There are many different approaches to mental healthThese different approaches make finding a mental health provider somewhat complicated. There are many approaches to treating mental health from various approaches -- culturally, from various therapeutic backgrounds, and various psychopharmacology backgrounds. Yet, mental health is so complicatedThere is no one simple answer to "solve" things. Some approaches work better for some patients compared to other patients. This is why it is very important to find a provider that understands you and what you are looking to achieve. Maybe an approach that works for others doesn't work as well for you, due to many reasons, one of the reasons includes your relationship with the provider. Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
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Artificial Intelligence is quickly becoming integrated into many sectors of our lives, including healthcare.It’s application to psychiatry hasn’t quite taken shape yet, however, its projected that with the aid of technology, mental health professionals will be able to offer more pervasive and effective treatments for mental disorders. One form of the treatment, being developed now is Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT). Many of us are familiar with the technology of Virtual Reality (VR), commonly its use in gaming. VR technology simulates an experience for the user, the user wears a headset which gives the Illusion that they are in a different setting through sound and imagery. Its implementation into therapy is now being explored as a useful form of “exposure therapy” for the treatment of an array of mental health disorders.  Exposure therapy is a therapeutic technique in which the patient is exposed to stimuli that may be the source of their mental health disorders. It is recognized as three different forms: 1.Real-Life This exposure therapy exposes the patient to the feared stimulus in real world settings. An example of this application would be if the patient had a fear of public speaking and having them give a speech to a group of strangers. 2.Imaginal This exposure therapy calls on the patient to imagine the feared stimulus in their minds, this feared stimulus could be painful memories or thoughts. 3.Interoceptive This exposure therapy calls on the patient to experience the somatic symptoms they experience in reaction to a feared stimulus. It is similar to Imaginal Exposure Therapy; however, the exposure extends itself to bodily sensations. An example of this would be triggering the bodily symptoms of social anxiety a patient experience.  These three forms of exposure therapy each have their limitations. Through the use of VRT we may be able to bridge the gap between these three forms of exposure therapy, creating one, all-encompassing, and ultimately more effective therapy treatment option, easily adapted to meet the needs of each patient. For individuals who suffer from Social Phobias, such as Agoraphobia, the idea of having a real-life exposure therapy session, in which they are placed in a crowded room of people seems daunting and somewhat cruel. With the use of VRT, patients are in a simulated reality and are able to opt out of any exposure they find too uncomfortable. For patients suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), real-life exposure therapy may not be practical. If the PTSD resulted from a traumatic car accident, getting behind the wheel is nerve-wracking and may be dangerous, considering the potential body responses the patient may experience as a result of the feared stimulus. A VRT headset can put the patient behind the wheel, in the exact area of the accident, creating a safe space for the patient to explore their painful memories and thoughts stemming from the incident. VRT easily merges Real-Life, Imaginal, and Interoceptive exposure therapies in a safe and therapeutic environment, giving the therapist greater leverage in their treatment of the patient, and the patient greater leverage in facing fear-inducing experiences.  Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Psychoanalysts have many theories explaining what contributes to the human condition. It is an enigma and the answer is not quite concrete.
You have to really go deep in understanding the depths of what you need to go into, and to have a method to be able to combat that. You have to understand what the time line for that looks like. You have to think if it will be fixed in a month, but actually really be realistic with the timeline. What are your strengths and weaknesses? IDing what your weaknesses are and accepting them. Seeing them as things that you can work on, and are not simply failures are important as well. Also, you can track your progress to see that you are improving in a certain direction. It is important to recognize how far you have come, and IDing these things in the very beginning as well. Also, have something when you are at your lowest points as an immediate need when you are getting back into your mental headspace. For example, if your GPS goes off track, you need to re-route as soon as possible. Similarly, if you are having massive anxiety, you need to be able to revert back as soon as possible. Do you walk away, do you grab a drink of water, do you pray, what is it that you do to get your mental health in a certain direction. Do not leave your plan or your program that you developed for yourself. It does not end there when you feel "better", and you can go back into that very quickly. Life is filled with a consistent stream of challenges that may present themselves at any moment.  Belief plays a huge role in mental health.Believe in something that will not be hindered by anything and will always be there for you. Don’t be afraid to tailor your beliefs to each situation, this leaves a lower chance of you repressing something toxic that will relentlessly bring you down throughout your life. Refining the way in which you approach a challenging event in your life will give you better understanding of your psyche and diminish the fear of failure. You will find that you begin welcoming the challenges in life because you are able to find a solution that satisfies the needs of your unique psyche.  Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Research has found that mental health and social interaction have a strong connection with one another.We find that consistent and positive patterns of social interaction boost overall mental health as well as physical health. Humans naturally gravitate towards social interaction. Hanging out with friends, seeing the smiling face of another person, these moments of social interaction all trigger a response in our bodies. It is a central part of an individual’s survival. Research has found that the neurotransmitters responsible for regulating stress and anxiety are typically released during these moments of social interaction.  We find that social interaction plays an important role in boosting and maintaining good physical and psychological health in an individual.When we strip this away, we find the opposite effect. This can be observed in the prison system. Prisoners are removed from society as a punishment for their crimes. The social isolation is necessary for the safety of the community, and we can observe very clearly the effect the social isolation has on these individuals. Most inmates already have existing psychiatric disorders and so they experience an even greater decline in their mental health with the loss of social interaction.  The Impact of Social Isolation on Mental HealthThere was a study done which found that rats would rather have social interaction than drugs such as heroin or methamphetamine. Another study found that individuals who experience lots of social interaction also experience lowered stress levels. Social isolation is directly linked with many mental health illnesses and so we see the importance social interaction has upon overall wellbeing. A marked symptom of depression is social withdrawal. One risk factor we observe amongst individuals who commit mass shootings is social isolation. The effects of social isolation have a negative impact not only on the body but also the mind. Research finds that social isolation was linked to a higher release of cortisol in both men and women. Cortisol is a hormone the body produces in response to stress. If cortisol levels gets too high we  Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
There is much talk over the usage of Artificial Intelligence in Mental Health.We have seen the use of Artificial Intelligence to assist with surgical procedures using image-guided technology. This technology is used under the supervision of a physician, to perform certain surgical procedures which would be more invasive or not even possible without these innovations. These types of Artificial Intelligence technology has also aided in the way medical procedures are taught to physicians, allowing for greater conceptualization of certain medical procedures. Machine learning technology is another form of Artificial Intelligence technology and is now being implemented for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. This technology differs from the image-guided technology and seems to be more applicable to mental health diagnosis and treatment. Artificial Intelligence companies are using machine learning technology to analyze large volumes of objective and subjective data and use this information to make reliable diagnosis of the patient's mental health condition. Many psychiatric conditions are co-occurring and so machine learning offers greater accuracy in the dual diagnosis of the various mental health conditions.  What is also interesting is our ability to analyze large volumes of data is much more practical than how it was years ago.The large volumes of data fed into the machine learning technology, allows for greater degree of accuracy in the evaluation of symptoms. Misdiagnosis is possible if the patient is mis-representing their symptoms and by drawing from a large database of information any outliers will be recognized instantly and not factored into the diagnosis process. The key is to take the data fed into the database and determine what is the most useful to provide feedback to clinicians and to allow for them to make differences in patient lives. For instance, if you give data suggesting to a patient that they are depressed, that won't necessarily help them become "less" depressed. The data needs to help give solutions to the patients and so it plays a role in not only the diagnosis process but also with treatment options. Machine learning technology also offers a cushion between physician-patient relationship. There has been a stigma surrounding psychiatry. Many individuals who are suffering from mental illness have often been stigmatized and felt shame with regards to seeking help. Through machine learning technology, patients experience a cushion between them and the physician, and this subconsciously encourages more truthful recounts of their symptoms from the patient. The patient is less likely to feel they are being judged and so this allows for more effective treatment options. Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Social Anxiety Every single person has experienced a moment of social anxiety during the course of their life. It seems to be a part of the human experience. Social anxiety is defined by feelings of intense fear and panic in social settings. For some individuals these feelings are triggered by specific places and circumstances. For example, a phobia of public speaking is a very common form of social anxiety. We may be perfectly comfortable speaking to friends in a crowded restaurant, but the scenario of speaking in front of an audience will cripple us with fear. A lot of these social anxiety experiences come from the internalization that those around us are judging us in the harshest way possible. That somehow, they have instantly picked up upon all our deepest insecurities. We ruminate on these thoughts sending our body into panic mode. We experience somatic symptoms, including sweating, tightness in the throat, tremors, and raised heartrate. All of these symptoms are the result of a flood of adrenaline which puts us in fight or flight mode. Something to remember is that social anxiety is multi-faceted. The idea of willing ourselves to be more confident when we are in these socially crippling situations over and over again, so that we no longer panic sounds like the answer logically, but it oversimplifies what is actually happening in our minds that triggers the body’s response. It is difficult to regulate this involuntary body response in the moment, so I’d like to share a few things to keep in mind as a point of reference next time you find yourself in a socially crippling situation. 1. No one caresThis is a major root of most social anxiety is this racing thought in which you feel that every single person that sees you is hyper-analyzing you. But always remember this: every single person has social anxiety. Perhaps not every second of every day but feeling nervous is a natural human emotion. Statistically speaking the odds that every single person around you is shredding you to pieces in their minds are very low. And this is because most people are too busy worrying about themselves. So remember, no one cares as much as you think they do. 2. Use others to inspire confidence.This is a game changer when it comes to managing social anxiety. Confidence is a character trait that you quite literally have to build from scratch. There are individuals who are highly extroverted and are seemingly very outgoing in social situations but will tell you they too suffer from crippling social anxiety. How is this possible? This is because confidence is quiet. The loudest person in the room is most likely the most insecure. And insecurity synergizes with social anxiety. We are afraid of being judged and rejected so being outgoing and dominant in social settings blocks that judgement and possible rejection. So how do I build my own quiet confidence from scratch? Use other people for inspiration. If you admire someone, it could be a family member, a friend, a celebrity, use them as your idol. Study all the things you admire about them and borrow their confidence. Next time you are in a social setting, tell yourself that you are this person and you have their confidence. This is that quiet confidence, its internal strength you are borrowing from this person you admire and your body will follow your mind’s lead. Disclaimer: All information, content, and material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.
Our definition of success means a great deal. Having a great amount of support is extremely important for success.
In any goal that is difficult, there is going to be times where you feel down and do not feel that you can accomplish the goal. Without having the kind of support structure that is needed, you would quit. That is human nature. Furthermore, If your upbringing define success as something that wasn't authentic to you, Then you would live your life to please those around you, even though it isn’t true to your own heart. Many families say to focus on financial stability or social respects for instance however if the dream isn’t true to you this will bring heartache and pain in the short and long term. All you can do is do your best. All you can do is align yourself with the best individuals you can and make the most of your time. Life has its moments of sheer stress, where we feel under immense pressure and overwhelmed.The stress we experience may seem like too great of a burden for us to handle on our own. Even the thought of handling it adds even greater stress and so we retreat to easy comforts. Many individuals grapple with procrastination. For some individual’s they work best under pressure. The ability to motivate yourself each day and complete tasks of your own volition may rely entirely upon your personality type, personal values, and lifestyle. If an individual is used to working by deadlines and strict schedules, procrastination is most likely a non-issue in their life. If an individual is used to fluidity in their daily responsibilities, they may procrastinate their tasks regularly. Procrastination is not always a bad thing.We are taught at an early age that we must fulfill expectations that have been established long before we even came into existence. We wake up at the same time, brush our teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, and go to school at the same time. We are expected to complete our homework the night before. Our parents prepare dinner around 6pm and so our life is already structured into a very strict schedule. We don’t get to choose, we simply adapt to the structure and the expectations. And we are constantly being reminded by our teachers, our parents, our older siblings, that abiding by the rules will prepare us for the autonomy offered by adulthood. We spend so much time following rules to prepare us for autonomy. It feels a lot like an oxymoron. And it touches upon the concept of procrastination and how it is not categorically negative and may allow some individuals to thrive. There are many times when we don’t feel like doing much.We would rather watch TV, sleep, eat junk food, yet we know that we shouldn’t be doing these things. We know we should be taking out the trash, doing the dishes, learning more, and being there for our family.
The brief relief from relaxing even though there will be guilt in the future mean so much to us. In a sense, this is the model of cognitive behavioral therapy, and also the model of drug addiction. Some heroin addicts and drug addicts will say that the future version of their selves will take care of a “something”. Procrastination is often viewed as the neglect of one’s responsibilities and this seems to oversimplify the definition of procrastination and the role it plays in the life of certain individuals. There seems to be different degrees in which procrastination impacts our life. It is good to understand that procrastination does not equate to neglect, it is defined as delaying or postponing something. Procrastination is not just limited to responsibilities and tasks, it can also affect emotions and thoughts. Our responsibilities, as well as, our emotions are important and central to our well-being and livelihood. The brief relaxation we get from procrastination is small compared to the sustained feeling of accomplishment we get from doing what needs to be done. How many times do we feel that we’ve made mistakes in the past? We wish we had the wisdom of the present when we were experiencing the past. If we knew what we know now, we could’ve made better decisions, we would be happier and we would’ve spared ourselves so much pain and suffering. In some sense, we wish we had an intuitive and God like vision of how the future would pan out. By knowing what will happen we can ensure not only that we do only good things but also that only good things will happen to us. This regret is an expression of the need for control. We desire to live simultaneously in the past, present, and future. We want full control over how each frame of time will influence the other. The intense regret and discouragement we experience when things don’t go our way is often blamed on a lack of foresight.We believe firmly that the adversity could have been prevented. We believe firmly that the suffering was needless. Our negative present is a perpetuation of the negative past. In our mind we conceptualize life as a math equation rooted in direct causality. However, the variables involved with experiencing life are mostly random. The discouragement we tend to feel from not seeing the bigger picture is misplaced. We plague our minds with the thought that if only I had done a particular thing differently, I would be happier. We tend to hyper focus on the disadvantages we’re facing and attribute them to what we lack, what we were not given, what we didn’t know. It is important to not get stuck into these wishful thought patterns which force us to live in a cycle of self-deprecation. Instead, when we experience a failure, we must respond with gratitude. We must be grateful that the failure triggered awareness in us. That it is teaching us how to attract the success we desire in the future. If we were given direct insight into exactly how the future would unfold and the exact things we need to do in order to succeed, our life would be highly egocentric, and there would be no growth, no discoveries, no progress, and no creations. Our lives are meant to be lived, we have to allow our minds space and encouragement for that experience. The desire to control all variables is what we are taught by our parents and teachers, and this is meant to help us refine our attentiveness and decision-making skills. But with each failure we experience outside of these social teachings, in our personal and everyday lives, we must see these failures as a constant exercise. Life is challenging us, exercising our faculty for anticipation. Life is helping us refine our intuition. Experiencing failure means we are constantly being engaged and strengthening our intuitive flow. We should make the most of our cards, and treat our failures as an exercise to help us build our strength.  There’s something about music that transcends all culture and transcend social norms.Something about music allows for transcend deep thoughts of depression that allows for an individual to feel such a great amount of flow is it a small period of time. It isn’t one particular genre that makes individual feel this way, it’s much more about the overall melody and flow. Different flows of music speak to different people in their own unique way. Yes music invokes a lot of nostalgia, it’s emotive and creates a space where we are able to process our emotions freely and intuitively. It kind of puts our emotions in auto pilot.  It’s a universal language The beautiful thing about music is it stimulates pathways of serotonin that don’t require higher doses of medication. There is something about listening to music that stimulates pathways in unique and novel ways that can help individuals feel great job. The melodies, tonality, chord progressions, lyricism, and production of the music all interact with one another to stimulate different neurotransmitters in our brain as we are listening. Even recalling a particular song will stimulate that same pathway. The stimulation will vary from person to person however the emotion it invokes inside of us and the noticeable instantaneous shift in mood is experienced by everyone. Music creates a space for the brain to process emotion in a natural, intuitive manner. The music isn’t eliminating the negative emotions we experience, it’s rather translating and encoding these emotions into a full body, transformative experience, transcending long held beliefs and barriers that trigger us to repress, music translates the emotion for us intuitively, it bypasses language and our typical forms of expression, it is felt very deeply.  What kind of music resonates with you?Have you noticed that your mood can completely change after listening to a particular song or genre? What do you think about how powerful music is? Why do certain music beats relate more to certain age groups and how other beats relates to other demographics differently?
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