Charlie Sheen- Portrait of Denial

Charlie Sheen is all over the media for all the wrong reasons. The highest paid actor on television today has been having a public "meltdown" of sorts and although he justifies his behaviors, the man has some serious issues with not only drug use but with what he considers "normal".

Many of us have our own personal stories of how substance abuse has affected our lives. Our mug shots or those of our loved ones don't get splashed all over the Internet. Even though it is not public it is still a painful journey.

We can learn lessons from the very public airing of the Sheen family's nightmare.

Where there is substance abuse, there is often mental illness. This is called "dual diagnosis".
There are several reasons why mental illness and substance abuse go hand-in-hand. It is common for people who have an undiagnosed mental illness to self-medicate with illegal drugs or alcohol. If someone is not diagnosed before they turn to drugs and alcohol, treatment becomes all the more difficult.

Drugs and alcohol cause a huge imbalance in one's brain chemistry. Mental illness, such as bipolar disorder, already has the person unstable because of the disorder.

Therapists, doctors, and drug counselors who have viewed the interview with Charlie Sheen are all in agreement about his behavior. He looks like someone who is experiencing extreme mania. His grandiosity about his own importance and immortality is not "normal". Yes, it can be the drugs but it can also be someone who is bipolar and experiencing a more manic period. In men especially, instead of deep depression that follows manic episodes, often the depression manifests as rage.


The interviewer asks Charlie what he thought about his father coming out to support him during this period in his life. Charlie, like many other addicts in denial, acts defensively. He accuses his father of "judging" him. He will not admit to being addicted to drugs yet when he talks about some of his previous partying experiences, he brags about how much drugs he was able to ingest. His delusions of being superior to others is evident in his words. Again, manic behavior.

Anyone who has loved someone who is an addict can feel for Martin Sheen and his family. It is a totally helpless feeling to be the parent, sibling, friend or lover of someone who is slowly (or quickly) headed towards self-destruction.

Because Charlie Sheen has his wealth, he will continue to attract "goddesses" who are all too willing to exploit themselves for a piece of Charlie's wealth. Right now, being cut off from his family is not going to phase him too much. Having his young twin sons taken away from him is a good start. He does seem to be bothered by this recent turn of events.

What else can help someone like Charlie Sheen acknowledge his addiction and possible mental health problems?

His money needs to run out. Plain and simple. He needs to hit rock bottom. Let's see how many goddesses will be around once he has no money to pay for them.

Hollywood needs to cut him off also. The only way to save Charlie Sheen is to kick him to the curb and allow him to realize the severity of his actions.

Outside of Hollywood, regular people would have lost their source of income faster than Charlie Sheen will. A regular person who is in the midst of full-blown substance abuse would see their downfall come much faster even though their friends and family may enable them for some time.

In the real world, addicts get arrested for driving under the influence. They lose their jobs. They can lose their families and homes much faster also. They do not get to go to the Betty Ford Center or a spa-like rehab.

They still can get clean and sober, though.

We need to take lessons from the downward spiral of Charlie Sheen. Recognizing mental illness, problems with substance abuse and learning how to say "no" to enabling someone can save their life.

There are great treatment programs out there that can help. Overcoming substance abuse is not easy but it can be done if the addict is willing to fight their way out of it. Having support from your friends and family will make it easier.

If you are dual diagnosis, it does not have to end tragically. Treatment for mental illness and substance abuse can be a success. Once again, it depends on the addict.

The toughest thing a person will ever do is to cut off someone they love because they refuse to admit to a substance abuse problem. It may take days, weeks, months or even years for them to see the truth but they will. There is life after addiction and it can be great.

Cutting

Cutting or self-injury is something that some teens (and even tweens) do as a coping mechanism. Usually, a teen is ashamed of this behavior and does everything that they can to hide it.

This form of self-abuse is a cry for help but one that is often not seen. A teen does this because the act of inflicting pain upon oneself releases endorphins in the brain that make you feel better.

Depression or anxiety issues are usually at the root of this kind of behavior. The teen doesn't feel comfortable enough to ask for help or feels so ashamed about what they are doing that they withdraw into their own world and keep this secret from family and friends.

A disturbing trend is beginning to happen however. Teens who do this self-injury are posting the videos of what they do and YouTube is finding that other teens are watching.

Self-injury videos on YouTube often have a message to other teens that makes these videos helpful. Many encourage teens to get help for this behavior. Some cutters will share why they cut themselves and offer up advice to other teens who may feel the need to hurt themselves.

Other videos seems to be a form of reality entertainment for some. That is disturbing that someone would tune in to see someone else perform a dangerous stunt or to view someone's scars from their self-mutilation.

Cutting and self-injury is a symptom of a troubled teen. Parents and other adults need to be aware of teens at risk for this kind of behavior. Even if your teen is not troubled, talking about this kind of behavior is important. We need to make our teens aware that cutting is not a way to solve problems.

Talk to the tweens and teens in your life about cutting, self-injury and what they like to watch on YouTube.
Open dialog can help.

Alternative Treatments for Depression

Depression treatment in the United States is usually a pharmaceutical anti-depressant and talk therapy. Many people who are being treated for depression forego the talk therapy and just rely on the drug to "cure" them.

Alternative medicine is not usually discussed by most primary care physicians or mental health professionals.

Why not?

Anti-depressants are good for side effects and it takes time to find the "right" medicine to help a patient. The dosage often needs to be adjusted and in the meantime, the person is still depressed. Often a doctor will prescribe an additional medication to go along with the anti-depressant. I call it a "booster" drug.

Why do they do this if the first drug is not working?

Perhaps taking a look at alternative medicine is the answer. Therapies like accupuncture can help to put the body back into balance. No drugs involved.

Vitamin supplements can cure depression because sometimes the true cause of a person's depression is a vitamin deficiency.

Just because you take a daily multi-vitamin supplement doesn't mean that your body still can't be suffering from a deficiency.

Your body needs certain vitamins and minerals in order to function properly. Many of us do not get these important nutrients from the food we eat.

Then there are the outside influences such as stress, pollution and too much "bad" foods like fast food, relying on caffeine to get us through our hectic days and it is easy to see how our bodies could be lacking.

If you have been diagnosed with depression, don't think that alternative medicine cannot help you. Many modalities have been around for centuries.

Pharmaceutical fixes are more profitable and that is one reason why they are more accepted.

There is nothing wrong with going this route but there are other options. Many people have found success through combining alternative therapies with newer treatments for depression.

Depression is a treatable mental illness. Don't give up hope that you will feel better soon but also realize that there is no "magic" pill that will make it go away.

Find a practioner who will explore why you are experiencing these symptoms. It could be as simple as a Vitamin B deficiency.

Antidepressant Danger

Let me first start out by saying that I am not "against" antidepressants, I am against doctors prescribing them too quickly.

In order to cure your depression , a doctor needs to first rule out other medical conditions.

When you go to your primary care doctor and complain of tiredness, not feeling yourself, aches and pains, no energy and other common symptoms of depression, ruling out an existing medical problem should be first on the doctor's list.

Everyone is different. Our individual pain thresholds are unique. A common cold can be an excuse for one person to stay home from work whereas another person could be walking around with a serious case of pneumonia without complaining much about it.

Even if you tell your doctor your symptoms, doctors are only human. They can misdiagnose. Primary care physicians often prescribe an antidepressant when a patient presents with what they feel are obvious symptoms of depression.

If you throw in that you have been having some personal obstacles in your life such as financial stress, the doctor will probably think that all the stress has caused you to be suffering from depression and may not look any further.

Coincidentally, you may have stress from obstacles in your personal life and also a serious medical condition brewing whose symptoms may mirror those of depression.

Recently, this happened to someone I know. She now is battling cancer. Although she declined taking an antidepressant when first diagnosed, her condition worsened because the doctor was not treating her for any other ailment.

Another "band-aid" was given to deal with her "aches and pains". Pain medication. Although she only was using it to try and get some sleep, the true source of her pain was not being investigated.

Hopefully it isn't too late to cure her. It is a frightening outcome to what can happen to a person who is not a complainer, who pushes on even though they are not feeling right and is having a tough time dealing with the every day pressures of life like many of us are.

How many of us have worries about our personal finances in this tough economy? How many of us deal with normal issues like aging parents, rebellious teenagers, adult children who are going through a hard time or cars that keep breaking down?

It is called life. Diagnosing mental illness is tough. It can take many sessions with a trained mental health professional in order to properly diagnose someone. The person who is suffering just wants relief.

Primary care doctors can help someone who is truly depressed by starting them off on an antidepressant and pointing the way to a psychiatrist who can better determine the depth of their illness. A primary care doctor should practice what they know.

Ruling out all other medical reasons why a patient is presenting with the symptoms that they are complaining about is the first thing that they should be doing.

I have had several primary care physicians who have helped me when I went through my own personal battle with depression. They helped me until I could see someone more qualified. Fortunately for me, they also investigated to make sure that depression was my only medical issue.

Antidepressants should never be seen as a magic pill to fix what is wrong. Even if you are only suffering from depression, antidepressants are only a part of the treatment.

Too many doctors don't look for the reasons why a patient has a complaint. They are too quick to put a "band-aid" on it and fail to investigate why a patient is "sick".

Mental illness treatment may involve medication but it also involves therapy. Treatment is never as simple as taking a pill.

The point of this post is that we need to learn how to listen to our own bodies. Doctors are only human after all and they make mistakes. Make yourself knowledgeable and ASK questions. It is your body and your life.

Narcotic Pain Medications

Doctors very commonly prescribe narcotic pain medications when a patient presents with chronic pain or has suffered an injury. Another time that they commonly reach for their prescription pad is when a patient is about to have surgery.

Although for some people, prescription pain medications are necessary, sometimes they are potentially dangerous for certain "types" of people.

Patients who have been treated for a mental illness and may have had issues with substance abuse in the past are the "type" of people I am referring to.

The problem with prescription pain medications are their addictive properties. It can be very easy to become dependent on these medications. If you are taking them regularly, you will find that you need to increase your dosage in order to get the same relief from when you first started taking them.

The side effects are another concern for many who suffer from chronic pain conditions. It is hard to function with chronic pain. There are days where it can be more bearable. Trying alternative methods for pain management such as ice, heat, massage and pain relief gels can help but when you are suffering from debillitating pain that keeps you from functioning in your daily life, it is easy to allow pain medications to be your method of escape.

That is where the danger lies in narcotic pain medications. You no longer cope with the pain, you teach your body to cope with the side effects of the drugs and soon you find yourself on a cycle of taking pain medications.

Living with chronic pain can cause symptoms of depression. The side effects of narcotic pain medications can leave you detached from your life. It is hard to function when pain medications distort your functioning by keeping you in a state that borders between drowsiness and "la la land".

Many people do function at their jobs while taking medications like Vicodin, Endocet and other prescription pain meds. Personally, I don't know how. They do affect your reflexes and alter your thinking. Maybe in time you do "get used to it".

If more doctors considered pain management to be more than writing a prescription and therapies like physical therapy, massage, accupuncture and biofeedback were more actively used, patients may actually avoid becoming addicted to these medications.

Addiction is a serious side effect to being prescribed prescription pain medications. It can happen easily without the patient even realizing it. One day, usually when your prescription begins to run low, you may sense a feeling of panic. Thinking about getting through the day without taking a pain pill may cause you to psychologically feel that you may have a dependance.

It is possible. You may begin to experience withdrawal symptoms such as shakiness, headaches and stomach upset. You should never abruptly stop taking pain medications. Speak to your doctor about how to slowly wean yourself off of pain medications so that you will experience less side effects.

The best advice for managing pain is to stay aware of what you can do to manage your pain. Relying on pain medications alone is not the only way to cope. Physical therapy is a way to help your body heal and build strength. It isn't easy but like they say "use it or lose it".

You can avoid dependance on narcotic pain medications by talking to your doctor about your pain and alerting him/her to how well you are progressing or not progressing. Pain medication is meant to distract you from the pain so that you can heal.

If you are having trouble coping, speak to your doctor about alternative and more natural remedies for dealing with your pain. Overcoming addiction to prescription pain medications is painful and often a long, hard road.

Schizophrenics and the Law

I watched a very old episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" the other day. They were looking for a young New Jersey woman who had murdered her boyfriend in Arizona.

"June" was diagnosed schizophrenic in her late teens. She had been hospitalized in New Jersey and once she turned 18, she was free to do what she wanted. Her boyfriend had moved back to Arizona and he (believing all she needed was a "fresh" start) encouraged her to come live with him.

For a short time, things were good. She was seeing a doctor, therapist and taking her meds. Then, she began using illegal drugs. Her boyfriend was not there are nights to "watch" her because he was doing shift work. Her behavior became out of control and she was increasingly paranoid of everything. She accused her boyfriend of being against her and his family grew concerned when she would lash out violently towards him.

He was insistent that he could help her. He was wrong. Love isn't enough when you are dealing with a schizophrenic.

June killed him. She stole his truck and drove about 40 miles away and entered a small town where she acted suspiciously. She told people she was hiding from an abusive boyfriend but people sensed that it wasn't the truth.

Eventually, a concerned citizen called the police when she abandoned the stolen truck and disappeared.

The truck led them back to the boyfriend who they found dead on his couch from multiple stab wounds.

June was on the run but eventually she was found. This is where this story gets horribly disturbing.

She was sentenced to jail for the murder of her boyfriend (which she did not dispute). She served 15 years and was released. End of story.

She murdered someone and got 15 years. That in itself is disturbing that taking his life only got 15 years of punishment. The fact that she did not receive psychiatric counseling is very wrong. She has already been diagnosed schizophrenic.

So she gets out of jail, she is barely 40 years old and she is free to go on with her life without having to address her mental disorder? She killed once. She is a danger to society.

Thanks to laws that were changed to "protect" the rights of the mentally ill, a dangerous schizophrenic walks amongst us.

That is just wrong. June's boyfriend tried to help her. His love was not enough. For his good intentions, he wound up dead.

Mental illness sucks. It isn't fair but don't we have the right as citizens to know that people who have a disease that can make them a risk to our safety  are being "taken care of"? We need to take another look at the ACLU and determine if protecting the rights of someone doesn't put the risk of the general public at risk as well.

This story about June was upsetting to me. I know someone who is schizophrenic. She denies that she is. She uses illegal drugs and seems content in her life. She has been "classified" mentally disabled by the state and does not hold a job. She spends her days partying, occasionally seeing a therapist and doctor to manage her meds. What many do not realize is that when you use drugs like marijuana, cocaine and others with your psychiatric medications, you are messing up the chemical balance in your body.

Not to mention the effects of illegal drugs on your mood and behavior.

How do we help schizophrenics? I don't know. Most schizophrenics deny they have a problem. Once they are over 18, they do not have to have help.

Not all schizophrenics are dangerous to others. The risk is there though and that needs to be better addressed.

Teens and Depression

As many writers do, I often am inspired to write about real-life experiences in the hopes of educating others. The following story is based on a real-life experience. This is a story that many people can identify with and for those who can't, let it serve as a lesson. If anything, it will make you think about the seriousness of teenage depression.

A single mom who happens to be a nurse in a hospital is approached by the youngest of her two daughters. The girl, who is 13 years old, complains that she is depressed. It takes a lot for a teen to confide in her mother. At this age, many are rebellious and if they even recognize symptoms of depression in themselves, often they do not ask for help.

Even with her experience as a nurse and the training and knowledge she received during her schooling to become an R.N., the mom brushes her daughter off and does nothing to get her help.

Life goes on. They move to a new town and the daughter begins school in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar students. The mother's new boyfriend is a constant fixture in their new apartment.

The daughter begins to feel even more isolated and her depression does not go away.

Being vulnerable, the new friends that she makes are other troubled teens. In response to their feelings of low self-worth and lack of self-respect, they do typical rebellious teenage things like smoke pot and drink alcohol.

Self-medicating is typical behavior for someone who is suffering from a mental illness. When they are not seeking treatment, they often turn to something to ease their pain.

A teenager who has asked for help and either not taken seriously or ignored, may just feel as if she/he doesn't matter or is not believed.

Eventually, if left untreated, depression will get worse.

The girl becomes more "hooked" on drinking and drugging and it does start to catch up to her. She begins to get into trouble in school and gets caught with alcohol on her.

Now the mom has to take notice. In addition to her depression, her daughter also has a problem with alcohol and drugs. She is now barely 15 years old.

Regular AA meetings have become a way of life for this family and the sad part is that all this might have been avoided if only she had been taken seriously. She could have been evaluated, gone for therapy and perhaps been prescribed an anti-depressant to help her with her symptoms of depression.

Dealing with a dual diagnosis (in this case Depression and substance abuse) is difficult for mature adults. For someone with their whole life ahead of them, it makes life more of a challenge.

This is an example of why parents need to be aware of the symptoms of depression. They also need to put aside any misconceptions about mental illness and seek out help for their child. No one says that it is easy to deal with. The journey to recovery can be long but it is a journey that must be taken.

This girl's story could have had a much more tragic result. Her story is not over. She is in treatment and hopefully, her family is taking this issue seriously. I hope she gets well. I hope she gets the support that she is deserving of, like anyone else who has a mental illness.

I hope my sharing this story makes someone think twice about the seriousness of teenage depression. It is real. It needs to be taken seriously.

Arizona Shooting Brings Awareness to Mental Illness

Although the facts surrounding the alleged 22 year old shooter who opened fire with an automatic weapon and wounded several people and killed six are still being sorted out, the tragedy in Arizona is bringing awareness to the importance of screening for mental illness.

Not every mentally ill person is a danger to others. In fact, according to NAMI, the amount of people who are mentally ill who commit acts of violence is very low.

Knowing the signs of mental illness is something that every educator should be trained to recognize. The question is, when do we as a society step in and try and help someone who may be in need?

There are people who just have a "different" kind of personality. They may appear to fit into some kind of "personality disorder" but do they really need help?

Almost fifteen years ago when I first heard about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, I felt it was an excuse for bad parenting. I feel badly for judging anyone by criticizing their parenting skills but hearing the "symptoms" of ADHD and other similar disorders I (and others) may be inclined to think that all the kid needs is a swat on the butt and told "no" every once in a while. I am a product of the generation that I was brought up in.

You know, you absolutely NEVER back-talked your parent. Oh, maybe you did once but you never did again. The generation where you had respect for your elders. If you were out playing and an adult yelled at you, your parent knew that you probably were deserving of it or they were just the "cranky" old woman who didn't like kids.

No one sued, parents taught that there were consequences to your actions.

Somehow, things changed. The world became tougher to deal with. Did we baby our children so much that they just couldn't cope? I don't know.

Is there such a thing a mental illnesses? Yes, I believe that there is. But, and this is a huge but, they are overly diagnosed.

Too many doctors are quick with the prescription pad and not adept at listening. Often the pressure to see as many patients as they can in order to make a living due to insurance not paying enough for their services causes doctors to not listen well. Finding quality mental health care that is affordable is harder to do than ever.

With so many state agencies losing funds and making cut-backs, those without health insurance and in need of mental health evaluations are slipping through the cracks. Many people choose to self-medicate rather than go through the lengthy process of treatment.

For other people, denial that it is mental illness causes them to self-medicate.

Who knows why the young man in Arizona chose the horrible path that he did. It is tragic and sad. If he truly is ill (how can a "sane" person do what he did) and no one noticed, whose "fault" is that?

We really need to re-evaluate laws that were meant to protect the abuse of mentally ill by giving them the right to not accept treatment. It may be a fine line in protecting one from themselves but it is also protecting a potentially dangerous person from the rest of us.

Self-Help for Anxiety Disorders

There is no better cure for anxiety than therapy. No anti-anxiety pharmaceutical medication can "fix" your anxiety. It can help you gain strength in facing your anxiety head on and allow you to do something about it but without therapy, your anxiety will worsen.

I was introduced to this invaluable self-help program that many psychologists and mental health professionals recommend to their patients. "Mind Over Mood" (see link to it on the sidebar) is an easy to follow book that teaches methods that have been shown to help not just anxiety disorders but depression also.

This book can also help you to overcome relationship problems, handle the stress in your life better, improve your self-esteem and become more confident.

Written by two psychologists, this book truly is clear and easy to follow. It will help you to change your life.

Although cognitive behavioral therapy with the guidance of a trained professional is best, many people just cannot afford to go to therapy. With so many people who do not have adequate health insurance, the costs of therapy may be out of reach. This book is a great alternative for someone who knows thaat they need help but feels they have to live with their fears.

You do not need to. There are hundreds of self-help books on the market. Finding a good one that works for you can be time-consuming. The lessons in this book will better anyone who tries them. Anxiety sufferer or not, one can always grow as a person.

Changing Your Attitude

The sun rises every day whether or not we are awake to see it. With the beauty of the sunrise comes the gift of a new day.

A new day in which we hold the power within us to decide how we are going to deal with the challenges we face.

As anyone who lives with mental illness knows, there are days when it is hard to hold on to hope.

The best advice is to learn how to appreciate what is good. There is always something good to be found.

Do not let mental illness define you. You are not your illness. It may cause you to alter your lifestyle but ultimately who you are is a unique individual with more strength than you realize.

Be your own advocate. Do not just sit back and faithfully take your medication according to your doctor's instructions and do nothing else to help yourself. Research your disorder. Fight to hold on to who you are and do whatever possible to live your best life.

There is always hope. Life is not black and white. Believe in yourself. Believe and it can help you get through those dark days.

If it is too difficult to envision the future, take it a day at a time until you are strong enough to set goals for the future. You will get there. It takes baby steps before you can run.