Archive for category: Behavioral Health

Depression and stress often show up at this time of year, but they don’t have to, says Andrea Buford, MSW, LCSW, Director of Clinical Operations in Behavioral Health at SHS.

The holiday season brings expectations that you should be shopping, decorating, cooking, organizing activities, traveling, seeing family and so on.

“The pressure to do all of it can be a bit much,” Andrea said. “Don’t feel like you have to be perfect. It’s OK to say ‘no.’ You don’t have to get caught up in it all.”

Andrea offers some tips to avoid stress this holiday season:

1. Make a plan – “If you’re going to be traveling, give yourself plenty of time,” Andrea said. “Accept that the even the best-laid plans don’t work the way they should. Just stay calm and relaxed.”

2. Set a budget – “Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses,” she said. “Set a limit and don’t go over it. Remember, what’s important is the time you’re spending, not the money.” She notes that sometimes the best gifts are the simplest – a handwritten letter, a family recipe, a homemade ornament or favorite food.

3. Do for others – “One of the best ways to feel good is to help someone else,” Andrea noted. For example, one of Andrea’s friends has a tradition with his children — every year, they must choose one gift that they can’t open. That’s the one that they take to Children’s Mercy and give to a child there. It’s a lesson in how giving makes you feel good, while making someone else feel better, too.

4. Ask for help – It’s OK to ask others to contribute to the meal or to help out with cleaning or shopping or caring for family. And be willing to help others if they ask or seem overwhelmed.

5. Don’t let tensions escalate – You’re likely to encounter a lot of people in a variety of circumstances like at parties, dinner, shopping, in traffic, at events. “Accept differences,” Andrea said. “Be kind, take a deep breath. Let that person get in line in front of you, hold the door for someone else.” A smile can go a long way toward reaching an understanding.

6. Take time for yourself – “You can give yourself permission not to be joyous. It’s OK to say no and step back,” Andrea said. Remember to take care of yourself – eat right, don’t overindulge, get rest, stick to your exercise routine. Andrea likes to quote Dr. Seuss: Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

7. Be aware of depression – Feelings of persistent sadness, or a sense of being hopeless, helpless and worthless are signals of depression. Other signs are changes in sleeping or eating, and prolonged restlessness or irritability. If you’re experiencing these serious feelings, a behavioral health professional can help with therapy, coping techniques and medication. It’s OK to seek help. That’s why we’re here.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call our Behavioral Health department at (816) 922-1070. Same-day visits are available. 

On any given day, you can find about a dozen urban farmers in the yard behind Swope Health Services Central Facility. It’s home to a community garden planned, planted, tended and harvested by participants in the SHS Adult Day Program.

The six raised beds hold the bulk of the organic crops, and two hay bales hold an experimental planting of acorn squash and zucchini. The garden includes tomatoes, collards, kale, arugula, lettuce, watermelon, cucumbers, okra and sweet potatoes. Pots hold a variety of herbs and strawberries.

But the gardens produce more than crops, said Lenise James, Community Support Specialist in the Community Psychiatric Rehabilitation-Adult Day Program. The SHS Community Garden also helps program participants grow skills and confidence. They learn how to strengthen their seedlings with fertilizer, how to protect them from threats like bugs. They relish the approach of harvest and the cooking and feasts that follow.

“It’s very healing to be out here,” Lenise noted. “It gives people a sense of mastery over what they do. They show self-sufficiency in gardening and in cooking.”

Recently, the gardeners learned first-hand about the harlequin beetle that attacked the organic garden. Volunteers from the Kansas City Community Gardens found the bugs and explained the lifecycle, from egg to nymph to adult. The gardeners used a dust (made from crushed chrysanthemums) to repel the beetles from their organic crops. They also learned a surprisingly easy way to catch the beetles.

“If you place a linoleum tile in the garden, the beetles like to gather under it,” Lenise explained. “Then you can just lift up the tile and catch them.”

Gardening is an almost year-round program, operated at SHS as a team effort between program participants and SHS associates Mark McIlroy, Ozella (Renae) Stone, Christina Gossage-Camacho, Eliis Walls and Lenise. Supervisor Grace Okonta leads the program. The SHS Community Garden program has been in existence for about six years, launched with assistance from the Kansas City Community Gardens and the University of Missouri Extension office.

There are 15 gardeners in the program. They begin planning in February and meet at least weekly. They vote to determine the coming year’s crops, work out how to rotate the plantings across the beds, and plan for three seasons of harvest – spring, summer, and fall.

In peak growing season, gardeners take on a variety of daily tasks. One man comes early to water, and another spends time weeding and carefully tends the plants. One gardener uses a walker but keeps the commitment to the garden and fellow gardeners. Another, at age 76, has been gardening since childhood and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others.

A close bond develops between the gardeners as well as with the plants they cultivate. Lenise noted that one gardener kept to himself, but when the team learned that he likes bugs, they made arrangements to get him a Venus fly-trap. The carnivorous plant is now flourishing under his care.

“I see how much they enjoy it,” Lenise said. “The teamwork is incredible.”

What do you know about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD?

PTSD is often associated with battlefield experience in the military, but trauma can affect any one.

“No one is immune from trauma,” said Deborah Lidzy, Crisis Response Specialist in Adult Behavioral Health at Swope Health Services. “Trauma does not discriminate in any way.”

PTSD can occur after you have experienced a traumatic event. Traumatic events are anything shocking, scary or dangerous where you feel like your life is in danger or you have no control over what is happening.

Trauma can be caused by sexual abuse, physical assault, serious accidents, like a car wreck, natural disasters like fire, tornado, flood or earthquake, or combat exposure.

Not everyone who experiences a trauma will have symptoms of PTSD, Deborah said, but repeated traumas may increase the likelihood of having post-traumatic stress.

The main symptoms of PTSD include:

• Not sleeping or re-experiencing the event in bad dreams, frightening thoughts or flashbacks

• Avoiding situations that remind you of the event

• Negative changes in beliefs and feelings, like feeling negative about yourself, or feeling guilt, blame or lacking interest in enjoyable activities

• Hyper-vigilance — being jittery, tense, or constantly on the lookout for danger

“It’s normal to have a stress reaction after a trauma,” Deborah said, “but if these behaviors interfere with your life, it’s time to seek help.”

The most effective treatment is a combination of counseling and medication. Counseling involves meeting with a therapist to understand how your trauma changed your thoughts and feelings, and to learn new ways of coping.

“The more you talk about the situation, the emotion gets less and less,” Deborah said. “The only way around the fire is through the fire.”

SHS provides trauma-informed care that is customized and personal to each patient.

“The most important thing is to get started,” Deborah said. “It’s better to deal with it right away and don’t let it build up. We can help you deal with it, work through it, learn some coping skills.”

Resources:

National Center for PTSD

National Institute of Mental Health — PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder guide

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

RESPECT Institute

Have you struggled after a trauma? Or do you know someone who may be suffering after a trauma? We are here for you. Please call 816-923-5800 and visit our Behavioral Health services for support.