MINDFULNESS

In a world where mass shootings and the horrific tragedies of war are continually in your news feed, it’s easy to feel hopeless. Glimmers can help you achieve a more positive outlook when faced with adversity.

Glimmers are those flickers of hope, happiness, or optimism that we encounter during challenging times or when we’re feeling down. Finding glimmers can be as effortless as spotting a rainbow, listening to a child’s laughter, or experiencing a sense of achievement. Such brief instances of positivity serve as beacons of hope, aiding us in managing stress and worries while keeping us motivated.

Glimmers serve as a mechanism through which our brain stores and retrieves significant memories. They facilitate our recollection of past encounters and emotions, offering valuable insights that aid us in making informed choices.

The polyvagal theory, developed by neuroscientist Stephen Porges, sheds light on the science behind glimmers:. they are signals that guide the body into a state of vagal calmness, allowing people to experience a profound sense of safety and connection. Just as the immune system combats illnesses, the body’s nervous system can fight negative emotions through engagement of the vagus nerve. People can effectively harness such engagement to remain securely anchored in positive, optimistic, and safe emotional experiences.

What Are Ways to Access Glimmers?

Proactively exploring our glimmers helps us unleash our complete potential and serve as a source of inspiration for others. Here are ways to find the glimmers in your everyday activities.

• Practice mindfulness: When fully present in the moment, you can notice even the smallest positive experiences, which are easy to overlook when you’re preoccupied. Mindfulness offers a much-welcomed pause.
• Identify positive triggers: Pay attention to the activities or situations that tend to bring a smile to your face or a sense of contentment. Identifying them allows you to then actively seek them out.
• Reflect on what brought you joy in the past: Think back to times when you felt genuinely happy or hopeful. What were the circumstances? What were you doing at the time? Revisiting such memories can provide insight into what brings you joy. That joy can help you find more glimmers.
• Set positive intentions: Start your day with a positive intention. Even small moments of positivity can significantly influence your mental and emotional state. Studies show that regularly experiencing positive emotions can enhance your physical health, reduce stress, and even prolong your life. Looking for and appreciating even the littlest positive experiences can help you notice more glimmers.
• Start a gratitude journal: Regularly write down things you’re grateful for. The practice can shift your focus toward the positive aspects of your life.
• Connect with supportive people: Surround yourself with friends and family who provide emotional support and positivity. The presence and encouragement of supportive people can help you access glimmers.
• Do activities you enjoy: Be intentional about making time for hobbies and activities that bring you joy and fulfillment. Doing what you love can create opportunities for glimmers to emerge.
• Practice self-compassion: Be kind to yourself, especially in difficult times. Treating yourself with compassion can help you recognize and appreciate moments of self-care and self-love.
• Seek professional help if needed: If you’re struggling with accessing glimmers due to persistent negative emotions, consider seeking professional help from therapists, counselors, or life coaches. Such professionals can guide you in developing personalized strategies to overcome negativity and cultivate a more positive outlook.

Identifying your glimmers is a journey, and it may take time and self-reflection. Be patient with yourself and embrace the process. Once you discover your glimmers, you can nurture and pursue them to bring more joy and fulfillment into your life.

References

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938403001562…

https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393712377

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28789793/

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In the battle against addiction, the road to recovery is often a complex and challenging journey. Addiction is a deeply personal experience, and what works for one person may not be effective for another.

This is where this is where addiction counseling, specifically individualized treatment plans, plays a pivotal role. Explore the benefits of an individualized treatment plan for addiction counseling and why it’s a game-changer on the path to recovery.

Understanding Addiction Counseling

Before delving into the advantages of individualized treatment plans, let’s first understand the essence of addiction counseling. Addiction is a multifaceted issue that doesn’t discriminate based on age, gender, or background.

It can encompass substance abuse, such as alcohol or drugs, and behavioral addictions like gambling or compulsive behaviors like overeating.

Addiction counseling is a therapeutic approach that addresses these issues, providing individuals with the tools and strategies needed to overcome their addiction. It involves a combination of evidence-based therapies, support systems, and coping mechanisms to help individuals regain control of their lives.

The Pitfall of One-Size-Fits-All Approaches

One of the biggest drawbacks of traditional addiction treatment methods is their one-size-fits-all approach. These programs often employ a standardized treatment model that may not adequately address each patient’s unique needs and circumstances.

Imagine two individuals struggling with alcohol addiction. While they share a common struggle, their paths to addiction, underlying causes, and personal triggers could vastly differ. Therefore, providing them with identical treatment plans may lead to limited success.

Tailoring Treatment to the Individual

The right addiction counseling focuses on creating personalized strategies that consider these aspects of the individual:

1. Unique History and Background

Understanding the individual’s history and background is crucial in developing an effective treatment plan. Family dynamics, trauma, and life experiences play a role in addiction. By delving into these aspects, counselors can identify triggers and develop coping mechanisms that resonate with the individual.

2. Specific Substance or Behavior

Different substances or behaviors can lead to addiction, and each requires a specialized approach. What works for someone addicted to opioids may not suit someone struggling with a gambling addiction. An individualized treatment plan ensures that the treatment aligns with the specific addiction, maximizing the chances of success.

3. Co-occurring Mental Health Disorders

Many individuals with addiction also suffer from co-occurring mental health disorders such as depression or anxiety. An individualized treatment plan considers these underlying issues, addressing them alongside the addiction to promote holistic healing.

4. Personal Goals and Motivations

Recovery is a highly personal journey; what motivates one person may not resonate with another. By tailoring treatment plans to align with the individual’s goals and motivations, addiction counseling becomes a more empowering and effective process.

The Benefits of Individualized Treatment Plans

Now that we’ve highlighted the importance of individualized treatment plans let’s delve into their specific benefits:

1. Enhanced Effectiveness

By addressing the unique factors contributing to addiction, individualized treatment plans are more likely to be effective. They target the root causes, making it easier for individuals to overcome their addiction and maintain lasting sobriety.

2. Greater Engagement

Individuals are more likely to engage in treatment when tailored to their needs fully. They feel heard, understood, and valued, fostering trust and commitment to the recovery process.

3. Reduced Relapse Rates

The personalized nature of these plans equips individuals with a toolkit of strategies that specifically address their triggers and vulnerabilities. This reduces the risk of relapse and equips individuals with the skills needed to maintain sobriety.

4. Improved Mental Health

Addressing co-occurring mental health issues alongside addiction leads to improved overall well-being. Individuals experience better mental health, greater emotional stability, and an increased quality of life.

The Development of an Individualized Addiction Treatment Plan

Creating a treatment plan for someone entering an addiction treatment facility is a collaborative endeavor involving not only the individual seeking treatment but also their loved ones and a team of dedicated healthcare professionals, including therapists, counselors, clinical experts, and medical professionals. Developing an individualized addiction treatment plan typically follows a series of well-defined steps.

Step 1: Comprehensive Assessment

The journey toward recovery begins with a comprehensive assessment. This in-depth evaluation encompasses a detailed analysis of the individual’s addiction, mental health condition, medical history, and other pertinent information. This evaluation serves as the cornerstone for understanding the individual’s unique needs and challenges, forming the bedrock upon which an effective treatment plan is constructed.

Step 2: Goal Setting

A collaborative effort between the individual and their treatment team follows the assessment. Together, they identify specific, measurable, and attainable treatment goals.

These goals are carefully tailored to align with the person’s values, preferences, and readiness for change. Treatment goals may include eradicating substance use, enhancing mental well-being, repairing strained relationships, reintegrating into the workforce, and cultivating healthy coping mechanisms.

Step 3: Treatment and Action

With a clear understanding of the individual’s needs and established goals, the treatment team determines the most suitable evidence-based programs and strategies. These approaches are selected to maximize the person’s likelihood of achieving recovery objectives.

Depending on the individual’s unique needs, this may involve a combination of therapeutic modalities, medications, and support services. This marks the commencement of the individual’s journey towards healing and recovery from their substance use disorder.

Step 4: MonitoringStep 4: Monitoring and Adjustment

Throughout treatment, the individual’s progress is closely monitored. This ongoing assessment serves as the foundation for potential adjustments to the treatment plan.

The flexibility to modify the plan as necessary ensures its continued effectiveness and relevance to the individual’s evolving needs and circumstances. This dynamic process of evaluation and adaptation is instrumental in ensuring the best possible outcomes for the individual on their path to recovery.

Conclusion

Addiction is a formidable adversary, but with the right approach, recovery is possible. Don’t settle for a one-size-fits-all solution if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction.

Contact an addiction counselor who offers an individual approach to embark on a personalized journey toward recovery. Together, you can turn the page on addiction and write a new, healthier chapter in your life.

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Suicide and addiction. Too often, we hear these words in the same breath.

At face value, the connection feels logical. Think of celebrities who die by suicide—often there’s the implication, if not outright fact, of a struggle with substance misuse.

At the most basic level, “what suicidality and addiction share is the desire to escape from pain and distress,” says Michael Groat, Ph.D., director of psychology at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT. It’s pain that often draws from a shared landscape of suffering that includes childhood trauma and abuse, economic hardship, chronic physical pain, and mental health issues such as bipolar disorder and depression.

But what exactly is the link? And can suicidality or addiction actually lead to the other?

Not everyone with addiction issues contemplates suicide. And not everyone who contemplates or attempts suicide struggles with addiction. Often, however, the paths converge and feed a loop of misery.

“Someone may turn to an addictive substance or behavior as a way to cope with pain in their life. But addiction then creates its own negative cascade,” says Groat.

A person struggling with addiction may eventually lose their job, their relationships, and their home as their habit takes over their life. As their addiction deepens, the pain they feel may grow stronger. As a result, they may begin to see suicide as their only way to escape.

“If you talk to people who have reached the point of considering suicide, many don’t actually want to die. They want relief from their suffering,” Groat says.

STATISTICS ———————————–

Hard Facts About Substance Use Disorder and Suicide

Under the distorting and disinhibiting influence of addictive substances, people in their most desperate hours may then be more likely to take impulsive action. Indeed, acute alcohol intoxication is present in 30% to 40% of suicide attempts, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and opioids are present in about 20% of people who die by suicide.

Next to depression and other mood disorders, substance use disorder is the top risk factor for suicide, according to SAMHSA. People who abuse alcohol and/or drugs attempt suicide six times more often than those in the general population.

While all substance use disorders are associated with heightened suicide risk, alcohol and opioid abuse are clear standouts, increasing a person’s likelihood of dying by suicide by 10 and 14 times, respectively, per a 2018 study published in American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal. Male deaths by suicide outnumber female by almost four to one generally, says SAMHSA.

Gambling, Sex Compulsion, and Suicide Risk

It’s not just addiction to substances that’s at issue. Addictive behaviors are strongly associated with suicide, too.

“A lot of people don’t think of problem gambling as an addiction because a person isn’t using a substance. But the effects of gambling addiction can be devastating,” says Shane W. Kraus, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Among those who seek treatment for problem gaming, as much as 30% report having made suicide attempts.

Even stronger links have been found between suicide and compulsive shopping and compulsive sexual behavior. Problem gaming, such as playing video games online, is a likely cause of suicidality as well, but more research is needed to be certain.

“People often drink excessively or use drugs to escape their problems. Addictive behaviors also provide a kind of distraction,” says Groat. “When you win while gambling or buy something new, it delivers that excitement, that needed hit of dopamine. In the short term, you don’t have to think about your issues. You don’t have to deal with your unhappiness. But over time, behavioral addictions make problems worse.”

Addiction, Mental Illness and Suicide

People have increasingly accepted evidence showing that mental illness is a disorder of the brain, not a personal frailty.

Addiction—specifically substance use disorder—falls under the umbrella of mental illness. As with other psychiatric disorders, a person’s risk of developing an addiction can be influenced by their genes, their own physical makeup, and their environment.

“Unfortunately, some people still believe addiction has to do with people’s moral failings. That’s why there’s still so much stigma around it and why a lot of people don’t seek help,” says Kraus.

Now consider these realities about the dangerous and common collision of addiction with other mental health disorders:

• 90% of people who die by suicide have one or more psychiatric disorders. Risk is highest among patients with mood disorders like bipolar, depression, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders.
• People with psychiatric disorders are also at much higher risk of addiction. Among people with a mood disorder, 32% are found to also have a substance use disorder. In the absence of effective treatment or before an illness is even identified, many self-medicate, “often turning to substances or engaging in activities like gambling as a way to find relief from their negative feelings,” says Groat.
• When mood disorder and substance use disorder coexist (called “comorbidity”), the risk for suicide escalates considerably. For instance, men with both depression and alcohol use disorder have the highest long-term risk of suicide of all groups, around 16%.

Other Risk Factors for Addiction and Suicide

Not everyone who struggles with addiction and becomes suicidal starts out with a diagnosable mental health issue.

For example, “a lot of young people might begin using drugs or gaming intensively as a way to cope with feeling lonely, sad, or anxious,” says Groat.

Poverty and abuse can also lead a basically healthy person to seek escape through addictive behaviors. Peer pressure, easy access to addictive substances, and exposure to family members with addiction issues can raise a person’s risk of turning to drugs, alcohol, and addictive behaviors, too.

Many people are able to dip into potentially destructive coping behaviors and eventually move past them. Or they avoid them all together.

“There are plenty of high-achieving people who come from a history of trauma and pain,” says Groat.

There are also people who get by with low-level substance use or compulsive behavioral disorders that detract from their life but don’t reach crisis levels. Think of functional alcohol misusers, who nip into the bottle throughout the day yet still manage to keep a job. Or a long-time gambler who might have had a nicer house or paid for his kids’ college had he not blown so much on craps.

But others may be more vulnerable and find it harder to control their use or behavior, probably by some combination of genetic vulnerability and environmental factors.

“They then get into a spiral that creates its own problems. And people who didn’t start out with a mental health issue may end up with one because of their addiction,” Groat says.

If left untreated and allowed to spiral, that combination of addiction and comorbid mental illness can then lead a person to a desperate point. And in many cases, that point can be thinking about or attempting suicide.

TREATMENT ———————————–

The Challenge of Finding Treatment for Suicidality and Addiction

Considering how closely linked addiction and suicide are, one might assume that treatment options are plentiful.

To some extent, that’s true for people who have suicidal ideation and are also struggling with behavioral addictions like gambling. Guided by a licensed practitioner, talk therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy can teach skills to reduce urges and help people replace unhealthy thoughts with positive or adaptive ones.

While there are currently no FDA-approved medications that specifically target addictive behaviors, emerging research has shown that some drugs can effectively reduce addictive urges. There are also peer-led support groups and treatment programs that specifically target behavioral addictions.

The same cannot be said, however, for suicidality and substance use disorder, despite how commonly these two issues co-occur.

Certainly, there are places and professionals that treat patients who are at risk of suicide. And there are counselors, peer-led support groups, and rehab facilities that deal with substance use disorder, increasingly with the help of medications that ease recovery by blocking cravings and eliminating withdrawal symptoms.

But people struggling with both suicidality and substance dependence too often find themselves “in a murky gray area,” says Groat.

Someone may be referred to a mental health provider for their suicidal ideation and to a substance abuse counselor to address their addiction. This may work in some cases, but often care can be fragmented and patients receive mixed messages and conflicting advice from their different providers.

What’s more, some mental health specialists and facilities require potentially suicidal individuals to first deal with their substance dependence before coming on as patients. But many inpatient and outpatient rehab facilities will not take patients who are actively suicidal.

The tragic result: Families trying to help loved ones with alcohol or drug and suicidal ideations may not know where to turn at their most desperate time.

“It’s a huge limitation of the mental health field and a symptom of our broken mental health care system,” says Groat.

What You Can Do ———————————–

The Best Approach to Co-Occurring Suicidality and Addiction

This doesn’t mean help can’t be found. It just means you have to know how and where to look for a facility or specialist that treats dual diagnoses or provides what’s called “co-occurring care.”

If matters aren’t immediately life threatening, you can see a primary care provider, emphasize that addiction and suicidality are both at issue, and ask for a referral to a place or person that provides co-occurring care.

If you don’t have or want to see a physician, call the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, describe what’s going on, and ask for a referral to a place or specialist who can treat dual diagnoses.

Whichever way you go and whatever possibilities you find, “you need to ask questions,” says Groat. Ask what their experience is with comorbid suicidality and addiction. Ask if they take a dual approach to treatment and what that approach entails.

“There unfortunately isn’t a way that I know of to quickly identify who is most likely to provide this kind of care. But I find that many therapists who specialize in suicidal ideation are also used to working with people who have substance use issues,” says Groat. “I also find that a lot of people and places that treat bipolar disorder are accustomed to treating substance abuse and suicidality because both are relatively common among people with BPD.”

Psychology Today’s website has a directory of therapists who specialize in bipolar disorder, as well as directory of therapists who specialize in suicidal ideation. There’s also a directory of licensed therapists who specialize in substance use disorder. All can provide helpful leads.

It may take some effort to find it, but there is support out there that can help you deal with the vicious cycle of addiction and suicidality.

“If you are able to find someone who can listen and understand how bad you feel … a therapist who ‘gets’ you and doesn’t judge you for your addiction … and effective medication … it can change the course of your life,” says Groat.

If you or someone you care about is in immediate crisis and is actively planning to hurt themselves or attempt suicide, call 988, go to an emergency room, or call 911.

Notes: This article was originally published July 7, 2023 and most recently updated July 24, 2023.

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Lately, it’s been hard for Jack Innanen, a 22-year-old TikTok star from Toronto, to create content. “I feel like I’m tapping a keg that’s been empty for a year,” he said.

Spending hours shooting, editing, storyboarding, engaging with fans, setting up brand deals and balancing the many other responsibilities that come with being a successful content creator have taken a toll. Mr. Innanen, like so many Gen Z influencers who found fame in the last year, is burned out.

“I get to the point where I’m like, ‘I have to make a video today,’ and I spend the entire day dreading the process,” he said.

He’s hardly the only one. “This app used to be so fun,” a TikTok creator known as Sha Crow said in a video from February, “and now your favorite creator is depressed.” He went on to explain how his friends are struggling with mental health problems and the stresses of public life.

The video went viral, and in the comments, dozens of creators echoed his sentiment. “Say it louder bro,” wrote one with 1.7 million followers. “Mood,” commented another creator with nearly five million followers.

As people collectively process the devastation of the pandemic, burnout has plagued nearly every corner of the work force. White-collar workers are spontaneously quitting jobs; parents are at a breaking point; hourly and service employees are overworked; and health care professionals are coping with the exhaustion and trauma of being on the front lines of the pandemic.

According to a recent report by the venture firm SignalFire, more than 50 million people consider themselves creators (also known as influencers), and the industry is the fastest-growing small-business segment, thanks in part to a year where life migrated online and many found themselves stuck at home or out of work. Throughout 2020, social media minted a new generation of young stars.

Now, however, many of them say they have reached a breaking point. In March, Charli D’Amelio, TikTok’s biggest star with more than 117 million followers, said that she had “lost the passion” for posting content. Last month, Spencewuah, a 19-year-old TikTok star with nearly 10 million followers, announced he’d be stepping back from the platform after a spat with BTS fans.

“A lot of older TikTokers don’t post as much, and a lot of younger TikTokers have ducked off,” said Devron Harris, 20, a TikTok creator in Tampa, Fla. “They just stopped doing content. When creators do try to speak out on being bullied or burned out or not being treated as human, the comments all say, ‘You’re an influencer, get over it.’”

What Goes Up, Comes Down

Burnout has affected generations of social media creators. In 2017, Instagram influencers began leaving the platform, saying they were feeling depressed and discouraged. “No one seems to be having any fun anymore on Instagram,” a contributor to the blog This Is Glamorous wrote at the time.

In 2018, Josh Ostrovsky, an Instagram creator known as The Fat Jew, who had also spoken about burnout, echoed those sentiments. “Eventually there will be too many influencers, the market will be too saturated,” Mr. Ostrovsky said.

That same year, many large YouTube creators began stepping away from the platform, citing mental health issues. Their critiques centered on YouTube’s algorithm, which favored longer videos and those who posted on a near-daily basis, a pace that creators said was almost impossible to meet. YouTube product managers and executives addressed creators’ concerns and promised a solution.

But problems with burnout in the creator community are endemic. “If you slow down, you might disappear,” the YouTuber Olga Kay told Fast Company in 2014.

When a fresh crop of young stars began building audiences on TikTok in late 2019 and early 2020, many were hopeful that this time would be different. They’d grown up watching YouTubers speak frankly about these issues. “When it comes to Gen Z creators, we talk so much about mental health and caring for yourself,” said Courtney Nwokedi, 23, a YouTube star in Los Angeles. “We’ve seen a bunch of creators talk about burnout in the past.”

Still, they weren’t prepared for the draining work of building, maintaining and monetizing an audience during a pandemic. “It’s exhausting,” said Jose Damas, 22, a TikTok creator in Los Angeles. “It feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day.”

“TikTok is just as demanding as YouTube,” said Gohar Khan, 22, a TikTok creator in Seymour, Conn.

Thanks to the app’s algorithmically generated “For You” page, TikTok delivers fame faster than any other platform; it’s possible to amass millions of followers within a matter of weeks. But as quickly as creators rise, they can fall.

“It almost feels like I’m getting a taste of celebrity, but it’s never consistent and as soon as you get it, it’s gone and you’re constantly trying to get it back,” said Lauren Stasyna, 22, a TikTok creator in Toronto. “It feels like I’m trying to capture this prize, but I don’t know what the prize even is.”

The volatility can be rattling. “When your views are down, it affects your financial stability and puts your career at risk,” said Luis Capecchi, a 23-year-old TikTok creator in Los Angeles. “It’s like getting demoted at a job with no warning.”

Creators have encountered all kinds of problems, including bullying, harassment and discrimination. “Some creators get their content stolen too, so someone else will go viral off their content then they get all the press,” Mr. Harris said. Not to mention, fan communities and internet commentators can be vicious. “You can’t just film what you want to film,” Mr. Harris said. “They’ll make fun of you if your views drop.”

“I do worry about my longevity on social media,” said Zach Jelks, 21, a TikTok creator in Los Angeles. “People just throw one creator away because they’re tired of them,” he said.

‘Next, Next, Next’

No one has benefited from the creator boom more than the technology industry. After over a decade of largely snubbing influencers, in the past year, high-profile investors have done an about-face. Venture capitalists in Silicon Valley are now pouring money into creator-focused start-ups, and platforms themselves have begun to compete for talent.

“The over-saturation and this push for everyone to be a creator seems disingenuous,” Mr. Innanen said. “It seems like a cash grab. It makes me feel very disposable, which maybe I am. It’s just next, next, next.”

Creators also operate without the type of traditional employment protections and benefits that come with many salaried jobs. Some leaders in the creator economy, such as Li Jin, whose venture firm invests in the industry, have called for more sustainable monetization paths for creators of all sizes. But most are left to fend for themselves or risk potentially exploitative management agreements.

“You’re completely self-employed, and it’s not like you can continuously make the same work,” Mr. Innanen said. “You have to evolve and adapt.”

“I feel like I can become washed up any second by an algorithm,” he added.

“There is a dark side to it,” said Jake Browne, 30, founder of the Go House, a content house in Los Angeles. “There’s all these investors and platforms, and they need creators to create content on a mass scale. It’s sort of, let’s get everyone to do it and we don’t care about them. The top 10 percent will make us money.”

That pressure will soon feel familiar to more people who shun low-wage or unreliable work to pursue careers in the creator economy. Platforms like Substack and OnlyFans have arisen to sell the dream of entrepreneurship and independence to more people, many of whom have lost faith in more traditional sectors of the economy.

“The influencer industry is simply the logical endpoint of American individualism, which leaves all of us jostling for identity and attention but never getting enough,” Rebecca Jennings wrote recently in Vox.

It likely won’t change soon. “I feel like social media is built to burn people out,” Mr. Jelks said.

To cope with depression, many TikTok creators have sought therapy and life coaching, or tried to be more open with their fans and friends about their struggles.

“When I’m depressed, I talk to the people around me,” said Tatayanna Mitchell, 22, a YouTube and TikTok creator in Los Angeles. “I make posts on my stories and share those quotes that are like, ‘It’s OK to talk to people if you need help.’” Last September, Ms. Mitchell announced she was “quitting TikTok,” citing toxicity and harassment. However, she rejoined shortly after. “I was just sad,” she said.

Walid Mohammed, 21, a manager for Gen Z creators who lives with Ms. Mitchell and several other social media stars, said that being in proximity to one another has helped them. “As a house we have meetings every morning at 10 a.m. to talk about this stuff,” he said. “We talk about stress and how we have to keep working, but that it’s important to take breaks, you just have to stay consistent. We try to cheer each other up.”

Mr. Innanen said that representatives from TikTok have been supportive when he has used the platform to speak out about mental health challenges and invited him to participate in a panel on the issue with other creators.

“We care deeply about our creators’ wellbeing, and take their concerns seriously,” a TikTok spokesperson wrote in an email statement. “We’re focused on understanding their individual content goals and experiences, and our teams continue to work to provide resources, support, and an open door for feedback.”

But even the most helpful platforms can’t alleviate the precarity that’s inherent to a creator’s job, or the pressure many creators put on themselves. “It feels like I personally am failing and may never recover if a video flops,” he said.

A version of this article appears in print on June 13, 2021, Section ST, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: Content Creators Burn Out and Break Down.

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A couple of days ago I wandered over to the café which is just a short stroll up the road from my house. I ordered my usual double-shot espresso and then moved off to the side to wait for my name to be called. I frequently enjoy these short interludes when I can simply observe the busy hum of the early-morning activity.

The Particularity of Mr. Hakimana

As I was waiting, I found myself tuned in to the conversation the barrister was having with one of the other waiters. The barrister was explaining an order that had just been placed.

“Now Mr Hakimana only likes a small amount of milk [indicating a little gap with her index finger and thumb] and he likes it in a separate cup so he can add it himself. He also likes his muffin warmed for just 20 seconds and he prefers the butter and relish to be served on a different plate with the knife on the butter and relish plate, not the muffin plate.”

The barrister smiled, shrugged, and ended with, “He’s a very particular person.”

I can remember being intrigued by the wonderfully specific details that were needed to successfully deliver this chap’s order, but what really captured my attention was the statement about being a “very particular” person. Without even realizing I had become so engrossed in the description, I found myself thinking, “Yes, he is a very particular person. Just like all of us.”

The Particularity of Everyone

It occurred to me that we are all “particular” in our own ways. Very particular in fact. Some people are very particular about the way their hair is positioned, while others are more particular about how much alcohol they drink on a weeknight, whether or not they can run six miles in under an hour, or which sock they put on first.

People might be particular about the pets they have, the meals they serve at Thanksgiving, or how they arrange their clothes on the washing line. It turns out that the way sweets are arranged in a jar is also a thing in which some people take a particular interest.

Individuals can even be particular about having nothing, in particular, to be particular about. These people can be exceedingly difficult to coax an opinion or preference out of about anything. They’re just particular about going with the flow and not making waves.

We are, in fact, designed to be particular. We’re not designed to be particular about specific things. We’re just built to create and protect a prolific bunch of particulars.

Everyone has preferences. We actually have preferences about lots of different things. We have different preferences about different things: I like to go running before the sun gets up, whereas my friend John likes to go sailing before the sun goes down.

We can also have the same preference for different things. My wife likes her Lady Grey tea to be piping hot, which is how I like my sizzling Chinese garlic shrimp served. And, people can have different preferences for the same thing. I like my steak cooked “blue,” whereas my sister will only eat steak that is cooked “well done.”

Everyone’s preferences differ to a greater or lesser extent. It’s remarkable, really, that we get along as well as we do as often as we do. There are certainly skirmishes, mishaps, and misunderstandings, and tragic interpersonal conflicts, but these are generally not the order of the day.

That’s probably why they grab the spotlight when they do occur. Thankfully, they are not commonplace. Have you ever stopped to think about the kaleidoscopic variety of particulars swarming around your workplace, your study group, or your tennis club every time there’s a gathering?

The Importance of Respecting People’s Particularities

For the most part, we’re pretty good at finding ways to protect our particulars, while also not interfering unnecessarily with others’ efforts to look after their particulars. Mostly we don’t even notice we’re doing it. When kerfuffles do occur, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s anything wrong with the people concerned. People with different ideas about the particular way things should be are, for the most part, not sick or broken or otherwise in need of fixing.

Differences in the way we like things to be are just part of the way life is. Spending time convincing, cajoling, coercing, or otherwise persuading people to alter their preferences often increases rather than diminishes the unrest.

Time could possibly be spent more usefully finding out the significance of the state of any particular particular and how it contributes to a life worth living. Places that have somehow found ways for people to enjoy the particular particulars that are on their minds throughout the day are the best places to frequent. It will be a marvelous day when every place is that kind of place.

The post You Are a Very Particular Person appeared first on My Blog.

As of 2023, the United States has almost 250 million social media users. That number climbs to nearly 5 billion people worldwide and is expected to reach 6 billion by 2027. The average person spends an astonishing two and half hours of their time on social media each day. To put that into perspective, if you started using social media at age 10 and continued till age 80, you’d have spent over seven years of your life on these apps.

With statistics like these, we all need to be asking about the long-term risks to our health, including our mental health. But what does the science actually tell us about the links between mental health and social media use? Here’s the latest science, and steps we should all consider taking today.

Google “social media” and “mental health,” and you’re sure to get a lot of hits. Prominent themes in news stories include higher rates of depression, anxiety, and stress especially in younger people. Yet the actual scientific research tends to be more split on the topic. So what does the research say? Let’s review some of the largest analyses looking at the links between social media use and mental health published in the last few years:

• Problematic social media use in youth is linked to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (2022 systematic review and meta-analysis)
• Problematic social media use is correlated with worse well-being and higher distress, as well as more loneliness and depression (2020 meta-analysis)
• Screen time does not appear to be linked to worse mental health outcomes including smartphones and social media time (2022 meta-analysis)
• Social media can create community, but when used excessively, it’s linked to depression and other mental health disorders (2022 meta-analysis of countries across the world)
• Social media use correlations with worse mental health in youth are described by some studies as “small to moderate,” while others looking at the same data reported the associations as “serious, substantial or detrimental,” suggesting disagreement in the interpretation of the data (2022 umbrella review of data)
• Young adults with higher social media use may feel more socially isolated (observational data, 2017)
• Older adults who use social media may experience “enhanced communication with family and friends, greater independence and self-efficacy, creation of online communities, positive associations with well-being and life satisfaction and decreased depressive symptoms.” (2021 scoping review)

As you can probably tell, even the most comprehensive journal articles on this topic have rather conflicting messages. Yet there are some key stable themes that we can extract from all this work that can help guide us towards safer social media use for our brain health.

1. Our digital devices, especially our smartphones, are packed with technology and apps designed to capture our attention. Companies behind these products are largely incentivized to keep us looking at the screen, not necessarily happy.
2. Children and youth may be at higher risk for negative mental health outcomes from social media use than adults.
3. Problematic (unhealthy) social media use is emerging as a clear risk factor for worse mental health, but the definition of this term is unclear. Usually, it’s something similar to characteristics of addiction (e.g., preoccupation, compulsion, withdrawal).
4. Social comparison that occurs due to social media exposure may increase the risk for worse mental health outcomes, and this may be more of an issue for young women.
5. Social media can provide meaningful connections to people who might not have access to strong in-person networks specific to their interests or needs.

What does this mean for how we might approach social media use?

With most people on Earth participating in at least one social media platform, it’s unlikely that the social media genie is headed back into the bottle anytime soon. Some have argued for large-scale restrictions on social media use for children and adolescents while others propose an outright ban. How and when a person engages with social media will always be unique to the individual, but when looking at a personal approach to use, most will benefit from asking if their use passes the test of T.I.M.E. (adapted from Brain Wash).

T: Time-restricted

Is your time spent on social media time restricted? If not, can you set a time limit that you feel comfortable dedicating to social media?

I: Intentional

Is your social media use intentional, or are you falling prey to doomscrolling, social comparison, or the plans of the app developer that’s trying to steal your attention?

M: Mindful

Is your social media time mindful or mindless? Do you find yourself losing large chunks of your day to scrolling? If so, consider reevaluating your use.

E: Enriching

Does your social media use enrich your life? Does it educate you? Connect you with others? Provide an opportunity to grow your business. If it’s hard to answer yes, it’s likely that your apps are extracting more from you than you’re getting in return.

The post The Conflicting Science of Social Media and Mental Health appeared first on My Blog.

By: Kimberly Nelson, MA with Courtney Kelly

Receiving a diagnosis is a significant milestone on the road to recovery. It clarifies courses of treatment, supplies precedent, and gives rhyme and reason to symptoms that may otherwise be confusing or even scary. “Identifying a set of experiences with a name can often be a relief for those with mental health conditions. It helps them recognize that they’re not alone,” said Carrie Hanson, Clinical Director of CooperRiis Healing Community. When conceptualized appropriately, diagnoses are powerful tools patients and practitioners can use to identify targeted interventions, develop comprehensive treatment plans, and cultivate effective management strategies.

Mistake 1: Resisting Your Diagnosis

But conceptualized inappropriately, diagnoses can get in the way of recovery. Issues arise when mental health conditions are viewed as threats to established identities. Unable to integrate their psychological challenges with their sense of self, a person with this attitude towards their diagnosis may refuse to accept they’re struggling. Denial can easily devolve into delusion, and delusion makes it impossible for individuals to recognize how their mental health is impacting their lives. Healing can only begin when folks acknowledge it’s needed to begin with, so this stymies the recovery process at the start line.

As an example, mental health conditions have historically (and erroneously) been associated with “weakness.” This association has caused more than a few to resist treatment on the grounds that accepting a diagnosis would make them a weak person. But refusing to confront challenges doesn’t make them go away. It often makes them worse. If you believe you’re not “supposed” to be feeling anxiety when you are, you’ll not only start to feel anxiety about your anxiety, you’ll also be less likely to seek help for it.

Psychoeducation offers a powerful antidote to this type of denial. When people learn that mental health conditions have nothing to do with their character, that symptoms result from forces outside of their control—genes, traumas, environments, norms—they start to realize that diagnoses don’t undermine who they are. They can be strong, virtuous, courageous, and experience psychological challenges. In fact, accepting those challenges as real is itself a demonstration of strength, virtue, and courage.

Mistake 2: Becoming Your Diagnosis

On the flip side of resisting a diagnosis is letting it consume you. Also known as engulfment, overidentification with a mental health condition can be just as detrimental to the recovery process. This is especially true when paired with internalized stigma. A metastudy on the relationship between identity and recovery from severe mental illness found that the more negative associations a person had with their condition, the worse they’d fare during treatment. Patients with schizophrenia who believed they would never be able to live a purposeful, fulfilled life with their condition were more likely to isolate themselves from others, opt out of evidence-based programming, and fail to apply management strategies they learned.

Internalized stigma can be tricky to unpack, as it’s typically buried under years of acculturation. Our perspectives on mental illness are shaped by subtle (and not-so-subtle) messaging from the media, our family members, and the people in our communities, for better or worse. And in the case of the latter, “folks may view their health care providers as the ‘bearers of bad news’ rather than facilitators of healing,” explained Hanson. Given that a positive therapeutic relationship is critical to recovery, this mindset obstructs progress. To secure better treatment outcomes, patients must establish better outlooks on their lives.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can help. By equipping individuals with the tools they need to dismantle maladaptive beliefs, CBT can empower folks with mental health conditions to let go of the stigma that may be getting in the way of recovery. “Their careers, relationships, and even routines might look different than they once envisioned, but that doesn’t mean people with psychological challenges can’t live full, gratifying lives,” said Hanson. “Recovery is possible. For some people, it begins with learning to believe that.”

Mistake 3: Giving Up Control to Your Diagnosis

For others, it begins with recognizing that they still have agency in their lives. Overidentification can melt into entitlement for those who believe a diagnosis means they’re no longer responsible for their own actions. While it’s important to recognize that mental health conditions can impact or even impair decision-making, it’s also important to remember that all decisions have consequences. Having a diagnosis does not erase the harm a hurtful statement can cause, for example.

“Once, a resident had an angry outburst that frightened some of his peers. When we confronted him about his behavior, he said he couldn’t help it. We calmly pointed out that while his condition did make emotional regulation hard, he still had to apologize to those his actions affected,” recalled Hanson. By supporting him in doing so, this individual’s therapeutic team helped him exercise agency. And agency, like a muscle, strengthens with use.

It’s never a good idea for anyone to beat themselves up for something they said or did, mental health notwithstanding. The key is to balance self-compassion with accountability. Be cognizant of the internal and external factors impacting your decisions, but don’t relinquish accountability for them. Striking this balance will enable you to become an active participant in your life rather than a passive victim of circumstance.

Mistake 4: Focusing Exclusively on Your Diagnosis

Psychological conditions can make everything from retaining employment to getting out of bed extremely difficult. For this reason, it’s critical for folks with mental health conditions to nourish aspects of their identity that aren’t related to their diagnoses. Our behaviors emanate from our self-concepts; the person who defines themselves as “depressed” and nothing more is likely to act in line with that definition. But the person who defines themselves as a complex, multifaceted human being is empowered to act in line with their goals instead of their symptoms.

This is why connecting with core values is such an important practice for individuals suffering from mental health conditions. Doing so not only reinforces the fact that they are more than their diagnoses but also supports them in achieving self-actualization. “You can’t be your best self until you know who you are,” said Hanson, “and who you are is someone who has aspirations, someone to whom things matter.” A clear understanding of what you want out of life and why will motivate you to persist towards meaningful goals, even when symptoms make that hard.

When people conceptualize psychological challenges as opportunities for growth, the process of confronting those challenges becomes therapeutic. “Enrichment” occurs when a person accepts a diagnosis as a part of their story but does not let it drive their narrative. Equipped with their core values, supported by their providers, and in possession of their ambitions, their difficulties become arenas for self-discovery, and their hardships become hero’s journeys.

The post You Are Not Your Diagnosis appeared first on My Blog.

Schooling has a halo around it in society’s eyes, and halos tend to interfere with perception and judgment. Maybe that’s why nearly everyone, including journalists, whose job it should be to keep their eyes and minds open and report honestly to the public, continues to ignore the ever-growing evidence that school is a major cause of anxiety, depression, and even suicide in children and teens.

Every scintilla of evidence that social media may be contributing to the mental health crisis among young people gets blown up in the popular press (see here), while the overwhelming evidence for the role of the school is ignored. An exception is an August 2022 Scientific American article by Tyler Black, an emergency psychiatrist who works at a major children’s hospital,. Black shows clearly and starkly the temporal relationship between suicides and the school calendar.

I first became interested in the relationship between schooling and mental breakdowns in 2014, when a clinical psychologist who works with children told me that her business increases dramatically every fall when the school year begins and declines again in mid-to-late June when it ends. Her view was that children simply do better psychologically when school is not in session.

I wondered then whether I could find objective, published evidence for a relationship between mental breakdowns and the school calendar. I scoured the literature and found no research directly related to that topic, but I did find a graph, published online by one hospital, showing the month-to-month number of children’s emergency psychiatric visits to that hospital for every year from 2000 to 2013. The numbers were startling. The average rates of admissions were less than half as high during the school vacation months of July and August than they were during the months of full schooling. The online article made no mention of this striking and consistent relationship, but the data were clear. I published the data in a post on this blog, in August of 2014.

Four years later I conducted another search and found new research, and one older study that I had missed in the earlier search, confirming and extending what I had found for that single hospital. The research revealed that throughout the nation, suicides, as well as lesser mental health breakdowns for school-aged children and teens (but for no other age group), rise sharply at the beginning of every school year and then decline every summer. I summarized those findings in another post in May 2018. But now there are even more data. I begin with data presented in Black’s Scientific American article.

Children’s Risk of Suicide Increases on School Days

The subtitle here is the title of Black’s article. He showed graphically, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Wonder database for the years 2000 to 2020, a tight relationship between the school calendar and suicides for school-aged children (under age 18). The data revealed that during school months, the suicide rate was consistently highest on Monday through Thursday, declined significantly on Friday, and was lowest on Saturday and Sunday.

His data also showed that, month by month over the 20-year period, the suicide rate was lowest in July, which is the only month that is fully vacation for nearly all schools; increased somewhat in August, when some children start school and most begin to anticipate school; increased much more in September, when most children are back in school; and by October was 43% higher than it was in July. The rate then remained about that high through the rest of the school year, except for a dip in December (when most children have a winter vacation), and finally declined sharply in June when summer vacation begins for most students.

His graphs show further that the relationship between month and suicide did not hold for young adults (age 18-30) beyond secondary school age. In fact, for them, the suicide rate was slightly higher in the summer months than during the rest of the year.

Other relatively new studies reveal a similar temporal relationship between school and suicide in other countries, including Germany, Finland, India, and Japan. The study in Japan encompassed a 40-year period, from 1974 to 2014, and revealed on average a roughly 40% jump in suicides at the start of each school year compared with the rate during summer break.

Suicides Declined When Schools Closed in the COVID Pandemic and Rose Again When In-Person Schooling Resumed

When COVID struck and U.S. schools closed in March of 2020, many pundits predicted that this disruption in children’s routines would be disastrous for their mental health. But at least three independent systematic surveys—one of which was conducted by the nonprofit organization Let Grow and which I published in the American Journal of Play—revealed that, on average, both parents and children themselves reported the children to be less anxious and depressed during at least the first three months of lock-down (when the surveys were conducted) than they had been before schools were closed. You can find my academic report of the Let Grow study and review of the other studies here (and my blog posts on the research here and here).

More recently, a research team headed by Benjamin Hansen of the National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed teen suicide data for the period before, during, and after pandemic school closures in the U.S. (published here). They found (in their words): “Teen suicides plummeted in March of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began in the U.S. and remained low throughout the summer before rising in Fall 2020 when many K-12 schools returned to in-person instruction.”

These researchers also developed a method to determine the day when individual counties reopened schools and found a tight relationship between that timing and the rise in suicides. For counties that opened schools in early August, the rise in suicides began in August; for counties that opened schools in September, the rise in suicides began in September.

A drop in teen suicides during COVID school closures has also been reported in China. The pandemic started earlier there than in the U.S., so Chinese schools closed much earlier in the school year than U.S. schools and began reopening for in-person schooling around the same time in March that U.S. schools were closing. According to the report, the reopening was accompanied by a sharp increase in psychological distress and suicides among students.

Why Do Mental Health Breakdowns and Suicides Increase When School Is in Session?

The answer to this question is probably not simple and may differ substantially from case to case. Hansen and his team suggest that a major cause of the suicide increase is persistent bullying. As evidence, they cite studies showing that bullying occurs more in school than in other settings and that bullying appears to be the immediate trigger for at least some suicides. Black suggests a more multifaceted set of causes. The bullying may not come just from students but also from teachers or even from the way the school is structured. He writes: “[School] can be incredibly stressful because of bullying, health- and disability-related barriers, discrimination, lack of sleep and sometimes abuse.”

In a study of “Stress in America” conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2013, teenagers of school age were found to be more stressed, by their own reports, than people in any other age group, and 83% of them said school pressure was a significant source of their stress. This was much higher than any other reported source, including bullying. Moreover, teens who were surveyed during the school year reported twice as many instances of severe recent stress than did teens who were surveyed during the summer. The idea that the pressure and competitiveness of schoolwork itself is a major cause of psychological breakdown is reinforced by research showing that students in “high-achieving schools” suffer from such breakdowns at higher rates than do those in schools where the concern for high marks is less strong (see my summary of such research here).

What Can We Do About the Problem?

So far, the most common approach of schools in addressing the problem is to try to change the children, not the school. They have brought in therapists, paid for courses in “social-emotional learning,” recommended drugs, and counseled parents, but they have done little to change schooling itself to make it more student-friendly. In fact, most school changes have been in the opposite direction, which may help explain why rates of suicide have increased from year to year for school-aged kids. Black suggests it is time for schools to modify their own practices. Among his suggestions (quoted verbatim) are the following:

• “Reduce homework (preferably get rid of it). Some of the best educational science available shows that excessive homework is of limited benefit and in fact harms children’s health and well-being.”

• “Restore funding for playtime, music, and art in school and de-emphasize academic overload. Children need relaxation, comfort, beauty, fun, and play. Children who have opportunities for play and rest will learn more in their academics, and they will also be able to sustain their development as they grow.”

• “End ‘perfect attendance’ awards and goals. … We should all, from time to time, recognize when we are at our limit and need a break.” [My words: The suggestion here is that just as adults sometimes take mental health breaks from work, kids should be encouraged, not discouraged, in taking breaks from school when they feel the need.]

• “Start school later. How many more decades of research do we need to show that children need more sleep and that adolescents do better in school when the day starts later? It’s time to make serious structural changes in the early-morning wake-up times.” [Again, me: One of the reasons given by parents for their kids’ improved mental health during the COVID lockdown, in our survey, was that they were able to sleep later in the morning.]

• “Be nonjudgmental and respect children’s identities and identity formation. This is not a ‘woke’ concept. This is a caring, compassionate concept that works for all children all the time.”

• “Recognize and address child abuse within schools. There exist (and many readers may likely recall) teachers who are abusive, punitive, and cruel.”

To Black’s suggestions for modifying schools, I add this suggestion to parents: If your child truly, consistently, says he or she hates school, or if the bouts of anxiety or depressions are severe, take that seriously and do research on alternatives. Alternatives are far more available, even to families with low incomes, than most people realize.

As regular readers of this blog know, I have conducted and written about research studies of young people who opted out of public or conventional private schooling, often because of traumatic experiences there. They opted for homeschooling or for democratic alternative schooling, and in those settings restored themselves, discovered and pursued their interests, and went on to highly successful adult lives in the whole range of careers valued by our society. Some even reported to me that they believed their parents’ willingness to take them out of conventional schooling saved their lives, and I believe them.

Our societal view that forced, curriculum-based schooling is essential for success in today’s world is a societal myth. For a summary of evidence for that, see here and here.

The post “Back to School Blues” May Be Worse Than Just Blues appeared first on My Blog.

It is safe to say that the pursuit of happiness—a phrase penned by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence—has served as a primary ambition for many Americans throughout the nation’s history. It was soon after World War I when—as I posit in Happiness in America: A Cultural History—the modern concept of happiness was born, part of the broad attempt to apply scientific principles to mental health. Happiness became an ever-louder part of the national conversation over the past century, riding on the greater interest in psychology and the expansion of that field, especially as related to personality.

In his 1926 Understanding Ourselves: The Fine Art of Happiness, for example, Harold Dearden, a physician, showed how individuals could become happier through an acquaintance with the principles of modern psychology. Since it was the nervous system that regulated both physical and psychical well-being, Dearden maintained in the scientific parlance of the times, one’s level of happiness could be managed through inner fortitude and the power of reason. Fears and worries, as well as harmful habits, instincts, impulses, and obsessions, could be eliminated by learning “the fine art of happiness,” he argued, with logic and rationalism the means by which to keep the more primitive goings-on of the mind at bay.

Louis Berg also believed that people could follow certain principles to increase one’s chances to be happy in life. Pursuing good “mental hygiene” was analogous to pursuing good physical health, he, like many in the medical field at the time, thought, with the former heavily reliant on maintaining a positive attitude and developing what was termed a “balanced” personality.

Proponents of mental hygiene—the movement founded by Clifford W. Beers in the early 20th century—argued that happiness was largely a result of how individuals related to society. “Social consciousness is the core of adjustment and happiness,” Berg stated in his 1933 textbook The Human Personality, with extroverts far more likely to be happy than those who shied away from interaction with others.

Happiness continued to gain traction in the field of psychology after World War II. Americans too often lived in the past and future, R.M. MacIver argued in his 1955 The Pursuit of Happiness: A Philosophy for Modern Living, with only living in the “momentary now” leading to the type of happiness that so many were seeking. Anticipating the kind of thinking in the field that was a few decades away—notably the concept of “flow”—MacIver recognized that time tended to stand still or disappear when one was truly happy, with only the present able to offer that level of transcendence.

Equally impressive, he was keenly aware of the individualization of happiness, i.e., that it was a different experience for everyone, this too making him ahead of his time. “Happiness is the resonance of the whole being as it moves towards that which fulfills it,” MacIver poetically wrote, nicely boiling down the abstract concept into “the harmony within you.”

By the 1980s, however, advances in genetics were making psychologists rethink the dynamics of happiness. Unhappiness had a strong genetic component while happiness did not, according to a study led by Edward Diener of the University of Illinois, implying that the former was mostly a function of nature and the other mostly of nurture.

The research also suggested that happiness and unhappiness were thus not, as logic dictated, opposite or inverse emotions; rather, the two appeared to operate independently. Ridding oneself of some unhappiness in life, therefore, did not mean that one would become any happier, a counterintuitive notion that threw a monkey wrench into much of the out-with-the-bad, in-with-the-good brand of self-help being cast about at the time. The good news was that, at least according to this research, happiness was not genetically preordained, and could thus be achieved by those who were determined or lucky enough to find it.

In the 1990s, serious scholarly inquiry into the psychology of happiness was leading to new insights. In their article “Who Is Happy?” published in Psychological Science in May 1996, for example, Diener and David Myers argued that happiness was spread out evenly over the course of a lifetime—something not commonly believed. The pair also found four personal traits to be associated with high levels of happiness: extroversion, optimism, high self-esteem, and the feeling that one was in control of one’s life.

Advancements in neuroscience and the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 each had a direct effect on the trajectory of happiness in America. Individuals had what could be considered a happiness gene, scientists were concluding, making one’s relative state of happiness or unhappiness more a matter of biology than psychology. MRI scans plainly revealed when a person was happy, with that part of his or her brain lighting up like a Christmas tree. Altering one’s happiness gene could one day be possible, more scientists were beginning to think, with such an approach envisioned as being far more effective than all the how-tos grounded in some kind of attitudinal or behavioral modification put together.

Unless or until our emotions can be genetically programmed, however, many of us will no doubt continue our unalienable right to pursue happiness.

References

Samuel, Lawrence R. (2018). Happiness in America: A Cultural History. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

The post The Psychology of Happiness appeared first on My Blog.

Massachusetts is ranked #8 in the rate of drug-related deaths that occurred in 2019, reports the CDC. That year, the state had 32.1 drug-related deaths for every 100,000 residents. Heroin is the top illicit drug of use in Boston and the entire state. Plus, it has contributed to thousands of overdose deaths in recent years.

Here’s a closer look at the scope of drug abuse in Boston and Massachusetts, and information about drug rehab treatments that can help you experience a long-lasting recovery.

Boston and Massachusetts Drug Addiction Statistics

• In 2017, heroin represented nearly 57% of all admissions to drug rehab centers in Boston, reports the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
• In 2017, 4.5% of admissions to drug rehab centers in Boston were for crack or cocaine, 3% were for marijuana, 2.4% were for opioids other than heroin, and 2.1% were for sedatives and hypnotics.
• The city of Boston reports that an estimated 11.3% of people living in Boston are suffering from some form of substance abuse.
• In 2012, nearly one in 10 of all visits to Boston hospital emergency departments were related to substance abuse.
• Heroin is the top drug of choice for people who live in Boston and abuse drugs.
• In 2013, an estimated 42% of public high school students in Boston reported having used marijuana at least once in their lifetime, reports the Boston Public Health Commission.
• In 2013, there were approximately 28.3 admissions to drug rehab centers in Boston for every 1,000 residents aged 12 and older.
• The state of Massachusetts reports that the number of opioid-related deaths in the state has increased 450% over the last 16 years.
• Between 2013 and 2014, an estimated 3% of Massachusetts residents aged 12 years and older met the criteria for drug abuse or dependence.
• In 2018, an estimated 88% of drug overdose deaths involved at least one opioid, reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
• In 2018, there were 475 heroin-related deaths and 331 deaths related to prescription opioids in Massachusetts.
• In 2018, more than 90% of opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
• In 2018, doctors in Massachusetts wrote an estimated 35.3 opioid prescriptions for every 100 people.
• In 2017, there were an estimated 13.7 babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome in Massachusetts for every 1,000 hospital births.
• In 2017, an estimated 25.5% of male HIV cases and 30.2% of female HIV cases in Massachusetts were caused by injection drug use.
• There are an estimated 38,100 people in Massachusetts living with hepatitis C caused by injection drug use.
• The NIDA reports that the number of unintentional drug overdoses reported in Boston hospitals increased by 40% between 2010 and 2012 — most of which were related to heroin.

Treatments for Drug Addiction in Massachusetts

Drug use disorders are typically treated using a combination of intervention, family coaching, behavioral therapy and life tools at Baystate Recovery.

The goal of behavioral therapy is to teach patients how to cope with stress and other triggers of drug use, and to change harmful behaviors that may be contributing to their addiction. Relapse prevention training, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 12-step facilitation therapy are some of the many evidence-based behavioral therapies used at drug rehab.

The post Recent Drug Addiction Statistics for Boston and Massachusetts appeared first on My Blog.