- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogTeenage girls are in crisis. New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals nearly three in five (57%) teen girls in the United States felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021. This is double that of teen boys and the highest level reported in the past decade. This data aligns with the increased number of teen girls who are being seen in the clinics and emergency departments in Prince George’s County, where Jesselina Curry, MD—a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Luminis Health—reports that the most common symptoms reported by these teenagers are low self-esteem and thoughts of not wanting to be alive. Why Are Teen Girls Affected Most? According to Dr. Curry, both teen boys and girls are experiencing increased mental health struggles, but girls often identify the struggle faster and are quicker to act on their feelings. There are a number of reasons for the increase, including among other things the loss of primary family members, academic stress and peer conflict. These factors are compounded by internal stressors such as trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be in life. LGBTQ and racial minority teens are struggling to find genuine safety and trust in relationships. Without feeling secure and a sense of real belonging, these teens tend to isolate from others, act impulsively or develop deep, prolonged sadness. Cultivating Connection with Adult Caregivers Creates Resilience Although many adults grew up with the philosophy of “speak only when you are spoken to,” it is important for adult guardians to create opportunities for teens to feel heard on a regular basis, not just once a conflict or crisis arises. For a host of reasons, grandparents are increasingly playing an important role in their grandchildren’s lives, especially since many parents are working longer hours to support the household. Because of the age difference, it might be harder for grandparents to connect with their grandkids. Dr. Curry encourages adult guardians to share a personal story of a difficult time from their own life, and then encourage the teen to share a personal hardship. It’s important for adults to ask the teen how the situation made them feel. That way they can then find solutions together. As adult caregivers help teens cope with the everyday tragedies and disappointments in life, you hope these life lessons stick with them into adulthood. Available Resources for Teens Every teen wants a sense of belonging. To help with their emotional growth, encourage them to join a club at school or a group with positive role models who can build up their self-esteem. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry website includes a variety of resources to support teens who may be struggling with their mental health, as well as helpful resources for their families. The site includes fact sheets, books recommendations, videos for teens and more. A few organizations that provide support, belonging and empowerment specific to teen girls include: Girls Scouts of the USA Girls on the Run Boys & Girls Clubs of America Key Takeaways from an Adolescent Psychiatrist According to Dr. Curry, the teenage years are the most difficult. To help successfully navigate these sometimes choppy seas, she encourages parents/caretakers do the following: Create a strong listening environment Don’t overlook changes in your teen’s behavior Continue to provide them with structure and a community of support Model coping skills in difficult situations The Behavioral Health Pavilion on the campus of Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center provides Behavioral Health Walk-In Urgent Care for non-emergent behavioral health concerns for ages four years old and up. This service in Lanham is available Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Author Jesselina Curry, MD, is an adolescent psychiatrist at Luminis Health.
- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMany of us have visited an urgent care clinic for a cut finger or flu-like symptoms. Urgent care centers are convenient because you typically don’t need an appointment. What may be new to you is the idea of walk-in behavioral health urgent care. To help address the mental health crisis in this country, Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center now offers behavioral health urgent care in its new Behavioral Health Pavilion (8200 Good Luck Road, Lanham, MD 20706). The Behavioral Health Urgent Care is a walk-in clinic for the treatment of non-life-threatening behavioral health (mental health and substance use) needs. The clinic focuses on the treatment of behavioral health symptoms in patients ages four and older—this may include assessment for behavioral health treatment or safety, initiation of medication for mild to moderate mental health symptoms or referral to behavioral health services and resources. When Is It Appropriate to Visit the ER vs. Behavioral Health Urgent Care? The Behavioral Health Urgent Care provides the community with an additional layer of behavioral health support and—when appropriate—serves as an alternative to the emergency room (ER) for mental health evaluation and treatment. An ER should still be utilized in cases of: A suicide attempt or suicidal thoughts with the intention of hurting oneself. Self-harm that requires medical treatment. Active psychosis or behaviors that are causing aggression, agitation, or paranoia. Side effects from medication. Any unsafe behaviors. Active overdose. Uncontrolled mania. What to Expect as a Behavioral Health Urgent Care Patient After registering and completing intake forms upon arrival at the Behavioral Health Urgent Care, patients are escorted to a secure area to safely store any personal effects or valuables. They are then greeted by a registered nurse who will take the patient’s vital signs and obtain a brief history of symptoms, medications and any other pertinent information. Patients then speak with a licensed mental health clinician or psychiatric nurse practitioner for clinical evaluation. The team of providers answers any patient questions and makes recommendations for follow-up care. Treatment depends on the determined need after the initial assessment is made. Patients may be provided a prescription for medication, a follow-up appointment for therapy, medication management for on-going support or other clinically appropriate referrals. Behavioral Health Urgent Care patients may be referred to community providers or they may also continue to receive services at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Pavilion, where ongoing support services are provided including: Individual and intensive group therapy. Medication management. Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization (coming soon!). Residential treatment of substance use disorders (coming soon!). The Luminis Health DCMC Behavioral Health Urgent Care is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Future plans include expanding clinic services to seven days a week. Author Aliya Jones, MD, serves as the Executive Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Luminis Health
- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogFor many of us, the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. But for others, it can be the most challenging time of the year. The holidays can invoke memories of pain, disappointment or loss. Fortunately, there are coping mechanisms that can help make the holidays more bearable. Dealing with Loss The loss of a loved one can feel especially raw during the holidays. It’s healthy to allow yourself to enjoy fond memories if you don’t find the remembrance too emotionally troubling. If that’s the case, give yourself some time to remember, grieve for a brief period of time and then move on to restorative activities—it’s always helpful to keep that to-do list close. Consider thinking of how to renew or adapt an old tradition in a way that honors your loved one. Remember to try your best to enjoy the holiday as your loved one would have wanted you to. When you need to separate yourself from emotions of sadness and loss, engage in your usual self-care practices like taking a walk, exercising, watching an enjoyable movie, listening to uplifting music or talking with a family member or friend. Alone for the Holidays Being uncoupled during the holidays can feel particularly lonely. One of the first things to remember is that you are not alone: plenty of people don’t have partners and they deserve to enjoy the holidays as much as those who are in an intimate relationship. This is a great time to rediscover yourself and the things that you enjoy. Our feelings of loneliness are sometimes cravings to be in the presence of others—not necessarily with a romantic partner—so allow yourself to accept offers of getting together with family and friends. Being with others whose company you enjoy is a very healthy distraction when dealing with the loss of a relationship. Navigating Difficult Family Members You may avoid certain family members throughout the year but feel obligated to spend time with them over the holidays. The holidays are a time to endeavor to set aside our differences and celebrate our connections. Try to guide your conversations with difficult family members to subjects that you both like, such as happy memories of mutually beloved departed family members or the latest antics of the family pet. If needed, give yourself an escape route. This may mean having closer family members or friends on the lookout to call you out of a bad conversation. Make sure that you can leave the environment safely if needed—try to be the driver or to have the Uber/Lyft app on your phone. Consider disarming your family member by learning something about them that you didn’t already know; people usually like to talk about themselves, so use that to your advantage. And, most importantly, don’t go looking for conflict. Watch the way that you engage—monitor your tone and your reaction—as sometimes the conflict we experience is due to the conflict we create. Managing Behavioral Health Conditions The holidays are ripe with emotions, both good and bad. If you have a behavioral health condition, it is likely that you will have more symptoms during this time—more depression, anxiety or substance use. Anticipate that this is a possibility and plan now on how to manage the reemergence or increase of symptoms: Consider talking to your therapist/counselor about increasing the frequency of your sessions. Think about talking to your prescriber about the appropriateness of increasing your medication dosage for a brief period. Plan to participate in more recovery support groups and talk to your sponsor more frequently. Monitor your use of recreational or other substances; try to maintain your non-holiday patterns of use and remember that almost every drug supply chain is tainted with fentanyl—this is not a good time to try something new that is substance-related Keep naloxone on hand if you or family members or friends use substances. Call 988 for support if you find yourself in an emotional or substance-related crisis—someone is available to talk with you 24 hours a day. Authors Aliya Jones, MD, serves as the inaugural Executive Medical Director of Behavioral Health for Luminis Health.
- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogSometimes life gets you down. You may, for example, have trouble at work, paying bills, meeting social obligations or maintaining relationships with friends and family. While experiencing life’s twists and turns, we can all feel blue from time to time. However, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed for a longer stretch of time, it’s important to find support. Left untreated, depression can negatively impact your health. However, learning more about mental health disorders — including understanding how to recognize their risk factors and symptoms — can go a long way toward helping you find proper care and getting back to living your best life. Body, Mind and Spirit Work Together to Help You Feel Your Best The Greeks were right: A sound mind is a sound body. Mental and physical health are inseparable and equally important to your overall health. When it comes to your mental health, there’s a lot involved, including how your body functions (your biology), how you think (your psychology) and what you do (your habits). Stress can affect everything from how your white blood cells respond to viral infections and cancer to how your wounds will heal. Long-term depression can increase your risk for chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and stroke, weaken your immune system, interfere with your sleep and even wreck your diet. Only when your body, mind and spirit are working at their best, can you truly enjoy life. Understanding Mental Disorders Mental disorders are serious conditions that make it even more challenging to cope with the stresses of daily living; affecting your thinking, feelings, moods and behaviors, relationships with others and your ability to function from day to day. Know the Types There are many types of behavioral health disorders, including: Mood disorders Eating disorders Panic Anxiety disorders Stress disorders Psychotic disorders Substance use disorders Recognize the Risk Factors Although there’s no single cause for behavioral health disorders, risk factors include: Chronic stress Traumatic experiences Chemical imbalances in the brain Family history Feelings of loneliness or isolation Alcohol or drug use Know When You Need Help About one in four people have mental health issues that affect their everyday activities. Unfortunately, about 75 percent of them don’t get the help they need. Changes in your behavior or outlook can signal that it’s time to get help from others. If you have trouble managing your symptoms, or they won’t go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. In addition to feeling overwhelmed, withdrawn or disconnected, symptoms may include: Chronic anxiety Constant sadness Excessive anger Extreme mood swings Inability to manage problems or daily activities Nervousness New or increased substance use Thoughts of suicide or harming others You should never feel embarrassed about needing help to feel your best. Just like for any other healthcare concern, you need a healthcare professional to address your mental health. Getting the help you need, sooner rather than later, can help you to get on the path to recovery. How to Find Mental Health Help Your primary care doctor can help you find mental health services. You can also get help, including a mental health evaluation, therapy and medication management, from Luminis Health. Before you meet with a mental health professional, it can help to write down a list of questions to ask. Here are a few examples to get you started: Do you have experience caring for others in my situation? How do you treat my condition? How long can I expect treatment to last? What do you charge? Do you take insurance? You may also want to write down a list of the results you want from treatment. Sharing these with your behavioral health specialist can steer you both in the right direction toward meeting your mental health goals. Call 988 for Immediate Help If you (or a loved one) are in crisis or thinking about hurting yourself, the National Suicide and Crisis Prevention Lifeline offers immediate help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. This is a national network of local crisis centers providing free, confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Make Your Mental Health Your Priority Getting help for behavioral health disorders starts with you. Self-help can be an important first step to your improvement or recovery, and it begins with self-awareness. Once you take the first steps to identify that you’re having trouble in your daily life, you’re on your way to better overall health.
- Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogIf you are considering weight loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) you may have heard of a gastric bypass or a sleeve gastrectomy, which are the most common bariatric procedures. Gastric bypasses have been performed for over 50 years. Today, it is usually a minimally invasive procedure with laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Let’s compare the two options of weight loss surgery. The gastric bypass divides the stomach, creating a small pouch. The larger piece of the stomach no longer stores or digests food, however it does still create digestive juices that are pushed downstream to meet up with the food you eat. The small intestine is also divided and connected to the newly created small stomach pouch. This helps with weight loss because the stomach is now much smaller, which means you are able to hold less food and ingest fewer calories. Also, a portion of the small bowel does not see food anymore, which results in decreased absorption. In comparison, the sleeve gastrectomy removes about 80% of the stomach using surgical staplers. As with the gastric bypass, it helps with weight loss because the smaller stomach holds less food. Also, the 80 percent of the stomach that is removed produces most of the body’s ghrelin or “hunger hormone.” Removing the hormone decreases the hunger sensation and increases fullness. Surgery is the most effective treatment for type 2 diabetes. 80 percent of people who receive gastric bypass experience a remission of diabetes. For those who have the sleeve gastrectomy, remission is seen in over 60 percent of patients. Both procedures involve reshaping the stomach to hold less food and both work for weight loss. If you are considering weight loss surgery, the best way to understand which option is right for you is to meet with a bariatric surgeon. We invite you to access our website to request an appointment or sign up for a free webinar with one of our surgeons. This article was originally featured in the Enquirer-Gazette. Authors Jilian Nicholas, DO, is a bariatric surgeon at Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center.
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