Leslie Glass's Blog, page 260

Is Social Media Bad for You?

From Psychology Today:

Research links excessive Facebook or Instagram use to depression and loneliness

At any given moment, something like 40 percent of the world’s population—up to three billion people—are using Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, or another social media app or website. Most people spend an average of two hours a day on these platforms: sharing photos, commenting on those of others, tweeting their opinions, or simply checking in on what the people in their networks are doing. 

And yet, it’s become something of a truism that too-frequent social media use is bad for one’s health. No less of a social media darling than Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose upstart political campaign was buoyed by Facebook, has come out against the network, calling it a “public health risk.” Forget about the instances of rampant harassment on Twitter; for anecdotal data on the downside of social media, ask almost any Instagram user whether he or she has ever experienced FOMO—fear of missing out—after viewing the extravagant photos posted by a random acquaintance. Can we generalize from FOMO? Can social media really be bad for your psychological health?

First off, the use of social media has been shown to correlate with loneliness, with heavy users being twice as likely to report social isolation. On the other hand, even if these users aren’tphysically or emotionally separated from the important people in their lives, they may still feel that way: More time spent on the most commonly used social networks correlates to higher feelings of loneliness and isolation. Studies have also shown that higher social media use is associated with higher anxiety. It’s important to note that these studies do not prove causation: It’s possible that higher social media use is caused by loneliness and anxiety, and not the other way around.

Also, the ability to feel good about oneself—to have healthy self-esteem—may be compromised by social media use. Survey studies have suggestedthat Facebook use leaves over 60 percent of users feeling inadequate. A 2012 survey, billed as “Sweden’s largest Facebook study,” found an inverse correlation between Facebook use and self-confidence among female users, and suggested that Facebook use is associated with reduced happiness for women. In some studies, it looks as though some women often compare themselves to others on Facebook, and that they often believe that these people are more attractive. This affects their body image, chips away at their self-esteem, and contributes to weighing them down emotionally.

Generally speaking, Facebook provokes an awful lot of negative self-comparison just like this—that is, comparing oneself to others and deciding that their lives must be happier or better than yours. The problem is, even if you judge your life to be the better one, you’re still not likely to feel happy about this, because any kind of self-comparison has a negative effect on one’s moods. And if you feel some envy while you’re scrolling through your friends’ photos, you may be picking up on a real link between social media use and depressed mood. Feelings of envy may be the mediating link between Facebook use and depression: In studies that manage to control for envy by eliminating it as a factor, Facebook use doesn’t correlate with depression in the same way.

The connection between social media use and clinical depression, broadly speaking, is real. Even brief Facebook use can make people feel bad, as a recent Austrian study has shown: Just checking out your feed for 20 minutes—rather than randomly browsing the internet—instigates sad or depressing feelings. (I unscientifically tested this effect while writing this article, and sure enough, it worked.) 

Some evidence suggests the more time you spend on social media, the worse you’ll feel: The persons who use social media platforms most often have been shown to be three times as likely to harbor feelings of depression and anxiety. Its users tend to report feeling worse about themselves from one minute to the next, and increased Facebook use even correlates with reports of reduced life satisfaction overall. 

So consider taking a break from social media. You won’t even have to quit entirely; studies show that just avoiding Facebook for a short time can provide a significant boost to a person’s sense of well-being. If you’ve been feeling depressed lately, be aware that limiting one’s social media use to 30 minutes a day may significantly improve mood after three weeks. Taking time away from social media is likely to make you feel less lonely and less depressed. It should cut down on feelings of FOMO and unhealthy envy, and can reinvigorate the self-affirming belief that your own life is as worthy and enjoyable as the lives of others—no matter how photogenic they are. 

The post Is Social Media Bad for You? appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Self-Help Techniques Are Not Effective For Drug Addiction

From Psychology Today:

Professional substance abuse treatment far outweighs self-help techniques

I love the outdoors and self-help books (shout out to the amazing Brene Brown) and I truly believe that the outdoors can heal a broken heart; however, I continually hear other individuals state how being outside or reading a self-help book or signing up for a yoga class can cure depression, addiction and even eating disorders. This false information not only makes me angry, but it makes me sad for all the other individuals who believe this. Yes, self-help books, the outdoors, meditation and yoga are great adjunctive treatment approaches when combined with medicationand psychotherapy and yes, the outdoors does have the potential to boost your mood and improve your happiness; I even wrote about my own personal experience here, but to say self-help can cure addiction and mental health disorders is not only a stretch but is misleading. If you come across someone who says, “My depression or heroin abuse was cured by a self-help book or from spending time in nature;” I strongly urge to ask the following:

Were you diagnosed with this disorder by a mental health professional?Did you ever seek some type of therapy or take any sort of medication?

Why self-help works, but not for addiction or mental health disorders

If self-help books work for relationships, finances, career prospects and the power of attraction, why can’t self-help replace addiction treatment? Self-help is particularly successful in relationships, finances and career issues because the desire to share helpful tools and life-changing solutions with others is very powerful.

We live in a proactive society with infinite knowledge at the click of a mouse or a conversation with Siri. We are strides ahead of past generations, with enough innovation to make your head spin. We have the ability to spend time outdoors, go to a yoga class, practice self-care and read all the information written by professionals pertaining to addiction, and yet self-help pertaining to substance abuse disorders requires external professional help that involves detoxification, individual therapy, family therapy, aftercare and space to address physical dependency, trauma, broken connections, and the importance of long-term abstinence. Self-help can be used as a preventative measure to avoid a substance abuse disorder but once the individual is addicted to their choice substance of abuse, self-help is no longer helpful and here’s why:

Why self-treatment does not work for addiction

Self-help methods are helpful for some individuals who are dealing with issues that may pertain to their stress and relationships however these individuals must be strong enough and have enough personal insight to be able to acknowledge their problem, articulate their problem, dedicate the time and energy to achieving their desired outcome and then share their results with others. The obsessions, compulsions, and loneliness associated with addiction prevent individuals in the real world to be able to think in a rational and cognitive way and connect with others. Individuals with addiction are no longer in control of their disorder because their disorder has hijacked their brain. The overflow of dopamine when the abused drug enters the body is so strong that the user is unable to simply walk away from this euphoric high without any type of long-term professional intervention, not to mention that some chemical withdrawals can be life-threatening. The desire to continue to use and use again is so strong that it can re-wire the brain to the point that no amount of self-help books, yoga or nature can work to uncover the underlying triggers of why the addiction started in the first place.

Physical dependency on drugs and alcohol cause the “next fix” to be the highest priority regardless of the consequences.Home detoxification has low success rates and often leads to relapse simply because the impulsivity of the addicted brain runs rampant, not to mention home detoxification can be life-threatening.Drugs interfere with the communication system of the brain, hindering the performance of neurons, hijacking any sense of ration and control, thereby impairing the decision-making process while losing control of normal mental functioning.Self-help addiction treatment lacks the foundation of recovery: connection to others

The importance of professional addiction treatment 

Detoxification

Substance abuse treatment is a long-term process that involves a stepwise treatment regimen beginning with detoxification. Detoxification involves eliminating the abused substance from the body which depends on the individual and the drug can take anywhere from 3 days to 7 days. Detoxification can be extremely painful and even lethal and therefore it is never recommended that any individual undergoes detoxification at home but rather enters into a professional treatment center where they can be monitored and given medication to ease their withdrawal symptoms. Many treatment programs use medication-assisted therapy (MAT) which involves prescribing a slow taper of medications to ease the withdrawal symptoms and prevent any life-threatening side effects. Benzodiazepines, methadone, naltrexone, and Suboxone are all popular medications administered to individuals who are addicted to alcohol, benzodiazepines or opioids.

Changing the environment

A temporary or permanent environment change does wonders for addiction treatment, primarily because a change in the environment often leads to a shift in perspective. The individual escapes from the negativity, the drug connections, the “bad influences” and the same unhealthy routine.

Connection

Additionally, professional treatment provides a safe space in the presence of others giving the individuals the ability to connect with others around them. A connection is extremely important in the drug addiction treatment process, as the lack of connection will often push the individual further into their addiction.

Underlying triggers

One of the largest components of professional addiction treatment is uncovering the individual’s underlying triggers that caused them to become addicted in the first place. Past trauma, low self-esteem, mental health disorders, eating disorders, childhood abuse, interpersonal conflicts can all be directly linked to substance abuse. Uncovering and recognizing these underlying triggers requires a professional eye, hours of therapy and a clear, sober mind. The client must become aware of his/her triggers and learn positive coping skills to deal with these triggers during their road to recovery.

The post Self-Help Techniques Are Not Effective For Drug Addiction appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

25 Lasting Effects Of Childhood Emotional Abuse –

Emotional abuse isn’t always recognized as abuse but leaves lasting scars nonetheless. I was called “girl child and an ugly one,” and told I was too stupid to have a career. When a husband called me thunder thighs, I didn’t eat anything for two years and still thought I was fat. When I weighed 96 pounds I started eating again. Most people who are hurt in this way, however, don’t snap out of it and start nourishing themselves. Here’s why. When you get other people’s ideas and hurtful actions stuck in your head, your reality has been changed.. You get confused about who and what you are and what’s happening around you. You may think it’s your fault, as I did.

But my story is only tiny example. Children who live in homes with substance using adults and siblings experience many different kinds of abuse including neglect, mood swings, violence to themselves and others, lack of stability, lack of food and basic care. Children listen to the things adults say to them and see the things adults do. And they don’t forget it.

People who have experienced emotional abuse are affected in some or all of the following ways.

1. They have commitment issues, probably because they had a hard time trusting anyone as a child.

2. They sometimes go into auto-pilot mode and blank out entire conversations or events. This is due to disassociation, a skill learned in childhood, and it’s often unintentional.

3. They experience mood swings which seem to come at random times and can be the norm for them. This is often because they had to deal with abuse as a kid, and the only response they knew was to model the behavior.

Emotional Abuse Can Lead To Self Harm
 4. They may commit acts of self-harm or other self destructive behaviors. This often follows a pattern established in childhood.

5. They are angry underneath it all, and have outbursts of anger seemingly from nowhere.

6. They are nervous all the time. This may make them seem edgy, or brittle, and they startle easily.

Why Healing Emotional Abuse Takes Time
Emotional Abuse Breeds Low Self Esteem

7. They don’t feel valid. No matter what they’re doing, they’re unsure if they can do it.

8. They have low self-esteem.

9. They don’t handle compliments well. They doubt their veracity.

Emotional Abuse Makes People Fearful Of Using Their Voice

10. They are quiet. They don’t feel comfortable using their voice after being worn down as small and wrong throughout their childhood.

11. They may have issues getting close to others, because they may not like people.

12. They may beat themselves up mentally and emotionally, since they were beaten emotionally for many years.

Emotional Abuse Makes People Fear Conflict

13. Conflict gives them immense anxiety, so they often run from it instead of facing it.

14. Making eye contact is extremely difficult and speaking makes them anxious, making it even more difficult.

15. They fear others abandoning or leaving them. They have attachment issues.

Emotional Abuse Can Lead To Feeling You Have To Defend Yourself…All The Time

16. They are often defensive, perceiving people as negative or offensive because of their previous abuse.

17. Often afraid of contact with people, they may be introverted and try to distance themselves as much as possible.

18. They may be sensitive to loud noises, as they were raised in an environment of raised voices and yelling.

People Pleasing Is Another Symptom Of Emotional Abuse

19. Many victims of emotional abuse overdo it because they want to please everyone. They become perfectionistic, tidy, clean and organized.

20. Often they will have trouble making decisions, after hearing throughout childhood that they were not good enough.

21. They are tough, but very sensitive. Because of experiencing a plethora of emotions at a young age, you have considerable emotional sensitivity.

Here Are Some Sneaky Ways You May Be Abused
Emotional Abuse Makes People Question Themselves

22. The world of emotional abuse leaves them second-guessing everything. For example, they’ll often ask questions to which they already know the answer, due to self-doubt.

23. They constantly say that they’re sorry.

24. They are more likely to have addiction issues.

25. They are actually remarkably humble. They sincerely appreciate the good things in their life. They are a strong, grateful survivor of their past.

How To Stop The Self Abuse

The post 25 Lasting Effects Of Childhood Emotional Abuse – appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

These Relationship Red Flags Will Make You Rethink

Relationship red flags may not be so easy to spot at first. There’s someone in your life who seems so great, someone you admire, and even love. But that person frequently makes you feel just awful. Relationship red flags are your own gut feelings telling you all is not well. When should you reconsider.

What Are Relationship Red Flags?

Basically, they tell you the person you think you love is not so great for your growth and happiness. Here are six that reveal the person you love may not love you back.

1. Criticizing

Say someone criticizes you for every little thing, but also lavishes love on you. Feeling bad about being criticized is the red flag. No one should be criticized. The being lavished with love after being criticized is one kind of Band-Aid that covers it up. In healthy relationships, people don’t criticize each other constantly. If you’re in a relationship with someone who who finds fault with you or blames your or criticizes you constantly, you’re going to feel small and incompetent. That feeling is a red flag to flee or do something about it.

2. Not Listening

We all know people who talk over others and interrupt. They have opinions about everything. This may not seem important at first, but people who have to put their own thoughts or ideas before you’ve even finished speaking are never going to be able to hear what you have to say. They will always put their own opinions above yours. When you feel that someone doesn’t care about what you want or what your feel, it could be they don’t even hear it. Not listening makes you feel unimportant and is a red flag to flee.

These four questions reveal the truth about your relationship
3. Controlling

What is controlling anyway? Controlling is when the other person always has to have his own way. Whether it’s a small thing like choosing a movie or a restaurant or what you should look like or wear, or a more important thing like whose parents are you going to visit or where you’re going on vacation, the controlling person will have his or her way. Arguing you down from your position, sulking, giving you a gift, and berating you are all ways of controlling you. Controlling can seem like a little thing at first but always escalates as time goes on. If someone chooses your dinner on the first date, or tells you what to do, or where to park, or how to park, etc. that is a red flag of a controlling person. Controlling is like a spider spinning a web around you. If you tolerate it, you can get caught for life. It is a major red flag to flee.

4. Naysaying

A naysayer can also be thought of as a hater. The hater is someone who will rain on your parade no matter what. That person will shoot down every idea and hope and aspiration you have. “You, write a book, bake a cake, start a company, knit a sweater, host Thanksgiving dinner for the family? Are you nuts?” The naysayer will tell you whatever you’ve accomplished is not much after all. Naysayers can prevent you from achieving your potential by making you doubt yourself every day of every week. Anyone who doesn’t support your goals or attempts to improve yourself and get ahead is a red flag to flee.

5. Not Taking Responsibility

This can mean so many things. It can mean the other person expects you to pay the check, the rent, do the childcare, have the good job. In other words, it can be the other person’s expectation that you will be the grownup and he or she can be the child in the relationship. If you don’t want to be a parent of an adult, this is a big red flag. Not taking responsibility can mean lack of ambition. It can mean being lazy and not taking care of business. It can mean not saying you’re sorry when you’ve messed up because you don’t think you’ve ever messed up. You don’t think anything is a big deal. When another person makes you feel taken advantage of, you may well be taken advantage of. The person who doesn’t do much is a real big red flag to flee.

Why we ignore the relationships red flags
6. Emotional Or Physical Abuse

Of all the relationship red flags, this one is the most dangerous and reason to seek help immediately. People may be shocked the first time they experience a loved one’s rage, and they may overlook it as a one-time event that won’t be repeated. Especially if the other person apologizes. Emotional abuse can’t be seen in scars but is just as damaging as physical abuse. Whatever form abuse takes, it always gets worse over time. If someone you love erupts with anger (emotional abuse) or lashes out violently (physical abuse) and makes you feel unsafe for any reason, you need to learn more about how to take care of yourself and escape. Abusive people don’t let go easily, so you need guidance and support to get free. Here are some resources to help:

National Domestic Hotline
Safe Horizon
Women’s law

The post These Relationship Red Flags Will Make You Rethink appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

This Influencer Is Candidly Documenting Her Recovery From an Eating Disorder on Instagram –

Influencer Ali Bonar says she’s putting the “Insta” back in Instagram. She makes an effort to talk to her followers about the things she’s going through in real time, rather than waiting until she’s come to terms with them. 

For the past two years, that’s meant talking about the stages of recovering from an eating disorder. 

Bonar, who’s 26, tells Health that “it started as a really innocent love of eating healthy food” and a “passion for being creative in the kitchen.” But then she left for college at University of California, Berkeley to study nutrition, and that innocent love turned into an obsession.

RELATED: This Influencer’s “Before-and-After” Reveals the Problem With Butt Transformation Photos

“I think it was a combination of studying nutrition, starting college and being away from home, and just being a woman in today’s society,” she says. “It’s really freaking hard to love your body. It’s such an uphill battle.” 

Bonar recalls one night, after she got home from dinner with friends, she realized that she couldn’t remember a single thing they talked about because she was obsessing the entire time over whether her order was healthy enough. She drove herself crazy making sure everything she ate was perfectly clean. 

Another common topic of Bonar’s Instagram posts: “not feeling sick enough.” For awhile, she knew she had disordered eating habits, but she also knew she wasn’t anorexic or bulimic, which made her feel isolated. She didn’t know how to open up about what was going on because she didn’t fit the standard definition of an eating disorder patient. 

RELATED:   This Influencer Posed in Her Bra and Leggings to Prove That Social Media Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

Then Bonar found Molly Alliman, or @balancebymolly on Instagram. Alliman’s message of helping women heal their relationship with food resonated with Bonar, who decided to reach out. 

“She really changed everything for me,” Bonar says. The two did therapy sessions for about six months, and Bonar eventually learned to see food as a source of enjoyment, not stress. Yet Bonar emphasizes that “recovery is up and down; it’s not a linear road.” She shares the good days and the bad, and in doing so she’s formed a community of followers. 

For those who reach out to her saying they’re going through something similar, Bonar says she always urges them to tell someone. “It’s the hardest thing, and I know people don’t want to hear it, but it can help so much.” 

To get more real-talk on health and wellness, sign up for our weekly WomenIRL newsletter

The post This Influencer Is Candidly Documenting Her Recovery From an Eating Disorder on Instagram – appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Not Always Reaching Your Potential Is Okay, But Overthinking It Is A Problem –

From Science Daily:

Having aspirations helps us navigate life in a meaningful and fulfilling way, but it can also cause psychological distress when hopes are left unfulfilled. New research has found that it’s not failing to make progress toward our ‘ideal-self’ that is problematic but rather the tendency to focus on that lack of progress in a negative way that leads to psychological distress.

New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that it’s not failing to make progress toward our ‘ideal-self’ that is problematic but rather the tendency to focus on that lack of progress in a negative way that leads to psychological distress.

In other words, it pays to be kind to yourself, say the key researchers.

The study, led by Associate Professor Joanne Dickson from ECU’s School of Arts and Humanities, explored whether ‘ideal-self’ and ‘actual-self’ discrepancies were associated with depressive and anxious symptoms.

It also considered whether ‘rumination’, or excessive negative thinking, played a role in these relationships.

Professor Dickson said there are two key ‘self-guides’ that typically motivate us and provide standards for self-evaluation: the ‘ideal-self’ and the ‘ought-self’.

“The ‘ideal-self’ is the person we ideally want to be — our hopes and aspirations. The ‘ought self’ is who we believe we ought to be — our duties, obligations, and responsibilities,” she said.

“Our findings showed that perceiving one’s hopes and wishes as unfulfilled and the loss of desired positive outcomes increases emotional vulnerability and psychological distress.

“Whereas actual-ought self-discrepancies were associated with anxiety (but not depression).”

The role of excessive negative thinking

Professor Dickson said a novel finding was the role of ‘rumination’, the tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking.

“It’s not failing to make progress toward our ‘ideal-self’ that is necessarily problematic but rather the tendency to repetitively think about this lack of progress that represents a significant vulnerability that, in turn, leads to increased psychological distress,” she said.

In contrast, lack of progress in relation to our ‘ought self’ (ie duties, responsibilities, obligations) directly increased anxiety (but not depression), and this was not facilitated via repetitive thinking.

“It may be that fulfilling obligations, duties and responsibilities is more pressing or urgent than the pursuit of hopes and the more immediate negative consequences of not fulfilling these ‘ought to’ obligations may mean there is less time to engage in reflective contemplation,” Professor Dickson said.

Advice for minimising psychological distress

Professor Dickson said self-guides as standards that we aspire to are beneficial in giving a sense of purpose and direction in life and promoting wellbeing, even if we don’t always reach them, but turning the focus toward negative self-evaluation and self-criticism is counter-productive.

“Reflecting on and at times modifying our self-guides may be helpful, particularly if we are caught in a spiral of negative self-evaluation that is accompanied by a constant sense of failing to meet overly high standards.

“We need to be kind to ourselves and keep our self-guides in perspective,” she said.

The post Not Always Reaching Your Potential Is Okay, But Overthinking It Is A Problem – appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Not Always Reaching Your Potential Is Okay, But Overthinking It Is A Problem

From Science Daily:

Having aspirations helps us navigate life in a meaningful and fulfilling way, but it can also cause psychological distress when hopes are left unfulfilled. New research has found that it’s not failing to make progress toward our ‘ideal-self’ that is problematic but rather the tendency to focus on that lack of progress in a negative way that leads to psychological distress.

New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that it’s not failing to make progress toward our ‘ideal-self’ that is problematic but rather the tendency to focus on that lack of progress in a negative way that leads to psychological distress.

In other words, it pays to be kind to yourself, say the key researchers.

The study, led by Associate Professor Joanne Dickson from ECU’s School of Arts and Humanities, explored whether ‘ideal-self’ and ‘actual-self’ discrepancies were associated with depressive and anxious symptoms.

It also considered whether ‘rumination’, or excessive negative thinking, played a role in these relationships.

Professor Dickson said there are two key ‘self-guides’ that typically motivate us and provide standards for self-evaluation: the ‘ideal-self’ and the ‘ought-self’.

“The ‘ideal-self’ is the person we ideally want to be — our hopes and aspirations. The ‘ought self’ is who we believe we ought to be — our duties, obligations, and responsibilities,” she said.

“Our findings showed that perceiving one’s hopes and wishes as unfulfilled and the loss of desired positive outcomes increases emotional vulnerability and psychological distress.

“Whereas actual-ought self-discrepancies were associated with anxiety (but not depression).”

The role of excessive negative thinking

Professor Dickson said a novel finding was the role of ‘rumination’, the tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking.

“It’s not failing to make progress toward our ‘ideal-self’ that is necessarily problematic but rather the tendency to repetitively think about this lack of progress that represents a significant vulnerability that, in turn, leads to increased psychological distress,” she said.

In contrast, lack of progress in relation to our ‘ought self’ (ie duties, responsibilities, obligations) directly increased anxiety (but not depression), and this was not facilitated via repetitive thinking.

“It may be that fulfilling obligations, duties and responsibilities is more pressing or urgent than the pursuit of hopes and the more immediate negative consequences of not fulfilling these ‘ought to’ obligations may mean there is less time to engage in reflective contemplation,” Professor Dickson said.

Advice for minimising psychological distress

Professor Dickson said self-guides as standards that we aspire to are beneficial in giving a sense of purpose and direction in life and promoting wellbeing, even if we don’t always reach them, but turning the focus toward negative self-evaluation and self-criticism is counter-productive.

“Reflecting on and at times modifying our self-guides may be helpful, particularly if we are caught in a spiral of negative self-evaluation that is accompanied by a constant sense of failing to meet overly high standards.

“We need to be kind to ourselves and keep our self-guides in perspective,” she said.

U.S. Suicide Rates Are the Highest They’ve Been Since World War II –

From Time:

 

 

U.S. suicide rates are at their highest since World War II, according to federal data—and the opioid crisis, widespread social media use and high rates of stress may be among the myriad contributing factors.

In 2017, 14 out of every 100,000 Americans died by suicide, according to a new analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. That’s a 33% increase since 1999, and the highest age-adjusted suicide rate recorded in the U.S. since 1942. (Rates were even higher during the Great Depression, hitting a century peak of 21.9 in 1932.)

“I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits all reason” since there’s almost never a single cause of suicide, says Jill Harkavy-Friedman, vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a nonprofit that supports suicide prevention research, education and policy. “I don’t think there’s something you can pinpoint, but I do think a period of increased stress and a lack of a sense of security may be contributing.”

It’s even more difficult to assign causes to the uptick, Harkavy-Friedman says, because it’s happening across diverse demographic groups. Men have historically died by suicide more frequently than women, and that’s still true: As of 2017, the male suicide rate was more than three times higher than the female rate. But female suicide rates are rising more quickly—by 53% since 1999, compared to 26% for men—and the gap is narrowing. For both genders, suicide rates are highest among American Indians and Alaska natives, compared to other ethnicities, and when the data are broken down by age group, the most suicide deaths are reported among people ages 45 to 64—but nearly every ethnic and age group saw an increase of some size from 1999 to 2017.

Youth suicide is becoming an especially pressing problem, with rates rising more rapidly among boys and girls ages 10 to 14 than in any other age group. A separate research letter published June 18 in JAMA found that youth suicide rates are at their highest point since at least 2000.

The JAMA letter doesn’t identify causes of the youth uptick, but first author Oren Miron, a research associate in biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School, has two theories.

Opioid use, he says, has been shown to drive suicidal behavior among drug users and their children and families, and so recent high rates of drug abuse and overdose may be tied to rising suicide rates. The opioid epidemic may harm entire communities’ mental health, Miron says. “The entire community is bleeding. Kids see less of a future, they see more of their friends dying,” Miron says. “This might give us just one more reason to crack down on” substance misuse.

His second theory is that social media may be contributing to rising suicide rates, particularly for young people. “We know that now it’s used in younger ages and more intensively, and we also see some new apps that allow more anonymity, which in turn allows more bullying and more kids talking about suicide without their parents knowing,” he says. Heavy social media use may also lead to fewer meaningful in-person interactions—which can protect against mental health issues and suicidal behavior—and encourage unhealthy comparison with others.

One other possibility, says Harkavy-Friedman, is that suicide may be better reported and identified today than in years past, as people pay closer attention to mental health issues.

Though suicide is always complicated at both the individual and national levels, help is available. Experts encourage those struggling with suicidal thoughts to confide in a trusted friend or family member, speak with a health care provider, or seek care at an emergency room in cases of immediate danger.

 

 

The post U.S. Suicide Rates Are the Highest They’ve Been Since World War II – appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

U.S. Suicide Rates Are the Highest They’ve Been Since World War II

From Time:

 

 

U.S. suicide rates are at their highest since World War II, according to federal data—and the opioid crisis, widespread social media use and high rates of stress may be among the myriad contributing factors.

In 2017, 14 out of every 100,000 Americans died by suicide, according to a new analysis released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. That’s a 33% increase since 1999, and the highest age-adjusted suicide rate recorded in the U.S. since 1942. (Rates were even higher during the Great Depression, hitting a century peak of 21.9 in 1932.)

“I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits all reason” since there’s almost never a single cause of suicide, says Jill Harkavy-Friedman, vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a nonprofit that supports suicide prevention research, education and policy. “I don’t think there’s something you can pinpoint, but I do think a period of increased stress and a lack of a sense of security may be contributing.”

It’s even more difficult to assign causes to the uptick, Harkavy-Friedman says, because it’s happening across diverse demographic groups. Men have historically died by suicide more frequently than women, and that’s still true: As of 2017, the male suicide rate was more than three times higher than the female rate. But female suicide rates are rising more quickly—by 53% since 1999, compared to 26% for men—and the gap is narrowing. For both genders, suicide rates are highest among American Indians and Alaska natives, compared to other ethnicities, and when the data are broken down by age group, the most suicide deaths are reported among people ages 45 to 64—but nearly every ethnic and age group saw an increase of some size from 1999 to 2017.

Youth suicide is becoming an especially pressing problem, with rates rising more rapidly among boys and girls ages 10 to 14 than in any other age group. A separate research letter published June 18 in JAMA found that youth suicide rates are at their highest point since at least 2000.

The JAMA letter doesn’t identify causes of the youth uptick, but first author Oren Miron, a research associate in biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School, has two theories.

Opioid use, he says, has been shown to drive suicidal behavior among drug users and their children and families, and so recent high rates of drug abuse and overdose may be tied to rising suicide rates. The opioid epidemic may harm entire communities’ mental health, Miron says. “The entire community is bleeding. Kids see less of a future, they see more of their friends dying,” Miron says. “This might give us just one more reason to crack down on” substance misuse.

His second theory is that social media may be contributing to rising suicide rates, particularly for young people. “We know that now it’s used in younger ages and more intensively, and we also see some new apps that allow more anonymity, which in turn allows more bullying and more kids talking about suicide without their parents knowing,” he says. Heavy social media use may also lead to fewer meaningful in-person interactions—which can protect against mental health issues and suicidal behavior—and encourage unhealthy comparison with others.

One other possibility, says Harkavy-Friedman, is that suicide may be better reported and identified today than in years past, as people pay closer attention to mental health issues.

Though suicide is always complicated at both the individual and national levels, help is available. Experts encourage those struggling with suicidal thoughts to confide in a trusted friend or family member, speak with a health care provider, or seek care at an emergency room in cases of immediate danger.

 

 

Why Cell Phones Grow Skull Horns In Teens –

Yikes, it’s not the aliens that are the threat to our children’s skulls. It’s spurs from cell phone use. From the Washington Post

Mobile technology has transformed the way we live — how we read, work, communicate, shop and date.

But we already know this.

What we have not yet grasped is the way the tiny machines in front of us are remolding our skeletons, possibly altering not just the behaviors we exhibit but the bodies we inhabit.

Researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, have documented the prevalence of bone spurs at the back of the skull among young adults. (Scientific Reports)By Isaac Stanley-BeckerJune 20 at 4:40 AM

New research in biomechanics suggests that young people are developing hornlike spikes at the back of their skulls — bone spurs caused by the forward tilt of the head, which shifts weight from the spine to the muscles at the back of the head, causing bone growth in the connecting tendons and ligaments. The weight transfer that causes the buildup can be compared to the way the skin thickens into a callus as a response to pressure or abrasion.

The result is a hook or hornlike feature jutting out from the skull, just above the neck.

In academic papers, a pair of researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, argues that the prevalence of the bone growth in younger adults points to shifting body posture brought about by the use of modern technology. They say smartphones and other handheld devices are contorting the human form, requiring users to bend their heads forward to make sense of what’s happening on the miniature screens.

The researchers said their discovery marks the first documentation of a physiological or skeletal adaptation to the penetration of advanced technology into everyday life.

Health experts warn of “text neck,” and doctors have begun treating “texting thumb,” which is not a clearly defined condition but bears resemblance to carpal tunnel syndrome. But prior research has not linked phone use to bone-deep changes in the body.

“An important question is what the future holds for the young adult populations in our study, when development of a degenerative process is evident in such an early stage of their lives?” ask the authors in one paper, published in Nature Research’s peer-reviewed, open-access Scientific Reports. The study came out last year but has received fresh attention following the publication last week of a BBC story that considers, “How modern life is transforming the human skeleton.”

Since then, the unusual formations have captured the attention of Australian media, and have variously been dubbed “head horns” or “phone bones” or “spikes” or “weird bumps.”

Each is a fitting description, said David Shahar, the paper’s first author, a chiropractor who recently completed a PhD in biomechanics at Sunshine Coast.

“That is up to anyone’s imagination,” he told The Washington Post. “You may say it looks like a bird’s beak, a horn, a hook.”

However it is designated, Shahar said, the formation is a sign of a serious deformity in posture that can cause chronic headaches and painin the upper back and neck.

Part of what was striking about the findings, he said, was the size of the bone spurs, which are thought to be large if they measure 3 or 5 millimeters in length. An outgrowth was only factored into their research if it measured 10 millimeters, or about two-fifths of an inch.

The danger is not the head horn itself, said Mark Sayers, an associate professor of biomechanics at Sunshine Coast who served as Shahar’s supervisor and co-author. Rather, the formation is a “portent of something nasty going on elsewhere, a sign that the head and neck are not in the proper configuration,” he told The Post.

Their work began about three years ago with a pile of neck X-rays taken in Queensland. The images captured part of the skull, including the area where the bony projections, called enthesophytes, form at the back of the head.

Contrary to conventional understanding of the hornlike structures, which have been thought to crop up rarely and mainly among older people suffering from prolonged strain, Shahar noticed that they appeared prominently on X-rays of younger subjects, including those who were showing no obvious symptoms.

The pair’s first paper, published in the Journal of Anatomy in 2016, enlisted a sample of 218 X-rays, of subjects ages 18 to 30, to suggest that the bone growth could be observed in 41 percent of young adults, much more than previously thought. The feature was more prevalent among men than among women.

The effect — known as enlarged external occipital protuberance — used to be so uncommon, Sayers said, that one of its early observers, toward the end of the 19th century, objected to its title, arguing that there was no real protrusion.That’s no longer the case.

Another paper, published in Clinical Biomechanics in the spring of 2018, used a case study involving four teenagers to argue that the head horns were not caused by genetic factors or inflammation, pointing instead to the mechanical load on muscles in the skull and neck.

And the Scientific Reports paper, published the month before, zoomed out to consider a sample of 1,200 X-rays of subjects in Queensland, ages 18 to 86. The researchers found that the size of the bone growth, present in 33 percent of the population, actually decreased with age. That discovery was in stark contrast to existing scientific understanding, which had long held that the slow, degenerative process occurred with aging.

They found instead that the bone spurs were larger and more common among young people. To understand what was driving the effect, they looked to recent developments — circumstances over the past 10 or 20 years altering how young people hold their bodies.

“These formations take a long time to develop, so that means that those individuals who suffer from them probably have been stressing that area since early childhood,” Shahar explained.

The sort of strain required for bone to infiltrate the tendon pointed him to handheld devices that bring the head forward and down, requiring the use of muscles at the back of the skull to prevent the head from falling to the chest. “What happens with technology?” he said. “People are more sedentary; they put their head forward, to look at their devices. That requires an adaptive process to spread the load.”

That the bone growth develops over a long period of time suggests that sustained improvement in posture can stop it short and even ward off its associated effects.

The answer is not necessarily swearing off technology, Sayers said. At least, there are less drastic interventions.

“What we need are coping mechanisms that reflect how important technology has become in our lives,” he said.

Shahar is pressing people to become as regimented about posture as they became about dental hygiene in the 1970s, when personal care came to involve brushing and flossing every day. Schools should teach simple posture strategies, he said. Everyone who uses technology during the day should get used to recalibrating their posture at night.

As motivation, he suggested reaching a hand around to the lower rear of the skull. Those who have the hornlike feature can probably feel it.

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