Thursday, May 24, 2012

Teen Substance Abuse

Written by: Angela Lacalamita, MA, LCPC

A dangerous trend that has been on the rise with adolescents is snorting, injecting and smoking bath salts. Bath salts are similar to “Spice” or “K2” (herbal incense) in which adolescents appear to be drawn to the attractive packaging and assume that the products are a safe alternative to street drugs since they are commonly sold over the counter. This could not be further from the truth. Parents, teachers, and lawmakers need to be made aware that the potential for these drugs to harm the lives of our children is quite significant and little is known about the long term effects. Doctors at poison centers all over the country have reported that bath salts mimic the effects of methamphetamine resulting in extreme anxiety, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, elevated heat rate and blood pressure. Since the use of bath salts is shown to raise blood pressure and reduces blood supply to the heart there is an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes. If you suspect your adolescent is using bath salts or other substances please contact a mental health professional for assistance. Immediately seek medical attention for your child if you begin to see any of the following side effects:

  • Elevated heart rate
  • Euphoric feeling
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Pale skin
  • Extreme anxiety
  • Panic attacks
  • Vomiting
  • Hallucinations or paranoia
  • Seizures

Friday, May 18, 2012

Postpartum Depression/Anxiety

By Laura Piuca Hinkes, LCSW

Women today may feel that our culture expects them to be “supermoms” who can cradle a baby with one arm and manage a Fortune 500 company with the other. For many new mothers their experience is anything but super. As many as 50% of mothers experience some form of “baby blues” and a smaller group experience a more serious condition known as Postpartum Depression/Anxiety.

Symptoms of Postpartum Depression include:
  • Changes in sleep and/or eating
  • Feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness
  • Irritability and sadness
  • Excessive crying
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Lack of interest in or feelings for the baby
  • Thoughts of suicide
Symptoms of Postpartum Anxiety include:
  • Excessive worry
  • Racing thoughts
  • Feelings of dread and panic
  • Fear of being alone with the baby
A woman who is used to being competent and in charge in her pre-baby life may feel helpless and incompetent when faced with the sleepless nights and around the clock demands of a new born. Some women are reluctant to tell anyone what is happening inside of them for fear of being judged as a bad mother.

Various factors can play a roll in the occurrence of postpartum depression/anxiety. Some authorities believe postpartum depression/anxiety is caused by a drop in the level of maternal hormones after delivery. Others blame it on a difficult and prolonged labor and delivery or that it can simply come about from exhaustion and a new mother's tendency to over do it. Some women are genetically more vulnerable to postpartum depression/anxiety.

Women with postpartum depression/anxiety need not suffer alone. Speaking with your physician can be your first step. There are community and online support groups. Counseling and/or medication can be very effective. If you are a mother having thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby or if you know someone who is feeling this way, seek immediate assistance through your physician or nearest emergency room.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Quick Facts on Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder consists of recurrent episodes of depression, mania and/or mixed symptoms. These episodes cause extreme shifts in mood, energy and behavior that interfere with normal healthy functioning. Approximately 2.5 million Americans are affected by bipolar disorder. Causes of bipolar disorder can include biochemical, genetic and environmental factors.


A common sign is mood swings between emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). During a manic phase, symptoms may include: 
  • Racing thoughts 
  • Poor judgment 
  • Tendency to be easily distracted 
  • Agitation 
  • Rapid speech 
  • Euphoria 
  • Increased drive to achieve goals 
  • Decreased need for sleep 
  • Sadness 
  • Hopelessness 
  • Anxiety 
  • Irritability 
Bipolar disorder can be difficult to detect. Some people may go for quite a while before they are correctly diagnosed. The reason for this has to do with the dual nature of the disorder. When someone is feeling manic they are full of energy and usually feel good. They are "high on life" and seldom seek treatment. By contrast, they often seek treatment when they fall into a major depressive episode. At that time, they describe only depressive symptoms. Therefore, it is common for the individual to be incorrectly diagnosed with depression instead of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder also shares many of the signs and symptoms associated with other illnesses such as anxiety disorders, further complicating diagnosis. If you suspect that someone you know is suffering from bipolar disorder, contact a mental health professional. During low phases of bipolar, symptoms may include: 

Symptoms of bipolar disorder may appear as early as age 5. More typically, symptoms usually appear around the age of 20. Symptoms may also become more evident later in life, between the ages of 40 and 50. Bipolar disorder symptoms often appear for the first time during or around big life changes that can trigger a mood episode.






Major Depression in Children & Adolescents

Major depression has increased significantly over the years. Recent studies suggest that by the time adolescents reach the end of their teen years, 20 % will have will have had depression. Depression impacts adolescents regardless of gender, social background, income level, or race, though some reports indicate that teenage girls report suffering from depression more often than teenage boys.


Depression affects a young person’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors and body. It can lead to emotional and behavioral problems. If depression is left untreated, it can lead to academic failure, substance use and even suicide. 

Some signs of depression often include:

The most common treatments used to treat depression are counseling and/or use of medication. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a specific type of therapy has been shown to significantly reduce symptoms of depression. The use of anti-depressant medication has also been shown to be effective in treating depression. However these medications may have serious side effects in children and adolescents and should be discussed with a medical doctor.  If you suspect your child or adolescent suffers from depression, seek assistance from a mental health professional or speak to your pediatrician. If you suspect your child is having suicidal thoughts, contact 911 immediately.


- Hopelessness
- Sadness or bouts of crying
- Loss of interest in activities which were previously enjoyable
- Academic difficulty
- Suicidal thinking
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
- Lack of energy
- Changes with appetite and/or sleep
- Aches and pains such as headaches or stomach aches that don’t seem to go away


Monday, May 7, 2012

Child Abuse Changes The Brain

Read The Article

Child Abuse Changes The Brain, study finds
Maltreated kids, like soldiers, adapt to become hyper-aware of danger

Body Image & Eating Disorders In Men & Women

Body image and eating disorders in men | womenshealth.gov

5 Tips for Managing Symptoms of ADHD

1. Set specific behavior goals and monitor your child’s progress toward the goal. Applying consequences and rewards using a behavior chart can help motivate the behavior changes. For example, a child may have a goal of sitting for 15 minutes at a time to do homework. Parents should track whether the child has met the goal. Short amounts periods of time can help the child complete assignments more easily and improve their level of confidence. 

2. When giving directions, it is helpful to keep them short and simple. Complicated or long directions for children with AD/HD can result in the child easily losing focus and forgetting what you have asked them to complete. If long directions are needed provide written directions.

3. Provide a homework assignment notebook where your child is required to write assignments in and obtain teachers signatures indicating that he/she has everything needed to complete the assignments. Once the assignments are completed, parents should check them and also sign the assignment book indicating that all of the homework has been completed.

4. Create a written schedule for the child to follow. This would include a morning and after school routine. Specific directions such as: Make your bed, make your breakfast, brush your teeth and organize your backpack can reduce forgetfulness.  If possible parents should check to ensure their child has everything necessary for the school day.


5    5. Offer feedback between compliments. If you need to let your child know that they have done something incorrectly, find something positive he/she has done and begin with the positive comment first.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Controlling Anger Before it Controls You

Written by : Angela Lacalamita, MA, LCPC
It is often thought that anger is an unhealthy emotion. However, anger is a feeling that is normal, healthy and serves the function of letting us know when all is not right in our world. When anger is felt too intensely, too frequently or expressed using aggression is when anger becomes a problem. There are numerous reasons why we become angry. The most common reasons for feeling anger are related to our personal worth, needs and basic convictions. Maybe you have felt invalidated by a spouse during a disagreement or by an employer by having received a poor performance review. Regardless of the setting, if we perceive that we are not being acknowledged, or feel as though our needs are unmet, we experience anger. Another contributing factor to anger is related to our values, beliefs or convictions being challenged or ignored.  Think of the number of times you responded with anger when a social issue or topic went against what you firmly believe. Even though you recognized that you were not able to control what others were thinking or how they were behaving, you still reacted with anger.
Managing the way you express anger requires some effort to think and behave in a different fashion. One approach to managing anger is to identify the problem causing the conflict, the feelings associated with the conflict and deciding whether to resolve the conflict or let it go. If you decide to let it go, then you have to let it go completely. Not letting the issue go completely may place you at risk of the anger resurfacing and boiling to a point where you react in an unhealthy fashion.  A second approach to managing anger involves using direct commands to stop thinking the thoughts that are fueling your anger. Some examples are “I need to control my anger before it controls me” or “I need to control my anger because there are no benefits to exploding. “  A third approach in managing anger is visualizing yourself dealing with the event contributing to your anger in a calm, assertive and non- aggressive fashion.   
No matter how hard we try, unexpected events or challenges will occur in life which will contribute to feelings of anger. Eliminating anger is not a realistic expectation. However using these approaches will help you manage your anger before it controls you and begins to negatively impact your life.