Home Court Advantage Many people are probably tuning in to the March Madness Basketball tournament, it is entertaining to watch the skill of these young athletes, their sportsmanship, teamwork, and passion representing their college in this highly competitive tournament draws in many viewers. Some viewers may be placing bets on who will advance to the next level and there are many aspects that go into determining which team has the best chances. One aspect we find in not only basketball but many other sports is the "home court advantage." The Mental StateWhy is it that the home team tends to score more points than the visiting team? You would think that people who are trained at the top level wouldn’t be affected by cheering or noise in a stadium, and would focus on what needs to be done. Home Court Advantage in basketball is described as the sixth man, because it's like having another player assist the team. The sixth man is essentially the crowd cheering on and supporting the home team and this is an advantage for that team. Yet, even the most professional of us are human. Even the best of us are fallible to human shortcoming and emotions.  Using the Home Court Advantage Mentality for Symptoms of Depression & AnxietyWhen a basketball player shoots a free throw and misses it, most players tend to give a high five to the rest of the team on the court.
Missing one point can be psychologically taxing, and the rest of the team is saying, “let it go, this happens, let's move forward”. This logic goes for the home team and for the away team. The home field advantage can be connected to our everyday life. Do you feel that you have home field advantage? Do you feel that your support structure is truly supportive, and wants you succeed? Life is already difficult, and if you do not feel that you have the support that you need to succeed, and feel that you are playing as a “visitor” in a basketball game, then you are much less likely to succeed, or be satisfied, and are more likely to have depression and anxiety, and a host of other mental health illnesses. Find a way to have a home court advantage. It isn’t the number of people in your life that matters, it’s the quality of the support and cheering that matters. Contact us to speak with a mental health professional today!
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 Will The Feelings Pass or Do I Have Anxiety Disorder?We have all experienced anxiety at some point during our life. It is a natural human response especially when we are faced with challenging life events. Worrying about the future is not necessarily a disorder, it may be a feature of one’s personality or it may be in response to the responsibilities that are piling up in our lives. Whether you are a student, a parent, or running your own business, it is natural that anxiety comes with the territory. There is a point where anxiety is no longer a natural human response and instead of the anxiety pushing us towards set goals it inhibits us from accomplishing what we want.  3 Clear Signs Your Anxiety Is Much MoreAt a certain point these feelings of anxiety consume our lives and may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder. There are symptoms that we can’t shake, these symptoms persist throughout our life and stop us in our tracks at any given moment. There are signs that the feelings of anxiety we are experiencing may be symptoms of an anxiety disorder, in which treatment from a psychiatrist or mental health professional is most beneficial. 1. Racing Thoughts & Creating A False Reality
 2. Irrational Phobias
3. Somatic Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder
 Contact us below to speak with a psychiatrist if you feel the symptoms you are experiencing are related to anxiety disorder. You are not alone and we are here to help, call our office today! What Is Telepsychiatry?Tele-psychiatry is the utilization of technology to speak to a mental health care provider or psychiatrist for a psychiatric evaluation or consultation. There are many platforms that are acceptable modes of tele-psychiatry and laws vary state by state in terms of what types of communications can be used to conduct a psychiatric consultation. The telecommunications that qualify for tele-psychiatry include video or audio conferencing, done via phone, laptop, or computer.  It's Now Easier To Connect With A PsychiatristTele-psychiatry is convenient in and of itself. You are able to discuss sensitive topics with your psychiatrist using the ease and comfort of technology. This is helpful, especially for individuals suffering from certain psychiatric disorders that make social interaction difficult, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and social phobia disorders. It is nice that technology is able to provide an extra layer of insulation from the symptoms of these disorders an individual may be struggling with. Many psychiatry practices operate during standard business hours of Monday through Friday, typically 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. It is rare to get psychiatric consultations outside of these hours, unless you search very hard. This can be problematic if you work during these same hours which most people do. It would be ideal to see your psychiatrist on a day off, maybe on the weekend, or after you get out of work during the week. It would be even more convenient if you were able to have a consultation with your psychiatrist “remotely” via phone, laptop, or computer. Just go home after work, get settled in and start your appointment, no waiting rooms, you are in the comfort of your own home. Most people don’t take a day off from work to get an oil change. An oil change is very necessary, but we often find ways to work it into our schedule, either going before work, finding something on the weekend, for those that are really ambitious, going on a lunch break.  Laws Surrounding Tele-PsychiatryThe introduction of tele-psychiatry feels like a figment of the future of psychiatry practice and in a sense, it is, but it also isn’t. Telemedicine has been around for a little over ten years. Legislature has limited the access patients may have to these kinds of psychiatric treatments and with understandable reason, the convenience of such psychiatric services carves avenues for potential abuse, and so legally speaking, it has been heavily regulated.
However, with rapidly changing legislature, it is being reformed and allowing patients greater access to psychiatric care. The Ryan Haight Act enacted by the federal government in 2008, required physicians to conduct at least 1 in-person psychiatric consultation before prescribing controlled substances to patients. However, just recently a new federal law was signed into effect that would no longer require the in-person consultation. The Special Registration for Telemedicine Act of 2018 would allow psychiatrists to prescribe controlled substances via tele-psychiatry services only, no in person consultation required, so long as that psychiatrist registered with the DEA. The DEA will work to finalize the law by October 24, 2019. This means expansion of tele-psychiatry services. Patients suffering from mental illness may now have greater access to consulting with a psychiatrist. Legislature for the access of tele-psychiatry services vary from state to state, so if this is something you would be interested in, please contact our office to learn more. We want to connect you with a provider. Our mental wellness is just as important as our physical health. Let us help you, contact us today. Practicing empathy is a simple way to add value to your life. Empathy enhances a person’s:
Empathy also improves a person’s social value. People are typically highly motivated and inspired by empathetic individuals. Think of the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Jesus Christ. These are iconic figures we strongly associate with good. As a society we look up to these figures as people who changed the world with their philosophies and actions. All these figures displayed strong empathetic traits. Empathetic people are considered leaders that we trust not fear, people we turn to for guidance and support, people who add value to our lives and the world.  Empathy & Mental HealthMental health disorders such as Depression, Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), may reduce our sense of empathy. Life comes with its fair share of challenges each day and this makes it difficult to be anchored into an empathetic state of mind consistently. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and feel what another person experiences. Empathetic people are able to tap into a wide range of emotions and are able to take on a different perspective with ease. This is effective in managing stress and finding satisfaction in one’s life. What can help us develop this mind state? Active Listening
Encouraging Others
 Acts of Kindness
Alone Time
Connection to Nature
 Being the Peacemaker
Self-Improvement
Practice Honesty
 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. Contact us below to speak with a psychiatrist for any concerns regarding depression, anxiety, or other disorders. You are not alone, we want to help. Struggles in LifeWe all manage the challenges we face in life differently. There are therapeutic powers to be found in our daily lives that we often engage in, in order to naturally alleviate and cope with our life challenges. There are professional services for more debilitating mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder. It is important to receive professional psychiatric and psychotherapeutic care for these types of disorders because they affect us in a much more disabling and persistent way than everyday life challenges. Life challenges, such as getting a bad grade, making a mistake at work, having a disagreement with a friend, these experiences naturally cue fluctuations in our mood.  Negative Moods Linked To Depression and AnxietyThere is a range of negative moods we experience. The spectrum of these negative emotions can be condensed into 3 categories:
When we experience a fluctuation in mood that leads us into a negative emotion from any of the categories above, naturally we find things in life to help us cope with these negative emotions. Looking beyond obvious coping methods, such as, medications, drug and substance use, sleeping, binge eating, let’s take a closer look into these therapeutic powers.  Examples of coping mechanisms that many use to starve off depressionTherapeutic Powers :
 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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