Resources for help in the aftermath of Iowa tornadoes on Saturday 3/5/22

This past Saturday, 3/5/22, a tornado came through Winterset and Norwalk, Iowa causing the death of six people. One more Iowan in Lucas County lost their lives to the tornado also. This tornado is said to be the deadliest to have come through the area in almost 15 years. 

We also know that thousands of Iowans lost power and internet due to the storm and numerous people experienced serious damage to their homes, trees, and property.

On behalf of the Disaster Response Committee of the Iowa Psychological Association, the Public Education committee wishes to reach out with some resources should you or your loved ones need them in the aftermath of this weekend's tornadoes. If you, your loved ones, or anyone you may know were impacted, we are thinking of you and would like to assist you.

Please feel free to utilize any of the resources below!

• Red Cross Virtual Assistance Center
• You can connect with the Red Cross immediately by calling 1-833-492-0094
• There is a "request a call" button on this website where anyone can request a call from Red Cross volunteers trained in behavioral health, spiritual care, and health services.
• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline - 1-800-985-5990
• This 24/7 national hotline provides immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any disaster or COVID-19.
• Additional resources/articles
• Managing traumatic stress: After a tornado - American Psychological Association
• Tornadoes, hurricanes, and children - American Psychological Association
• Tornadoes and Severe Storms - SAMHSA
• Disaster Mental Health - American Psychological Association
• Disaster Mental Health - American Red Cross

For anyone who is experiencing current or heightened distress due to the tornadoes that swept through Iowa this weekend you can also reach out for psychological support to the Iowa Psychological Association at https://www.iowapsychology.org/find-a-psychologist#/.

We are here to support you with education, information, resources, and psychological support!

Staying Mentally Healthy This Holiday Season

Holidays are often sources of joy, connection, and celebration for people all over the world. However, we sometimes forget that they can also be reminders of painful losses and loneliness. Even before the pandemic the holidays were often sources of stress for many of us. With the pandemic impacting all of our lives in many ways, holidays haven’t looked like they used to. We have had to connect with loved ones through nursing homes and hospital windows, we’ve had to Facetime friends and family when we normally would’ve joined in person, and many of us have lost friends and family members who have been an important part of our holidays. For some, the holidays will continue to be very different this year. Dealing with this ongoing disruption in the traditions we hold dear can lead to struggles with our well-being and our mental health. 

 Others may be dealing with a different sort of difficulty. For many, it will be the first time they are rejoining their families for a more traditional holiday celebration. With that comes great joy but also challenges that come with adjusting to spending time with people who you haven’t seen in quite a while. Additionally, families are often made up of individuals with different beliefs, political parties, and viewpoints on world events. This can create potential for conflict and uncomfortable situations often made more severe by holiday stress and large family gatherings. 

Holidays and Mental Health 

Whether you are continuing to deal with a holiday season that looks very different from the one you hoped for or you are dealing with anxieties related to spending time with your family for the first time in a long time, you may be experiencing new or increasing mental health symptoms. Many people have always struggled with “holiday blues” but now more than ever it is something to be aware of for yourself and for those you love. Some things to watch out for include: 

• Changes in appetite or weight 
• Changes in sleep patterns 
• Depressed or irritable mood
•  Difficulty concentrating 
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt 
• Feeling more tired than usual 
• Feeling tense, worried, or anxious 
• Loss of pleasure in doing things you used to enjoy 

Get Help 

If you or someone you care about is experiencing these or any other difficulties with mental health there is help available. Some good resources include: 

• Call your therapist, psychiatric provider, or primary care doctor 
• Iowa Psychological Association Psychologist Finder
•  Iowa Warm Line (844) 775-WARM (9276)
  
• Your Life Iowa Crisis Line (855) 581-8111 
• United Way’s Help Line: Dial 211 
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) 
• SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) 

Coping Strategies 

In addition to reaching out for help when you need it, there are some things you can do to make the holidays less difficult and help yourself to stay healthy. 

    Don’t Isolate 

One of the most difficult parts of the holidays can be loneliness. We can often make it worse because one of the ways that anxiety and depression can impact us is by making us feel like we don’t want to be around others. To top it all off, because of the pandemic many people have to be physically isolated because they are ill or to protect others. Get creative about connecting with others through the phone, video chat and messengers, email, a holiday card, or even an old fashioned letter! 

    Everything in Moderation 

Over-eating, holiday spending, and drinking are some of the biggest sources of stress during the holidays. One strategy to avoid issues related to alcohol is to try a holiday season without drinking, since alcohol can often increase symptoms of depression. There are plenty of tasty nogs sans alcohol. But if you do drink, make a plan to limit it. Same goes with holiday eating and spending, plan your holiday budget and eating ahead of time to avoid stress later. 

    Get a Move On 

One way to offset all of the tasty holiday treats and to improve our mood is to exercise. It can be hard with a holiday schedule to fit it in but it can make a big difference. You can integrate it into your day like parking further away at the store, going sledding and enjoying the snow, or offering to carry your nanna’s packages out to her car! 

    Setting Boundaries 

During the holiday season there are all manner of demands on our time. There can be family dinners, work functions, volunteer responsibilities, shopping, and all of this on top of our regular schedule. It is okay to say no and prioritize your time. Setting boundaries can help you protect time and your health so that you can enjoy the things that are important. This goes for family functions as well. Sometimes it is healthier to avoid a toxic family gathering than to participate. 

    Create Something New 

Many people struggle because Christmas doesn’t look the way it did before. One way to overcome this is to create new experiences and traditions that will be memorable for years to come. They often say that the one certainty in life is change. No matter what we do things always change, and while that is hard we can make positive changes and be grateful for the good things in our lives. 

    Practice Gratitude 

It can often seem like everything is wrong, especially when we are struggling with depression. Depression can impact the way we think. It can help to take time each day to focus on the things in our lives that we are thankful for. It can be something as grand as our family or something as wonderful and simple as peppermint cheesecake. It can help our minds begin to see the good in each day. 

Hopefully this holiday season finds you and yours well, but if not, know that there are people out there who care and can help you get through this holiday season. Have a happy holiday and a wonderful new year from the Iowa Psychological Association.

Iowa Public Education Podcast "Making Sense of Mental Health" is out now!

 Check out the IPA's Public Education Committee's new podcast, Making Sense of Mental Health. In this first episode the mental health of healthcare workers dealing with the stresses of the pandemic is discussed. It isn't just for healthcare workers though it provides some excellent information for those who support healthcare workers but also for everyone. It includes some very useful stress management tips and resources. Click on the picture below to check it out now:

It will also be available on Itunes, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts! 

Self-Compassion

Things have been very scary and anxiety provoking for many people recently. Many people aren't sure what to say or do given all the challenges facing our society. Whether it is dealing with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic or the current protests advocating for an end to police violence and equality for people of color - it can cause suffering in us no matter what your opinion is. Many of my clients report feeling exhausted and not just from a lack of sleep but from emotional fatigue. The issues facing our world often present us with anger, grief, anxiety, feeling unsafe, and many other emotional reactions. We are also having to make many decisions about how to keep ourselves and loved ones safe. Do I go grocery shopping? Should I drive through that neighborhood? Should I send my children to school? And these decisions are far more taxing than the used to be.

Many clients have asked me, what can I do to feel better? How can I ease my own suffering at this time without being dismissive of the important issues at hand? One of my most common answers is "Compassion." Compassion for the world at large but also compassion for ourselves. Many look at me when I say this with confusion asking first what compassion is and then how could they have self--compassion.

Compassion is a turning towards. It is feeling for someone's suffering. It is a desire within us to ease someone's suffering. It is understanding and kindness even when people have made mistakes. Imagine that you've just seen a homeless person sitting on the side of the road at an intersection in tattered clothes in the summer heat. Compassion is the feeling many people get in wanting to ease that person's suffering and trying to understand how difficult things may be for them. Compassion doesn't mean that we don't acknowledge that a person may have made poor choices or mistakes in teh past that lead to their current suffering. It just means we still have understanding and kindness for them despite this.

Just as you can have compassion for others it is important to be compassionate with yourself. Again, it doesn't mean you have to say you are perfect or free from mistakes. It just means practicing kindness and understanding with yourself. It means acknowledging your basic worth as a human being and that you to deserve to be free from suffering.

Dr. Kristin Neff is a compassion researcher and offers several exercises on her website https://self-compassion.org/category/exercises/ that you can try to strengthen your self compassion. A really simple one that she has listed there is thinking about how you would respond to a close friend who is experiencing the same suffering you are and using that to consider how you are treating yourself. It is definitely something to think about. As you move through your days right now, try to keep compassion in your mind and heart not only for others, but for yourself.

Strategies to Manage Anxiety During Covid-19

There are many ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing anxieties for us all. Whether it is because your finances or job are in jeopardy or you are concerned about your health or that of a loved one. We are all faced with different challenges during this difficult time. Some are dealing with full-time parenting and/or homeschooling, some are dealing with working from home, others are dealing with being laid off, and still others are dealing with working on the front lines as grocery clerks or healthcare workers. Many people are facing relationship challenges, financial challenges, and mental health challenges they weren't prepared for. Each and everyone is trying to do their best with all of these challenges but many are struggling. My post-doctoral intern said today "we aren't all in the same boat, but we are in the same storm." And it is true.With that in mind I wanted to share some strategies I have been sharing with clients to help them weather this storm no matter what boat they are in. Here are my top 10:

1. Take care of the basics (food, rest, hydration, exercise) as best you can. Our systems are like a Jenga tower. It is much harder to stay together when the bottom blocks that we base our foundation of wellness on are missing. This may mean resisting the urge to order pizza and sticking with a more balanced dinner. This may mean going for a walk around the block, playing extra with your kids, or using household items to have a workout. Whatever meeting those needs looks like for you right now is okay.

2. Stay connected. Even though we cannot see each other in person it is important to nurture our need for human relationships. Whether that means talking to friends and family on the phone with talk or video calls, using social media to stay connected, using chat rooms or support groups online, or even writing an old fashioned hand written letter to your grandchildren try to do it.

3. Focus on the positive. As much as you can focus on what is going right and not what is going wrong. Our brains tend to form habits and if we constantly think about the negative or what we are doing wrong then that is where our mind will go. If you start to train your mind towards the positive it will go there. A great way to do this is to get a notebook and write down at least 3 positive things about everyday. It can be something as silly as "I am grateful for chocolate ice cream" or as meaningful as "I am thankful to have such a wonderful daughter." Or if you have a family at home you can make it a nightly practice as you go around the table for each family member to say 3 things that they are thankful for the day.

4. Learn something new or finish an existing project. Many of us have more free time, either because we aren't commuting or because we are laid off. If that is the case use the time to learn something new or pick something old up. My mentor recently shared with me that she picked up a needle point she hadn't worked on in 20 years. Since this all started I have learned to embroider, started a sour dough bread starter, and am working on converting all my cds to MP3. Learning something new or finishing a project can give you a sense of mastery and control when things feel a little out of control.

5. Practice self-compassion. We can be our own worst critic. Something the things we tell ourselves can be pretty hurtful. Notice how you are talking to yourself in your head (or out loud). Are you saying mean or hurtful things? Are you giving yourself enough credit for trying or doing the things you do? If you aren't being kind to yourself consider working on practicing self-kindness. Think of it much like a parent loves their child. A parent loves their child unconditionally regardless of what they do. They may not like their behavior but they love them. It is healthy to view yourself the same way.

6. Don't "should" on yourself  A lot of clients I work with are in the habit of saying things like "Well I should be less lazy" or "I should do better." I often tell them to stop "should-ing" on themselves. When you say should you are implying that you aren't good enough or you are doing something wrong. This can create feelings of guilt or shame and a sense of being being good enough. Try to catch yourself saying "should" and rephrase. Instead of "I should do better" maybe try "I am doing the best I can but next time I will try to do even better." Try saying both of those out loud and notice how you feel.

7. Build your coping kit Use this time to gather all the things that are helpful or might be helpful when you are experiencing times of great anxiety. I often suggest that clients get a Rubermaid plastic bin or file box and put items in it that can be helpful in stressful times. Items might include: adult coloring books, bubbles, play dough, music, books, lists of breathing exercises, a call list of people you can call, and you can even look on the web for more suggestions for your coping box. Who knows, maybe a future PsyOwa blog post could add some more suggestions.

8. Remember that you might not be in the same boat as others A lot of the anger and discontentment that I am seeing out there right now seems to arise when people don't consider that others might be in a different situation then them. We all are dealing with different parts of this situation. One person may want to return to life before social distancing because their business is hurting from the restrictions yet another may want to stay in lock-down because they are worried about getting the virus due to a history of cancer. You don't necessarily need to agree with each-other to understand how stressful things are and to practice compassion for yourself and one another.

9. Take media and social media breaks Let's face it. Scary stories sell news. A lot of the time the media is filled with sensationalized stories or headlines the focus only on the negative. I often encourage clients to take a break from the nightly news or consider just using an online news source where they can scroll through headlines and decide what to digest. For some, they need to swear off it all together. Either way monitor how the news is impacting your mental health and adjust your consumption accordingly.

10. Do something nice for others One of the ways that Viktor Frankl, a famous psychiatrist who survived the Holocaust suggested that we could create meaning in our lives even during suffering was to do something altruistic or something in service of others. Whether that is sewing masks for those who don't have them or donating to a local food bank it can help you to feel better and it also helps others. Everyday it has been nice enough we have went for a walk at my house after work and we take a backpack of canned goods to place in the tiny food pantries in our neighborhood. When we walk buy and see that the food is gone, we feel good knowing that someone is getting the food they need and the world seems a little less dark.

Hello Again World and Psychological Testing

The PSYowa blog has been on a bit of a hiatus as we have been working to determine what types of posts may be useful for readers and in what way we can use this blog to better provide public education about psychology. A recent question from a client inspired this post and hopefully it will help others who might have the same questions.

Recently, a client asked for more information about psychological testing because her son's primary care doctor suggested that he have psychological testing to determine if he had ADHD or if his problems in school were caused by something else. She wanted to know why he needed testing and where she could go to get it done. She was curious as to why her primary care doctor couldn't just do it at his office.

Psychological testing involves the use of assessments that are very well researched and validated. Before they are used on the general population, the tests that psychologists use are tested on many other people and are compared to other tests that are already used to make sure they are accurately measuring what they are designed to measure. Licensed Psychologists receive special training about how to give and interpret these tests. Many psychologists have years of training in constructing, administering, and interpreting tests even by the time they are licensed. This is one of the reasons why primary care doctors don't do the psychological testing. They haven't received the specialized training to administer and interpret these tests. They count on psychologists to provide them with an accurate diagnosis so that they can provide the best treatment.

Sometimes people ask me why we can't just ask questions or use a questionnaire to determine if someone has ADHD or other problems. Testing gives us a more accurate picture of a client's diagnosis. For example, someone might check enough symptoms on a checklist that makes it look like they have ADHD (distracted, can't sit still, looses things) but after a comprehensive assessment we find that the attention problems are caused by a specific learning disorder or severe depression. Giving that person ADHD medication would not solve their problem and in some cases may make it worse.

Psychologists often will utilize multiple tests in something called a battery to make sure all the tests consistently support the same diagnosis. For example, one test that is utilized to measure inattention (a symptom of ADHD) is the Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Sometimes individuals who are very depressed may be struggling with inattention related to their depression and score very poorly on the CPT, much like someone struggling with ADHD. Because of this typically we will assess for symptoms of ADHD, depression, and anxiety at the time of testing to rule out any other causes. We also will do additional tests of attention to ensure that the person is consistently having difficulties across tasks and it wasn't just an anomaly that they did poorly on one test.

If you are referred for psychological testing it is important to know what to look for to make sure that you are receiving the best care possible. Psychological testing should only be done by someone who has specialized training and experience in administering and interpreting assessments. In general, you can be sure that licensed psychologists have appropriate training because in order to receive their license they had to have attended a program that provided specific training for testing. Many other mental health professionals do not take specific coursework on psychological testing as a part of their training. They also often do not receive training or supervision on testing that gives them the experience to give and interpret tests reliably. Unless the provider is a licensed psychologist there is no guarantee that that they have received this training or have the appropriate experience.  It is okay to ask your provider what their qualifications are, what experience or training they have, and what types of testing they are using.

Psychological testing can be an important part of the process of receiving the correct diagnosis and receiving the correct treatment. Making sure that you are educated about the process can help you to be able to ask the right questions and receive the best services. 

Dispelling the Myths Surrounding Mental Health

There haven’t been any new posts on PsyOWA recently, but we are back and planning a new series of posts entitled “Myths about Mental Health.” In this series of posts we will be discussing some common myths surrounding psychology and mental health. Because of the stigma surrounding there is a lot of inaccurate information out there. One of the best ways to combat stigma and get people the help that they need is giving them good information. Information really can be powerful.

To kick off the series in this post, I want to talk about the myth that “everything you read on the internet is true.” This myth is especially important right now with all the talk of “fake news” and the potential for social media to spread inaccurate information. I have lost count of how many times I have seen a news story on Facebook, only to find out that it was untrue or inaccurate. There also have been many times I have seen posts about mental health or people with mental health issues that are not true or accurate. It is important to make sure the information that you are getting is accurate, especially when it concerns your health and/or mental health.  It can be dangerous to follow recommendations that are not supported by evidence and getting bad information about your healthcare can prevent you from getting the care you may really need.

Here are some tips to make sure that information you are reading on the internet is true and accurate:

• Look in the article for sources. Articles that present recommendations, research, or facts should cite their sources. This might be a link to another website, the citation for an article, or the name of a trusted professional that was interviewed. Look for these things when you read an article.
• When you see a post check the source. Many articles cite their sources. Sources like medical journals and reliable news outlets are more likely to have accurate information that websites that are based on opinion or not linked to a reliable source.  And even if an article cites the source, don’t assume it is correct. Follow up for yourself to make sure the source is real and cited correctly.
• If possible, read the original source of information. Sometimes when blogs cite sources the author did not fully read the original source and is only providing you with some of the information. Sometimes important facts can get lost when authors summarize other sources.
• Remember there is a difference between opinion and fact and check to make sure when you are reading something if it is based on one or the other. For example, if a blog was promoting a natural herb for the treatment of depression because the author or a TV doctor thinks it is a great treatment, that is an opinion and may not be true. Differently, if a blog cites a study from a reputable source that tested the herb on 1,000 patients with depression and found a reliable improvement, the information may be more factual.
• Ask questions. If you aren’t sure if something is accurate ask the author of the post what their sources are or what resources they utilized. Many times when people are posting inaccurate information they cannot answer these types of questions.
• Don’t repost or share information unless you have checked the validity of it yourself. Just like you don’t want to be reading stories or information that are untrue neither do your friends, loved ones, or followers. Be an advocate for quality information.
• When in doubt “Google it!” If a headline sounds unbelievable or outrageous type the headline into Google. Chances are other people have noticed this too and there may be a news story or fact checking website that can tell you if the article is true or not.

If you follow these tips it is more likely that you will get accurate and helpful information. Follow PsyOWA for more helpful articles on the myths surrounding mental health and psychology, and other great public information.