May is Mental Health Awareness Month

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention shared that supporting the mental health needs of children starts early in childhood and can have lifelong impacts on overall health and wellbeing. Parents, communities, schools, and healthcare providers all play a role in addressing the mental health needs of children, but often separately, with limited coordination and collaboration.

The Children’s Mental Health Champions aim to address the needs of children with or at risk for mental disorders by building the foundation for a stronger, more inclusive mental health system for children. The Champions share common program goals, but each has its own approach that best fits the population they serve.

Background

Childhood is a critical period that shapes long-term health and well-being, and half of all lifelong mental disorders start by the age of 14 yearsexternal icon. To support lifelong mental health, it is important to prevent problems, identify concerns early, and provide effective treatment. Parents, communities, schools, and healthcare providers all play a role in addressing the mental health needs of children to reduce problem behaviors and support child development. Many families face barriers when trying to access evidence-based prevention and intervention programs.

Through a cooperative agreement, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)external icon and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), started the Children’s Mental Health Champions program. The pilot program expanded from 6 Champions in 2020–2021 to 12 champions in 2021–2022. The current 12 Champions work within 11 states and territories as liaisons to CDC’s children’s mental health work and positive parenting resources.
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How to Unwind & Improve Your Mental Health This Spring

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Happy young woman practicing meditation on blue backgroundSpring is a time for new beginnings. Many people dread winter and its dreary weather, finding themselves stuck inside to avoid the snow. When the warm weather arrives, it’s a popular time for exercising outside, losing weight, and deep cleaning your home. However, many people fail to acknowledge the root of their problems – stress. Stress can lead to a handful of issues like anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and heart disease. Setting aside time to make a wellness plan can help you obtain your goals in the new season. Here are a few ideas on how to improve your mental health this spring.

Stay Active

Physical activity not only increases stamina and promotes weight loss, but also has a great impact on your mental health. Exercise is considered natural and effective for anxiety, depression, and ADHD treatment. People who exercise regularly feel more energetic throughout the day, have better memory, sleep better at night, and have a more positive outlook on life. No matter your age, any amount of moderate physical activity can make a significant difference.

One study done by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that running for 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the risk of major depression by 26%. Just about any form of fitness will make a difference, so it’s important to choose an activity that you enjoy. Examples include walking, dancing, yoga, and swimming. For those rainy spring days, there are also fitness apps available to set yourself up for success. Read more

Oppositional Defiant Disorder Treatment Plan

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Autism Parenting Magazine, is a leading magazine focused on delivering the latest news and interventions on the subject of autism.  They shared the following post with Healthy Lombard:

What Is Oppositional Defiant Disorder?

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder mostly seen in children. Children with ODD have consistent behavior patterns which include being argumentative and defiant towards parents and other figures of authority. This is a different condition from Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) where the drive to avoid demands is related to anxiety.

According to documentation from the DSM-5, the oppositional defiant disorder is “a pattern of angry/irritable mood, argumentative/defiant behavior, or vindictiveness lasting at least 6 months as evidenced by at least four symptoms from any of the following categories, and exhibited during interaction with at least one individual who is not a sibling.”

Most children have bouts of ODD from time to time, but it usually disappears on its own. However, ODD may be diagnosed when the behavior persists for months.  Children with ODD consistently show signs.

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Amazing And Cool Freshwater Fish For Your Tank

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Andy Birks from SIMPLY AQUARIUM shared with Healthy Lombard that over the years he and his team have owned most of these fish we is writing about between us. So thy have spent a good while discussing their favorite cool freshwater fish!

The majority are easy to keep and great for a community tank. He also added some striking but tricker ones if you have more experience. You’ll see he has defined the care level needed for each fish.

1. Peacock Gudgeon

  • Care Level: Easy
  • Max. Size: 2.5 to 3 inches
  • Temperament: Peaceful
  • Min. Tank Size: 15 gallons
  • Water Temperature: 72-79° F

The many bright colors of the Peacock Gudgeon make this a very cool freshwater fish!

Make sure you have a well-planted tank with plenty of hiding spaces. Whilst they are very social fish and great for a community aquarium, they do like time to themselves.

It’s best to have one male and two or three females in a tank, as males can be territorial with other males [1].

Peacock Gudgeons are omnivores, although they lean towards a meat-based diet. Feed them frozen or freeze-dried protein-rich foods like brine shrimp or bloodworms [2].

Suitable tank mates include barbs, kuhli loach, tetras, cory catfish, and rasboras. Read more

How Can Depression Impact Your Sleep?

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Mary Van Keuren from Slumber Yard shared with Healthy Lombard that the statistics don’t lie: according to the World Health Organization, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In the U.S., it affects more than 18 million adults and is the primary reason why there is a death by suicide every 12 minutes.

As any therapist can tell you, depression is intertwined with sleep disorders. Persons living with depression may also suffer from insomnia, hypersomnia, or more, and lack of sleep may exacerbate the symptoms of depression.

But there’s more to it than just that. The COVID pandemic and resulting economic recession have greatly increased the likelihood of depression for many. During the worst of the pandemic, 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. That, too, led to increased sleep problems, with researchers coining the term “coronasomnia” to describe the fact that many Americans have found their sleep disrupted by worry and fear throughout 2020.

If all this sounds uncomfortably familiar to you, you’re not alone, and you should be congratulated for searching out possible solutions to the double challenges of sleep and depression. Depression can be overwhelming, and your first course of action should always be to consult with a physician on the best course of treatment.

In this article, we will discuss the relationship between sleep and depression and offer some tools for living that can help. We’ll also share resources that provide aid and assistance for you if you are living with depression.

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Boundaries and Creating a Safe Space

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Health Work Career Friends Signpost Shows Life And Lifestyle BalanceNATALIE ALTENBURG shared in the Take Care DePaul Blog that now, more than ever, it is important that we have a “safe space” to allow us to cope with our emotions and regulate them. In this sense, a safe space does not necessarily have to be a physical place; it can simply be having tools prepared to help you feel safe when handling challenging emotions and situations. Here are a few tips we have for setting up your safe space!

  • Set and maintain boundaries. By doing this we are being proactive and protecting ourselves by setting clear expectations with others regarding what is and is not okay. Boundaries can be physical (ex: “Knock before coming into my room”) or social/emotional (ex: “I am not in the emotional space to be able to help you with this problem right now”). It is important for everyone’s physical and emotional safety that we set boundaries and respect the boundaries of others.

  • Know when to take a break and what to do. We all need breaks to ensure that we are preserving our health. This may look like turning off your microphone and camera for a few minutes during a Zoom class to get up and stretch, calling a friend to rant, or even just taking a nap at some point in the day. It is important that we are able to not only identify when we need breaks but also what we need to do to make these breaks beneficial.

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Tips for People With Dementia

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child thinkingAlzheimers.gov shared that people with dementia experience a range of symptoms related to changes in thinking, remembering, reasoning, and behavior. Living with dementia presents unique challenges, but there are steps you can take to help now and in the future.

Tips for Everyday Tasks for People Living With Dementia

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias get worse over time. Even simple everyday activities can become difficult to complete. To help cope with changes in memory and thinking, consider strategies that can make daily tasks easier. Try to adopt them early on, so you will have more time to adjust.

You can:

  • Write down to-do lists, appointments, and events in a notebook or calendar.
  • Set up automated bill payments and consider asking someone you trust to help manage your finances.
  • Have your groceries delivered.
  • Manage your medications with a weekly pillbox, a pillbox with reminders (like an alarm), or a medication dispenser.
  • Ask your doctor to provide a care plan and write down care directions (or have a family member or friend take notes during the visit).

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The Ultimate Guide to Working From Home the Right Way

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Creately, an online visual platform designed for seamless collaboration, with features and tools to improve personal and professional productivity, remote team communication, organizing or prioritizing tasks, and more, shared the following information:

You are at home. You have your laptop. The Wi-Fi connection is working fine. You are wearing your PJs.  You can eat at your table, whatever you want and whenever you want.

It’s comfortable, relaxing, and your boss can’t hover over your shoulders watching your every move. So you can even take those few minutes to fill that BuzzFeed quiz because sometimes it’s fulfilling to know which Disney character you are based on your fast food preferences.

But you still have to work. Get that last code written and blog post reviewed. At the end of the day, you don’t want the work to pile up.

If you are procrastinating and feel unproductive when working from home, here are some effective practices you and your team can follow to get the ball rolling. Read more

MINDFUL MENTORS: SHORT EXERCISES TO DECREASE STRESS

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Young woman feeling stressed on a blue backgroundRise and Shine shared in their blog that at Children’s National Hospital, they are committed to helping those who are stressed, anxious, and just overwhelmed. Their hospital-wide Mindful Mentors program has created a library of short exercises to decrease stress. These short techniques will help you to calm your mind and body and find your focus again.

CNH encourages you to find two minutes in your day to recharge and take a moment for yourself. You can also easily do any of these exercises while sitting, standing, or on the move – with a friend, your child, or alone.

Click on one of the links below to listen (with headphones/earbuds if in a public space) and follow the instructions.

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Children’s Mental Health: Understanding an Ongoing Public Health Concern

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The CDC shared that a new report on children’s mental health used data from different sources to describe mental health and mental disorders in children during 2013–2019. Poor mental health among children continues to be a substantial public health concern. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety among children of all ages, and symptoms related to depression among adolescents, are the most common concerns.  More information on positive indicators of mental health such as emotional well-being and resilience is needed to truly understand children’s mental health. Read more