Julie Borum – Lakeland Counselors

https://lakelandcounselors.com Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:32:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.13 https://lakelandcounselors.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/cropped-Logo-32x32.png Julie Borum – Lakeland Counselors https://lakelandcounselors.com 32 32 Do You Suspect an Eating Disorder? Do Something! https://lakelandcounselors.com/do-you-suspect-an-eating-disorder-do-something/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/do-you-suspect-an-eating-disorder-do-something/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:55:43 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=608

Eating disorders are often overlooked due to the misconception that they are not that serious. Unfortunately, this misconception can cause loved ones to delay intervention when they suspect an eating disorder. Discussing your suspicions can be challenging and often met with resistance. You may be afraid of offending the person, or believe they will get help when it gets bad enough. Unfortunately, they often do not seek help and can cause serious damage when treatment is delayed. Anorexia causes more deaths than any psychiatric disorder, which is all the more reason to address your concerns.

Signs of an eating disorder:

extreme focus on shape and weight
food restriction
excessive exercise
often chooses to stand instead of sit
self-induced vomiting
misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or pills claiming weight loss
engages in body checking, which is repeated weighing, measuring, and mirror gazing
body weight 15% below recommended weight or body mass index is 17.5 or lower
periods stop and puberty can be delayed.

If you know someone with eating concerns, set up a private time to talk, be honest, discuss behaviors you have seen that are concerning, avoid making accusations, encourage the person to seek professional help, offer this flyer as a resource, and tell someone. Here is a screening tool that can help decide if professional help is needed.

The National Eating Disorder Association of America (NEDA) is an excellent resource for information, supportive services, and resources regarding eating disorders. The NEDA helpline offers support and resources: 800-931-2237 Monday-Friday 9am-9pm ET.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/do-you-suspect-an-eating-disorder-do-something/feed/ 0 Benefits of Exercising in the Sunshine https://lakelandcounselors.com/benefits-of-exercising-in-the-sunshine/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/benefits-of-exercising-in-the-sunshine/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:52:21 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=604

Take a minute to think about the last time you spent outdoors, encircled by bustling people and hugged by the sun. Do you recall how you felt? Good, better, energized, social, happier?

Physical activity has been linked to well-being and sunshine has been linked to happiness¹. Brain scans show serotonin levels are highest in spring and summer and when engaging in physical activity². You live in Florida where exercise opportunities are nearly limitless. Here is a list of local walking trails and events to attend:

Lake Hollingsworth: Nearly three miles, one hour and a beautiful view

Lake Parker trails: Wildlife, paved trails, popular place to find hidden “Lakeland rocks.”

Peterson Park: Park at the back; walk the wooden bridge and paved around to make a 30 minute loop.

Lake Mirror: 30 minutes, another popular place to find hidden “Lakeland rocks.”

Circle B Bar Reserve: Distance varies (up to 3.5 miles and 6 miles is possible), loops, wildlife

First Friday in Lakeland: The first Friday of the month walk around Downtown Lakeland 6pm-9pm.

Farmers Curb Market Lakeland: Walk around Downtown Lakeland every Saturday in June and July 8am-1pm. Get moving and grab some fruit and veggies!

Gandy Pool: $4, for lap swim go early (5:30am and open swim begins at 12pm through the week) 10am-5pm on Saturday and 11am-5pm on Sunday

Simpson Pool: $4 open until August 12.

Lakeland Senior Recreation Club: Ages 55+, Thursdays, Magnolia Building, ballroom and line dancing, 10am-12pm, $1

Mall Walkers program, Eagle Ridge 8am, call Lake Wales Medical Center, 863-676-1433 for program details.

Colt Creek State Park: walking, biking, scenic/wildlife

Mulberry Phosphate Museum: dig for sharks teeth, arrowheads. Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm

Geocaching: Numerous spots in Polk County

Sanlan Golf Course: Specials through the summer, scenic/wildlife

Check your insurance or employer discounts! Many insurance providers and employers offer free or discounted gym memberships.

Take advantage of the many opportunities for physical activity this summer! Let the sun and nature embrace you.

References:

1 Khazaee-pool, M., Sadeghi, R., Majlessi, F., & Rahimi Foroushani, A. (2015). Effects of physical exercise programme on happiness among older people. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing, 22(1), 47-57. doi:10.1111/jpm.12168

2 Sunshine equals happiness. (2008). Therapy Today, 19(8), 9.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/benefits-of-exercising-in-the-sunshine/feed/ 0 Do You Qualify for Free Counseling Sessions? https://lakelandcounselors.com/do-you-qualify-for-free-counseling-sessions/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/do-you-qualify-for-free-counseling-sessions/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:42:33 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=602

Do you qualify for free counseling sessions? Did you know that many employers offer Employee Assistance Programs, or EAPs, that provide counseling sessions to their employees and their family members? That’s right! Usually, the larger employers like hospitals, county employees, school board members and large corporations often have EAPs that allow employees and their family members anywhere from three to ten sessions of mental health counseling at no charge to the employees. The concept works like this: the employer contracts with and EAP insurance company such as Ceridian, Aetna, Cigna, Empathia, and many others. They pay a lump sum amount to the insurance company to provide a variety of services to their employees, of which includes mental health counseling. The idea is that employers provide these services in an attempt to help employees maintain a work/life balance and in the end, employees and their family members are healthier and able to work more efficiently without time lost from work. Ultimately, this saves the company money.

EAP services are completely confidential and your employer does not even know you are accessing the services. All you need to do is to call your Human Resources office and ask for the number to the EAP. You do not need to let them know your name and they should not ask for your name. Once you have the number call the insurance company or EAP directly and let them know what you need. They will need to know the name of your employer and your demographic information and they will ask you questions about your safety. Then you will be provided with the names of counselors in your area that accept the EAP and you will be given an authorization with the number of sessions you are allowed. And that’s all there is to it!

So, what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get your appointment scheduled. You don’t have to be mentally ill to take advantage of this service. Most people use the counseling services for a variety of reasons that include, but are not limited to stress at work, relationship problems, elder care stress, bereavement/loss and grief, money issues, any many more common, everyday issues that people face.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/do-you-qualify-for-free-counseling-sessions/feed/ 0 How a 12-Step Program Can Lead to Healing from Trauma https://lakelandcounselors.com/how-a-12-step-program-can-lead-to-healing-from-trauma/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/how-a-12-step-program-can-lead-to-healing-from-trauma/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:41:00 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=599

To acknowledge National Recovery Month let’s bring recovery and mental health together! Survivors of trauma often develop patterns of behavior to make the experience less difficult. These patterns may not go away on their own. Some survivors use emotional numbing to avoid the feelings associated with the traumatic event. Others may become hypervigilant and have extreme startle responses, flinching, and hyperawareness. Re-experiencing the trauma through flashbacks, nightmares, and obsessive thoughts may also be a behavior survivors develop after a trauma. Every person is different in how they respond to trauma. It is important for anyone who has experienced trauma and is now negatively impacted in daily life to reach out to a therapist. The problems are likely to intensify without help. In addition to seeing a therapist, a modified version of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous can be used to heal trauma (Speigel, 2005). While there is much more to the 12-step program than will be addressed here, it is a good start for anyone who is seeking ways to start the healing process. Here are the adapted 12 Steps:

1. We admitted we were powerless over the effects of trauma on ourselves and our loved ones, and our lives have become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Higher Power as we understood our Higher Power.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to our Higher Power, ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We are ready to have our Higher Power remove all character defects
7. We humbly ask our Higher power to remove all short comings
8. We made a list of all persons we have harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when we do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our Higher Power.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all we do.

–Adapted from “The Big Book of AA” pages 59-60.

Initially some of the steps may not make sense. Why would you need to ask a Higher Power for the removal of character defects? You were the one wronged. Why should you have to remove anything? Unfortunately, with trauma, we begin to harbor anger and resentment. We may strike out at people for no reason because we are hurting deep inside. When we move through these 12 Steps, we come to a point where we are ready to release those bitter feelings. No, they never should have been there. No, that is not your fault. But, they are there and they need to be gone. Steps Four and Five help those who have experienced trauma to release distressing feelings of guilt or shame of not being able to stop the event. Also, keep in mind that a Higher Power does not have to relate to a religion. A Higher Power can be adapted to anything that helps you get through the steps of admitting you cannot control everything and that trying to has led to chaos; relinquishing control; searching deep inside for your strengths and weaknesses; admitting to someone else that you need to make changes; take steps to make changes; show humility; let go of resentment with others; let go of self-loathing and self-criticism; apologize to those you hurt when you were hurting; continuously self-reflect; be mindful; practice some type of meditation, prayer, or self-care; and once you experience healing share your progress and the process with others.

Don’t wait another day to start the healing process. When you are hurting, others are hurting with you! Call a therapist and pick up an AA book.

Spiegel, B. R. (2005). The use of the 12 Steps of the Anonymous program to heal trauma. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 5(3), 103-105. doi:10.1300/J160v05n03•09

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/how-a-12-step-program-can-lead-to-healing-from-trauma/feed/ 0 National Minority Mental Health Month: Get Active https://lakelandcounselors.com/national-minority-mental-health-month-get-active/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/national-minority-mental-health-month-get-active/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:36:40 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=596

July has been designated as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Campbell was a mental health advocate, who spoke out against stigma and mental health disparities. Campbell has been a voice for the African American (AA) community, stating that the AA community, not only faces stigma due to race, but also with mental illness. She further voiced that AAs do not trust healthcare professionals, causing mental illness to go untreated. She called on professionals and policy makers to act to improve conditions for minority groups.

Mental health awareness is an opportunity to bring the issues, disparities, inequalities, strengths, opportunities, stigma, myths, perspectives, recommendations, and an overall conversation to the table, where it can become more normalized in our society.

While we are recognizing National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month and the progress that Campbell made in the mental health arena, it is an excellent opportunity to offer some statistics related to mental health and inequalities in minority groups.

The most common mental health diagnoses in the AA population are depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, suicide, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In a study conducted by Mental Health America, 63 percent of AAs viewed having depression as a personal weakness. While AAs have lower rates of mental illness, they are faced with more severe and persistent psychiatric disorders. Hispanics and Latinos, as well as Asians are the most challenged minority groups by a complex system of unequal and ineffective mental health care experiences.

Stereotyping and bias continue to be reported in diagnosing and treatment practices of minority groups.

The LGBTQ population also face inequalities in mental health care. They are twice as likely as heterosexual men and women to have a psychiatric disorder. Thirty percent of transgenders have considered suicide, compared to 2.3 percent of heterosexuals, 4.4% of gay or lesbian, and 7.4% of bisexuals. Many LGBTQ have experienced discrimination and stigma when seeking health services.

Now that you know a little more about minority mental health and disparities, take a minute to think of a solution to the problem. Ask yourself how you can make a difference for minority mental health month. Show us how you define yourself and how it relates to your mental health.

American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (2017). Mental health disparities: LGBTQ. Retrieved from www.psychiatry.org

Kawaii-Bogue, B., Williams, N. J., & MacNear, K. (2017). Mental health care access and treatment utilization in African American communities: An integrative care framework. Best Practice in Mental Health, 13(2), 11–29. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=a9h&AN=127448814&site=ehost-live

Neely-Fairbanks, S. Y., Rojas-Guyler, L., Nabors, L., & Banjo, O. (2018). Mental illness knowledge, stigma, help-seeking behaviors, spirituality and the African American church. American Journal of Health Studies, 33(4), 162–174.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/national-minority-mental-health-month-get-active/feed/ 0 Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day https://lakelandcounselors.com/today-is-self-injury-awareness-day/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/today-is-self-injury-awareness-day/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:34:25 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=593

Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day, which brings awareness to self-injurious behaviors. Self-injury is the intentional act of causing harm to oneself. This behavior is most often seen with adolescents. Signs of self-injury include: parts of the body (often arms, legs, stomach, thighs) show signs of injury such as cuts, bruises, burns, and scabs; covering injured body (wearing long sleeves, jacket, and/or pants in summer); gives excuses for how obtained injury; and changing behaviors (isolating, withdrawn, avoiding activities/friends). If you are engaging in self-injury, talk to someone, and find a therapist who can help you to learn healthy coping skills. If you know someone who engages in self-injury, avoid judging. Listen and offer support, and pass along the following resources.

Resources:

Text CONNECT to 741741 in the United States to speak with a crisis counselor, 24/7

ok2talk.org is a community where teens and young adults, struggling with mental illness, can share personal stories in a creative way.

mindfulnessforteens.com is a website that provides information on how to practice mindfulness.

mood247.com is a website to record daily feelings.

teenmentalhealth.org is a website that offers resources on various mental health issues that teens face.

Mind Shift is a smartphone app designed to help teens with anxiety.

Breathe2Relax is a smartphone app that teaches how to use breathing to relax.

Love yourself as much as you want to be loved— Nino Varsimashvili

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/today-is-self-injury-awareness-day/feed/ 0 Two Types of Trauma We Work With, Big “T” and Little “t” Trauma’s https://lakelandcounselors.com/two-types-of-trauma-we-work-with-big-t-and-little-t-traumas/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/two-types-of-trauma-we-work-with-big-t-and-little-t-traumas/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:31:52 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=590

Big “T” trauma includes events that a person perceives as life-threatening: combat; crimes such as rape, kidnapping, and assault; and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and floods. These events are so stressful they can overwhelm our ordinary capacity to cope. They result in intense fear, extreme feelings of helplessness, and a crushing loss of control. The symptoms of PTSD span two classes of simultaneous, and diametrically opposed, behaviors. In one type, the traumatized person cannot get away from his trauma: He is forced to relive the original event through intrusive symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, panic attacks, and obsessive thoughts. In the other, he can’t get near it: He is compelled to insulate himself from reminders of the trauma through avoidance symptoms such as social isolation, emotional numbing, and substance abuse. Trauma victims also have physiological reactions, such as insomnia, hyper-vigilance, and the tendency to be easily startled by any reminder of the event, such as a particular sound or touch.

Small “t” trauma, on the other hand, occurs in the innocuous but upsetting ting experiences that daily life sends our way. It can result in some of the same feelings as big “T” trauma and have far-reaching consequences.
One client I worked with overheard a girl he liked say to a friend she didn’t think he was very cute and wouldn’t go out with him unless he was “10,000 times cuter.” My client was very handsome but because of that small “t” trauma he never could see his own good looks.

This is the type of experience that children have while growing up. But these types of experiences, just like big “T” trauma, can take up residence in the mind and govern our behavior for decades. Although less dramatic experiences like these do not meet the clinical definition of trauma, they certainly meet the dictionary definition: “an emotional shock that creates substantial and lasting psychological damage; something that severely jars the mind or emotions.”

The problem many trauma victims face is that the upsetting experience from their past (including the feelings, beliefs, physical sensations, and behaviors) is “stuck” in their nervous system. Like a puppet master, this old experience governs the person’s reactions to present-day situations.

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/two-types-of-trauma-we-work-with-big-t-and-little-t-traumas/feed/ 0 Improve your Mental Health by Engaging in your Community https://lakelandcounselors.com/improve-your-mental-health-by-engaging-in-your-community/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/improve-your-mental-health-by-engaging-in-your-community/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:26:40 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=586

This week’s blog focuses on getting out and getting to know your community. Here is a list of October community events in the Polk County area.

Central Florida Health Expo
Friday October 12
International Market World Flea and Farmers Market/Auburndale
9am-3pm/Free

Unpland Improv(stand-up comedy show)
Friday October 12
Bolin Studio, Southeastern University
7pm-9pm
$2

Downtown Farmers Curb Market
Saturday October 13
200 N Kentucky Ave, Lakeland
8am-2pm
Free

Coffee with Artist: John Jacopelle
Saturday October 13
Polk Museum of Art, Florida Southern College
10am-11:30am
Free

Big Brother Big Sisters Orientation & Training
Saturday October 13
1231 E Orange St (BBBS Office) Lakeland
10:30am-12pm
Free (Contact Angie Pattison, 863-220-1116)

2nd& 4th Saturday Market Downtown
Saturday October 13
Downtown Central Park, Winter Haven
9am-3pm
Free

Saturday Afternoon Family Movies
Saturday October 13
325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven
2pm-4pm
Free

Second Saturday Cruise-in
Saturday October 13
Auburndale Downtown Park
4pm-8pm
Free

Own the Upside 9th Annual Prevention Summit
Monday October 15
Lake Eva Banquet Hall
8am-4pm
Free to $25 (https://www.owntheupsidepolk.com)

Knit One, Crochet Too!
Monday October 15
Lakeland Public Library, Lake Morton Dr Lakeland
6:30pm-8pm
Free (Lisa Kolesar at (863) 834-4278)

Access Art: Alzheimer’s Disease & Dementia
Friday October 19
Polk Museum of Art, Florida Southern College
2pm-3pm
Free

Joggin’ for the Noggin’
Friday October 19
Polk State College Lakeland Campus
6:30pm
Register at https://register.chronotrack.com/r/39860

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office/Haunted Jail Tour
Friday October 19 and Saturday October 20
Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 455 N Broadway Bartow
6pm-10:30pm
$6 donation

Aerospace Discovery Day
Saturday October 20
Sun ‘n Fun campus
10am-4pm
Free admission, $5 parking

21st Annual Haunted Halloween Hayride & Happenings
Saturday October 20
Loyce E Harpe Park 500 W Carter Rd, Mulberry
5pm-10pm
$5 admission

The 34th Annual Fall Garden Extravaganza
Saturday October 27
Munn Park, Lakeland
8am-3pm
Free

22nd Annual Lakeland Hispanic Festival
Saturday October 27
Lake Mirror, Lakeland
12pm-8pm
$5

Trunk or Treat Fall Festival
Wednesday October 31
Trinity Christian Center, Lakeland
6pm-8pm
Free

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/improve-your-mental-health-by-engaging-in-your-community/feed/ 0 Join in Mental Health Month https://lakelandcounselors.com/join-in-mental-health-month/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/join-in-mental-health-month/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:24:13 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=583

Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to point out a few opportunities you can participate in to show your support, learn, and bring awareness to the mental health arena.

May 14 WEAR GREEN

Wear Green to Support Mental Health Awareness

Show your support for Mental Health Awareness Month by wearing your favorite green shirt, pants, or other apparel on May 14, 2019. Then upload a picture with the hashtag #LetsTalkPRC to social media channels to let people know you support Peace River Center and mental health awareness.

May 15 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm FREE

Mental Health First Aid – Lakeland

Peace River Center Lakeland Crisis Campus, 715 North Lake Avenue
Lakeland, FL 33801 United States

Register today for this free Mental Health First Aid 8-hour course that teaches you how to help someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. The training helps you identify, understand and respond to signs of addictions and mental illnesses. Mental Health First Aid is made possible through a grant from the GiveWell Community Foundation. There is no cost to attend.

May 20 @ 1pm-3:30pm

Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day 2019

This meeting will promote evidence-based approaches to the prevention, treatment, and recovery supports for older adults and build awareness among the mental health and aging networks about the needs of this population.

Join the live stream here.

May 22 4pm-7pm FREE

Resilience & Recovery – A Symposium on Mental Health

Resilience & Recovery is a symposium to discuss and share ideas related to mental illness and mental wellness in our community organized in collaboration by NAMI Sarasota County, The Academy at Glengary & Mental Health Community Centers.

This symposium will offer attendees:

Insight of awareness in comprehensive coordinated care for first episode psychosis and the impact of early intervention;
How family advocacy and support impact the outcomes for a person living with mental illness; and
The correlation between early psychosis and trauma.

Who should attend? Peers, families and caregivers, healthcare treatment providers, and community leaders and interested citizens.

Location

Ringling College of Art & Design, Morganroth Auditorium

2700 N. Tamiami Trail

Sarasota, FL 34234

May 24@ 8am-5pm (Last day to register is May 15^th)

Polk County Lakeland Regional Health Opioid Symposium Prevention, Intervention, Treatment, & Recovery

Presented by Central Florida Health Care Registration, free breakfast and lunch.

Topics

Understanding Opioid Addiction Emergency Room Overview
Medication Assisted Treatment and Modalities
Recognizing and Properly Intervening
Patient/Client Retention
Use of Nalozone
Developing Connections with Community Partners
Building Recovery Networks
Legislative Wrap-Up
Vivitrol

For more information, call 863-709-9392 ext. 2014

Location

Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavillion for Women & Children, Mulaney Auditorium

1324 Lakeland Hills Blvd

Lakeland, Florida 33805

Below you will find links information that you may find interesting.

Find a NAMIwalk here.
Join the movement and walk with us for mental health this year! Each NAMIWalks is a 5K event that raises awareness and funds for NAMI organizations across the country.
Download the Mental Health Month toolkit here.
Hashtags used during Mental Health Month: #4Mind4Body; #LetsTalkPRC; #MentalHealthMonth; #MHM2019; #4YourMentalHealth; #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth; #NAMIwalks; #WhyCare

]]> https://lakelandcounselors.com/join-in-mental-health-month/feed/ 0 Changing the Brain with Talk Therapy https://lakelandcounselors.com/changing-the-brain-with-talk-therapy/ https://lakelandcounselors.com/changing-the-brain-with-talk-therapy/#respond Mon, 28 Dec 2020 17:21:37 +0000 http://borumllc.com/?p=580

It is well-known that childhood adversity can lead to mental distress, certain psychiatric disorders, and substance abuse. Events that occur in adulthood are also significant, such as military combat, discrimination, physical attack, and poverty.¹ Research has found that severe stress has serious consequences on the human brain and body.³ Stressful events can cause more dramatic reactions to additional stressors. Adults who experienced adverse events as a child have a more reactive nervous system and changes in the brain compared to adults who did not experience adverse events as a child. These adults tend to be on high alert. The amount of childhood adversity has been linked to later development of schizophrenia or psychosis, and individuals with a psychotic disorder react in a more extreme way to minor stress. This is not to say that every person who has experienced trauma will develop a serious psychiatric disorder; however, the majority of individuals diagnosed with a severe psychiatric disorder report abuse or neglect as a child.³

Changes in the brain are linked to the stress-response system. Dopamine is affected in one part of the brain, although it works in several parts.³ Too much dopamine in certain areas of the brain may be the reason that ordinary things seem to have special meaning to individuals with severe psychiatric disorder, such as schizophrenia. For instance, the individual may perceive something on the television is directed at them. There are drug treatments that can help reduce dopamine; however, the medication cannot target the specific brain areas involved.¹ There is also a link between cortisol levels and the severity of psychotic symptoms. Cortisol is a stress hormone released when an individual experiences stress (simple explanation). The more stressed someone is, the higher their risk for developing psychotic symptoms. Childhood adversity has also been linked to changes in the frontal lobes of the brain, as well as alterations in gene-expression. Gene-expression is the switching on or off of a gene, which impacts cells causing them to do or not do something. This finding indicates stress can change how the brain works, such as making it more difficult to cope with additional stressors. The hippocampus is also altered in those exposed to adverse events, as well as in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.³

Talk therapy has been shown to be effective in treating individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.³ This information is especially important for those who refuse to take antipsychotic medication. Some clinicians urge professionals to avoid automatically assuming that patients who refuse medication have a lack of insight. Recent research indicates that just like childhood adversity or trauma in adulthood can cause brain changes, so can psychotherapy. This is not to suggest that schizophrenia can be cured; however, talk therapy can help to improve mental state and regain an improve quality of life. Additional research has found that dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) increases grey matter volume in areas of the brain responsible for emotion regulation and higher-order functions.²

Recommendations for professionals are to advocate and identify interventions that can promote improved social and physical conditions for children.¹ Additional recommendations include:

Create an environment that is supportive and hospitable.
Focus on strengths and goals, instead of the problems.
Utilize peer support programs, which helps the client learn from people who have experienced similar circumstances and challenges.
Avoid thinking about people as being curable or chronic. This thinking is unhelpful and people experiencing mental distress need restored faith and hope, and to be approached with human warmth and time.
Include clients in decision-making about their treatment, and base goals on client preference, not the clinicians.
Let clients see that you want to work “with” them and not “on” them.
Help clients find resources and links that can help them reach goals, which means you may have to go above and beyond.¹

The conclusion of the research findings are that the majority of people diagnosed with severe mental illness have experienced adversity and need positive support and human connection. They also need an opportunity to talk with a therapist and come to terms with the trauma and find ways to move forward. In the meantime, the over-active stress-response system needs time to recover, while the individual engages in routine cognitive therapy.

¹Holttum, S. (2014). When bad things happen our brains change but psychotherapy and support can help the recovery of our brains and our lives. Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 18(2), 52-58.

²Mancke, F., Schmitt, R., Winter, D., Niedtfeld, I., Herpertz, S. C., & Schmahl, C. (2018). Assessing the marks of change: How psychotherapy alters the brain structure in women with borderline personality disorder. Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, 3, 171. doi: 10.1503/jpn.170132

³Read, J., Fosse, R., Moskowitz, A. & Perry, B. (2014). The traumagenic neurodevelopmental model of psychosis revisited. Neuropsychiatry, 4(1), 65-79 .

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