March is national developmental disabilities awareness month. This month we can advocate for this population by improving our understanding and interactions.

A developmental disability is a “severe and chronic disability that begins any time from birth-age 21 and is expected to last for a lifetime.” These disabilities can be based cognitively, physically, or both. Individuals who are affected by developmental disabilities may have challenges with their communication, mobility, and ability to care for themselves independently. Stark County Developmental Disabilities Board approximates that there are about four million Americans who have developmental disabilities.

As referenced in the DSM-5, these diagnoses include: Intellectual Disabilities, Communication Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Specific Learning Disorder, Motor Disorders. Physical conditions include: Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, and Down Syndrome and many others.

Individuals with developmental disabilities were not always advocated for. Prior to the 19th century, these individuals were treated unfairly and placed in poor and unhygienic environments. Advocates and reformers began to fight for the rights of individuals and work to understand treatment methods. Unfortunately, this led to the institutionalization of many which segregated this population from others. In 1987, after a fight to deinstitutionalize, Ronald Reagan declared March the month for National Developmental Disabilities Awareness.

Are you wondering how you can be an advocate, increase your support, or become more knowledgeable about this population? There are many ways we can all work to increase awareness:

• Volunteer in your community
• Adopt a “People first language.” This involves putting a person first instead of their disability. Affirmative phrases are also great ways to be people first. An example would be “person who is blind” rather than “she’s blind.”
• Avoid words such as: unfortunate, afflicted, victim, dumb, defective, not normal, the disabled, the handicap.
• Utilize common sense when interacting with others. Aka-treat others the way you would like to be treated
• If you don’t know what to do, ASK. We each know ourselves best and sometimes it is hard to know what to call someone or to know what they need. When in doubt, utilize compassionate language to ask an individual their preferences.

National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

Every year about two million Americans engage in self-harming behavior. Self-harm is the purpose of harming oneself including behaviors of skin carving, self-medicating, and abnormal scratching. Individuals who engage in self-harm are three-and-a-half times more likely to attempt suicide. It is important to recognize the warning signs of those who are self-harming. These can include isolating behaviors, feelings of hopelessness, lack of self-care, and changes in normal activity or communication. Individuals who have these behaviors can be experiencing depression, anxiety, challenging environments, and many other circumstances.

National Today, reports there are 5 important aspects to know about self-harm:

1. It’s not an accident- it is purposeful and for a reason
2. It’s not about getting attention- Individuals who engage in this behavior are going through significant emotional distress which can be a very private experience. Therefore, the behavior is not typically displayed in a public manner.
3. Anyone can do it-This behavior is not limited to any one population. Anyone who experiences significant distress in their lives is at risk.
4. It’s more mental than physical- The psychology behind self-harm frequently stems from releasing tension to obtain more control and feeling in one’s life.
5. It’s not necessarily about suicide-Although suicide is closely associated with self-harm, self-harm can be a standalone behavior unrelated to suicidal ideation or intent.

Are you wondering how you can be an advocate, increase your support, or become more knowledgeable about this population? There are many ways we can all work to increase awareness, such as, but not limited to:

• Wear an orange ribbon, a butterfly on your wrist, or a beaded bracelet to encourage awareness (orange represents hope for a misread problem)
• Simple acts of kindness can go a long way. They let someone know they are loved are cared for.

World Bipolar Day
(March 30th)

World Bipolar Day is an opportunity to advocate and support those who have been diagnosed or those who know someone with a bipolar disorder. It is also an opportunity to end the social stigma for this population of people who have historically been outcasted.

The DSM-5 has multiple diagnoses that define Bipolarity including Bipolar I, Bipolar II, and Cyclothymic. Bipolar I disorder criteria require an individual to have at least one manic and one depressive episode in their life. Bipolar II disorder requires a depressive episode and a hypomanic episode. Cyclothmic disorder is reserved for those who experience hypomania and depressive episodes for two years without meeting other diagnostic criteria. Mania is typically defined as increases in energy, activity, and risk-taking behaviors whereas depression includes periods of feeling down and a lack of energy. Hypomanic episodes are mild to moderate and only last about 4 days whereas manic episodes can last for a week or longer and are clarified as severe.

Did you know that World Bipolar Day is celebrated on the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who was suspected to have had a bipolar disorder? Vincent Van Gogh was a very accomplished artist in the mid 1800s. His legacy highlights how those with Bipolar disorders can contribute to this world in positive ways.

Common treatment approaches include CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness. A combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmaceuticals has also been reported to be beneficial.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact the universal crisis hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Other resources for Bipolar related disorders include:

• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
• DBSA support groups (The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance)
• Follow this link for more specific and regional resources Resources – International Bipolar Foundation

Citations:

1. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition. (2017). American Psychiatric Association.
2. About developmental disabilities. About Developmental Disabilities | Stark DD (2021) Retrieved February 8, 2022, from  http://starkdd.org/community/about-dev-diabilities/
3. History of national developmental disabilities awareness month. (2017-2022). NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AWARENESS MONTH -March 2022 – National Today. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from http://nationaltoday.com/national-developmental-disabilities-awareness-month/
4. Person first and identify first language. (n.d.). AskEARN | Person First and Identity First Language Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://askearn.org/page/people-first-language#:~:text=Below%20are%20just%20a%20few%20examples%20of%20the,Deaf%20and%20dumb%20%2011%20more%20rows%20
5. Self-injury Awareness Day-March 1, 2022. (2017-2022). SELF-INJURY AWARENESS DAY – March 1, 2022 – National Today Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://nationaltoday.com/self-injury-awareness-day/
6. World Bipolar Day-Strength for today, hope for tomorrow. (n.d.). About WBD – World Bipolar Day Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.worldbipolarday.org/about-wbd.html
7. International Bipolar Foundation (n.d.).  Bipolar FAQs – International Bipolar Foundation (ibpf.org). Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://ibpf.org/learn/education/bipolar-faq/

Teen dating violence (TDV) can have a deep impact on health, opportunity, and well-being that can last a lifetime. While the thought of your child, friend, sibling, or acquaintance can be daunting, there are some things that may be helpful to know. TDV can show different warning signs but, thankfully, can be prevented if you know what you’re looking for.

First, how would you define “dating violence?” What teens may consider harmless behaviors may develop into more dangerous actions. According to the CDC, teen dating violence can involve:

• Physical violence is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using another type of physical force.
• Sexual violence is forcing or attempting to force a partner to take part in a sex act and or sexual touching when the partner does not or cannot consent. It also includes non-physical sexual behaviors like posting or sharing sexual pictures of a partner without their consent or sexting someone without their consent.
• Psychological aggression is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and/or exert control over a partner.
• Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a partner that causes fear or concern for one’s own safety or the safety of someone close to the victim” (CDC, 2021).

The statistics are quite startling as well. Data from CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey indicate that:

• Nearly 1 in 11 female and approximately 1 in 14 male high school students report having experienced physical dating violence in the last year.
• About 1 in 8 female and 1 in 26 male high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in the last year.
• 26% of women and 15% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 18.
• Some teens are more susceptible than others, specifically if they belong to certain minority groups including sexual minority groups as well as racial/ethnic minority groups (CDC, 2021).

Victims of teen dating violence are more likely to experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, substance use, engage in antisocial behaviors (i.e., lying, theft, bullying, hitting, etc.), or thinking about suicide than their peers. What can we do to help teens not only recognize unhealth relationship behaviors, but foster an environment where healthy relationships are the norm?

• Teach your children about what a healthy relationship looks like
• Involve others in your family, friend group, and community
• Be aware of modeled behavior in yourself, the peers, and the media your child is choosing to engage with
• Advocate for safe conditions in multiple environments: school, work, neighborhoods, extracurricular activities, school clubs, etc.
• Support victims: seek treatment and support from trauma centers or those specialized to work with victims of intimate partner violence, educate first responders and law enforcement, provide teachers with training to identify red flags, etc.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 5). Preventing teen dating violence |violence prevention|injury Center|CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 19, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html

National Eating Disorder Week (February 21-27, 2022)

This year, from February 21st through the 27th, we come together as a country to bring support, awareness, and hope to those struggling with eating disorders. In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lives. (NEDA, 2022).

Eating disorders can account for a large array of symptoms and can fall into any of the following:

• Anorexia Nervosa – characterized by weight loss, or lack of appropriate weight gain in children) that include difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature which can accompany poor body image in many individuals.
• Bulimia Nervosa – characterized by a cycle of binge eating and followed by compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to “undo” or compensate for the effects of their binge eating.
• Binge Eating Disorder – characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short period of time. The individual can feel out of control during the binge and experience shame, distress, or guilt afterwards but does not use compensatory measures to counteract the binge eating. This is the most common eating disorder in the United States.
• Pica – persistent eating items that hold no nutritional value like hair, dirt, and paint chips.
• Rumination Disorder – characterized by the regurgitation of food that occurs for at least 1 month. The regurgitated food may be re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out.
• Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder – previously referred to as “selective eating disorder,” this is characterized by the individual limiting the amount and/or types of food consumed but does not include the distress about body shape or size, or fears of “fatness.”
• Other Specified or Unspecified Eating Disorder – this eating disorder is usually reserved for instances where symptoms of an eating disorder are present, but do not meet the full criteria of any of the disorders in the feeding and eating disorder diagnostic criteria class.

Eating disorders do not discriminate and can affect people from all walks of life regardless of gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, body shape, or weight. Due to there being no definitive known cause for eating disorders, there can be a lot of mystery and misconceptions about them. Here are some common myths:

• Myth #1: Eating disorders are a choice
  • Busted: Eating disorders are not a choice. They’re a complex medical and psychiatric illness that is not chosen due to the many bio-psycho-social factors that are involved. There are even genetic markers which show that biological factors can be important when determining the influence of an eating disorder. Societal factors, physical illness, childhood teasing, bullying, other mental health conditions, and family history all contribute to the prevalence of eating disorder
• Myth #2: Eating disorders aren’t that serious
  • Busted: Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. Potential health consequences of eating disorders include heart attacks, kidney failure, osteoporosis, and electrolyte imbalances
• Myth #3: Eating disorders are a “girl thing.”
  • Busted: Eating disorders affect anyone! It’s true, eating disorders are more common among females, but there is a growing number of male and non-binary individuals who are seeking help for eating disorders as well. According to a study from the CDC conducted in 2007, 1/3 of all eating disorder patients are male.

For more resources, please visit:
nationaleatingdisorders.org

Be a source of support.

The National Institute of Mental Health provides 5 steps that you can take:

1.      Ask the direct question: “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” Doing so, will not increase suicide thoughts or suicides.

2.      Help keep them safe by reducing access to lethal items or places.

3.      Be present to listen and acknowledge their feelings. Research suggests that doing so may reduce suicidal thoughts.

4.      Help them connect to sources of support. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK (8255)) and the Crisis Text Line number (741741) are helpful resources to keep saved in your phone.

5.      Stay connected and follow-up. Studies have shown that doing so reduces suicide deaths.

Reach out.

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing the warning signs it is important to reach out to a trained professional. Our clinicians at Wellness Grove are here to help.

We also work with individuals who have attempted suicide, and those who are survivors of suicide. You are not alone.

Join the movement.

The National Alliance on Mental Health provides images and graphics that you can use on your social media accounts and website. Use #SuicidePrevention or #Together4MH

Share this newsletter with someone else.

https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention

https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events/Suicide-Prevention-Awareness-Month