PARANOID DEFENSES VERSUS NEGATIVITY

Recently an acquaintance said that a lesson learned many years ago was 'to protect yourself' by 'thinking paranoid'..  Knowing this person for a long time, we talked about paranoid defenses (an older psychoanalytic concept seldom heard today) as, indeed, being not unwise.  If you were mugged walking alone at night, you might find it hard to ever walk down that street again without being anxious and watching your back.. However, I believe anxiety is confused with defense.  When the stock market did a big drop, this person impulsively sold a major holding which has since showed evidence of being more valuable and secure.  This was pure anxiety, not paranoia, that forced that panic and sale.

Many people often mistake anxiety for clairvoyance, as from a dream; or thinking that the distress is an omen of some sort. That by today's understanding is unlikely more than wishful thinking.  Anxiety, which leads to impulsive decisions, does not make one's life run smoothly.  Worse yet is that a mistake once made should be forgotten, other than the lesson learned not to repeat it.  Unfortunately too many people ruminate over their mistake and can't move forward to try to compensate or make moves ahead instead of dwelling in the past.

Anxiety and panic produce cortisol in our system.  People with clinical depression usually have an overload of cortisol.  Researchers strongly belief too much cortisol over long periods of time contributes to earlier death.

Alcoholics do not own the Serenity Prayer.  Not worrying about things over which you have no control will raise your comfort level and lower your cortisol level.  Relax and live longer; unrelieved stress will only shorten your life.

WHEN WILL PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR SOME TO BE MEDICATED FOR DEPRESSION?

Several decades have gone by since treatment for depression was no longer believed to be treatable by psychotherapy alone.  Research made it clear that a combination of medication and either psychotherapy or behavioral therapy was the most effective treatment.  Clinical depression is on a spectrum of intensity.  Given the number of neurotransmitters humans have, as well as hormones, endocrines, and other balances effecting our moods, treatment is still not a simple matter.

Any licensed physician can prescribe psychotropic drugs but, unless they have been well trained and are current, they can do more damage than good.  The patient is always the one at risk.  Many areas have no one sufficiently trained to treat properly.  When medication doesn't work, some have prescribed raising the dosage.  A medication has a 'window ' of effectiveness. More is not at all necessarily better.  More, in fact can be toxic and make a patient worse.

Each year medications are being improved and their targets more refined.  Yet, the treatment of Affective Disorders (uncontrollable mood changes), particularly the Bipolars, requires great medical skill.  Our society nis still in the dark ages holding onto the belief that people should be strong and solve their own 'problems'.  Patients still express fears that admitting to psychotropic prescriptions will damage their trustworthiness, employability, and will be seen as 'mental'. 

The current state of mental health is described in a Harvard Medical School article in its Family Guide. When the entire population can understand both the disorders as well as the treatment, people will be more comfortable talking about their diagnosis, symptoms and treatment so that it will help others.  The course of bipolar disorder is not a straight line, usually.  There are peaks and valleys which we call 'episodes'.  No one can predict how long anyone's episode may last.  We only know that a depressive episode is stressful and the stress hormone, cortisol, is toxic to the brain over the years sometimes shortening one's life

Research now correlates chronically elevated levels of cortisol with blood sugar problems, fat accumulation, compromised immune function, exhaustion, bone loss, and even heart disease. Memory loss has also been associated with high cortisol levels. Continual stress can indeed have a negative impact on your health.  To learn more about the impact of high stress levels of cortisol for prolonged periods, click here. .

Hard work harms people far less than worry and continued stress.  All those lovely little messages about stopping and smelling the coffee, taking time out to smell the roses and many more suggestions to lower stress may not work as a panacea for all but the thought is in the right direction.  Calm down!

BUILDING CORTISOL (THE STRESS HORMONE) IN WAYS YOU LEAST SUSPECT

Today's society is over stressed and stimulated.  A man was speaking on NPR whose name I didn't catch, but who had recently written a book (the title which I also missed) on his independent research on stress in our daily lives.  He said that people who claim to be multi-taskers cannot really be that as only one stream of verbal information can be taken in at a time.  I would not argue that he is probably correct.  I, however, read while I watch the news on TV.  Somehow my brain scans what my conscious mind may not be tuned into and tells me when key words come up that I want to hear more about.  It is true I do not then continue to read while I listen.

However, we have five senses that are not verbal trails into our brain.  I remember playing a Festival organ in the 60s.  It had two ranks  and pedals.  When you have to be aware of all those things as theater organists do magnificently, I believe that is multi-tasking.  When translators hear one language and simultaneously translate it to orally to another, that is another example to me.  Be sure to watch the videos on this site to illustrate my point;  It may be true that words cannot be handled by the brain in tandem but, clearly, other functions can.

Years ago, a psychiatrist, with whom I worked in a mental hospital, speaking English (though Viennese was his native language), had the audacity to say people who learn two languages have to be schizophrenic.  I had been bilingual all my life and resented this.  I clearly translated one language to the other when necessary.  I am constantly thinking of the steps involved in what I am doing and adjust my actions to make maximum efficiency.  I got things done faster and just as efficiently though I was being told to finish one job before starting another.

It is impossible for me to sit quietly and watch TV.  I have always had to be drawing, painting, embroidering, knitting or some other activity with my hands.  Otherwise I would fall asleep.  I have been calling that multi-tasking but, according to this gentleman's definition, it is not. Oddly, I feel far more stressed when I don't have something to keep my senses occupied than when I try to focus on only one sense.  I wish someone would invent a cortisol reader for the home.  I feel much more stressed out when I watch a violent, suspenseful movie.  It is no guess that I no longer watch them but enjoy 'feel good' books and movies.

Lastly, I realize I get stressed out physically as I grow older over things that used to be simple to me...like finding my way to an appointment in a place I have never been to before.  I allow plenty of time but feel my pulse rate rising if I get lost and fear I will be late...even to doctor's offices when doctors are never on time.

As I reread this, before publishing it, I realize we have backed into the old 'One size does NOT fit all' argument that I have frequently cautioned against.  There are those who get charged up by being frightened and watching violence.  I am not one of them.  Not everyone relishes kicking in their adrenalin or norepinephrine.  I prefer kicking in my endorphins.  They make me feel good.