ARP Pebble in the Road - TSA Air Traveling with Medication

I'm having some technical difficulties and having trouble getting a full episode out. So I just thought I'd do this little quick episode.

This is just a quick informational post on traveling with your medications. There is some concern that allegedly there are some agents that are confiscating medication.

Below is the link to the official TSA.gov webpage where they publicly states that you are allowed to bring your pill medication on board either in your carry-on or luggage.

There is the text of that statement and the reality of having an agent or two publicly try to take or embarrass you from your medications.

You will have to make some hard judgements on what to do to maintain your safety.

 

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Official TSA.gov webpage on traveling with your medications.

Official TSA YouTube channel. This link is to a video on traveling with a disability, medications and options for processing.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 293 Defining Collecting, Clutter, Hoarding and Squalor

In this episode, a look at some of the words that get confused with hoarding. 

I mentioned that there are U.S.and UK television programs about hoarding. Also, there are multiple Youtube channels where a young person buys a the contents or acquires a hoarders property to find hidden treasures and money. 

There is also a sub-genre of professional housekeepers being paid to clean the home.

I can't forget that there is or was a person attached to their possessions. 

Sure, if the person is deceased and the property has to be cleared for the next occupant, fair game.

But if it is a living person they need treatment and support. It won't work otherwise. 

But as long as it is a money making freak show, I don't see that aspect of the cleaning happening in the broadcast and cable programs.  

Long before the house is touched, you have to reach the actual person with a team approach to treatment. That is hard. It might not even happen because some folks are in too deep. 

Not saying you need their approval to continue living in un-sanitary conditions. That is a public health situation and action has to happen.

But treatment isn't about just siting in a therapist's office. Sometimes you have to be in the room with 10 cans of baked beans from 1994. And helping that person let go one can at a time.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

The Lifetime cable movie mention is Dirty Little Secret with Melisa Joan Hart.

MHealth Intelligence article about Cerebral and a link to the WSJ article 

FTC Launches Probe of Cerebrals Business Practices that is behind a paywall.

Seth J. Gillhan PhD has a list of 5 Proven Techniques to Deal with Panic Attack. The list is on Psychology Today. 

The International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation has a page asking the lyrical question, "Do I Have a Hording Disorder?"

Also on the IOCDF site is a Clutter Rating Scale

And the Mayo Clinic has a couple of pages on their take on Hoarding Disorder.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 292 What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

I think when I was starting out, I probably would not have considered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. 

I was really focused on stopping my symptoms and I was not the introspective person. 

More bullheaded and introspective. I was much more focused on making my symptoms stop.

While doing the things that caused them in the first place. 

I can tell you, that's probably not the way to go, but I had to learn from experience as opposed to from intellect. It was a rough road.

In this episode, a look at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. 

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

The Anatomy of Anxiety, Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response by Ellen Vora. Link leads to the publisher Harper Collin's page of the book.

Psych Hub video about ACT 

Timothy Gordon aka Zen Social Worker video on What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

Verywell Mind comprehensive post on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

From the How American Psychological Association there is a therapist locator page as well as a page on How Do I Find a Good Therapist?

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

 

Show 291 - What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

Before talking about Dialectical Behavior Therapy,  I want to give a brief reminder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aka CBT.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a short term treatment that provides skills on how to transform negative thoughts and behaviors. Traditionally, CBT is offered to people with an anxiety disorder, depression and other mental health conditions.

There are a number ways to do this but the general format is to:

• Assess where you are right now.
• What is your view of yourself, your attitude about yourself and how you function with those beliefs.
• Skills and tool building process to help you deal with your symptoms and other blocks you experience.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a variation of CBT, the goals are the same but there are some differences. 

DBT was originally created as treatment for suicide treatments, Borderline Personality Disorder, then eating disorders, some types of addictions and is now used for PTSD and anxiety conditions. It is actionable focus, meaning you actively apply the skills and techniques as you learn them. 

There is a connection with mindfulness. There is also a focus on acceptance and finding ways to change what you can to improve the quality of your life..

In this episode, a review of CBT and a brief dusting on the concepts of DBT.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

ADAA video on What is DBT? You can view it on YouTube or the ADAA website.

From Humor That Works the 5 Daily Habits app for both Android and iOS. Simple app but gets the job done. Works on older devices and it is a totally free app.

Everyday Health page on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Very Well Mind page on Dialectical Behavior Therapy

DBT-LBC.org is a website that has a listing of certified DBT therapists in the US and Canada. The site also has an information page about dialectical behavior therapy

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 290 Hydrate Your Brain

Sometimes we look for the thing to deal with our symptoms. The brain that is hard to get, access or to find the right kind of help can be expensive.

Or requires another person for delivery.

Not that kind of delivery, the whole structural system of good, services, materials and processing type of delivery. Not to mention that we all need another person to do something somewhere down the line.

Anyway,

We are looking for the thing that knocks some sense into our symptoms. We look but we don't always see the thing right in our homes or refrigerators.

Water. the TL:DR version is you need to water your brain.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Sacramento Bee article on Kaiser Permanente and The California Department of Health

Hawaii Public Radio post on the strike action of Kaiser behavioral health workers.

From Mental Health UK, a short post on Diet and Mental Health.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control page on the amount of sugar in beverages.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health page on Energy Drinks

Cleveland Clinic webpage on What The Color of Your Pee Says About You

Australian Health Direct page on Urine Colour Chart

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 289 - We Are Here

The verbal poison for profit business that is coursing through the system is killing people. Both passively and in actuality.

 

And I can tell you from experience that the let’s pretend balm of dismissing this as a mental health issue has been put into play.

 

Or a one-off action of a lonely man. 

Sometimes all you can do is state the obvious.

 

We are alive. 

 

And you can take pride that being alive pisses the hell out of a bunch of people. 

 

We have a purpose. To get well, be healthy and chip away to make our spot of the planet a bit easier for the next generation.

 

This is just a message. It is gonna get messy.

Take care of yourself and one other. More, if you are up to it.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resource Mentioned:

Psychology Today post on 10 Anxious Behaviors That May Actually Be Trauma Responses

 

Tabitha Brown video on Your are still here via YouTube.

If you live in the United States, you can get free Covid Home Tests via the page set up by USPS.com.

Disclaimer: 

 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only.

 

Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Show 288 Two Books with Different Paths to Healing

There isn't one path to healing.  There can be dozens but when you are in the thick of it you only care about what works now.

So you might decide, you have stuff to do, you don't have time for introspections, give me the pill.

And it might work for you. Until it doesn't. Or your symptoms change. Or your anxiety expresses itself as anger. Or overeating. Or hording.

It can happen that you do meditation. You monitor your nutrition. You run a mile a day.

And your symptoms still make you feel like a scared, helpless person. Treatment isn't always linear.

You might have to mix it up. 

In this episode a look at two books that are very different from each other. Both offer a path to healing and treatment. It might work for you, it might not.

But these are accessible options to consider.

If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources Mentioned: 

Brown University Robert J. & Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science, a news article about Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy (MATT)

For those of you that want to check out the trial evaluation there is an open article Mechanical Affective Touch Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: Effects on Resting State Functional Connectivity on Science Direct that gives the details of the trial testing and results. 

Dushka Zapata For All I Know; A Shebang Checklist for Life. You can find most of her writing for free on Quora but she does have books for sale at Amazon.

The ABCS of Coping Using CBT to Manage Stress and Anxiety by James Cowart Ph.D. published by Crown House Publishing. You can visit the publishers web site or order the book via your favorite book vendor.

Author Matt Haig 2014 post on Reasons to Stay Alive.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.