stigma

People with mental illness represent one of the most deeply stigmatized groups in our culture. Learn more about it here.

THE EFFECTS OF LONELINESS ON THE BRAIN AND BODY
Loneliness can increase your risk of heart disease by 29% and stroke by 32%, which are huge numbers and is not something to ignore. The thing about loneliness is that when you are lacking in meaningful social connections, your body is conscious of the fact that you're alone. So it starts to turn up the dial on your stress response. Your sympathetic nervous system, starts to go on high alert, so it's natural that you might feel more paranoid. It's natural that you might feel more suspicious of people and not feel as open to connecting with other people, and it turns down the dial in certain parts of your brain where you feel love, connection, relationship. Then you hit into this vicious cycle, and that's what scientists refer to as the paradox of loneliness. Because loneliness drives you to retreat and makes it harder for you to crave that meaningful interaction that would resolve this feeling. There's a chain reaction that happens with the hormones in your body. First thing is your cortisol levels go into complete disarray. It's what peaks when you drink coffee. It's also what wakes you up in the morning. It's that kind of buzzy feeling, but it's also what elevates when you get stressed, your dopamine increases. This is a feel good hormone, but it really drives you towards quick rewards so that maybe drinking, gambling, going out without thinking about the consequences for yourself. You'll also see a decrease in serotonin, oxytocin, and your natural opioid levels. When you speak to a friend or you eat a meal that is just so delicious, you'll get these natural rushes of things, which will be natural pain relievers. Those things will all decrease when you're feeling lonely, you start to see this cascading effect on your physical health. Short-term effects are an increase in anxiety and increase in stress. So you may retreat, just generally feel more tired, generally feel less of an impulse to go out and also feel this increased anxiety and paranoia In a lonely body, the longer term effects are you're more likely to be sick. More often. You're more likely to be susceptible to the flu Covid, a slight cough that's going around in your office that's also linked to pain in your body. So chronic pain, back pain, or just generally feeling run down. Most of the time your sleep quality is not very good, so you may sleep exactly the same amount of hours, but you'll wake up. I know you're quite tired, you're slightly uneasy. Loneliness impacts your memory. That can lead to cognitive decline. It can be a precursor to dementia. Increased inflammation caused by loneliness or honesty by anything directly impacts the heart and heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S Loneliness affects your life expectancy. It can increase your risk of premature death on a level that's comparable with smoking, which is the number one preventable cause of death in the US and around the world. It's hard to believe, but there is really strong evidence to suggest that just connecting with people, even if it's one small piece of the puzzle, will at least shift the needle a little bit to towards making you feel better physically as well as emotionally. There's actually lots of research that shows that hearing the voice of someone you care about has a direct impact on your brain and on your nervous system. But there are other things like art, for example. Art therapy has really grown in recent years, and it's something that in certain rehabilitation centres, art therapy is really integral. There's a lot of research that just seeing nature is really, really good for you. So going outside, speaking to people, picking up the phone, exercising, speaking to strangers, ultimately what you are really looking for is understanding what makes you happy. You're not looking to be surrounded by people and you're not looking to engage in a social scene just to be there. What you're looking for is to connect with people on a level that really, really deeply connects with you and that will have a really tangible physical effect on you.
By Kelechi about a year ago in Psyche
Feeling Worthless?
Feeling worthless is one of the worst feelings in the world. It can make you feel like you are a burden to everyone around you, and that you are not good for anything. This can be a very difficult place to be in, but thankfully there are things that you can do to feel better. In this blog post, we will discuss 10 things that will help improve your mood and make you feel more confident in yourself!
By The Seraphic Society about a year ago in Psyche
How can you enjoy yourself once you’ve given up alcohol?
How do you have a good time when alcohol has been your go-to buddy for your whole adult life? A lot of folks who have decided to go sober are feeling like they’re missing out on the fun, and life just doesn’t seem as exciting anymore. So, how do you deal with that?
By Kasia Schlatterabout a year ago in Psyche
Breaking down Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short, is a neurodevelopmental condition that involves ongoing issues with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The symptoms stem from executive dysfunction, which means there's a hiccup in how the brain manages and controls thought processes. There are three main types of ADHD based on these symptoms: the predominantly inattentive type, which is all about a lack of focus; the predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, where there's a lot of activity and acting on impulse; and the combined type, which mixes both sets of symptoms and is the most common, affecting about 62% of people with ADHD. Signs of inattention might include frequently missing details or making silly mistakes, struggling to stay focused on tasks or conversations even without distractions, not following instructions, having trouble organizing tasks, misplacing things, and being forgetful. Interestingly, females often show more signs of inattention and distractibility rather than hyperactivity. On the flip side, hyperactive-impulsive symptoms can involve difficulty sitting still, fidgeting, talking non-stop (including interrupting others), or having a hard time waiting for turns, like in a queue. As people age, these symptoms can evolve.
By Kasia Schlatterabout a year ago in Psyche
Discontinuing alcohol intake may result in a range of withdrawal effects.
When discussing alcohol withdrawal, it's important to note that it doesn't look the same for everyone. For those who have been heavy drinkers for a long time, there are actually four distinct withdrawal syndromes, which can be ranked by severity.
By Kasia Schlatterabout a year ago in Psyche
Is Alcohol an Effective Means of Coping with Our Difficulties?
The act of consuming alcohol as a means to evade reality has become increasingly prevalent, and this issue is intensifying. Allow me to elaborate on the reasons behind this trend.
By Kasia Schlatterabout a year ago in Psyche
Diary of An Auto-Immune Survivalist - The Hemorrhage
Blood poured from my vaginal canal and into the toilet. Clots of blood slipped out of me like a chain of fat beads that plopped into the water below. Reaching my hand beneath my seated tush, I caught one of the warm bloody clumps and brought it into view. It looked like a thick slice of beef liver, larger than the palm of my hand. The frail red mass separated into pieces as it dropped back into the toilet’s bowl. Hurriedly, I pulled a hand towel from its hook and put it up, in-between my legs. Shoving the towel into my vaginal opening, I applied as much pressure as I could as a desperate measure to slow the blood flow. My panic grew. I squeezed my thighs together to hold the towel in place.
By Chelas Montanyeabout a year ago in Psyche
How to Build a Better Foundation for Creating a Better You
When you think about creating or improving habits or routines, like many others I defaulted to methods like SMART goals is often the first thing that comes to mind. While these strategies are useful, there is more to the process than just setting clear, measurable objectives. We often become fixated on rigid structures or instant results rather than nurturing the underlying mindset and environment designed to support sustainable change.
By SP about a year ago in Psyche
Diary of an Auto-Immune Survivalist. Top Story - August 2024.
Staring at the Midmark Ritter 204, the examination bed called to me. I craved its soft comfort and embrace. That pristine, crisp paper sheet of protective hygienic covering was what prevented me from making myself comfortable. I yearned to lie my body upon that tan leather table and relax my muscles and close my eyes, if only for a moment. The bed may as well have been encased in glass. The white parchment crumpled at the slightest touch, and lying upon it would crush and tear it to pieces. Disturbing it would be the evidence of the attention-seeking behavior that I was often accused of when seeing a new specialist. That paper stood between me and a few moments of desired rest.
By Chelas Montanyeabout a year ago in Psyche
Things I’ve Learned While Loving Someone in Active Addiction.
I learned a lot from being in a long term relationship with someone who struggled with a drug addiction. He never wanted to be like His uncle but he ended up being exactly like him. He was clean until he wasn’t. He would call himself the worst type of addict because he was addicted to the rush of it all way more than the actual drugs. I learned a lot about addiction from him. I learned that he thought that when it was good he thought the world glimmered with hope and when it was bad there was no getting out of it. I used to think that that feeling alone would make anyone stop. That the good must feel worse than all of the people that he was hurting. For him it never did.
By Nat about a year ago in Psyche
Autism and Social Cues
One of the hallmark traits of autism is difficulty with social activities and behaviors. This is commonly stated as “autistic people cannot read social cues” although the true diagnostic criteria for autism don't state this outright. This struggle with social cues and social norms is well-documented among autistic people.
By Rivahn Pabout a year ago in Psyche
Demystifying The Hidden Benefits of Fidget/Sensory Toys
This is a post-pandemic trend that is not just designed for neuro-divergents' and sensitive people with high sensory needs.
By Justine Crowleyabout a year ago in Psyche