News, Tips, Resources
A Guide to Stress Management
By Charlie Health
https://www.charliehealth.com/blog
This guide provides stress management techniques for improving mental health and reducing stress levels, including tips for identifying and changing stressful behaviors.
Stress is a normal part of life. It's completely expected to feel stressed and overwhelmed when you're navigating a tense situation at home, managing a heavy workload, or struggling to find time for yourself. Sometimes, stress can have a cumulative effect, with each stressor building on top of each other.
When you're dealing with high stress levels, how you cope can have significant impacts on your physical and mental health. Although it might be tempting to ignore your stress and hope it goes away on its own, finding healthy ways to cope is key to protecting your overall health. Stress management is all about taking time to take care of yourself and re-evaluate, allowing your mind and body to rest, replenish, and heal from stress.
Whether you're dealing with a one-time stressful event or living with chronic stress, identifying your symptoms is the first step toward feeling better. Here's everything you need to know about stress management to live a healthier, more peaceful life.
Help prevent suicide.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.
tel: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio 1-888-628-9454
Chat https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
Lifeline Options For Deaf + Hard of Hearing. For TTY Users: Use your preferred relay service or dial 711 then 1-800-273-8255.
Veterans Crisis Line 1-800-273-8255 or Text 838255 or CHAT WITH VCL
Disaster Distress Helpline Call or Text 1-800-985-5990
For those living in Harris County, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD strives to provide high quality, efficient, and cost effective services so that persons with mental disabilities may live with dignity as fully functioning, participating, and contributing members of our community. They do not deny services based on a patient’s inability to pay, nor for any reason including race, color, sex, national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
If you need immediate assistance for a mental health and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities related crisis, or if you are a current client and have an after-hours medication concern, please call our 24-hour Crisis Line at 713-970-7000, option 1,to speak with a crisis counselor.
What is Major Depressive Disorder?
(Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment)
By Alex Bachert @ Charlie Health
https://www.charliehealth.com/blog
Major Depression is a significant mental health disorder facing teens today. We outline what causes it, how to identify it, and what the treatment is for the disorder.
Major depressive disorder—also known as major depression or clinical depression—can be overwhelming for anyone in its shadow. It’s different from feeling down over a breakup or frustrated by something that happened at school. Instead, it’s a serious mood disorder with physical and psychological symptoms that can interfere with how you feel, function, and live your everyday life.
It’s quite possible that you know someone with major depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, major depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States, affecting nearly 17 percent of the U.S. population aged 12 to 17 years in 2020. This means that approximately 4.1 million adolescents experienced at least one major depressive episode that year. To make it worse, less than half (41.6 percent) of teens who experienced a major depressive episode received treatment.
Aside from the immediate side effects of depression, major depressive disorder can have serious consequecnes on academic performance, social functioning, and suicidal risk factors when left untreated in adolscents. Suicide rates among teens have steadily increased over the last decade, and suicide was the second leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults in 2019.
That’s why Charlie Health believes it’s so important to empower teens, young adults, and families to explore their mental health through accessible resources and information. Below, we’ve broken down the research on symptoms, causes, and treatments to support your journey in better understanding major depressive disorder.
Brochures and Fact Sheets from
The National institute of Mental Health
NIMH offers brochures and fact sheets on mental health disorders and related topics for patients and their families, health professionals, and the public. Printed materials can be ordered free of charge. Brochures and fact sheets are also offered in digital formats and are available in English and Spanish.
Click "Read More" to find Facts related to the topic you have interest.
Phone: 1-866-615-6464
Live Online Chat: Talk to a representative
Email: nimhinfo@nih.gov
Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET, M-F
Behavioral Health & Community Resources
Call 911 or your local law enforcement agency if you have an emergency or life-threatening situation that must be dealt with immediately.
Suicide National Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-TALK (8255). Available 24/7, the Lifeline provides free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for those in need and their loved ones.
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741. Available 24/7, this service provides free crisis support and information via text.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)National Helpline: (800) 662-HELP (4357). Available 24/7, the SAMHSA helpline is a confidential, free, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): (800) 950-6264. NAMI is a leading source of information and connection on mental illness for children and adults.
Crisis and Substance Use Helpline: (800) 316-9241. Available 24/7, the Center for Health Care Services’ helpline is available in the event of a mental health crisis including suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
Veterans Crisis Line: (800) 273-TALK (8255) and press “1”. Available 24/7, this hotline is available for veterans and their loved ones, or send a text message to 838255 to receive confidential, free support and referrals.
National Hopeline Network: (800) 442-HOPE (4673). Available 24/7, volunteers who staff this hotline are specially trained in crisis intervention to provide support, information, and referrals to people in need
LGBT National Hotline1-888-843-4564. The LGBT National Hotline is for people of all ages and offers a confidential, anonymous place to talk about issues including coming out, identity, bullying, safe sex, anxiety, and other concerns.
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender National Hotline: (888) 843-4564. This National Hotline provides confidential support, as well as factual information and local resources for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Trevor Project: (866)488-7389. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ young people ages 13-25.
Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860 Trans Lifeline is a service devoted to offering care and support to transgender people. It provides peer support from a place of experience since the organization is staffed by trans individuals.
Text LGBTQ to 741-741. Texting the Crisis Text Line will connect you to a crisis counselor who can offer support. This resource is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-SAFE (7233). Available 24/7, trained advocates are available to talk confidentially with anyone in the United States who is experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship.
Love Is Respect1-866-331-9474. Love Is Respect offers resources for teens about healthy relationships and dating violence. The site has a section specifically for LGBTQ+ teens with information about dating abuse, personal safety, supporting others, and other topics. In addition to providing information about healthy relationships, they also have counselors available to provide support, advice, and education.
The National Runaway Safeline 1-800-786-2929. The National Runaway Safeline works to provide resources and assistance to young people who have run away from home. They also work to help those who feel unsafe in their home or who are thinking of running away. They can provide assistance with transportation, shelter, counseling, and returning home.
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN): (800) 656-HOPE (4673). RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Help is available 24/7 via this confidential hotline.
National Child Abuse Hotline: (800) 4-A-Child (800-422-4453). Available 24/7, the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is dedicated to the prevention of child abuse. The confidential hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support services.
Texas Abuse Hotline: (800) 252-5400. This hotline is for urgent situations involving the physical welfare (abuse, neglect, exploitation) of a child, adult, or elderly.
Texas System of Care This site is a comprehensive listing of lifeline and educational resources and awareness outlets. https://gallery.txsystemofcare.org/resources/
CONSUMER COMPLAINTS
A PERSON WHO PROVIDES PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING SERVICES
TO CLIENTS MUST BE LICENSED, UNLESS EXEMPTED BY STATE
LAW.
A CONSUMER WHO WISHES TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST AN
INDIVIDUAL LICENSED BY THE BOARD
MAY CALL: 1-800-942-5540
OR
MAY VISIT: www.dshs.texas.gov/counselor
OR
WRITE TO:
TEXAS BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF PROFESSIONAL
COUNSELORS
INVESTIGATIONS
P. O. BOX 141369
AUSTIN, TX 78714-1369
I Am Ready for Therapy
What's the First Step?
Who Receives Therapy
Most people, at one time or another need some help. For some, talking with a therapist helps with overwhelming stress or dealing with a crisis. Therapy can often help someone change the way he or she think, feel, or act.
Choosing a Therapist
You should ask a potential therapist about his or her approach to therapy.
These approaches may vary from one therapist to another; however, the therapist should be able to clearly explain the approach, along with training and professional experiences that prepared them to assist with your specific needs or concerns.
Ask what this approach will mean for your therapy experience.
Ask if they use methods found to have evidence that they work for people with similar concerns.
These methods and approaches should include both you and your therapist as active participants in creating your treatment goals.
What to expect From Therapy
A good therapist will have clear boundaries, be ethical, and treat you with respect.
Your first session helps you to decide whether psychotherapy will be useful to you. During this session, the therapist should begin an assessment.
The assessment might be done through a series of questions and answers. Assessments also can be done more formally with questionnaires or tests. A good therapist will continue to assess a client's problems throughout therapy and change the direction of therapy, if needed.
Therapy should help you solve current problems. It can also help you alter the emotions, thoughts, and/or behaviors you want to change.
The therapy process focuses on the goals you bring to therapy
You should assess your progress regularly and decide on accomplishments you need to make to complete therapy
Therapy is meant to be time limited to teach skills you need to make changes in your life independently.
The therapy process varies depending on the approach of the therapist. It also differs for each individual client.
We all resist change. Do not be surprised if you are tempted to quit when some real changes or breakthroughs are about to happen.
Positive lifestyle changes can feel very unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first.
Friends or family may not be ready for your changes and growth and will need time to adapt.
Therapy can be hard, but rewarding work.