September 28, 2023 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

Organized Public Looting Of Establishments Across The United States: The Members Have Revealed Enormously About Themselves, Unwittingly

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It would be remiss NOT to talk about this situation!

Most of us, this blogger suspects, have read articles surrounding the looting of businesses that have occurred in record time. The guilty are in and out within a blink of an eye. It’s not about the individual who steals a bar of soap or food to provide for themselves or their family. That activity is wrong, also. Maybe sympathetic. Groups of individuals are partaking in these endeavors, and we need to look at what their behaviors are saying about the members.

And it speaks volumes:

First: Coordination. None of the members can even suggest to law enforcement (when apprehended) that a mental health condition made them participate in these behaviors.

Second: Antisocial. Members of the group were involved in an activity (i.e., stealing) and have demonstrated antisocial behaviors with little (none?!) regard to public safety.

Third: Worker Safety: Have they thought about the consequences of worker safety within these establishments while engaging in these activities?

Fourth: Placing their own lives in danger. Why have they jeopardized their lives with the possibility of a confrontation with police officers? Do we need another fatal shooting that tears at the fiber of this country?

Fifth: Narcissism, maybe not, but definitely self-centeredness. All of us require a certain amount of selfishness to succeed in life. However, the looters’ self-centeredness is way out of control and could potentially lead to dangerous outcomes.

Sixth: Moral Compass. Where is the moral compass that says to a person, “No. I will not engage in these behaviors because I have too much respect for myself and, thus, for others.”

Seventh: Respect For Boundaries. Where is the respect for boundaries? When entering a business, it’s about making selections and then purchasing. That’s it! It’s not about purposely inserting oneself, disrupting, and causing panic among the companies, customers, and other innocent bystanders.

Finally, Envy may be the worst trait. Because of the activity, envy is the crux of the matter: “I want what you have.”

The fallout: People who own and run businesses have sacrificed to earn and maintain livelihoods for themselves, workers, customers, and other interested parties. Neighborhoods lose when impacted leaders make the business decision to leave those areas.

Vikki

September 24, 2023 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

To The Goal-Oriented: 2024, A Brief Word On Goal Achievement

ONCE YOU ATTAIN YOUR GOALS, CREATE NEW ONES

(Image Source: Joshua Coleman)

It’s never too early to think about personal goal attainment for the new year and begin the planning stage of the process. Writing down goals can unravel potential achievements. A person can look at them and analyze if they are one, several, or one enormous goal with different parts.

A person needs to ask themselves a few questions while this stage commences:

(Even though you may already know the answer, ask yourself) What are my values?

Are any of these goals unimportant?

How realistic are these goals?

How long (i.e., a guesstimate) will it take for this particular achievement?

Do any of these goals necessitate resources to bring them to fruition?

Which ones take priority over the others?

Which ones are short-term or long-term goals?

Will any of these goals lead directly to the conclusion of a longer-term one?

For those of you with a Project Management background, is there a deadline (i.e., the end date) you would like to achieve any personal goal?

Thinking and planning can reduce the unnecessary emotional discomfort of any new goal season. Also, a person should understand that having limited goals doesn’t mean they’re limited as a person. They’re focusing on the most important goals that they can visualize will reach a hard-earned reward. Visualizing an accomplishment is 90% of the work!

All the best to you as I know you will succeed in bringing your goals to fruition!

Vikki

*As an aside, every day is a new season of the planning stage for goal attainment. Also, if the terms “goals, goal-attainment, achievements, and accomplishments” are too overwhelming, give them a nickname to make those efforts reach a positive conclusion.

June 1, 2023 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

The Happiness Calendar For June 2023

Vikki

Reference

Newman, K. M. (2023). Your Happiness Calendar For June 2023. This Month, Be Your Best Self. Retrieved From https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/your_happiness_calendar_for_june_2023

April 18, 2023 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

One Of Those Delicate Subjects: To The Ladies In The Audience, An Attempt To Bring Clarity To An Uncomfortable Subject – Abortion

The Complexity Of It All

Back in the days of yore, my peers and I had strong conversations as young women with our mothers about everything, including birth control.

It was standard practice to visit our gynecologist regularly and had prescriptions for birth control pills. Once HIV/AIDS arrived on the scene in America, purchasing contraceptive foams and creams which kill the virus was another practice, while some of us may have placed sexual activity on hiatus for a while until we had a better understanding of the origins of the virus.

The exercises mentioned above were proactive methods in removing the potential of unwanted pregnancies and deadly viruses.

Abortion. One of the things that need to be clarified is that abortion should be readily available to females within America, of course. The idea of a female being sexually assaulted and ending up with an unwanted pregnancy in the worst way is outrageous!

Having said that, the purpose of this blog is to address mental health issues.

In this instance, females need to become aware of the potential which can occur upon having an abortion. While there are longitudinal studies that indicate there is a slight risk of mental health issues after having an abortion, females need to become aware of this information before becoming pregnant altogether. Consider the females who were not part of those longitudinal studies and experienced mental health problems after having an abortion. NOT TALKING ABOUT the potential for a mental health condition even though the risk is slight is reckless, unconscionable, and a disservice to young women who believe in obtaining as much information as possible regarding their health.

Therefore, let’s expand on the subject, shall we? The female with a prior history of a mental health condition: The potential is there that the condition worsens after having an abortion.

Providing a complete portrait of a condition is necessary, always.

The gist of this post is not about whether a female with an unwanted pregnancy should obtain an abortion, or have access to abortion. It’s about obtaining as much information as possible before the potential pregnancy occurs.

Ladies, I wish you positive health as you journey through life!

Vikki

March 6, 2022 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

March Is National Nutrition Month (Nutritional Psychiatry)

There is a strong relationship with healthy nutrition resulting in positive mental health: Nutritional Psychiatry (Mental Health Foundation, 2022), and (Rutland, 2021).

Learn how to incorporate more food selections for overall good health (eatright.org, Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics, 2022).

Vikki

References

eatright.org. Academy Of Nutrition And Dietetics. (2022). National Nutrition Month. Retrieved From https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month

Mental Health Foundation. (2022). Diet And Mental Health. What We Eat Doesn’t Just Affect Our Physical Health: It Can Also Affect Our Mental Health And Wellbeing. Retrieved From https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/d/diet-and-mental-health

Rutland, L. (2021). What Is Nutritional Psychiatry? For Starters, It’s Delicious. How To Eat For Better Mood, According To The Experts. Retrieved From https://www.bonappetit.com/story/nutritional-psychiatry#:~:text=Nutritional%20psychiatry%20leverages%20the%20connection,noticeably%20better%2C%20physically%20and%20mentally.

October 27, 2021 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

The Status Of Mental Health In America, The Reality Of It All

Mental Health America (2021) offers data covering extensive topics about mental health in the United States:

Charts separated by youth and adult demographics;

Illness type;

Whether treatment was sought;

If treatment was sought, was it too costly?;

Did insurance have an illness and treatment specificity that was uncovered?;

Were patients lacking insurance, altogether?;

Rankings for these demographics that were reported by each state, and other informative data worth a comprehensive reading in, “The State Of Mental Health In America. Statistics 2021” View All Data 2021 | Mental Health America (mhanational.org) (Mental Health America, 2021).

Vikki

Reference

Mental Health America. (2021). The State Of Mental Health In America. Statistics 2021. Retrieved From View All Data 2021 | Mental Health America (mhanational.org)

August 25, 2021 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

Murderers, That Prior History Of Barbaric Psychological And Physical Damage Inflicted Upon Them*

“Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: A Psychiatrist Explores The Minds Of Killers” (Lewis, 1998) is a recommended publication for those who wish to have a better understanding in how some killers came into fruition. WARNING: Graphic narrative.

Vikki

Reference

Lewis, D. O., M. D. (1998). Guilty By Reason Of Insanity: A Psychiatrist Explores The Minds Of Killers. Ivy Books, The Ballantine Publishing Group.

*Of course, some people became murderers because of a congenital brain impairment.

January 7, 2020 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

Thyroid And Mental Health

When a therapist diagnosis a patient with depression and one of the anxiety disorders, the potential is strong that the thyroid is the origin of the difficulties. Additional medical evaluation can prove the patient has autoimmune thyroiditis, also known as AIT.

“Depression And Anxiety More Common In Patients With Thyroid Disease” (Harding, 2018) talked about the symptoms a patient may experience with this cluster of health issues, the conversation a psychiatrist needs to have with patient when thyroid has not been evaluated and depression and anxiety are diagnosed, and the conversation a physician needs to have with patient when thyroid becomes a complication.

Vikki

Reference

Harding, A. (2018). Depression And Anxiety More Common In Patients With Thyroid Disease. Retrieved From https://www.psychcongress.com/news/depression-and-anxiety-more-common-patients-thyroid-disease

April 16, 2015 by Victoria Sutton, MS Psychology

Stress Management Approaches

Everyone experiences stress from time to time, and will need to discover and practice effective stress management approaches for a healthy psychological condition.

As an aside, stress can lead to depression, and the longer depression lasts the better the opportunity for neurotransmitters becoming damaged, requiring an individual to obtain psychotropics from a mental health professional.

The following resources provide beneficial information in reducing/managing stress:

Articles

Mayo Clinic: Healthy Lifestyle – Stress Management – Stress Basics

MindTools.com: Albrecht’s Four Types of Stress – Managing Common Pressures

[Videos]

Stress Management Techniques

Relaxation Video for Stress Management

Vikki