October 2015 Updates

As a health psychologist, I provide monthly updates of resources for ndividuals and families that support well-being.
Cheers, Marilyn Wilts Click on Read More below.

Note: I am not responsible for the content, claims or representations of the listed sites and post these links for informational purposes only

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering."
--Ben Okri, Nigerian Poet & Novelist

October 4 - 10, 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Week: The following is from the Veterans' Health Administration regarding Caregiver Support:
When a Veteran has a mental illness, the whole family is affected. Family caregivers have many worries with caring for a Veteran with mental illness. Some of the reported worries are job loss, financial problems, emotional volatility in the home, fear of abuse or violence and things will never get back to normal. As a result of these caregiving worries, caregivers may have burnout. Caregiver burnout left untreated can lead to a more chronic mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health (NAMI) has some resources for Family Members and Caregivers .
VA's Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274 is just a quick phone call away. Whether you're in need of immediate assistance or have questions about what services you may be eligible for, the caring licensed professionals who answer the support line can:
•Tell you about the assistance available from VA.
•Help you access services.
•Connect you with the Caregiver Support Coordinator at a VA Medical Center near you.
•Just listen, if that's what you need right now.

I will emphasize that the VA's online Caregiver Toolbox has resources useful to MANY caregivers. The Toolbox includes Diagnosis Care Sheets , Everyday Tips and Checklists , and Staying Organized .

October 11-17, 2015, is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Awareness Week.
What is OCD? The National Institute of Mental Health describes it as follows:
"Everyone double checks things sometimes. For example, you might double check to make sure the stove or iron is turned off before leaving the house. But people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) feel the need to check things repeatedly, or have certain thoughts or perform routines and rituals over and over. The thoughts and rituals associated with OCD cause distress and get in the way of daily life.
The frequent upsetting thoughts are called obsessions. To try to control them, a person will feel an overwhelming urge to repeat certain rituals or behaviors called compulsions. People with OCD can't control these obsessions and compulsions. Most of the time, the rituals end up controlling them ."
For more, go t o Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder at health topics, NIMH.

I invite you to visit the International OCD Foundation web site for more information about this often-debilitating disorder that affects up to 4 million people in the United States. A variety of OCD resources, can be found there, including OCD at School:
For Kids
For Parents

Hoarding: the Basics is an excellent July 2015 online update written by Fugen Neziroglu, PhD, ABBP, ABPP, Director of the Bio-Behavioral Institute, in Great Neck, New York, available through the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. In an excerpt, she distinguishes between collecting and hoarding.
"Hoarding is not the same as collecting. In general, collectors have a sense of pride about their possessions and they experience joy in displaying and talking about them. They usually keep their collection organized, feel satisfaction when adding to it, and budget their time and money.
Those who hoard usually experience embarrassment about their possessions and feel uncomfortable when others see them. They have clutter, often at the expense of livable space, feel sad or ashamed after acquiring additional items, and they are often in debt."

I will add that the International OCD foundation is working on a new Hoarding link.
"This link will provide up-to-date research, resources for individuals and families affected by hoarding disorder, and resources for the entire community, including first responders, public safety officials, elder services, and housing authorities."

NEW RESOURCE: This month, the National Center for Aging, part of NIMH, put up a webpage urging folks to do four kinds of exercises: Endurance , Strength , Balance , and Flexibility

. Each link shows exercise instructions, and/or recommends activities for that kind of exercise.