Christopher Bussard's Blog, page 19

Back to School (For Me)

I was recently accepted by a local University to complete my BA in Psychology, with the hope of getting a Masters in Counseling. My goal is to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Colorado.

The question of why I think I have any business being a counselor with my history of mental illness could come up. Brene Brown gave a great talk about empathy, in which she describes empathy as climbing into a hole with someone who is stuck in said hole, instead of standing outside of the hole looking in. So my response would be, who better to climb into the hole than someone who has been in the hole themselves?

There has been an increase in recognition of mental illness among first responders. Many firefighters, police officers, EMS workers, and military veterans take their own life every day. I have spent the last several years trying to figure out how I can make an impact, not just with first responders, but everyone. This has caused me to think about taking the route of counseling, and I finally am taking the steps.

I know this is not going to be an easy road, but I think it will be worth it. And since my hope is to be a full-time firefighter and part-time (at a minimum) counselor, I don’t think that is going to be smooth sailing either. But this is something I believe in. So let’s see how this goes…

Book Giveaway

I am running a book giveaway through Goodreads throughout the month of November. This is open to US residents to sign up for 1 of 10 free signed copies of my book. Please check it out by clicking the link below. And as always, thanks for the support.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


The Fight
by Christopher Bussard

Giveaway ends November 30, 2019.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

 

Defeated

What do you do when you feel defeated in everything you do? When no matter what you do or try, you fail? When nothing you ever do is good enough? When you become hopeful that things will change and maybe something will go your way, and you get knocked down? When you feel that you will forever be defeated?

Continue to press on and persevere, I guess.

Book Giveaway

I will be running a book giveaway for 1 of 10 signed copies of my book on Goodreads during the month of November. You can check this out now, but it won’t let you enter until the first of November. Unfortunately this is only for the United States. I will put this up again once it starts, but I just wanted to let everyone know that it will be coming up. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone who may want to enter. Thanks for the support.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


The Fight
by Christopher Bussard

Giveaway ends November 30, 2019.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Addiction/Substance Use Disorder

For day 7 of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Mental Health America is focusing on Addiction/Substance Use Disorder. This has been an increasing issue in our society, and I don’t see it getting any better. We have to remember that this is not specific to alcohol or illegal drugs. The increase in prescription drugs also brings with it the increase of people who become dependent on those medications. What may start off as taking pain medication after an injury or surgery, can easily become an addiction if not handled properly. Although, just because you start taking pain medication does not mean you become addicted.

According to Mental Health America, “People with depression or other mental health problems are particularly vulnerable to alcohol and drug use.” I know a lot of this is controversial, and if you ask ten people they will have twenty different opinions. But the fact is that this is a real problem in the world.

Many people can start using alcohol or drugs (legal or illegal) as a coping mechanism. This can be to “forget” about their problems or to otherwise “just get by.” We must recognize this issue and address it head-on. If you notice you are becoming dependent on drugs or alcohol, please seek help. If you notice an issue with someone else, please confront the issue. Don’t wait until it’s too late and wish you had addressed it when you had a chance.

This is the last day of Mental Illness Awareness Week, but please don’t let these issues get pushed to the side. Please continue to spread awareness of these issues and share the information; this is a real concern. People who suffer from mental illnesses need to know that they are not alone, and there is always someone they can reach out to.

PTSD

For day 6 of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Mental Health America is focusing on PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder doesn’t only affect people who served in the military, it can happen to anyone for any number of reasons.

Working in the fire service, I have done a lot of research on post-traumatic stress and its treatments. With first responders it is not typically one event that will cause issues, but it is most likely a series of events. However, one major event, or even one small event that triggers a bad memory can elicit a response.

Post-traumatic stress will typically not go away on its own, and the symptoms may re-emerge in the future which can be more dramatic than before. Treatment can range from support groups to medication. Anyone with symptoms should seek help from a mental health professional. This is not a sign of weakness or admission that you cannot handle issues on your own. Like other mental health issues, PTSD can lead to suicide if left untreated. So please reach out (in either direction).

Depression

For day 5 of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Mental Health America is focusing on depression. This draws more attention from me, and is the focus behind starting this blog, since I have dealt with depression my entire life. I could spend hours writing about this here and barely scratch the surface, but I think I will continue to break it down over time. I just hope there are people who can benefit from what I have to say.

There are many different causes of depression, and many different treatments. I have brought up the stigma behind depression many times, but we need to understand that depression is not a sign of weakness. It is a serious medical condition, such as diabetes or epilepsy. I don’t think anyone would see someone as weak for having an illness such as those, so the same view should be taken on depression.

According to MHA, only about a third of people suffering from severe depression seek treatment from a mental health professional. Many people across the world commit suicide every day. This is more prevalent among veterans, police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical professionals. We must recognize this as a major concern and take notice. This has to be stopped. We have to spread the word and let people who struggle know that they are not alone and there are people who want to help. Anyone who struggles should not be seen as a burden.

For me, personally, I want to help people who struggle as I do. I want them to reach out to me. I will not look down on anyone who asks for help. It takes a strong person to admit they need help, and I want to be someone they are comfortable coming to. This is something I WANT to do, and I hope you do too.

Eating Disorders

For day 4 of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Mental Health America is focusing on eating disorders. According to MHA, “In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder at some time in their life…” This can impact anyone regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, culture, etc. I would encourage everyone to take a look at this website for their information on eating disorders. Someone in your life may be affected by this. It is best to address it early. They don’t need to wait until it gets out of hand to seek help.

Psychosis

For day 3 of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Mental Health America is focusing on psychosis. Psychosis is different from the mental illnesses I typically write about because psychosis alters a person’s perception of reality. Some of these can be schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and delusional disorder. But it could also be brief psychotic disorder that can be a result of a life-altering event, and can resolve itself.

Some of these symptoms can also be a result of different types of medications. If you notice any of these symptoms in yourself please see your doctor. And if you see these symptoms in someone else, please make sure they get the appropriate medical attention. Remember that sometimes, but not always, a person who fears they are in danger may act in a way to defend themselves. If you think you may be a danger to yourself or others, or you think someone else may be a danger to themselves or others, please don’t take unnecessary risk, and please call 911.

And as always, if you have any information you wish to share, please do so.

Mental Illness Awareness Week

This snuck up on me, but yesterday started Mental Illness Awareness Week. It goes from Sunday Oct. 6th through Saturday Oct. 12th. The is not just for my friends in the US, but worldwide. October 10 is World Mental Health Day, so whether you live in Canada, the United Kingdom, India, Australia, or wherever, please help me spread the word.

Mental Health America is using a 7 days, 7 ways theme to focus on a different aspect of mental health. I will (hopefully) be sharing their themes each day. You can find their page about Mental Illness Awareness Week by clicking here.

Sunday was their focus on anxiety so if you or anyone you know suffers from this condition, please share this information. Anxiety is very prevalent, so if you haven’t dealt with this personally, unless you live in a hole in the ground, you know someone who has.

Today MHA is focusing on bipolar disorder. And once again, the information I am sharing focuses on the United States, but if you are from anywhere other than the US, please do not let that keep you from sharing this information. If you are from another country and have other resources, please share these with friends, and please share with me. I would love to know what other countries are doing to combat mental illness. In the US, in my opinion, we are lacking on caring for people struggling with mental health conditions. I would like to see this change. I believe we are on the right track and we are recognizing the need for help. I also see the stigma associated with mental illness beginning to fade, but we are still a long way off.

Please share this information with anyone who is struggling. And please let me know if there is any way I can help!