1-1 or go to an Emergency Room. When your suicide risk is critical, a doctor may recommend that you stay at an inpatient facility where you’ll receive treatment and be monitored until you stabilize.

If suicidal thoughts are still more passive, you should still seek out suicide attempt treatment. Getting support from a trained mental health specialist is the best way to get to the root of your concerns and overcome suicidal thoughts for good. 

Treatment for Suicidal Thoughts

Much like the suicidal thoughts themselves, suicide attempt treatment is a highly individualized experience. At Integrative Life Center, one of our qualified mental health professionals will help identify the underlying causes and triggers of suicidal ideation. They’ll then develop a personalized treatment plan just for you. 

Depending on where you fall on the risk spectrum, treatment for suicidal thoughts may involve a mix of therapies and other experiential methodologies.

Suicide attempt treatment may include:

• Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)
• Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Mindfulness and Meditation Therapy

Can You Overcome Suicidal Thoughts Without Treatment? 

Suicidal thoughts won’t magically disappear without treatment. According to Julie, suicidal thoughts may decrease for a while, but they’re highly likely to return if left untreated. She said:

“Suicidal thoughts do not exist without attachment to some core issue or experience. It is critical to encourage treatment so that the core issue(s) can be addressed and neutralized, allowing the thoughts of suicide to no longer be a viable option. In the absence of treatment, suicidal thoughts may become less frequent and/or less emotionally charged, but they do not magically disappear.”

Distractions, self-care, and talking to loved ones are all great strategies for managing suicidal thoughts in the short term. But for suicidal thoughts to disappear in the long term, seeking professional treatment is the best choice.

How Integrative Life Center Can Help

Integrative Life Center offers the support and care you need to overcome suicidal ideation through our suicide treatment program. 

Our highly-qualified therapists and mental health professionals take a trauma-focused and heart-centered approach to suicide treatment. We provide a customized treatment program to help you work through negative thoughts, process any unresolved trauma, and develop safe coping mechanisms for suicidal ideation.

Contact us today to learn more about suicide attempt treatment at ILC.

The post Is It Possible for Suicidal Thoughts to Disappear Without Treatment? appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/is-it-possible-for-suicidal-thoughts-to-disappear-without-treatment/

Outpatient Treatment for Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the US. It claims nearly 44,000 lives annually. Still, it may be challenging to understand suicide or know what to do if someone is thinking about it, especially if you’ve never personally been affected by it before.

Treatment at a suicide treatment center is essential to getting help and feeling better, regardless of whether you experience suicidal ideation or self-harm. Inpatient treatment offers relief for those in a crisis, while outpatient treatment is helpful for those who aren’t in an emergency situation. 

If you or a loved one lives with mental illness, it’s vital to establish which treatment is best and prevent ideation or harm from escalating.

Understanding Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm

Suicidal ideation occurs when someone actively and consistently imagines methods to end their life. The idea is not a passing, intrusive thought. It is a persistent pattern of thinking often stemming from underlying mental illness due to depression, anxiety, traumatic experiences, or other mental health concerns.

Signs of suicidal ideation may include:

• Panic attacks
• Disruption in sleep or eating habits
• Poor hygiene
• Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
• Elevated irritability or agitation
• Mood swings
• Reckless behavior
• Social isolation
• Substance use
• Self-injury

Self-harm or self-injury involves intentional damage to one’s body. The harm can be carried out in various ways, most often via cutting, although burns, scratching, and self-hitting are other recognizable methods. 

Common signs of self-harming behavior include:

• Scars
• Excessive wounds (i.e., burns, scratches, bruises, scars)
• Long sleeves or pants to mask the harm
• Claims of accidental injury
• Interpersonal relationship difficulty
• Mood swings
• Reckless behavior
• Feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or worthlessness

The Relationship Between Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm

Both suicidal ideation and self-harm share similar signs, symptoms, and causes. Both indicate underlying concerns such as ongoing mental illnesses like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or anxiety. Self-harm lacks suicidal intent, yet long-term struggles often coincide with disorders that result in suicidal ideation.

Dr. Julie D. Eberwein, Executive Director at Integrative Life Center, said, “Different functions and motivations underlie self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”

“There can be different factors or motivations related to suicidal behavior and self-harm, but the one defining feature of the suicide attempt is at least some desire to die,” she stated. 

Signs That It’s Time to Seek Treatment

Regardless of the cause, suicidal ideation and self-harm aren’t something to ignore. If you or a loved one are showing signs of either of these issues, it’s critical to discuss and get emergency help immediately.

Seek treatment when a person is:

• Expressing Hopelessness. Feelings of helplessness or hopelessness are signs that the person needs help. These aren’t feelings you should have regularly and suggest something bigger is going on.
• Withdrawal from Social Connections. When people withdraw from their usual social connections and activities, it might mean they’re feeling overwhelmed by stress or emotional pain. It’s likely an indication that something’s wrong.
• Severe Emotional Distress. If you feel like your emotions are out of control or you’re having thoughts about suicide, seek help immediately.
• Irregular Sleep Patterns. When someone experiences changes in sleep patterns (sleeping more or less than usual), it’s a sign that something is going on with their mental health. Changes in sleep patterns may be due to anxiety disorders or depression.

“Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should seek mental health care immediately,” Julie said. “If there is an imminent risk of harm, contact mobile crisis services or the local emergency room.”

Treatments Options for People in Need

Many treatment options exist for people in severe distress who are considering suicide or harming themselves. Emergency care is necessary if the person is in danger. If the person isn’t in immediate danger, seeking treatment is a good idea.

Mental health treatments for suicidal ideation and self-harm include:

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This form of talk therapy helps people with a variety of disorders, including those related to trauma, depression, and anxiety.
• Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT). This family therapy focuses on improving the parent/child relationship and other relationships in the family. 
• Multisystemic Therapy-Psychiatric (MST-Psych). This therapy helps patients with addiction or mental health issues by addressing those issues in multiple settings at once, including school or work environments.
• Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT). This therapy focuses on changing thought patterns behind behaviors to help people manage anxiety disorders and depression symptoms. It can also be helpful for those with substance use issues.
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). A type of psychotherapy that helps alter thought patterns to treat PTSD in adults who have experienced trauma.

Is Outpatient Treatment the Right Fit?

Seeking a suicide treatment center should include some reflection on the type of treatment you or a loved one needs. Inpatient and outpatient treatments offer a variety of benefits.

“​​Identifying and working with a qualified outpatient therapist is the best treatment option when there is little or no risk of imminent harm to self and no previous suicide attempts,” Julie stated. “The therapist can further assess the risk level and determine if more intensive services are indicated. If a higher level of care is necessary, the therapist can work with the individual to recommend the most beneficial programming.” 

When considering an outpatient program, make sure the person agrees that they need help and are willing to work toward recovery. Treatment only works when the person is ready and willing to heal.

When looking for a treatment center, look for a well-trained staff that focuses on trauma-informed care. Unresolved trauma frequently is the root cause of mental health issues.

Finding the Right Suicide Treatment Center

Finding the right treatment center is a challenging task, largely because of the vast amount of resources out there and the overwhelming need when you’re in that situation. As a result, it’s important to narrow your scope and find reputable, reliable resources to help you with your search. It can be difficult, but speaking with a reputable center makes all the difference. Contact Integrative Life Center today to learn more about your treatment options.

The post Outpatient Treatment for Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm appeared first on Integrative Life Center.

source https://integrativelifecenter.com/outpatient-treatment-for-suicidal-ideation-and-self-harm/