Spirituality May Boost Mental Health

Posted on August 22, 2016 by JmaC

Forgiveness emerged as the most telling trait among people in five religions.

THURSDAY, Aug. 23, 2012 (HealthDay News) — Spirituality can be uplifting for your mental health, according to a new study.

University of Missouri researchers examined the results of three surveys that asked Buddhists, Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Protestants about their personalities, levels of spirituality and physical and mental health.

Among people in all five faiths, a greater degree of spirituality was associated with better mental health — specifically lower levels of neuroticism and greater extraversion. After considering personality variables, the researchers concluded that forgiveness was the only spiritual trait predictive of mental health.

The study recently appeared in the Journal of Religion and Health.

Spirituality may help people’s mental health by reducing their self-centeredness and developing their sense of belonging to a larger whole, said study co-author Dan Cohen, an assistant teaching professor of religious studies.

“In many ways, the results of our study support the idea that spirituality functions as a personality trait,” Cohen said in a university news release. “With increased spirituality, people reduce their sense of self and feel a greater sense of oneness and connectedness with the rest of the universe. What was interesting was that frequency of participation in religious activities or the perceived degree of congregational support was not found to be significant in the relationships between personality, spirituality, religion and health.”

“Our prior research shows that the mental health of people recovering from different medical conditions, such as cancer, stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, appears to be related significantly to positive spiritual beliefs and especially congregational support and spiritual interventions,” Cohen said. “Spiritual beliefs may be a coping device to help individuals deal emotionally with stress.”

The relationship between spirituality and health could prove helpful in health care, the researchers suggested. For example, treatments and rehabilitation programs could be tailored to accommodate a person’s spiritual beliefs.

Although the study found an association between spirituality and mental health, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

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Finding Help for Mental Health Issues

Posted on August 22, 2016 by JmaC

If you’re feeling down most of the time and find yourself withdrawing from social activities, you may be facing mental health issues. It may be hard to reach out for help, but you may need emotional support to get better.

It’s normal to feel stressed or anxious every now and then. But if you’re sad and depressed for extended periods of time and don’t feel that you’re getting better, you may be experiencing a mental health issue and need emotional support from a professional.

Some of the first signs to look for include constant fatigue and lack of motivation to get things done, says Vivien Wolsk, PhD, a clinical psychologist and dean emeritus of the Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training in New York City.

Though mental health issues, such as depression, bipolar disorders, and anxiety disorders, have different symptoms and treatments, some signs may overlap. Telltale changes in your behavior and outlook to be aware of include:

  • Overeating or eating too little
  • Sleeping too much or sleeping too little
  • Withdrawing socially — avoiding friends and family
  • Having trouble concentrating
  • Experiencing mood swings — feeling very energetic and sharp one day and crashing the next
  • Experiencing an addiction — doing something to escape, whether it’s sex, drugs, food, or alcohol
  • Having thoughts of suicide
  • Denying problems that are obvious

A marked change of behavior, especially in children, can be a sign of mental illness. Parents may notice that their child doesn’t want to go to school anymore or that grades aren’t as good as they used to be, Wolsk says. Persistent nightmares in children may be another sign.

On the other hand, Wolsk cautions, some of these symptoms could be signs of a physical problem. If you’re experiencing tiredness or anxiety, the first thing you should do is get a medical checkup. “Sometimes psychiatric symptoms can be part of a thyroid or other physical condition,” she says.

Overcoming Reluctance to Seek Treatment

If your doctor gives you a clean bill of health and symptoms persist, you should consider getting mental health treatment. However, many people are reluctant to do so for a variety of reasons.

One is the fear of what other people will think. “There’s a stigma for some,” says Marion Jacobs, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist in Laguna Beach, Calif., and author of Take-Charge Living. People are afraid that if they seek mental health treatment others will see them as “crazy.” But mental health issues are nothing to be ashamed of — as many as 54 million Americans live with emotional disorders each year.

If you’re avoiding mental health treatment, learning the truth behind common excuses may help change your mind:

  • You don’t think you need it. You might believe that you can deal with your problems on your own by buying books, or going on the Internet and participating in interactive therapy sites. “There are things that you can do — exercises and programs — but for someone who really needs the help, they’re not a substitute,” Jacobs says.
  • You’re afraid of what you might learn. “People say, ‘I feel miserable, but I don’t want to go poking around because I don’t know what I’m going to find,'” Jacobs explains. However, uncovering your issues should make them easier to deal with.
  • You’re worried about the cost. If you don’t have insurance or if you have a deductible and out-of-pocket costs, you may worry about the expense of therapy sessions or medications. Depending on where you live, your county may offer low-cost clinics or other mental health programs that can help you. Also, check with your insurance provider about your coverage. Often going to in-network health professionals is less costly than seeing a therapist who is out-of-network.
  • You’re worried counseling will go on indefinitely. “Much therapy is geared for short-term help and won’t necessarily be a long-term deal,” Jacobs says.

Finding the Right Match

Once you make the decision to seek mental health treatment, the next step is to find a therapist who can provide the emotional support you need and who is experienced with the condition you have. For instance, some mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder, may require medication. In that case, Jacobs says, you may need to seek a psychiatrist.

These guidelines will help you find a therapist you’ll feel comfortable working with:

  • Be patient. The first therapist you speak to may not be the right one for you. Take your time and you are more likely to find a good match.
  • Ask questions. “I would encourage people to do a short interview with the therapist on the telephone or via e-mail and see if you like the attitude you get,” Jacobs says. “If the therapist isn’t willing to be interviewed over the telephone, what does that tell you?”
  • Review the therapist’s Web site. “The way people describe themselves on their site tells you a lot,” Jacobs says. “It will give you a flavor of how they talk about themselves and their work.”
  • Get trusted referrals. Your family physician, especially if he knows you well, is likely a good resource. Others who may be able to make referrals are your school counselor, your clergy, and local chapters of mental health organizations.

By seeking help and emotional support, you will be able to address mental health issues more successfully. A professional will help you understand your illness and offer better ways to cope with it and conquer it.

 

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Debt Linked to Mental Health Problems

Posted on August 22, 2016 by JmaC

People in debt are three times more likely to have a mental health problem than those not in debt, according to new research led by the University of Southamptom. With levels of debt increasing in the recent years, in light of the economic recession and fiscal instability. Researchers from theUniversity of Southampton, along with a researcher from Kingston University, carried out a review on all previous research, which looked at the relationship between health problems and unsecured debt.

The results, published online in Clinical Psychology Review, showed that those in debt were more than three times more likely to have a mental health problem as those who were not in debt. 

Less than nine percent of participants with no mental health problems were in debt, compared to more than a quarter of participants being in debt and with a mental health problem.

The team found that those in debt were also more likely to suffer from depression, drug dependence and psychosis and the results also suggest that those who die by suicide are more likely to be in debt.

Dr Thomas Richardson, Clinical Psychologist from the University of Southampton who led the research, comments: “This research shows a strong relationship between debt and mental health; however it is hard to say which causes which at this stage. It might be that debt leads to worse mental health due to the stress it causes. It may also be that those with mental health problems are more prone to debt because of other factors, such as erratic employment. Equally it might be that the relationship works both ways. For example people who are depressed may struggle to cope financially and get into debt, which then sends them deeper into depression.

“Debt advisors should consider asking about mental health when speaking to members of the public. Similarly mental health professionals should ensure they ask about whether their patients are in debt. Further research is now needed to show exactly how debt leads to poor mental health, so that interventions can be designed to try and prevent those in financial trouble developing mental health problems and vice versa.”

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Physical Ailments Take Toll on Mental Health

Posted on August 22, 2016 by JmaC

People with severe or chronic illness have much higher odds of needing psychiatric care.

TUESDAY, July 24, 2012 (HealthDay News) — People with physical health problemsranging from back pain to cancer are three times more likely to seek mental health care than those without such woes, a new study finds.

“The interplay between our physical and mental health has long been suspected,” lead author Jangho Yoon, a health policy economist who specializes in mental health policy issues at Ohio State University in Columbus, said in a university news release.

“When I have back pain, I feel stressed. And if it impacts my ability to work or to do my usual activities, then I can feel upset or even a bit depressed,” he said. “But no large-scale studies existed that showed the statistical proof of this correlation.”

The findings may also highlight the need for better coordinated care between those who provide care for physical and mental health issues, Yoon’s team said.

The study looked at data from more than 6,000 adults who took part in the 2004 and 2005 U.S. Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys. None of the participants had previously reported a physical or mental health condition.

Even after omitting people with catastrophic physical conditions such as cancer, stroke and heart attack, the researchers still found that people with physical health issues were three times more likely to seek mental health care.

They also found that people who perceived their physical ailments to be severe were more likely to seek mental health care.

The study was published online recently in the journal Health Services Research.

Yoon believes that a simple screening survey may help doctors assess patients and direct them to mental health treatment if they require it.

That type of initiative would be “a win-win,” Yoon said. “There is a chance of cost savings in our medical system if we identify potential mental health problems early, before they become more severe.”

“More importantly, coordinated care and early intervention leads to better health outcomes, and better care for the patient,” he added.

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OIG: Mental Health Centers Need Scrutiny

Posted on August 22, 2016 by JmaC

Inspector general wants more regulation for flawed centers.

WASHINGTON — WEDNESDAY, Aug. 22, 2012 (MedPage Today) — Most community mental health centers employ at least one questionable billing practice, a government report has found.

More than half of community mental health centers (52 percent) were found to have employed at least one of nine predetermined questionable billing practices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) found in a report released Tuesday. About a third of the 195 centers (35 percent) it reviewed exceeded thresholds for unusually high billing in at least two of the nine areas.

The OIG report focused on the centers’ practices in billing for partial hospitalization programs. Medicare Part B reimburses community mental health centers for providing such programs, which are intense, structured outpatient mental health treatment programs.

To combat possible billing fraud, the OIG recommended that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increase monitoring of the mental health centers’ billing and fraud prevention, take appropriate action against questionable billing, finalize proposed conditions of participation, and enforce the requirement that certifying doctors be listed on partial hospitalization program services claims.

Enforcing the requirement that physicians be listed on the claims “provides additional information for CMS to use to verify whether the [partial hospitalization program] services billed were medically reasonable and necessary,” the report stated.

CMS has already agreed with all of the OIG’s recommendations, the report said.

In 2010, 206 centers received $218.6 million for providing partial hospitalization services to 25,000 Medicare beneficiaries. In 2011, four community mental health center owners and managers were convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare for roughly $200 million for medically unnecessary partial hospitalization services from 2002 to 2010.

To find out more about the problem, the investigative wing of of HHS developed nine questionable billing characteristics, then reviewed 2009 and 2010 Medicare claims to spot community mental health centers with one of the characteristics to help identify areas of possible waste.

Questionable characteristics included:

  • Beneficiaries who received only group psychotherapy during participation
  • Beneficiaries who were not evaluated by physicians during participation
  • Beneficiaries with no mental health diagnoses 1 year before participation
  • Beneficiaries with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease
  • Beneficiaries who were readmitted to inpatient treatment

The OIG found that in 2010, eight of 11 metropolitan areas with at least three mental health centers had a higher percentage of questionable billing than the national average; areas with the highest percentages of centers employing questionable practices included Houston, Miami, and Baton Rouge, La.

In addition, 90 percent of centers with questionable billing were located in states that don’t require mental health centers to be licensed or certified.

CMS expects to publish a final rule for conditions of participation for community mental health centers in spring 2013.

Source: OIG: Mental Health Centers Need Scrutiny

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