Transgender Community Turn to Substance Abuse to Cope

Although recent progress in the transgender community has made the group more visible and accepted in the public eye there are still many issues that they face. Transgender people still struggle with the stress of being a minority group and they tend to have higher rates of addiction as a result of that. Substance abuse tends to be a health problem in the LGBT community but transgender individuals have even greater risk factors than their peers.

Although transgender people are recognized with legal rights and protection in the U.S. they are still routinely denied rights in local communities in terms of employment, marriage, housing and healthcare. Because of their lingering status as outsiders, the transgender population has much higher rates of depression and mental illness than the rest of the country. Transgender people experience a greater amount of “minority stress” which contributes to problems such as mental disorders and substance abuse.

Minority stress is a theory that claims health disparities in minority communities exist due to stressors induced by a more dominant culture. For transgender people it can be difficult to live in a culture that is predominantly heterosexual and feel they are under pressure to conform to certain gender identities. They are often victims of discrimination, victimization, harassment and maltreatment that can all contribute to health problems in their community.

Dealing with Stigma and Harassment

In spite of a growing movement to change attitudes about transgender people and their choices, there remains a great stigma surrounding the idea of transgender. A number of anti-trans bills were passed in certain states banning transgender people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Many of these bills were created because of the misguided belief that it would allow dangerous men and pedophiles to enter women’s bathrooms and engage in sexual assault.

In spite of no real statistical evidence of violence to back up these laws, anti-trans bills seek to alienate and further stigmatize transgender people. Ironically, trans people are actually the ones that end up experiencing violence when using the bathroom that aligns with their biological gender. When a man that looks feminine is forced to use the men’s room they may be harassed and abused.

With the controversy surrounding their community they are often socially excluded and treated with contempt. The stigma surrounding trans identity can also make it difficult for trans people to get hired and find stable careers. Because of this problem, transgender people often end up getting involved in unsafe sex work and have higher rates of HIV and AIDS as a result.

Mental Health and Addiction

Because of the many challenges that transgender people face there is a very clear link to mental health and addiction issues that is stronger than any other community. People who are transgender often internalize the negative views that are cast on them in society. As they internalize the stigma they face they can develop issues with depression, anxiety and turn to substance abuse to ease their pain.

In the past transgender people were considered to have a mental illness in the form of “gender identity disorder”. This disorder was recently removed from the DSM as it is no longer considered a diagnosis in the same way that homosexuality was removed by the APA  in 1973. Instead the DSM describes an illness known as “gender dysphoria” which includes emotional distress due to “incongruence between one’s experienced gender and assigned gender”.

Unfortunately, many transgender people avoid getting treatment for mental health or addiction because of the stigma they face. They may expect to experience further scorn or intolerance in a treatment facility and fail to get the help that they need. It is important for transgender people to find a program that will accept them and offer them a safe place to recover.

Recovery for Transgender

Transgender people can find treatment programs that are LGBT-friendly in order to feel more comfortable. By entering treatment they will finally have the opportunity to talk with a therapist about many of the underlying issues and struggles that they face day to day. They may have considerable issues that contribute to their mental health and addiction problems but a treatment program can provide all the tools necessary to heal from the past.

In spite of all the negativity that they face in society, it is possible for transgender people to heal and learn to accept themselves. They can quit substance abuse and work with a treatment program’s employment services to find a safe and accepting place to work.

Whatever problems they have dealt with in the past, they can begin to move forward and live as a transgender person in a supportive environment. Getting involved in treatment and working in the LGBT community can help transgender people to live a healthy, fulfilling life.

The post Transgender Community Turn to Substance Abuse to Cope appeared first on Serenity Malibu.

source https://www.serenitymaliburehab.com/transgender-community-turn-substance-abuse-cope/

Mindfulness and Alcohol Consumption

Meditation and especially mindfulness exercises are often used to treat issues like depression and anxiety, but studies show that it can also be helpful in reducing alcohol consumption. Mindfulness helps improve focus and reduce distracted, anxious thoughts. People often find that a regular meditation practice can cause a number of positive changes and now it may be used to help people struggling with addiction.

Mindfulness is the practice of taking time out of the day to focus intensely and keep your attention on your breath. Paying attention to your breath either by counting breaths or feeling the sensation of breathing in your stomach or nostrils helps tune out distracted thoughts. When thoughts creep back in you simply notice them and return to your breath.

This type of mindfulness practice can help ease anxiety because our thoughts are often what fuel our emotions. Constant worried thoughts or being unaware of your body can cause you to tense up and build anxiety. Feeling and experiencing your breath helps you focus and relax so that you minimize tension.

Changing Drinking Patterns through Mindfulness

People typically drink alcohol for its mood-altering properties. Alcohol makes it easier to connect with people, relax and enjoy the present moment. For problem drinkers however, alcohol becomes something they rely on to alleviate their anxiety and they use it as a form of self-medication for greater underlying problems.

Heavy drinkers often consume a lot of alcohol in a short amount of time and drink habitually rather than being fully conscious of their behavior. Practicing mindfulness will not only reduce some of the anxiety that drives them to drink, it can also make them more aware of their habits instead of being on autopilot all the time. Problem drinkers may not even keep track or remember how many drinks they have had until they have reached a point of excess.

A practice of mindfulness can extend into your daily life and make you more aware of your actions. It can make people more conscious of their habits and less likely to engage in impulsive behaviors. For problem drinkers, mindfulness can have a positive impact on their drinking patterns.

Study of Alcohol and Mindfulness

One study took 68 heavy drinkers and provided mindfulness training to half of them while the other half were taught relaxation techniques. Those who received mindfulness training did not know what the training was called but were simply taught to pay more attention to sensations instead of pushing them away. Those with relaxation training were taught to calm the mind and body and avoid tensing their muscles.

Every drinker in the study was taught to employ whichever technique they were taught whenever they experienced a craving to drink. After a week, those that used mindfulness techniques drank 9.3 fewer units of alcohol than the week before the experiment. Those that used relaxation techniques showed no significant difference in their drinking.

This short term study highlighted the immediate impact that mindfulness techniques can have on a person’s drinking habits. People looking to moderate or quit their alcohol consumption can benefit from using mindfulness.

Mindfulness practices works to reduce alcohol cravings because it provides people an opportunity to break a habitual cycle. It helps people replace one habit with another so that instead of drinking in times of stress, they instead use mindfulness as a coping mechanism. Participants in the study were able to become more aware of cravings and stop themselves from automatically reaching for a drink.

Starting a Mindfulness Practice

For people with a physical dependency on alcohol, mindfulness may not be enough to end their addiction. However, for people who drink heavily and would like to cut back or those who are already in a treatment program, mindfulness can be a useful tool in fighting cravings. You do not necessarily need formal training to begin practicing mindfulness, it is something you can do at home on a regular basis to see positive results.

To practice mindfulness you can find a quiet place where you won’t be distracted and can set aside 10 or 15 minutes to sit. You can sit comfortably and focus on your natural breathing as it goes in and out. Anytime your mind wanders you gently bring it back to the breath.

The key to mindfulness is not judging yourself if your thoughts wander off or you find yourself distracted. The goal is to simply observe your thoughts and bring them back to your breath every time you notice them. The more you become aware of your thoughts the more you can build up your focus over time.

Mindfulness can be a helpful practice to incorporate into your daily routine whether you are trying to cut down on drinking, reduce anxiety or simply handle stress from work. It has both short term and long term benefits that can produce a lot of positive change with regular practice.

The post Mindfulness and Alcohol Consumption appeared first on Serenity Malibu.

source https://www.serenitymaliburehab.com/mindfulness-alcohol-consumption/

Veganism and Vegetarian Effects on Mental Health

There have been a number of different studies carried out in an attempt to find the correlation between certain types of diets and mental health issues. Findings differ in terms of the effects of being vegan or vegetarian on mood and mental well-being. While some researchers find that these kinds of diets can promote more physical health and positive mood, other studies have found a correlation between restrictive diets and depression.

One study about diet and mental health took a sample of 4,000 individuals with a wide range of ages from 18 to 65 to get a broad perspective. Researchers used mental health diagnoses based on standardized clinical interviews that assessed for categories of psychiatric problems. The mental illnesses they tested for included depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and somatoform disorders (mental illness which causes pain and hypochondria).

The researchers examined the rates of psychiatric symptoms over the previous month, year and over the subjects’ lifetimes. A small minority of about 1 percent identified themselves as strict vegetarians and another 4.5% said they were predominantly vegetarian. Within the study the vegetarians were more likely to be female, unmarried, younger and highly educated which are all demographics associated with both meat avoidance and the prevalence of mental disorders.

The results of the study showed that while most of the vegetarians did not suffer from mental health problems, they were actually more likely to have mental disorders than non-vegetarians. The risk factor for mental illness appeared to be higher in all four categories of disorders for both semi-vegetarians and strict vegetarians. According to their findings vegetarians were twice as likely as non-vegetarians to have an anxiety disorder and five times more likely to have an eating disorder.

Connections or Cause and Effect?

Although this study and a handful of others may indicate that there is a connection between mental illness and diet, it does not mean that avoiding meat causes mental health problems. Researchers involved came up with a few hypotheses as to why there is a connection between vegetarianism and mental health issues. They tested whether a vegetarian diet usually preceded mental illness symptoms which would indicate a cause and effect relationship.

Findings from the study showed that mental health issues most often preceded the person’s decision to avoid eating meat except in the case of eating disorders.

Researchers ultimately concluded that there was little evidence suggesting that a vegetarian diet actually causes any mental health problems.

What is interesting about vegetarian or vegan studies is that although people who follow this diet are more likely to have mental health issues they tend to have better physical health overall. They usually smoke or drink less than average, exercise more and care more about the ethics and quality of their food. In this particular study, vegetarians were also less likely to eat fast food than the general population.

In spite of better physical health, vegans and vegetarians have a 15 percent higher level of predisposition to depressive behavior. Vegetarianism is also quite common among eating disorder patients. About 45 to 54 percent of patients seeking treatment for anorexia reported practicing some type of vegetarian diet. However, many studies conclude that a vegetarian diet does not necessarily cause an eating disorder and a patient usually has ED symptoms prior to avoiding meat.

Mental Health Traits and Vegetarianism

It is unclear as to the reason why mental health problems are associated with a vegetarian diet or why avoiding meat may increase the risk for certain mental disorders. Scientists theorize that certain psychological factors such as personality traits which make people more prone to choose a vegetarian lifestyle may also make them predisposed to mental health problems. People who tend to be fastidious about their diet, concerned about health and perhaps neurotic about food may be more likely to have symptoms of depression.

The feelings and traits that drive a person to choose to become vegetarian may also make them them suffer from mental health issues. In other cases giving up meat can be a direct consequence of a disorder such as in the case of hypochondria or an eating disorder.

Anorexic individuals often use a vegetarian diet as a method of restricting or being able to eat less in social situations. For some individuals with eating disorders, their vegetarian diet is a part of their tendency to eliminate and avoid certain foods for fear of gaining weight. Hypochondriacs may become vegetarian because they feel that it will improve their health or believe that meat is bad for them.

There are many different theories as to why a vegetarian diet may be linked to mental health problems. Most research concludes however that the diet itself does not induce any mental health symptoms or cause a disorder to develop. Many vegetarians are able to enjoy the physical health benefits of their diet without any repercussions to their psychological well-being.

The post Veganism and Vegetarian Effects on Mental Health appeared first on Serenity Malibu.

source https://www.serenitymaliburehab.com/veganism-vegetarian-effects-mental-health/

It’s Football Season: Let’s Talk Depression and NFL

Top NFL players enjoy a hefty salary, fame and the adoration of fans but life isn’t always perfect for former football stars when it comes to their mental health. When their careers end many NFL players are left with damage from multiple injuries and issues of depression. Research has uncovered that a significant percentage of ex-players suffer from depression and many even cope with suicidal thoughts.

Many players have opened up about their very serious struggles with depression. Eddie “Boo” Williams, former tight end for the New Orleans Saints publicly shared his story in which came very close to taking his own life. The ex-NFL star laid across railroad tracks awaiting a train to pass over him until a homeless couple helped him and convinced him to get up.

This kind of story is unfortunately very common for retired football stars who lose not only a major source of income but also a large part of their identity when they no longer play the game. NFL players dedicate much of their lives to their sport and when it comes time to retire they are left with very little to fall back on. Their daily routines, financial situation and sense of purpose suddenly disappear from their lives once they quit playing.

Former star running back, Eddie George has said that even though he had his life set up fairly well when he retired by starting some businesses and having some steady income he still struggled with the void he was left with. Someone who has been an athlete their entire lives with a strict training schedule will wonder as George did, “what am I going to do tomorrow?” Without their athletic routine they feel lost and empty.

Coping with Symptoms and Stigma

Ex-NFL players often struggle with clear signs of depression such as isolating themselves and withdrawing from their social connections. Many of them describe a sense of withdrawal from the high of being a celebrated athlete and experiencing the daily adrenaline rush of the game. The feeling of withdrawal and loss can be devastating and many players like Eddie Williams end up wrestling with thoughts of suicide.

What often makes the situation worse for football players is that they feel reluctant to seek help for fear of appearing weak or less masculine. Athletes often must deal with the stigma surrounding depression and for the sake of keeping up with their macho image may avoid getting the help they need or talking about what they are going through.

Football players are often taught to put up a facade so that they don’t appear vulnerable to other players. Help-seeking behavior can carry a stigma for athletes but it is necessary for people who are dealing with mental health problems to discuss their issues. Having conversations about their depression and the things that are troubling them can start the process of healing.

Head Injuries and the Link to Depression

Although football players are strongly affected by issues of identity, finances and losing their routine there are other problems that can factor into their mental health. Recent studies have shown that the multiple head injuries that many football players suffer from can be linked to issues with depression. NFL players often experience several concussion throughout the length of their career and these injuries can have dire consequences on their long-term health.

Multiple concussions can lead to a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that can cause a number of different issues. Repeated blows to the head can cause a protein to form in the brain that spreads and kills brain cells resulting in CTE. The symptoms tend to appear in a patient’s late 20s and 30s often years after the initial head trauma.

Patients with CTE often struggle with maintaining a stable mood and also begin to have behavioral problems as well. They may begin to have issues with:

– impulse control

-aggression

-depression

-paranoia

Later as the disease progresses they may have problems with:

-memory loss

– confusion

-impaired judgement

-progressive dementia

These symptoms have a strong connection with many of the mental health issues that former football players face. Not all retired players suffer from issues with CTE or struggle with depression but researchers have found that it is a common problem.

Because of these growing issues, the NFL has created more and more programs to aid former players who have suffered from head trauma or are experiencing symptoms of depression. More players are also speaking out about these issues to break down the stigma that prevents others from getting the help they need to recover. For ex-athletes the best choice is to get involved in a recovery program because depression can be managed and reduced with the help of professional treatment and therapy.

The post It’s Football Season: Let’s Talk Depression and NFL appeared first on Serenity Malibu.

source https://www.serenitymaliburehab.com/football-season-lets-talk-depression-nfl/