Belief in God Tied to Greater Psychiatric Treatment Response

Well this article just fell into my lap this morning.  Last night I finished watching the last of the Bible series.  I had recorded it to watch at my leisure.  I was thinking how I would write that I believe in God although I do not believe in religion.  I could call myself Catholic if I want to drink.  Religion just makes it harder to believe because of all their rules.  I open up the news looking for something to write about and here is an article.

It says: “Belief in God, but not religious affiliation, is associated with a greater likelihood of treatment response among psychiatric outpatients, according to a study published in the April 25 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.”  They used to call me lucky because I would get out of so many cases against me.  I have seen miracles and as I have said I read positive books by Norman Vincent Peale.  I still can quote scriptures from those books my heart they helped me so much.  I was a very negative person.  If a miracle happen to me once and I would try the same thing again.
As for recovery I would not have recovered if it had not been for my belief in God.  How do you get by all those lonely times, your family not around and also I did not have my daughter while I was at the State Hospital.  She did not come around until three years after I was released.  “The researchers found that among treatment responders, belief in God was significantly higher compared with non-responders.  Greater reduction in depression and self-harm and greater improvements in psychological well-being also correlated significantly with higher levels of belief.  The correlation between belief and changes in depression and self-harm persisted even after controlling for age and gender.  The relationship between belief in God and depression was mediated by perceived treatment credibility/expectancy, but not by emotional regulation or community support.  Religious affiliation was linked to treatment credibility/expectancy, but did not impact treatment outcomes.”  Where do you think my hope comes from?  It is my belief that God will work things out sometimes a lot slower than I liked.
Although things always work out for the best, as always in A.A you are asked to believe in a higher power.  To succeed you always have to believe in something.  I was brought up religious and it has always just been there for me.  As I have said I have seen miracles where my own lawyer did not know how I was not charged. You would have to be there to understand.  Without those magazines from Norman Vincent Peale about people who went through tough times and came out alright, I cannot say that my time at the State Hospital would have went a lot harder and longer.
I do not force anyone to believe I am just telling my story of recovery and what I believe that keeps me going.  I am not doing so badly.  I believe that if you think positive and work towards what you want you will achieve it. No matter what mental illness you have there is always hope that they can find a medication that will help you to achieve what you want out of life there is always hope. One reason I have never talked about it is I have seen many people with mental illness that believe that they are or have been talked to God.  I separate the two in my life.

Emotional Strength: Handling Criticism

Have you been the kind of person who admires or envies people who accept criticism? I myself was never the kind of person to accept any kind of critical remark or feedback for that matter, even if it was truth. Even as I might sit before my own boss who might critique my work or attitude, I would begin to have negative thoughts, and then I would become defensive with rationalizations of my actions. Anger is the worst of anyone’s reactions’ to taking constructive criticism which may involve even a physical altercation.
We can go beyond the negative acceptance of criticism and identify our weaknesses and how to bolster our strengths, being able to handle criticism with calmness and doing so professionally helps to maintain not only our mental health yet also working relationships both on the job and personal.
Before you react to any sign of criticism, don’t! Just stop any reaction you are having and let yourself know you must stay calm. Know that feed back is constructive criticism which is meant to help you improve your skills and relationships and to also help you meet certain other criteria expected of you.
http://www.audreymarlene-lifecoach.com/criticism.html
Listen wisely and do not interfere with the person who is giving you this criticism. Do so without interruption. When they have completed what they have to say, let them know you have heard what they have said and let them know you are understanding what has been said and the perspectives they have shown you.
When we face Constructive Criticism we often times forget this is a learning experience about our weaknesses and we should remember that without it we do not grow or improve. Remembering that being defensive, we are closed to what’s most important to be learned and that feedback, “criticism” is not always easy to give just as well as receiving such, but it brings about change and with that comes the knowledge of becoming a better and more learned person.
Written by Donald S.

Almost Alcoholic

In last week’s blog we finished talking about the signs of being an almost alcoholic. Another thing the book gives is a quiz to see which category you might be in. The answers are on page thirty four and as the book says no one wants to grow up to be an alcoholic or almost alcoholic. The book says: “The medical literature has a term for almost alcoholics; they are called “diagnostic orphans”—that is their problems don’t fit neatly into established diagnostic categories. This means that if they went to a professional for an assessment, they wouldn’t fit the criteria for the diagnosis of alcohol dependence.” (pg.47). How would they get help if they do not fit the right category? They could use help.
The book goes on to give more case studies of people who are almost alcoholic. Then the book talks about relationship between a person and alcohol. It gives three stages of alcohol drinking. The first stage called Casual Friendship: “People whose relationship with alcohol falls into this stage drink primarily in social settings. This is what we mean by “normal social drinking.”” (pg.65). These people have no problem with drinking. They might just do it social but can take it or leave it. The second stage is called Serious Relationship: “… a person has learned to use alcohol consistently for one of two reasons: to create certain positive feelings (such as relaxation or euphoria) or to avoid certain negative feelings (such as anxiety or loneliness).”(pg.67). This dinking behavior would fall into the category of almost alcoholic. There is hope if your get help in this stage. Otherwise you can go from being an almost alcoholic to being a full alcoholic.
The third stage is called Commitment: “At this next stage, alcohol use has moved beyond a serious relationship into what could be called a commitment that the drinker has made with alcohol.” (pg.70). I believe I was at this stage. I would consume alcohol just to get drunk. Good times were not always there. When it should have been good in turned out wrong. I might end up in jail or even in a fight. I do not think about drinking anymore. I just have to remember how it was and I will always be abstinent.
I give this book a good review. The chapters going forward have more case studies and how to change from being an almost alcoholic or alcoholic. One chapter is on Change and has a quiz to take. One chapter is on refusal skills, like learning to say no. The rest of the book is worth reading. This will end the series.

I Promised Myself

I had been on home work assignments from college since Saturday afternoon. I didn’t know how to do it any other way; close the door and curtains and wish myself the best of everything. As I had finished one chapter of a class, someone outside made a very disturbing remark about how, “square and stupid I must be, and everyone else thinks so too”. I have been taking two college courses since mid-January and I almost let my feelings become shallow pools of stagnant water. Fortunately I thought about the remarks people were making about me, and I thought, “I just completed a chapter on Spreadsheets, and composing functions, without help”. I wondered on about the remarks, why would anyone care to think I would get angry or change my mind about what I was doing. Standing around making noise, drinking and just being under the sun and pulling someone else’s attitude into the ground is not what I cared to be doing.
In Strength Finders, I found “Consistency” a need in my daily life. I read about “consistency” for a moment and knew I could not predict my way through life believing in others who wish to show the upper hand and take advantage of others therewith time, space, materiality, etc. When you are diagnosed with a mental illness, it’s hard to find consistency or connectedness in your life, it’s too overwhelming at times and depressing at others. You would find it more pleasing to turn your eyes another direction than look the way which would cause you discontentment even trouble.
We use “Strength Finders” for ideas in self improvement of our attitudes and stability, not to mention our own work ethics. We use these ideas in improving relationships and I can honestly speak on the ideas which lift me from depressive moments or manic episodes. Since I had been given the book, my fear factor has dropped, and my ability to keep in stride with whatever project I am working on, even my own attitude and responses have become better, opposed to my past. In your recovery, take notes if you can of what is good, what would be the better, and understand what brings you “down”, and what makes you smile. It’s not all in a book, yet you can find a clue to uplifting your spirit when the chips are down.
Written by Donald Sammons