Leslie Glass's Blog, page 287

10 Rules For Health Relationships

From the University of Minnesota Rochester: Healthy relationships have been shown to increase our happiness, improve health and reduce stress. Studies show that people with healthy relationships have more happiness and less stress. There are basic ways to make relationships healthy, even though each relationship is different. These tips apply to all kinds of relationships: friendships, work and family relationships, and romantic partnerships.

1. Keep Expectations Realistic

No one can be everything we might want them to be. Healthy relationships mean accepting people as they are and not trying to change them.

2. Talk With Each Other

It can’t be said enough: communication is essential to healthy relationships.

Take the time. Really be there.
Genuinely listen. Do not interrupt or plan what you’re going to say next. Try to fully understand their perspective.
Ask questions. Show you are interested. Ask about their experiences, feelings, opinions, and interests.
Share information. Studies show that sharing information helps relationships begin. Let people know who you are, but don’t overwhelm with too much personal information too soon.

3. Be Flexible

It is natural to feel uneasy about changes. Healthy relationships allow for change and growth.

4. Take Care Of Yourself, Too

Healthy relationships are mutual, with room for both people’s needs.

5. Be Dependable

If you make plans with someone, follow through. If you take on a responsibility, complete it. Healthy relationships are trustworthy.

6. Fight Fair

Most relationships have some conflict. It only means you disagree about something; it does not have to mean you don’t like each other.

Cool down before talking. The conversation will be more productive if you have it when your emotions have cooled off a little, so you don’t say something you may regret later.
Use “I statements.” Share how you feel and what you want without assigning blame or motives. E.g. “When you don’t call me, I start to feel like you don’t care about me” vs. “You never call me when you’re away. I guess I’m the only one who cares about this relationship.”
Keep your language clear and specific. Try to factually describe behavior that you are upset with, avoiding criticism and judgment. Attack the problem, not the person.
Focus on the current issue. The conversation is likely to get bogged down if you pile on everything that bothers you. Avoid using “always” and “never” language and address one issue at a time.
Take responsibility for mistakes. Apologize if you have done something wrong; it goes a long way toward setting things right again.
Recognize some problems are not easily solved. Not all differences or difficulties can be resolved. You are different people, and your values, beliefs, habits, and personality may not always be in alignment. Communication goes a long way toward helping you understand each other and address concerns, but some things are deeply rooted and may not change significantly. It is important to figure out for yourself what you can accept, or when a relationship is no longer healthy for you.

7. Be Affirming

According to relationship researcher John Gottman, happy couples have a ratio of 5 positive interactions or feelings for every 1 negative interaction or feeling. Express warmth and affection!

8. Keep Your Life Balanced

Other people help make our lives satisfying but they cannot meet every need. Find what interests you and become involved. Healthy relationships have room for outside activities.

9. It’s A Process

It might look like everyone on campus is confident and connected, but most people share concerns about fitting in and getting along with others. It takes time to meet people and get to know them. Healthy relationships can be learned and practiced, and keep getting better.

10. Be Yourself!

It’s much easier and more fun to be authentic than to pretend to be something or someone else. Healthy relationships are made of real people.

Adapted from Kansas State University (2006) and the Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect at UMR College (2007).

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Mackenzie Phillips On Abuse, Addiction & Recovery

From Lynn Elber @ The Associated Press: Mackenzie Phillips, who upended expectations with her portrayal of a brutal inmate on “Orange is the New Black,” deserves another look off-screen as well.

Phillips has battled addiction and made disturbing sexual abuse allegations well before such revelations were common, and she’s forthright when asked to look back at those dark chapters.

But it’s the work that’s keeping her busy and fulfilled now — whether acting or helping people address addiction at a Southern California treatment facility — that she’d rather concentrate on.

Her personal life also is “fantastic,” she said, including her relationships with her half-siblings (actress Bijou Phillips and singer Chynna Phillips are among them).

There was conflicting family reaction when Phillips alleged sexual abuse by her father, the late John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas musical fame, in her 2009 memoir “High on Arrival.”

Phillips, 58, who gained fame in the 1970s on the sitcom “One Day at a Time” but lost the role as fallout from her drug and alcohol use, appears on the Netflix reboot as leader of a veterans support group. On Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black,” Phillips is nearly unrecognizable as Barbara, whose face shows her cruelty and self-destructiveness.

Drugs also are part of the character’s life, a real-life parallel that Phillips addressed during an interview with The Associated Press. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: You mentioned viewers have been taken aback by how you look playing Barbara. Any hesitation to take the part because of ego?

Phillips: No, because it’s a character. And I’m a woman of a certain age who hasn’t had any plastic surgery and plans to keep it that way. Consider this: Had I been Botox’d and nipped and tucked and lifted, they never would have hired me. I’m very proud of my age because I never thought I would live this long.

AP: Did you feel removed enough from your own drug use to play an addicted character?

Phillips: People said, ‘Weren’t you triggered by snorting fake drugs?’ I was like, ‘No, I was absolutely filled with the deepest gratitude that I don’t live that way.’ It’s very bleak, and there’s nothing to look forward to but the next hit for Barb. So when she she’s not getting high, she starts focusing all that beautiful energy that you could focus on wellness or helping people on revenge and resentment. It’s pretty textbook that energy needs to be focused somewhere purposeful or you’re going to get high again.

AP: How long have you been sober?

Phillips: Well, this is where it gets interesting. I have come to the conclusion, throughout many years of sobriety, that time does not treat nor does it barely heal this thing. Otherwise I wouldn’t have relapsed and gotten arrested almost 10 years ago to the day. Demi Lovato, bless her heart, I’m so supportive of her, wouldn’t have relapsed after six years if it mattered how long a person was sober.

AP: So how do you measure where you stand?

Phillips: What you’re doing in the day that you’ve been given that’s taking you away from a drink or a drug, and what are you doing that’s taking you back toward one. Are you helping other people? Because in this whole world of recovery you cannot keep it unless you give it away. You can’t like hold your recovery to yourself.

AP: Do you think your allegations about your father, which got sharp pushback, would have been perceived differently in the MeToo era?

Phillips: I think that if ‘High on Arrival’ came out now, people would not have been speculating on whether I was a liar or not. I remember watching one of those evening magazine shows and they actually had a body language expert who was looking at clips of me talking on ‘Oprah’ and seeing whether or not from my body language if I was lying. I don’t think that would be considered appropriate today. So I think it would have been a very different experience. But I’m not sure.

AP: What else are you up to now?

Phillips: My life is fantastic. I’ve been in the same house for 18 years. I have a 31-year-old son named Shane, who is a spectacular human being. I have a bunch of dogs. I’m in relationships with my sisters. I mean, it’s an incredible thing.

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When Is It OK To Ghost Someone?

From Jennice Vilhauer Ph.D. @ Psychology Today: In 2015, I wrote an article on Why Ghosting Hurst So Much, hoping to encourage people to be a little kinder and more respectful of one another. Since then, I have received a large number of comments and emails from both those who have ghosted and those who have been ghosted wanting to share their stories. What is clear is that this is a confusing and very emotionally charged topic on both sides, and indeed there are times when ghosting is an appropriate response to a situation.

Ghosting is defined as cutting off all communication and dropping out of someone’s life without any explanation of any kind. There are many situations when cutting off communication with someone is acceptable, necessary, and the healthiest thing to do. Ending a relationship with someone is almost always painful in some respects, one person will likely experience rejection and the rejecter may feel guilty, but in my prior article I explain the psychological reasons why it is the lack of explanation unique to ghosting that creates so much emotional distress. It is specifically the lack of clarity about the situation that can escalate someone’s emotional response from disappointment that a relationship did not work out, to distress over not having any information to understand what happened.

Most relationships in our lives will have a beginning and an end. People evolve, circumstances change, people coming and going from our lives is part of the human experience. It isn’t necessary or even expected much of the time that we provide an explanation for the natural drift that occurs in many relationships.

It is in the established relationships where there is an expectation and desire to continue the relationship by one of the parties where it becomes exceedingly painful and distressful when someone disappears without explanation. What establishes a relationship where there is an obligation to communicate an ending? In a culture where hook-ups have become the norm, this is an area of debate and a lot of subjective opinion. Perceived obligation varies greatly depending on the extent and nature of the relationship.

In the world of dating, where ghosting is most prevalent, early on most relationships are not considered established, however, the kindest and most respectful thing to do is to offer a few simple words to let the other person know when you’ve decided not to continue the relationship, so that the other person has clarity about the situation. If you’ve had less than three dates, a simple text or email with words along the line of “It was nice to meet you, but I didn’t feel the connection” should generally suffice.

If you’ve been on more than five dates and have been physically intimate, this is when people usually begin to develop some level of emotional attachment. At this point, cutting off contact with someone without any explanation has the potential to cause distress, the longer the relationship has existed the more likely it will be painful to the other person. While no one is ever responsible for someone else’s emotions, again, the kindest thing to do is to offer some clarity so the other person has the appropriate cues to know how to respond.

So, When Is It OK To Ghost Someone?

Below are some specific situations when disappearing from a relationship is likely to be the best thing for your well-being.

1. Abuse.

In situations where someone makes you feel unsafe or there has been any type of abuse then disappearing without any explanation may be what is in your best interest. When leaving an abusive relationship this is often times a high danger period when the abuser can become enraged, so it is often best to be out of contact and in a safe place where the abuser doesn’t know your location.

2. Violating Boundaries.

If someone engages in a clear boundary violation, such as showing up unexpectedly at you work place, contacting your ex, stealing from you, or any type of behavior that is way out of line, this can feel very threatening. When someone causes you to feel unsafe, they are showing a lack of concern for you feelings and your priority is to regain your sense of safety, which may involve cutting off contact. In situations where you’ve told someone repeatedly that you want to discontinue the relationship, but they continue to contact you or won’t take no for an answer then it isn’t ghosting if you cut off communication.

3. Lying Or Manipulation.

If you catch someone in a lie that is intended to manipulate you in some way, such as finding out the person you are dating is married, then that person has shown a direct disregard for your emotional well-being and you don’t owe them an explanation for ending the relationship.

Jennice Vilhauer, Ph.D., is the director of the outpatient psychotherapy program at Emory Healthcare. She was formerly the director of psychology training at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the author of Think Forward to Thrive: How to Use the Mind’s Power of Anticipation to Transcend Your Past and Transform Your Life.

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St. Patrick’s Sobriety Survival Guide

Holiday sobriety is always a challenge. Especially for holidays like St. Patrick’s Day where drinking is ingrained into the holiday festivities. Over the years, we’ve done a lot of tip guides for how to stay safe when you’re sober and confronted with holiday tempting delights, and here’s another one because you can never have too many reminders on the sobriety basics.

Holiday Sobriety Needs A Boost

Your holiday sobriety needs support. Unless you are the only person on earth with a totally sane, sober family and a sober group of friends, you will be confronted with things like:

People enjoying alcoholic drinks that you once loved.
Friend’s seeing this day as a free pass to get completely wasted.
Drunk people running through the streets like idiots.
People spilling out of bars throughout the day and night.

And more fun stuff like that.

St. Patrick’s Day Sobriety Survival Kit

So, my St. Patrick’s Day depression-prevention guide includes:

One designated person who is around and available to take my call if necessary.
Talking to a sponsor or sober friend before going into the holiday.
A fool-proof out if I need to leave wherever I am.
Shows I’m excited to watch on my Netflix (especially comedy) if I need to go home and chill.
Foods I’m excited to eat when I get home to chill and watch Netflix
Be of service. We all know showing up for other people can be a lifesaver for them and us, so take the time to check in on other sober people to make sure they’re hanging in there too.

Stay safe, stay sane and stay sober

St. Patrick’s Day – 4 Tips For Staying Sober

From Men’s Health:

Trying to avoid booze on a St. Patrick’s Day that falls on a Sunday? It may seem like your only realistic option is to temporarily move to a deserted island for 24 hours.

Adopting an alcohol-free lifestyle can be challenging, and festive holidays like St. Patrick’s Day stand to make things even trickier. That’s why we talked to Jeff Foote, PhD, co-founder of the Center for Motivation and Change, about how to get through a day where it may seem like every single street corner is bursting with pressure and temptation to drink.

His advice? Follow these four simple steps.

1. Check in With Your Motivation

In the week leading up to a tough day like St. Patrick’s Day, it’s important to remind yourself why you don’t want to drink in the first place. “The reasons you’ve decided to be sober, or not be intoxicated, can be different than they were say, six months ago.” Foote tells MensHealth.com. “It’s important to remind yourself why your goal is to not drink.”

Foote, who has also worked with the New York Mets as a sports psychologist, emphasized the importance of bringing clarity to your goals in order to stay strong. “I tell athletes this all the time: re-check your motivation,” he says. “Why are you doing this in the first place?”

2. Build Your Support System

“Having a support system makes a big difference on challenging days like this,” Foote says. “When figuring out who those people are, ask yourself, ‘Who could be there for me? Who could I talk to about this challenge?'”

Part of the challenge that comes with abstaining from alcohol is the social aspect of it, including pressure from friends.

“If you have a friend group that you feel you can say, ‘Hey, I’m not drinking,’ and they are supportive, that can help a lot,” Foote says. “If you have friends that react negatively, maybe you should re-evaluate if you want to be friends with them in the first place.”

3. Have a Plan

“If you want to achieve any sort of goal, you need a plan,” Foote says — especially on high-risk days.

Have plans in place for various scenarios — everything from what to do Friday after work to how you’re going to cope mid-day Saturday when you feel like everyone is having fun without you.

“There’s a pretty strong chance you’re going to feel isolated, alone or deprived at some point during the weekend,” Foote says. “Maybe you just plan on staying in and watching Netflix all day. Maybe there’s somewhere out of town you can go. Pick activities you enjoy doing, and plan on doing them.”

4. Remember, it’s just one day

No matter how you spin it, odds are it might be an isolating day. A lot of people are going to be drinking. You will not be. The good news is, “It’ll pass,” Foote says. “One day later, you will have all of your social contacts again.”

“Keep reminding yourself of why you’re doing this, what your goal is,” he adds. “Keep that close while you’re navigating the day. That will be your anchor, why staying sober is important to you.”

The post St. Patrick’s Day – 4 Tips For Staying Sober appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

CBD Oil Is Everywhere, But Is It Really Safe and Healthy?

From Time:

You might have seen it in your neighborhood health store, your local spa or your corner coffee shop. CBD, aka cannabidiol, is getting mixed into cocktails, lotions and drinks.

But what is CBD, exactly? Does it have real health benefits? Is it even safe?

To get a better understanding of the compound, TIME spoke to two scientists on the cutting edge of CBD research: Dr. Esther Blessing, an associate professor of psychiatry at New York University, and Margaret Haney, professor of neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center and director of the university’s Marijuana Research Laboratory.

Blessing and Haney agree that the current evidence suggests that CBD shows promise for helping to treat some illnesses. In June 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first cannabis-derived drug — Epidiolex, which contains purified CBD — to treat certain rare childhood seizure syndromes. However, much of the research on CBD is only in very early stages, and scientists still don’t know a lot about it — including whether it has negative long-term effects.

On top of that, the CBD that is available in shops and online is not regulated by the government — which means it might contain other ingredients, or not even any CBD at all, Blessing says. Haney warns that much of the CBD on the market could be “snake oil.”

Here’s what you need to know about CBD.

How is CBD different from marijuana?

The drug marijuana, which is also known as weed or pot, is the leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant.

Cannabidiol is a naturally occurring compound that is found in cannabis plants. CBD can be extracted from the same plant as marijuana, or from hemp — another cannabis plant that is now legal in the United States.

Hemp has very low levels of another cannabis compound, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. Evidence suggests that THC — not CBD — causes the symptoms people associate with getting high on marijuana, Blessing says. Unlike marijuana, which the CDC argues is addictive, CBD also doesn’t seem to be, according to the World Health Organization.

What is CBD oil?

In theory, CBD oil should consist of two main ingredients: the compound cannabidiol dissolved in an oil made from hemp seeds or coconut.

However, all CBD products on the market (besides Epidiolex) are almost completely unregulated. Products might not contain the amount of CBD that is advertised, and might even contain undesirable ingredients, such as THC, Haney says.

Patients who take CBD without knowing what they are getting are “just throwing their money away,” Haney says.

“It’s unfortunate that there aren’t many options for consumers to ensure that CBD they buy is safe – or even has any CBD in it,” Blessing says.

Does CBD oil have health benefits?

Companies that market CBD oil make a wide variety of claims about it. However, scientists and doctors emphasize that the research on CBD is limited, and has been slowed in the United States by federal restrictions.

Scientists say that there’s a growing body of evidence that CBD can treat other illnesses besides seizure syndromes, but they emphasize that scientific research is in its very early stages.

CBD is in early clinical trials for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, says Blessing, who is currently studying whether CBD could be used to treat PTSD in people with alcohol use disorder.

Blessing says that CBD shows a lot of promise, and that she is frustrated that the federal government makes it so difficult for scientists to obtain different strains of CBD. “It’s my opinion that the government should step up, so we can do clinical trials and get this out to people,” Blessing says.

Blessing says that she first became interested in CBD because she saw it being used in early trials to treat people with psychosis. She explains that unlike FDA-approved antipsychotic medications, which can cause weight gain and other side effects, CBD doesn’t seem to have any major side effects.

Other evidence suggests that CBD could also be used to treat anxiety, but it has been tested only in animals and in very early clinical trials on humans.

Haney says she believes that CBD shows promise to help treat the cognitive symptoms associated with HIV and Alzheimer’s, and to treat neuropathic pain (pain from damage to the nervous system, which can be caused by diabetes, chemotherapy or HIV). Research is ongoing in all of these areas.

However, Haney emphasizes that a lot still isn’t known about CBD — including the effects of long-term use, how it acts on the brain or its impact on brain development.

Why do people use CBD products?

Scientists are looking into a wide range of uses for CBD. However, Haney and Blessing say that except for the medicine Epidiolex, there’s only been a limited amount of research to suggest that CBD can be used to treat other illnesses.

Although most scientists agree that a lot more research is needed before CBD can be prescribed to patients, for some people who are selling CBD, personal experience and word of mouth is enough to convince them that it is effective.

Lisa Richards of Denver, Colorado is a longtime yoga teacher and the co-founder of L’eela CBD Body Care, which sells CBD capsules and serums. Richards says that her own experience with CBD has convinced her that it is effective.

“I’m a believer, obviously. I can say, absolutely, for myself this works,” Richards says. “I have arthritis in my knee. If I don’t take CBD, I’m going to feel it come back in a day or two.”

Richards says that she prefers to use products in which she can actually identify the ingredients.

“In my mind, simpler is better. If I can’t pronounce it, if I can’t tell what it is, I stay away from it,” Richards says.

Haney, however, warns that consumers should be careful about the personal testimonies and anecdotes companies offer. “It’s important to be aware of the enormous placebo effect,” says Haney. The claims marketers make are “not based on science.”

Is CBD legal?

CBD is in a legal grey area. CBD that is extracted from hemp (which must have an extremely low level of THC) has only been legal nationwide since the Agriculture Improvement Act — better known as the Farm Act — was passed in December 2018.

CBD that is extracted from other cannabis plants is still illegal on the federal level, but may be legal under state law.

However, businesses can run into trouble when they make false claims about the health benefits of CBD, or when they add CBD to food.

In recent months, both cities and states have moved to control how CBD is sold. Maine and New York City have moved to crack down on edible products containing CBD. New York’s health department confirmed to the New York Times that it has started ordering restaurants to stop selling CBD-laced food because it has not been “deemed safe as a food additive.”

Companies also can’t legally make unproven health claims about CBD.

Blessing says she’s concerned that some people buying unregulated CBD have a “real medical need” and won’t seek proven methods of treatment.

“They might be taken for a ride by people who are marketing unregulated forms of CBD and not get the treatment they need,” Blessing said.

What are the risks of using CBD oil?

The current evidence suggests that the active ingredient in CBD oil is safe, says Blessing, although it could have serious interactions if it is taken with other medications.

Haney says that more research is needed to determine whether there are long-term effects, or if it affects brain development.

“There’s nothing damning; we really just don’t know,” Haney says.

However, Blessing and Haney emphasize that products that are being sold as CBD are almost completely unregulated. Some products might even contain THC, which can interfere with medications and cause unwitting users to get high.

Should you try CBD?

While Blessing and Haney both say that CBD shows a lot of promise, they agree that the CBD products on the market (excluding the seizure drug Epidiolex) are suspect.

Blessing says that anyone considering trying unregulated CBD should definitely talk it over with a doctor, and be as well informed about it as possible.

“Take the time to get the best information you can. It’s a complex subject. The details really matter,” said Blessing.

Blessing emphasizes that there are many factors that can impact CBD’s effects. Too little CBD may have no effect at all. Additionally, the way it’s administered — as a cream, oil, pill or tab under the tongue — could weaken its effects.

Available CBD products meant to be taken orally (besides Epidiolex) generally have poor “bioavailability,” says Blessing, “so only a small fraction of CBD you swallow makes it into your bloodstream.”

Haney warns that people should approach companies that sell CBD with skepticism.

“Because it’s not regulated, nobody is really checking what it contains,” Haney says. “There is no source of CBD I can recommend.”

The post CBD Oil Is Everywhere, But Is It Really Safe and Healthy? appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Groundbreaking Test For PTSD Developed

From Science Daily:

A cutting-edge blood test discovered by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers could help more accurately diagnose military veterans and other people experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, and potentially provide more precise treatments and prevention.

A study led by psychiatry professor Alexander Niculescu, MD, PhD, and published this week in the high-impact SpringerNature journal Molecular Psychiatry, tracked more than 250 veterans in over 600 visits at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis to identify molecules in the blood that can help track stress intensity. According to Niculescu’s findings, the blood test can accurately identify people who are at risk of stress disorders or are experiencing them severely.

“PTSD is a disorder that affects a lot of veterans, especially those involved in combat. It’s also an underappreciated and underdiagnosed disorder among the civilian population, whether it be the result of abuse, rape, violence or accidents” said Niculescu, who worked with other Department of Psychiatry and VA researchers on the study, as well as collaborators at The Scripps Research Institute and University of California Irvine. “Countless people are underdiagnosed with stress disorders, which may manifest themselves by drinking more, other addictions, suicide or violence. Our research has broader relevance for not just veterans but the general public.”

The decade-long study looked at the expression of genes in the blood, starting with the entire genome, which has over 20,000 genes. Over the course of multiple visits, researchers tested participants in both low- and high-stress states — their blood analyzed for detectable changes in expression of genes between those two different states that could serve as biological markers (biomarkers) for stress. Researchers were able to narrow the study’s focus down to 285 individual biomarkers (related to 269 genes) that can objectively help diagnose patients with PTSD, as well as determine the severity of their stress and predict future hospitalizations.

They also compared these biomarkers with other well-known markers of stress and aging, such as telomer length. The biomarker signature helped identify new potential medications and natural substances to treat stress disorders that could be paired in a personalized way with individuals.

“There are similar tests like this in other fields, like cancer, where a physician can biopsy the affected part of the body to determine the stage of disease. But when it comes to mental health, biopsying the brain isn’t an option,” Niculescu said “Our research is applying similar concepts from other areas of medicine, but we’re engineering new ways that will allow us to track mental symptoms objectively, including stress, using blood, or so-called ‘liquid biopsies.'”

Much like with his recent breakthrough in developing a blood test to measure pain, and his past work on suicide, Niculescu said this research could be life-changing for individuals who have been exposed to or are about to enter high-stress environments. Such biomarkers will allow doctors to classify people in terms of their current severity or risk for future stress disorders, which can guide career choices as well as treatment options. Additionally, the biomarkers could measure response to treatment in an objective, quantifiable manner.

“Untreated pain and stress can lead to suicide, that’s how we became interested in these disorders, and decided to move upstream and see if we can better understand, treat and prevent them,” Niculescu said. “We think that one of the key uses of our research would be to test people before they have symptoms of an illness to see who’s at risk and possibly treat them early. It’s much better to prevent things for the person, and for the health care system, than to treat somebody who is in an acute crisis.”

With this study, Niculescu said the ultimate goal is prevention — pairing the ability to better predict those predisposed to PTSD with a more targeted approach to medicating those suffering from its affects. It’s preventive medicine done in a precise way, which aligns with the IU Grand Challenge Precision Health Initiative launched in 2016.

“We want to prevent the needless tragedy and suffering in people’s lives. By understanding in a biological way a patient’s illnesses and their mental health challenges, we could treat what they have better, preventing future episodes,” Niculescu said. “I have an excellent team and group of collaborators, and we are excited to partner with other groups of experts and people who can carry this forward. There is a lot of good work being done in the field right now.”

The study was supported by an NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and a VA Merit Award. Moving forward, Niculescu’s group looks to secure more funding through grants and private donations, as well collaborate with other institutions and organizations to advance these studies — with the hope that ultimately the cutting-edge tests developed at IU School of Medicine be implemented in clinical settings.

“If you treat a medical disorder in general, you improve someone’s quality of life; sometimes you save lives. But if you treat a mental health disorder, you can change somebody’s destiny,” said Niculescu, who is also a practicing psychiatrist. “You can help change someone from being a person who suffers, is unhappy, is unemployed — maybe goes down the route of addiction, violence or suicide — to somebody who can become a happy, well adjusted, productive member of society. That’s the challenge and the privilege — we can really change people’s destinies if we do our job.”

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What’s Your ACE (Childhood Trauma) Score & How To Use It

From Laura Starecheski @ NPR: An ACE score is a tally of different types of abuse, neglect, and other hallmarks of a rough childhood. According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, the rougher your childhood, the higher your score is likely to be and the higher your risk for later health problems. You can take the test here: ACE Test

So, You’ve Got Your Score. Now What?

First, remember that the ACE score isn’t a crystal ball; it’s just meant as guidance. It tells you about one type of risk factor among many. It doesn’t directly take into account your diet or genes, or whether you smoke or drink excessively — to name just a few of the other major influences on health.

To learn more, check the CDC’s ACE Study website. You’ll find, among other things, a list of studies that explore the ways adverse childhood experiences have been linked to a variety of adult conditions, ranging from increased headaches to depression to heart disease.

Remember this, too: ACE scores don’t tally the positive experiences in early life that can help build resilience and protect a child from the effects of trauma. Having a grandparent who loves you, a teacher who understands and believes in you, or a trusted friend you can confide in may mitigate the long-term effects of early trauma, psychologists say.

“There are people with high ACE scores who do remarkably well,” says Jack Shonkoff, a pediatrician and director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

Resilience, he says, builds throughout life, and close relationships are key. Recent research also suggests that for adults, “trauma informed” therapy — which can center on art, yoga or mindfulness training — can help.

Three Types of ACEs

The three types of ACEs include abuse, neglect and household dysfunction:

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Credit: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

How best to find and help kids who are experiencing abuse and neglect right now?

Child psychologist Hilit Kletter, of Stanford University’s School of Medicine, says that to spot these children, she looks for visible signs of stress to understand what might have happened to them and how best to intervene. Some kids have nightmares or recurring thoughts of a stressful event, she says, or may re-enact the trauma through play. Or the child may seem distracted or withdrawn.

“This will come out at school,” Kletter says. “Teachers will tell parents [their child] seems to be in a daze in the classroom, not paying attention.”

ACEs Increase Health Risks

According to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study, the rougher your childhood, the higher your score is likely to be and the higher your risk for various health problems later.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Credit: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Kletter says reactions to trauma are sometimes misdiagnosed as symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, because kids dealing with adverse experiences may be impulsive — acting out with anger or other strong emotions.

“It’s something that’s very common in trauma: difficulty in regulating emotions and behavior,” she explains. “That’s why a lot of these kids get in trouble with the classroom.”

Shonkoff’s research center at Harvard tests interventions that can build resilience in kids who are growing up with adverse experiences — not just problems in the family, such as those the ACE study investigated, but also trauma stemming from poverty, for example, or from the chronic stress of racial or gender discrimination.

To bolster parents, the Harvard team is testing interventions right now that use video coaching to show moms and dads how to engage their babbling infants, using sounds and facial expressions in a style Shonkoff calls serve and return.

Shonkoff says these early interactions — a kind of conversation — have been shown to help children with later learning and literacy. Even more important, they boost kids’ resilience, by helping them build secure attachments with caring adults. Research suggests that just one caring, safe relationship early in life gives any child a much better shot at growing up healthy.

The post What’s Your ACE (Childhood Trauma) Score & How To Use It appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

Childhood Trauma & Addiction: The Missing Link

From Adi Jaffe Ph.D. @ Psychology Today: It will come as no surprise to you that childhood trauma, particularly unresolved trauma, can lead to mental health issues and addiction later in life. While less was known about the specific correlation in decades past, today we have a pretty good understanding of just how damaging adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can be on development and coping.

The first few years of life are full of many important developmental milestones in terms of brain pathways, attachment, coping mechanisms and in generally learning how to relate to others and to stress. Those who experience trauma in their early years often develop survival mechanisms that are less than helpful in adulthood. For some people, such interference early on can even drive them towards addiction.

This is an area of addiction that I like to talk about, because people with an addiction are often judged at face-value by who they are right now, without any compassion or understanding of where they have come from or what has happened to them. Understanding these underlying issues however, becomes KEY in unlocking the secrets of addiction recovery.

“Treat people with respect instead of blaming or shaming them. Listen intently to what they have to say. Integrate the healing traditions of the culture in which they live. Use prescription drugs, if necessary. And integrate adverse childhood experiences science: ACEs.” – Dr. Daniel Sumrok

What Are ACEs?

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur in childhood.

This may include:

Abuse (physical, emotional, sexual) and/or neglect
Exposure to parental domestic violence
Household dysfunction e.g. parent with an untreated mental health condition or substance use disorder
Parental separation or divorce
Loss of parent through death, deportation, incarceration or being removed from the family home by child protection services

Stressful experiences in childhood may also stem from outside the family home, for example: bullying, witnessing violence, racism, being an immigrant, homelessness, living in a war zone and moving house often (such as in the case of military families).

A substantial portion of the people I’ve worked with over the past 11 years have experienced at least one of these ACEs. Most have experienced two or more.

Long-Term Affects Of ACEs

Much of the research has stemmed from the original CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, the most prominent investigation to date into childhood abuse and neglect and its impact on adult health and wellbeing. Data was collected between 1995 to 1997 from over 17,000 participants.

The ACE study looks at types of early trauma and the long-term outcomes for these children in later life. Participants were required to answer ten questions about specific forms of childhood trauma and mark whether they had experienced this or not. For each type of trauma, they received a score of 1, the highest being 10. For example, a person who was sexually abused, was exposed to domestic violence and had a parent with a substance use disorder, would have an ACE score of three.

The study found that a person with an ACE score of 4 has nearly double the risk of cancer and heart disease than someone without an adverse childhood experience. What’s more, the likelihood of developing an alcohol use disorder increases 7-fold percent and the likelihood of suicide increased 12-fold.

People who have had an ACE are two to four times more likely to start using alcohol or drugs at an early age, compared to those without an ACE score. People with an ACE score of 5 or higher are up to ten times more likely to experience addiction compared with people who haven’t experienced childhood trauma.

The research has also revealed that people with higher ACE scores are more likely to experience chronic pain and misuse prescription medication, and are at increased risk of serious health conditions such as:

Heart disease
Cancer
Depression
Substance abuse
Liver or lung disease
Stroke
Diabetes

In the United States, 60% of adults had experienced at least one traumatic event in their childhood and 25% had experienced at least 3 ACEs.

Making Sense Of The Research

There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence supporting this notion: the majority of people currently experiencing mental health or addiction problems have a history of adverse childhood experiences. That’s not to say that all children who experience trauma will go on to have a substance use disorder, because there are a lot of other factors at play, but it is a nearly-necessary component of a person’s history that requires serious consideration in treatment.

“Ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking (what traditionalists call addiction) is a normal response to the adversity experienced in childhood, just like bleeding is a normal response to being stabbed.” – Dr. Daniel Sumrok, director of the Center for Addiction Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Medicine.

It’s also important to note that the ACE study simply reports on correlations, not causal links. We cannot say that experiencing physical abuse or a messy divorce in childhood will directly lead to a substance use disorder.

What we do know is this: Adverse childhood experiences are bad for your emotional and physical health and wellbeing in adulthood.

We must also consider all the other factors that influence a person’s behavior including socioeconomic factors such as income, education and access to resources.

Now, I don’t want to overwhelm you with all the research that points toward the power of our trauma histories. Your ACE score is not destiny. With help, you can learn healthy coping mechanisms, and how to have healthy relationships. We also need to account for genetic, environmental and spiritual factors that influence our behavior.

And while the research sheds light on how powerful childhood trauma can be in our life’s trajectory, it also helps inform government, communities and individuals about the importance of compassion. The link between adverse childhood experiences and later health problems is even more of a reason to reduce stigma and shame associated surrounding addiction. Children do not have control over their home environment, so therefore, we cannot expect them to overcome their difficulties as adults without compassion and support.

How Can People With ACEs Overcome Addiction?

We need to focus on providing resources to the people at greatest risk and making sure those resources go into programs that reduce or mitigate adversity.

Dr. Daniel Sumrock says we can do these things to help people change addiction by:

Address a person’s unresolved childhood trauma through individual and/ or group therapy
Treat people with compassion and respect
Use harm minimization principles such as providing medication treatments for addiction (such as buprenorphine or methadone)
Help people with an addiction find a ‘ritualized compulsive comfort-seeking behavior’ (addiction) that is less harmful to their health.

IGNTD Recovery takes ACEs into account, getting to the “why” of the addiction, not just putting a Band-Aid on the compulsive seeking symptom. Indeed, we believe that focusing on the symptoms is harmful.

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Fraternity, Binge Drinking To Blame For Student’s Death

From CBS News: A California father believes his 18-year-old son’s alcohol-related death was the result of a fraternity hazing ritual. The Orange County coroner’s office said Monday, Noah Domingo died from accidental alcohol poisoning.

Noah’s blood alcohol level was more than four times the legal limit, reports CBS News’ Jamie Yuccas. The UC Irvine freshman was found unresponsive after a party in January. His father said Noah was taking part in a dangerous and longstanding fraternity ritual. His death has already prompted Sigma Alpha Epsilon to close its chapter at UC Irvine indefinitely.

In a statement to CBS News, Dale Domingo said, “We have discovered the horrifying truth about fraternity hazing.” He contends the fraternity was conducting its “big brother night” ritual where “Noah was compelled to guzzle a so-called ‘family drink’ to become part of his big brother’s family.” He said, “It is why fraternities openly refer to this type of ritual as being one of the ‘deadly nights.'”

Authorities said Domingo died at about 3:30 in the morning, but the initial 911 call was some six hours later. The person who called 911 told the operator “he just drank, he just drank too much.”

Disputing the account in the 911 call, Noah’s father said his son did not just drink too much. He said experts call such victim-blaming “tortured rationalizations.”

Authorities are still investigating the circumstances leading to Domingo’s death and have not confirmed that hazing played a role.

In a statement, the university offered its “deepest sympathies to the Domingo family” and said “his death brings an urgent focus on alcohol and substance abuse.”

The focus on fraternity hazing has intensified in recent years with the deaths of Penn State sophomore Timothy Piazza and Florida State University fraternity member Andrew Coffey.

Just like other families impacted by college drinking deaths, Noah’s father said he will honor his son by doing everything he can to end hazing by fraternities and their members.

CBS News reached out to Sigma Alpha Epsilon regarding the confirmation of Domingo’s cause of death, but have not heard back.

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