Aftermath of the Virginia Tech Shootings – Spotlight Campus Mental Health

Let me begin by saying that my heart goes out to each person who lost friends and loved ones in the April 16, 2007 shootings on the Virginia Tech Campus. Far too many lives were cut short — lives full of promise, individuals who left their mark on this world through each person they loved.

After any tragedy, it’s only human nature to ask yourself “Why?” and to demand answers. I am certainly not going to attempt to point fingers or to use this tragedy to further my own political agenda. What I can offer is idealistic, maybe, but effective just the same: If regular, open and candid discussions about mental health were going on in living rooms, schools and boardrooms across the country; if people recognized the urgency in and were just as comfortable with seeking professional help for depression, anxiety, stress and rage as they were for things like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, perhaps tragedies like the one that occurred on the Virginia Tech Campus could be averted in the future. We can all help by taking care of ourselves!

A reader recently asked me, “What do you think friends, family and school administrators can do to help students under huge amounts of stress?”

o Students: Look for warning signs in friends. Appetite changes, or sleep disturbances, mood changes, weight gain or loss. If your friend is super stressed, let him or her vent. Listen to her. Let her cry on your shoulder. Then get her out of her present situation and take her someplace fun! Go rollerblading, watch a movie, or sing tunes off your favorite CD. Anything to help her relax.

If he or she needs more help than you can offer, visit your guidance office or campus mental health center for assistance. If it’s an emergency situation and you’re afraid that your friend might harm himself or others, call 9-1-1 or The National Suicide Prevention Helpline at 1-800-273-TALK.

o Parents: Serve as positive role models. If you’re working 80 hours per week and you never take five minutes to unwind, you’re sending a strong message to your kids about what’s important in life. When I interviewed a 17-year-old for an article on grades and stress I asked her, “What’s your single greatest worry with regard to grades?” She responded, “Probably my parents yelling at me. I have to work so hard to live up to their standards.” I think parents are afraid that if they tell their kids that it’s OK to lower their standards their kids will become lazy and their grades will suffer. That’s simply not true. Did you know that stress is the number one impediment to academic success? Encourage your kids to balance work with fun.

Also, initiate open discussions about mental health at home. If you’re having trouble coping with life’s challenges, show your child that you’re brave enough to first admit you’re having a problem and then seek out professional help. Let your kids know that you take your mental well-being just as seriously as you do your physical well-being.

o School administrators: Hold an assembly during school hours and let the students voice their concerns and suggest ways that their campus can help them. When kids are empowered with the tools to affect change they will feel less stressed. Talk about mental health issues affecting students. Take the shame out of it. Everyone gets stressed or depressed at times. There’s NOTHING to feel ashamed about. Administrators can also work with educators to find proactive ways to lower students’ stress. Like putting a limit on the number of tests students take in any given week, or enacting a no homework policy over vacations. Schools can also include lesson plans in health classes that deal with specific healthy ways to manage stress like deep breathing, Yoga, proper sleep and exercise.

Did you know?

In 2005, the American Psychiatric Association appointed a Presidential Task Force on Mental Health on College Campuses and reported that more students enter college already taking psychiatric medications, that more colleges are reporting increases in severe psychopathology in students, that campus mental health centers were prescribing more medications, and that suicide was the second leading cause of death among students.

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What to Look For in a Mental Health Treatment Facility

Every year, more and more people are suffering from mental health illnesses. The problem exists silently in many families (across the board, regardless to economic or social background) and some find the condition embarrassing. However, hiding from the realities of the problem will not help your family member cope with the condition. What the patient needs is a facility that will cater to their mental health needs. In Kinston, North Carolina, you can find several facilities that help individuals with such problems. Here are a few pointers to help you make the best decision for you or a family member.

Choose the Facility with a Holistic Approach

Mental health problems come disguised in many different size, shapes and colors. People normally suffer from unhealthy mental conditions because of a combination of many diverse reasons. From chemical brain imbalances, to depression, to lack of family support, loss of job, or recent loss of a loved one; all of the noted reasons are potential contributing factors that can take a healthy mental image and turn it into a mental imbalance or mental problem. The best treatment facility must address the condition in a holistic manner. What some trained mental professionals try is to determine the triggering factors that led to the illness and find ways on how to use other aspects of life to avoid further occurrences.

Competency of the Staff

The staff of the mental health facility should have the right qualifications for the job. Because the patients will be spending most of their time with them, it is important that the staff is understanding, compassionate and have proper training in dealing with the individual cases of the patient. The best case scenario is that your counselor has had first hand experience; he/she have been there… done that! They will definitively know what you are feeling, why and how they can better serve you.

Overall Appearance of the Facility

In the worth case scenario is that your friend or family member will need inpatient care, there are a few areas of interest you will want to consider. Saying good bye is hard enough, topped that with what could be a horrible experience and that just make matters worst. To ensure a pleasant stay, be sure that the mental health center has a like home feel. The facility should be clean with recreational activities and plenty of group sessions. Each mental health treatment facility is different; find one that best suit your needs.

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The Health Benefits of Using a Sauna – Why A Sauna Should Be Part Of Your Health Routine

In every athletic club or spa you visit today, it is highly likely that you will find a sauna of some sort.

What is it with saunas that makes them so attractive to people? What is it about saunas that
make them so indispensable to health centers? Well, it’s because you can gain a lot of
health benefits if you use a sauna. Here are some of them:

1) Improves Cardiovascular health – Staying inside a sauna for 10 to twenty minutes can
actually cause the same effect on the cardiovascular system as a brisk walk or even a jog.
The breathing conditions inside the sauna make your lungs work harder and for your heart to
pump blood faster. This strengthens your heart and improves blood circulation.

2) Helps in Weight Loss – The ultimate effect of a sauna to the cardiovascular system lies
in the effect it has on the body metabolism. Since your blood flows faster through your
veins, it also follows that you burn energy faster. Not many people know this, but your body
actually keeps burning calories long after you’ve gone out of the sauna.

3) Good Skin health – As mentioned before, a sauna session helps speed up your blood flow.
One benefit of this is to the skin. Increased blood flow will cause blood vessels in the
skin to expand making the skin taut and young-looking. Good blood circulation will give your
skin that rosy-pink tinge that people associate with great health and beauty.

Another way that a sauna session can help your skin health is by actually reviving it. With
the existence of a lot of pollutants in the air today, people’s skin is being poisoned and
it ends up looking dull. A sauna session can help revitalize your skin. It helps you sweat
more and thus get rid of the dead skin cells easier. A sauna session also helps in
moisturizing your skin making it smooth and soft to touch.

4) Helps Get rid of toxins and fat – Did you know that 30 percent of the body’s wastes are
excreted out of the skin through sweat? By inducing a good sweat, most of the harmful toxins
inside your body are excreted making you feel fresh and clean.

Of course, toxins are not the only problems we have in our bodies. We also have the problem
of fat. A good sauna session, together with a massage, can actually help break down fatty
deposits under the skin and helps your body use them up or excrete them through sweat. For a
lot of people, this means less fat and maybe a farewell to your cellulite if done regularly.

These are just some of the health benefits of using a sauna. It’s not just about relaxation
and socialization – it’s also about becoming healthy and good looking too. The key to
getting all these benefits is to use a sauna on a regular and consistent basis. Having a
home sauna makes that much more convenient and likely.

Luckily getting a home sauna is much easier and more affordable than ever.This makes a great
home improvement project that will increase the value of your home and improve your health
at the same time. A quick search of the Internet will reveal a multitude of options for
getting your own home sauna.

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