The ABCs to Changing Bad Attitudes

Another great post from our student contributor Samantha Ege...

We’ve all heard that phrase, “I’m sick and tired of your attitude!” I know I did growing up; it’s not pleasant to hear when sometimes you can’t control your own attitudes. Sometimes we all get into that place where everything in our life seems a bit bleak, overwhelming, or just negative; however, we all have tools that can help us change our bad attitudes into positive ones! I keep using this word, “attitude”, but what really is an attitude? Well, “attitude” is a little hard to define in the world of Psychology, since so many variables contribute to it, but a general definition is that an attitude is a way of thinking/feelings/behaving about a person. A common way to explain what an attitude includes is by using ABCs, Affect, Behavior, and Cognition; the ABCs factor in emotion, behavior, and mental processes. Attitudes can be affected by one’s emotion towards an object, how one has behaved towards the object previously, or one’s thoughts about an object. Along with attitudes including behavior, attitudes can predict future behavior as well; behavior is multiply determined by personality, motivation, habit, and ability. Emotions and thoughts guide our behavior, as we probably have all seen in our decisions, but we can also control our behavior, we can control our attitude.

There are a few ways that make it easier to control our attitudes:

1. The first step is the acknowledge that your attitudes are controlled by you; giving yourself power to control your own attitudes puts it in perspective.
2. Redirecting your thoughts, this one is a bit difficult at times; it’s hard to pay attention to everything we think about vigilantly. Keeping yourself vigilant in noticing what you’re thinking is key to this technique. If you find yourself thinking too much about the negative things that are around you, try to acknowledge it and look for at least one positive aspect. Just a tip, keep telling yourself “You don’t lose, you either win or learn”.
3. Be thankful for what you have right now. This technique goes hand in hand with redirecting your thoughts, but sharing your gratitude about things in your life helps you keep your attention on the positive things and in turn changing your attitude.
4. Surround yourself with positivity. Surrounding yourself with positive aspects in life can affect your attitude; by surrounding yourself with positivity can influence you to behave positively. Take a moment and think about the five people you spend most of your time with, now evaluate whether or not they are positive influences on you, and do they help you see the bright side of life? If not, you might want to reconsider whom you spend your time with.
5. Work backwards; since behavior and attitudes can affect each other, changing your behavior consciously can form healthy and positive habits, which will result in a change in attitudes.
6. And finally, setting goals for yourself. Goal setting is a common tool in bettering yourself. Setting a goal to change your behavior or to acknowledge your attitudes can help you change your negative attitudes into positive ones.

We can all develop our negative attitudes into positive ones! It might be difficult at first, but overtime it gets easier. Attitudes are very important in social interactions and self-esteem! Anyone can change his or her attitude; it’s easier than ABC! For some more information about attitudes and behavior check out this article: http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/52/Attitude-Behavior.html

Visualization: Just Imagine

This week we have a another great post from our student contributor Samantha Ege:

If someone asked you the question, “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?,” you would probably think of some sort of career goal, relationship status, or maybe a new dwelling to call home. You might start to think about the ‘hows’; how on Earth are you going to get that job, relationship, or that new home. Obviously one would have to take the proper steps to get there, getting experience, meeting new people, looking in the reality market, but just thinking about it can help you achieve these life goals!

Visualization is a psychological asset in which someone imagines specific aspects of a desire, an object, or even a life goal. We have all heard of the phrase, “Keep your eye on the prize”, well this is true, reminding yourself about what you want in life, or where you want to be, or have, can keep yourself focused on you goal, and help you achieve it. If you’re in a rough patch in your life, for example, maybe you’re sick, visualization, along with proper medical assistance, can help your body heal itself. Visualizing yourself as a whole and healthy human being motivates your body to attain that goal. Another example could mean if you want your own family in the future, visualizing yourself with a happy and healthy family can ultimately assist you in finding that family.

Visualization can help with depression, anxiety, and other psychological struggles as well. Take anxiety, for example, when you’re feeling anxious or feel overwhelmed, visualize yourself in a new setting, imagine yourself in “your happy place”, and those feelings you imagined will ultimately become real. This has been a common tool in Psychology for quite some time, we have all probably heard of “Just find your happy place”, but it does work.

When someone visualizes their goals, the mind takes these desires into account and little by little you start moving towards your goal, even if you do not realize it every time. Visualization can help ease the stress of achievement and can help move us along on the way to achieving our own goals.

If you want any more information about visualization, you can check out the link below: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-dress/201111/visualize-it

References
Baumgartner, J. (2011, November 8). Visualize It. Retrieved September 06, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-dress/201111/visualize-it

How do I deal with what is happening in the world?

Next week we will have another great post from our student contributor Samantha Ege but this week I wanted to address an important issue. It seems as though every day when we turn on the news another tragedy has happened. There are shootings, terrorist attacks, violent crimes, racial issues, and even the election can cause stress for some of us. Just last night I was listening to the debate and listening to Donald Trump discuss the many shootings in Chicago, I felt worried. Many of my clients spend time during their therapy appointments discussing how the stressful things on the news affect them. Many of my friends who have children worry out loud about how these traumatic events will impact their children.

The reason why I wanted to bring this up in the PSYowa blog was to remind everyone that traumas don't have to happen to us or near us to affect us. People can experience psychological distress because of world events and stressful things that they see happen on the news. Even the election for some people may be a source of emotional distress or discomfort. Some signs of psychological distress to look for include:

• Emotions that are more intense then usual
• Mood swings that are out of the ordinary
• Erratic changes in your behavior
• Greater than normal sensitivity 
• Difficulties in relationships 
• Increased feelings of anxiety or worry
• Physical stress symptoms like stomach ache, head ache, or muscle tension 

It is important that if you are experiencing significant distress that you practice self care and seek support when you need it. Some things you can do to practice self-care include:

• Spending time with loved ones
• Physical activity such as recreational sports or exercise
• Talking with others about what is happening 
• Taking a "break" from news
• Doing a volunteer activity or giving back to the community 
• Doing something fun like visiting a museum or going to a movie

 If self-care doesn't seem to reduce your distress and any of your symptoms do not improve or get worse you may consider contacting a psychologist to discuss your concerns. The world can be a stressful place at times but there still are many wonderful things to focus on including making it a better place!

Exercise and Mental Health

We have another great post from our student contributor Samantha Ege of Iowa State University. She speaks some wise words about the connection between exercise and mental health:

In this day in age, it’s very important to take care of yourself, physically and mentally. Throughout our time in school we’ve only learned about the consequences of neglecting our physical health; we can weaken our immune system, develop heart disease, and become more susceptible to high cholesterol and high blood pressure. But neglecting our mental health can have just as severe consequences as neglecting physical health; neglecting our mental health can lead to depression, anxiety, and overwhelming stress.

Exercising regularly can improve heart strength, increase activity and energy level, lower blood pressure and rid of body fat. Exercise triggers your brain to release chemicals in your brain called endorphins; endorphins triggers a positive feeling in the body. Exercising regularly can also reduce stress, alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, and helps improve self-esteem. Therefore, taking care of yourself physically can improve your mental health.

There are a few exercises that are known for helping alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety:

• Yoga
• Biking
• Walking
• Aerobics
• Jogging

You should exercise approximately 3-5 days a week and for at last 60 minutes. Joining a local gym or just going for a walk on your own are some simple ways to keep your body in shape and improve your mental health.

Can We Grow Out of Trauma and Grief?

There have been many tragedies in our world this year. Some have been very personal. Many of us have lost loved ones or had other things happened that have forever changed our lives. Some of the tragedies have been very public. We’ve lost public figures we admire like Muhammad Ali, David Bowie, Prince, Elie Wiesel, and Alan Rickman.  We have witnessed hate, terrorist attacks, and many other terrible things. 

These things often bring us to our knees when they happen. They bring tears, questions about life, and grief. Grief and sadness are normal parts of experiencing tragedy. Some will even experience depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms after a tragedy or traumatic event.

News stories often cover what happens right after a tragedy occurs, but what happens after that? What happens after the cameras go home and we move on with our lives? Are there ever happy endings? The answer is, yes. There is something called Post Traumatic Growth that can even lead to positive growth and change after a tragedy or loss. Richard Tedeschi, Ph.D., and Lawrence Calhoun, Ph.D., psychologists at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte coined the term in 1995 but people have been making come backs from difficult times since the beginning of time. People often learn important lessons in difficult situations and develop a deeper sense of compassion.

Some ways that people may experience growth after a tragedy:

• Awareness of possibilities for the future
• A deeper understanding and value for relationships with others
• Compassion and empathy for others
• A desire to make positive changes in your world
• A greater understanding of your strengths
• A greater value of life itself
• Changed priorities
• Awareness of values
• Increased understanding of the meaning of life
• Awareness of the fragility of life

In Viktor Frankl’s epic work “Man’s Search for Meaning” he outlined the three ways in which people find the meaning of their life; love, work, and suffering. While we would never want to intentionally experience suffering, it is often a part of our lives. It can be a very difficult thing to go through but also an opportunity for growth and renewal.  If you or someone you know is struggling with a difficult time a psychologist can help you to work though some of those issues.

PSYowa would like to dedicate this post to Dr. Greg Febbraro. Dr. Febbraro, an Iowa Psychologist passed away in May of 2016. Dr. Febbraro was a loss to those who knew him, to the psychological community, and to the wider world. He had a very gentle spirit and served the community with a commitment to improving mental health care for everyone. Hopefully those whose lives that he touched experience their own positive growth and continue in his memory to make the world a better place.

References: 

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1995). Trauma & transformation: Growing in the aftermath of suffering. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man's search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. New York: Simon & Schuster.

The Real Deal with Pursuing Psychology

Here is another blog post from our student contributor Samantha Ege. Stay tuned to the Psyowa blog for more great posts from her, our regular editor, and other guests!

There are misconceptions about pursuing a career in Psychology that many people believe.. For instance, when I talk to people about my career aspirations, very rarely do I hear encouragement; I hear more about how Psychology is a “soft science”, even though Psychologists do empirical research of their own, empirical research on phenomena that sometimes cannot be directly observed. I have heard, “Psychology is too much schooling and crippling debt for a small pay-off” in almost every situation regarding my explanation on why I want to pursue psychology. If you are pursuing a path in Psychology you will hear that Psychology students can’t land jobs after graduation, will be victim to debt, and will be surrounded by “crazy people” for the rest of their life. However, these are severe misconceptions of Psychology that are not particularly true.

Although it is true that most careers in Psychology require higher-level education, particularly graduate school, and money to pay for it, the main reason why these misconceptions are so popular are the result of ignorance about what Psychology really is. Psychology, by definition, is the study of mental processes and human behavior; this means that Psychology emphasizes how people think and behave. Furthermore, Psychology is one of those career paths that are often attributed to one specific career, usually counseling. Many people hear incorrect information about how many paths there are in Psychology and conclude that there aren’t a lot of jobs because there aren’t a variety of instances that come to mind.

In reality, there are 56 divisions of Psychology, according to the American Psychological Association, but there are only a few better-known areas that many people think of when they hear “Psychology”. For example, Counseling Psychology and Psychiatry are what most individuals think of for future careers; these fields help others cope with daily hassles and major traumatic experiences. Other more common careers paths in Psychology include Academia, or teaching Psychological theories in high school or higher-level education, and Research, which is the investigation of the world around us
through empirical analysis. Psychology also branches out into the workplace through Industrial-Organizational Psychology, in the schools through School Psychology, and the criminal justice system through Forensic Psychology.

As you can see, Psychology is much more than people make it out to be. What I have seen and experienced regarding Psychology is that it is a field of vast opportunities; there is something for everyone; no matter what your interest, Psychology can be useful. Psychology helps people relate to each other, to understand situations and how to cope with stressful situations, which every human being is vulnerable to. Psychology can help people better understand their world and help understand different opinions, beliefs, thought processes, feelings, and point of views. It helps people expand their horizons and expand their own self-image. Psychology is something that has no restrictions. Don’t let misconceptions allow you miss out on a great opportunity.

If you are someone that is considering pursuing a career in Psychology, you can visit the American Psychological Association website, specifically this link., to explore the 56 divisions of Psychology, or if you want a closer look into future careers in Psychology, you can visit  http://www.apa.org/careers/resources/guides/careers.pdf. Psychology has something for everyone; it just depends on what your interests are.

Good Stress?

In our last blog post our guest student blog poster talked about stress. Most people think about stress as being a bad thing that occurs when negative things happen. That is only partially true. Stress can also happen when very good things happen like weddings, new jobs, the birth of our children, and vacation. A list of life events that may cause stress included in the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale includes marriage, pregnancy, retirement, marital reconciliation, gaining a new family member, change in finances, getting a mortgage, and changes in normal activity.

Stress can even be a good thing. Stress can motivate us to do things. It can help us to prepare for a test or a sporting event. It can help us ensure we are ready for a child to arrive. Stress helps us to meet the demands and accomplish things in our lives. Stress can also signal to us that we are in danger and need to get out of it. Stress might happen if you were being chased by a bear and the reaction that your body has to the stress in that case would help you to get away.

Stress becomes a bad thing when there is too much of it in our lives. Long term consequences from too much stress can include heart disease, weight gain, and depression and anxiety. The best thing you can do is monitor yourself to determine if stress is becoming too much. Signs of this can include:

·         Difficulty concentrating

·         Getting ill more often

·         Headaches

·         Irritability

·         Difficulty with sleep

·         Changes in appetite

If you experience any of these you may want to consider consulting with a mental health professional about how to more effectively manage the stress in your life.

Holmes TH, Rahe RH (1967). "The Social Readjustment Rating Scale". Journal of Psychosomatic  Research 11 (2): 213–8

Understanding Stress

This week we have another great post from our student blogger, Samantha Ege:

            We have all felt stress at some point or another. Stress feels differently for everyone. Stress may cause your chest to feel tight, may make you start sweating, and give you butterflies in your stomach. But stress is not as unfathomable as we make it out to be. Stress is the reaction after excessive strain that results when coping resources become inadequate (Deckers 168), or in other words, stress is your reaction after a traumatic event combined with a lack of coping skills. It’s important to understand the common symptoms of stress so you can pinpoint what exactly made you stress-out and how to deal with it.

            The symptoms of stress can be divided into 3 branches: physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms. Physical symptoms refer to the body’s sympathetic nervous system, or the “fight or flight” response; they encompass the weakening of the body’s immune system (Deckers 169). Being overly stressed can cause you to experience headaches, indigestion, the common cold, or influenza (Deckers 184). Psychological symptoms are the feelings of anxiety, boredom, depression, irritability, and just an overall negative mood (Deckers 170). An individual would be a bit irritable when he or she has a lot of things on their plate. Behavioral symptoms refer to the poor life and health choices that we tend to make when we are stressed (Deckers 171). We tend to over eat and eat poorly, consume excessive amounts of alcohol and drugs, and we lose sleep.

            These symptoms communicate to your brain that you are stressed and that you need to do something about it; knowing the symptoms of stress can help you understand what gets you stressed, which are called “stressors” (Deckers 172). There are many ways to classifying types of stressors, major or minor, short-term or long-term, and distress or eustress, just to name a few. When a stressor is classified as major, it refers to something that occurs occasionally but still has a huge effect on you. For example, a death in the family would be classified as a major stressor. But when a stressor is minor, it refers to everyday hassles, or those annoying things that you have to do every day; for example that annoying coworker at your office, or doing laundry. Stress can also be classified as short-term or long-term, both terms are self-explanatory but can be explained with more detail. Short-term stress or “acute stress” possesses a short duration time and a clear endpoint, similar to the kind of stress that studying for an exam would entail. While long-term stress, or “chronic stress” occurs over long periods of time, for example a nasty divorce. And finally, stress can be defined as distress or eustress; distress is the unhealthy stress that can do sever damage to your body and mind, but eustress is the stress you need to feel when you are in dangerous situations (Deckers 173).

            An abundance of distress, especially, can lead to serious physical and psychological disorders; along with stress weakening the immune system, it can also lead to the development of Acute Stress Disorder. Acute Stress Disorder is the feeling of fear or helplessness to a traumatic event that could result death or injury, within the span of a month, for example studying for GRE for a few weeks and then taking the exam. However if it is more than one month it is classified at Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or “PTSD” as it’s commonly known as. This is the reaction to a stressful situation that results in the person experiencing distressing recollections, physiological reactivity, and social impairment along with avoiding stimulus that reminds them of the traumatic event (Deckers 180). War is a strong example for PTSD, many veterans after months, or even years, of combat experience PTSD when they come back to their home country. PTSD can be very detrimental to your wellbeing.

            There are ways to cope with stress, fortunately. According to the Appraisal Theory, formulated by Lazarus et al, in 1986, we are in charge of what stresses us out, basically. The Appraisal Theory describes primary and secondary appraisal of stress. Primary appraisal is in regards to what the event means (analyzing it), while secondary appraisal refers to how you think you can, or should, cope with it (Deckers 190). In other words, you are in control of how you react to certain situations. Also, there are two main types of coping, emotion-focused and problem-focused. Emotion-focused is focusing on the emotions that you are feeling that the moment of stress and coping in the best way to get rid of those negative feelings; which isn’t the best way to cope with stressful situations. But problem-focused coping deals primarily with fixing the problem that is causing your stress (Deckers 191-192). Furthermore, seeking social support can relieve stress, whether that is with friends, family, or a counselor, social support is very important to a person’s wellbeing (Deckers 193). And finally, according to Pennebaker, expressive writing helps alleviate stress; writing about stress occasionally can help relieve your stress, but you shouldn’t do it everyday because you don’t want to keep reliving the event you’re writing about (Pennebaker 2004).

            Understanding what stress is and how you can cope with it is vital to dealing with stress in the future, and will ultimately lead to a healthy lifestyle.

 References

Deckers, Lambert. Motivation: Biological, Psychological, Environmental. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Lazarus, Richard S., Susan Folkman, Rand J. Gruen, and Anita DeLongis. "Appraisal, Coping, Health Status, and Psychological Symptoms." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50.3 (1986): 571-79. APA PsycNet. American Psychological Association. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

Pennebaker, James W. "Theories, Therapies, and Taxpayers: On the Complexities of the Expressive Writing Paradigm." Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 11.2 (2004): 138-42. Wiley Online Library. Iowa State University. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

What Mindfulness Is Not...

Mindfulness seems to be one of the newest "buzz words" in modern culture. People are taking license to use the word and the concept in ways that it was not intended. A while back, a colleague  posted an article entitled "Is Mindfulness Making You Ill?" As I read the article I became increasingly frustrated with the inaccurate picture the article painted about mindfulness. I wanted to comment in this blog post about what mindfulness is not.

1. Mindfulness is not  necessarily a relaxation technique. Mindfulness can be very relaxing, peaceful, or calming. However, sometimes being present with what is currently there can cause some tension or anxiety. Mindfulness is about noticing the experience we're having in the moment, including thoughts, feelings or physical sensations.If the moment happens to be anxious or tense it doesn't mean you are necessarily doing mindfulness "wrong."
2. Mindfulness is not emptying your mind of all thought. In mindfulness we may focus our minds but we don't change what is in them. We become aware of our thoughts and learn to relate to them in a different way. The thoughts are still there. Our human minds are often busy and that is normal. When we practice mindfulness we often are practicing being aware of  and then letting go of the chatter that is in our mind. We don't try to push it away. The chatter is especially difficult when first practicing mindfulness.
3. Mindfulness is not doing nothing. In mindfulness we often strive to be accepting and non judgmental but that does not mean that we do not address things that affect our well being. Mindfulness often just creates some time and space in our thoughts for us to respond more skillfully then just reacting. So we can choose what we do instead of impulsively acting,
4. Mindfulness is not religious or a religion. Mindfulness can be beneficial for people of all races, religions, genders, and backgrounds. It does not require belief in any specific religion.
5. Mindfulness is not a panacea, a magic pill, or the fix all. Mindfulness is incredibly useful. Research has shown it to be effective at helping with stress, pain, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and many other things. It is not appropriate or applicable to everything though and it doesn't "cure" a problem but helps us to be more aware of it so we can address it. Things like trauma, suicidal thoughts, and severe eating disorders may be still more appropriately addressed with other things. 
6, Mindfulness is not difficult. Almost anyone can learn mindfulness skills with practice. They are not difficult to learn but take significant practice to develop. Much like learning anything or weight lifting, you must continuously practice in order to make progress.
7. Mindfulness is not about perfection. The goal of mindfulness is not to be perfect at it or competitive. It is about being present with our life no matter how imperfect it is. Even the most mindful people I know have moments where the struggle with being present. Their success comes in the form of returning to mindfulness after they have had an unskillful moment. It is the continued returning that is the mark of someone who is developing their practice.
8. Mindfulness is not something that should be taught by someone without their own practice. The best mindfulness teachers are people who have their own mindfulness practice and/or training. It is important that when you are learning mindfulness that there is someone available to help you deal with whatever may come up. Sometimes the best way to learn is in group classes like Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction or in individual therapy.

If you would like to learn more about mindfulness many psychologists use mindfulness in their practices. There are also many websites that offer information about mindfulness, http://www.mindful.org/ is one site that provides a variety of different articles and resources.  


  

The Key to Motivation

We have another great post from our student guest contributor Samantha Ege on motivation: 

Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher in the early 1800s, stated that being motivated was “to be moved into action, or divide on a change in action” (Deckers p.2); motivation has been a popular topic for centuries and is still today. But what exactly is motivation? It’s talked about in schools, at work, and even at home; there are many definitions and branches of motivation, that have many variables contributing to it. Everyone has problems with keeping his or her own motivation, but there are ways on maintaining it.

Motivation is the reason why we do what we do and how we change our behavior. Motivation is how we complete tasks; simply, we need motivation to actually act. However, motivation alone is useless; energy, knowledge, and competence are also really important. Energy is the ability to complete an action, and it has two forms, psychological and physical energy. In other words, you must be in the right mindset and be physically able to complete a task. Knowledge is the “how,” how can you complete a task, and “competence means being capable of performing the behavior necessary to achieve a desired end” (Deckers p.9).

The ability to act is just the starting point, physically acting is where motivation is the most relevant. There are a few models that explain what can cause motivation; the most common way is dividing motivation into two categories; push and pull motivation. Push motivation is your desire to do something, usually by the effect of motives, which are internal causes of motivation; for example hunger. Pull motivation is something (externally) pulling you to do something by the work of incentive, or external causes of motivation, for instance, getting a pay check for going to work. (Deckers p.3).

There is another way you can classify motivation; motivation has internal and external causes. Internal causes are either biological, (the brain and body), psychological (the mind), or environmental (how you view your surroundings). External causes are mostly incentives – as stated earlier - there are positive incentives, that tell you to do something, and negative incentives, that tell you if you should avoid something. There are also environmental effects which is, basically, what is actually in your surroundings, not really how you interpret it.

Unfortunately, knowing how motivation works and what influences us often does not help when finding motivation is a struggle. You have probably had trouble finding motivation at least once, but there are ways to find your motivation again. Usually the reasons why we have trouble being motivated is because of the task itself. The task could be unrewarding, boring, excruciatingly long, difficult to understand, the potential rewards aren’t immediate, or the likelihood of failure is high. There are some ways that you can use to increase motivation.  One way is to visualize yourself reaching potential goals and the other is simply forcing yourself to complete the task. Visualizing the completion of goals and other tasks can help make completing a goal more probable. 

Visualization is a very powerful tool. Many of your favorite athletes may be practicing visualizing themselves winning the game or preforming well on the field. Forcing yourself to complete a task or reach a goal does not sound very appealing, however, once you have completed the task once, each time that task is required it becomes easier. Forcing yourself to complete a task is the most sure-fire way to increase your motivation. If you have ever exercised or went to a gym you likely understand this concept. Going the first time is incredibly hard but each time after is easier. With the right tools and knowledge, everyone can understand how to motivate themselves. If you are having trouble finding motivation or setting goals consider reaching out to a psychologist for assistance. 

References

Deckers, Lambert. Motivation: Biological, Psychological, Environmental. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Hi! I’m Samantha Ege, and I am currently a sophomore at Iowa State University. I am originally from Carol Stream Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and attended my local high school, where I was first introduced to Psychology. Majoring in Psychology and



being a research assistant this semester has opened me up to research and how I can conduct research in my everyday life. Although I am not sure what field of Psychology I was to pursue, I am positive that Psychology is the way to go.

I can't pay attention. Do I have ADHD?

Most people have difficulty with distraction at one or more times in their lives. Some degree of distraction is normal; especially in a world filled with so many wonderful distractions (excuse me while I check my iPhone).

Some people have difficulty being distracted or restless more often than not. For these people this can mean that they forget things, lose things, or are unable to focus on tasks that require sustained attention. Inattention and restlessness can be caused by many different things including: stress, depression, anxiety,  ADHD, head injury, learning problems, and even dementia. Many of these things can cause similar problems so it is important to be evaluated by a mental health professional to determine the cause of inattention. Many people see a psychologist to determine what the source of their inattention is. A psychologist can do a clinical interview and psychological testing to determine what the origins of the inattention are.

There are some indicators that psychologists use to differentiate between ADHD and other problems. A significant number of ADHD symptoms must begin before age 12 and the symptoms must cause problems in more than one area of life (school, home, work). For example, if you are in your 30's and have never had significant difficulty paying attention before but have become unable to focus at work for the last 2 months, there may be another explanation for your inattention than ADHD. Even those who have had longstanding inattention may be experiencing something like un-diagnosed anxiety or depression. This overlap in symptoms is the main reason why an evaluation by a mental health professional is so important. It can help you to obtain the correct diagnosis and decide on an appropriate course of treatment.

In my office I have seen many people who were misinformed about what ADHD testing involves. Many primary care doctors and/or psychiatrists will give parents a questionnaire that lists symptoms of ADHD like restlessness, inattention, or hyperactivity. While these are helpful in screening for ADHD they may not be conclusive measures of ADHD. ADHD testing may vary some from psychologist to psychologist but many times it will include intelligence and/or learning tests to make sure there are no intellectual or learning difficulties, a test of attention and processing, screenings for other disorders like depression, anxiety, and PTSD - in addition to a questionnaire like the one they use at the doctor's office. The benefits of psychological testing for ADHD may include:

• More accurate diagnosis
• Awareness of learning issues
• Awareness of strengths and weaknesses
• Awareness of possible other causes or contributing factors  

If you are concerned that you, a child, or another loved one may be having attention issues contact a psychologist today to ask about ADHD assessment. 

In Remembrance

The Psyowa blog is dedicated to public education and issues that are important to psychology in Iowa and in the rest of the world. This post is both about education and something that is very important to Iowa psychology. Recently, Iowa lost one of its most important psychologists. Michele Greiner of Fairfield, Iowa passed away in November of 2015. She was one of the most influential psychologists in Iowa, especially to early career psychologists. She was one of the most tireless and dedicated psychologists I know.

 When I met Dr. Greiner it was a little over 6 years ago. I had just returned to Iowa to complete my psychology training at a pre-doctoral internship at the Central Iowa VA Medical Center in Des Moines, Iowa. To give you some idea about  the rigor of psychology training for those of you who don’t know, psychologists complete 4-6 years of graduate schooling after their bachelor’s degree, then complete a one year supervised pre-doctoral internship, and a one year post-doctoral internship. I was looking for a post-doctoral internship in Iowa because that is where my family is from. The opportunities at the time were few. I feared I would have to move somewhere I really didn’t want to go just to complete my training. Someone suggested that I contact Dr. Greiner and I did. She welcomed me to psychology in Iowa with warmth that only Dr. Greiner could and offered as many possibilities for me to stay in Iowa as she could think of. With her help I was able to secure a position at the Poweshiek County Mental Health Center in Grinnell, Iowa.

Dr. Greiner headed an effort to create post-doctoral positions in Iowa to both serve communities in need of mental health care and early psychologists that needed training. Her work was instrumental in the creation and continuation of that vision. Because of the requirements of becoming a psychologist and the limited training opportunities in Iowa many new psychologists had been leaving the state. This is a terrible thing because Iowans lack access to mental health services. Of Iowa’s 99 counties, 89 are considered mental health professional shortage areas. Psychologists are an important part of the mental health workforce. Unfortunately, Iowa has a critical shortage of psychologists. Iowa ranks 46th in the nation in psychologists per capita. Iowa has approximately 19 psychologists for every 100,000 citizens which places it lower than the neighboring states of Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, and Minnesota. Equally alarming is the fact that Iowa psychologists are the oldest of Iowa’s mental health professionals. Recent data shows that 53% of Iowa psychologists are age 55 or older.

The post-doctoral program has been a collaborative effort between the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Iowa Psychological Association (IPA), with support from the Iowa Psychological Foundation (IPF) since 2007. As of the fall of 2013, the program had trained 11 psychologists who remained in Iowa providing including myself. If each of those 11 only saw 25 people per week, those 11 psychologists could reach over 14,000 Iowans per year. This program has been instrumental in increasing access to mental health services and keeping psychologists in the state.

Over the six years after I met Dr. Greiner she mentored me through my early professional journey into becoming a fully licensed psychologist and post-doctoral supervisor myself. She helped me through the sudden closing of the mental health center where I worked and helped me as I continued to grow after I left there. I served with her on the Iowa Psychological Association training committee and worked with her on the very project that helped to keep me in Iowa to create post-docs. She set an excellent example for the type of psychologist I aspire to be. She embodied hard work, professionalism, integrity, and humanity. She tirelessly traveled the entire state promoting psychology, training, and mentorship. If it were not for her many young psychologists in Iowa may not be here serving the communities that we do. Her influence has likely touched thousands of lives if not more through her work in psychology.

I wanted to dedicate this Psyowa blog post to her and all of the ways in which her life touched others. I also wanted to send out my hope that we all continue on her mission to promote psychology training in Iowa and access to mental health care for everyone. I encourage all of those who are mental health care professionals to mentor and educate when you can and I encourage all of those of you who aren’t mental health care professionals to give back to the world in your own way. It is a reminder for everyone that there are some amazing people like Dr. Greiner working quietly behind the scenes to make this world a better place.