July 2016 - Visions Treatment Centers

Life can be challenging enough without being affected by something that throws off your emotions, disrupts time with friends and everything about your internal universe. Living with anxiety is one of those conditions that affects nearly 18% of the population; that’s a large percentage that deals with acute stress from anxiety on a daily basis. It may not seem that serious to people who never experienced it before, but for those of us that have it, anxiety can change everything.

Understanding Anxiety

Think about that 18%, and think about who is a part of that number—your friends, daughters, sons, mothers, brothers, wives, boyfriends, sisters, etc. To understand what people living with this disorder go through it’s a good idea to know what anxiety is, so that when they experience an event you can be there for support. Anxiety is a stress-related disorder that is considered a mental health condition caused by intense feelings of worry and fear about a variety of things like health related concerns, social situations and more.

One small thing like a pain in your left arm, to someone with acute anxiety, can feel like a heart attack when it’s just a nerve. These little things escalate quickly because our minds, and in that moment, it’s all real. Can you imagine feeling like that all of the time? People that live with anxiety, often don’t have any idea when an event will happen or what the intensity of the event will be. So you can imagine how difficult it is to prepare for, constantly in a state of worry about a future anxiety or panic attack.

We say the event because they are considered disrupting to our daily activities and can make it difficult to engage in anything else other than what’s happening in our heads. Some people will experience similar symptoms that tell them an episode is coming that allows them to be prepared for the experience; others have no idea or are not entirely sure what they’re experiencing until it’s happened enough times to see a physician and be correctly diagnosed.

Common symptoms of an anxiety attack:

Shortness of breath
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Numbness
Tingling in the hands and feet
Clammy palms and sweating
Irritation
Restlessness
Racing thoughts
Nausea

Anxiety is Managed, Not Cured

The problem with anxiety is that the feeling of nervousness and paranoia cannot be avoided, you just learn to work through them or manage them differently. Unfortunately, those with anxiety have to experience an attack multiple times before they understand something is wrong. Medications have been used to tone down symptoms or calm the mind, but counseling is the best method and to figure out what works best for you when you experience an attack. There is no cure, but it’s manageable.

Famous People Suffering from Anxiety

Whether you realize it or not, many famous people suffer from anxiety every day. These celebrities deal with bouts of nervous feelings and fear as they’re performing, presenting or walking around the city. Some of the names you may be familiar with are Emma Stone, Kristen Stewart, Adele, John Mayer, Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron! These people are A-lister’s and are in the public eye every day, no matter what they’re doing. It is possible to live with anxiety and do amazing things, but it takes strength and mindfulness to know yourself and how you react. Be inspired to share your story!

At Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers, our clients come to us with a variety of preexisting conditions in addition to their addiction, and we’re here for them every step of the way. Call Visions today to learn more about our addiction recovery and dual diagnosis programs at (866)889-3665.

The LGBTQ Community and Suicide

Thinking back on the incredible tragedy that occurred just a week ago in Florida, we remember that hate crimes like this have affected the LGBTQ community for decades and will continue unless we open our hearts. The story of the man that committed this crime has brought to light some things about suicide rates of the queer community that don’t have the support they need to feel part of and accepted.

Teens are at high risk for suicide, up to 30% of LGBTQ youth commit suicide as reported by the US Department of Health and Human Services. It comes down to a combination of responsibilities we have to our LGBTQ friends, family and fellow humans: awareness, community support, and vital mental health services.

Awareness

A few things happen when tragedy strikes, the first is that eyes are opened. The second is that once we are aware, we can’t help but see the problems we contribute to every single day. Privilege is a real thing, and it’s important that we understand privileges that straight couples hold, being able to show affection to your loved one without comment. How many of us can say that we’ve never thought about that? Not only are those in the LGBTQ community afraid to show their love freely, but may not feel able to express themselves as queer because of these obstacles.

When we are forced to live in fear and can’t express who we are, feeling isolated and disposable is what’s left. Depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide are a terrible side effect of these feelings. Our society unfortunately breeds fear and makes people feel unsafe to express themselves as they are. It’s up to us to create a safe and comforting environment to help those in the LGBTQ community feel supported and loved.

Community Support

Queer people need the support of the community now, more than ever before. We must say no to hate, and that enough is enough. At Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers, Alumni Coordinator Roxie says, “We treat so many kids from the community with love and respect AND even have kids come out in treatment because of how safe they feel.” Suicide rates are high, but we continually need to reach out and pull someone back from the edge. Over 25% of those in the LGBTQ community are victimized daily, and this continues without counseling or support; this problem is often ignored.

We see adolescents every day that lack the sincere support of their families and their community to accomplish their goals. When you feel alone, your confidence is low, and things seem that much harder. Coming to terms with and accepting who we are is hard enough without people behaving negatively. We can change this by replacing fear with confidence and love.

Mental Health Needs

This man took the lives of over 50 people because he could not come to terms with who he was and was undoubtedly in need of mental health services; this story is an extreme case that we hope will never happen again in our lifetime, or ever from this point on. About this individual, externalization of guilt and hatred toward the LGBTQ community was bottled and tragically expressed.

If mental health services were offered, this might have been handled within a safe and therapeutic environment to avoid this unhealthy and heinous crime. In the world of mental health and addiction services, you can’t treat one without treating the other; it’s our turn to reach out and step up to the plate to be more and be human.

We mourn Orlando and all of the families that have felt loss at this time and will continually throughout their lives. At Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers, we offer our alumni, youth, and their families all the support they need and reach out into the community to promote awareness. Call Visions today to talk more about our adolescent addiction and mental health services at (818) 889-3665. Our eyes and hands are open.