InTouch with Southern Kentucky July 2020

HEALTH Mental Health does Matter BY TRACIE HORTON ADANTA GROUP CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Every day, it seems there’s some new crisis poised to take over the news and cause anxiety and disruption to our lives. The COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and all that it entails, job uncertainty, racial tensions, riots, and natural disasters are just a few of things we have seen fill the media outlets we are exposed to daily. Information changes and firm answers are hard to find. Conflicting expert opinions and situational analysis are found on every channel, social media platform and radio news station. This overload of information, rumors and often times, misinformation can leave us feeling like we are out of control. Stress and anxiety may make us feel powerless or unable to respond. It’s okay to be stressed. Stress is a normal part of life, and everyone reacts differently to difficult situations. It is also normal to feel stress and worry during a crisis. But, sometimes it all just becomes too much, pushing us beyond our ability to cope. Anxiety and depression beyond what we normally may experience can start to creep in… and no matter what we do, we can’t shake it. We may turn to alcohol or other substances to try to help us cope. Or we may simply become overwhelmed to the point where it becomes difficult to deal with day to day tasks. So, how do you know if you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health problem? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem: • Eating or sleeping too much or too little • Pulling away from people and activities • Having low or no energy • Feeling numb or like nothing matters • Feeling helpless or hopeless • Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual • Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried or scared. • Having thoughts and memories you can’t get out of your head. • Hearing voices or believing things that are not true • Thinking of harming yourself or others • Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting ready for work or school. It’s important to remember that there are a wide variety of mental health conditions that people can experience. Not everyone will have the same issue or experience the same set of symptoms. According to MentalHealth.gov, the list includes: • Anxiety Disorders can cause people to respond with anxiety or dread. Anxiety disorders can include obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and phobias. • Behavioral Disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviors in children that last for at least 6 months and can cause problems in school, at home, and in social situations. Examples include – ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) and ODD (Oppositional-Defiant Disorder). • Eating Disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes and behavior involving weight and food. Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. • Mood Disorders involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuations between extreme happiness and extreme sadness. Mood disorders can include depression, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and self harm. • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder occurs when you have repeated, upsetting thoughts called obsessions. You do the same thing over and over again to try to make the thoughts go away; these repeated behaviors are compulsions. • Psychotic Disorders can involve hallucinations and delusions; schizophrenia is an example. • Suicide • Trauma and Stress Related Disorders such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can occur after living through or seeing a traumatic event, such as war, natural disaster, sexual assault or physical abuse or bad accident. Often, people don’t seek out the help they need because they don’t know where to start. If you are struggling, help is available. Adanta, your local community mental health center provides a wide array of services for the residents of the Lake Cumberland Region. Our outpatient clinics provide behavioral health and substance abuse services and are open Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:00 to serve you. In operation since 1967, Adanta staff are ready to help you work through your issues. To start services, a phone or walk-in screening will be conducted and then an appointment to gather more in-depth information will be scheduled to get your chart opened. During COVID-19, we have expanded to offer telehealth services so you may choose to work with a therapist over the phone or via an app over a smart phone that will enable you to see and be seen by the therapist. We also have a Crisis line available 24/7 to assist you. Adanta accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and many commercial plans. Help is only a phone call away. Call for an appointment today! 38 • In Touch with Southern Kentucky July 2020

InTouch with Southern Kentucky July 2020 | Page 38