Five Therapies That Can Relieve Suicidal Thoughts

In my last posting. I listed some of the common medications that can cause suicidal thoughts as a side effect. In this posting, I am reposting an article on the Five Therapies that can Relieve Suicidal Ideation. It was written by By Kristina Robb-Dover dated September 9, 2022 as follows:

"Suicide isn’t something anyone likes to talk about. Yet it is a serious and devastating occurrence in America and throughout the world. Whether the person having these thoughts of self-harm and ending it all is you, or a loved one, family member, friend, or co-worker, suicidal ideation and behavior are a desperate cry for help. Often, therapy from a professional suicidal therapist can make a profound difference in relieving suicidal thoughts.

 How Common are Suicidal Thoughts?

Individuals with psychiatric disorders, particularly bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance abuse are at higher risk of suicide. So, too, are those with anxiety disorders, especially severe anxiety. Veterans and military personnel, members of the LGBTQ community, and white men ages 44-64 and 85 and older are also more impacted by suicide.

A fact sheet from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention shows that 12 million Americans had suicidal thoughts, and about 1.4 million tried to carry out those suicidal ideations. Among those whose death resulted from suicide, men were 3.63 times more likely than women to end their lives. Women, however, attempted suicide 1.66 times more than men. Tragically, in 90 percent of the suicide deaths, the individuals had a diagnosable mental health disorder or condition.

Therapy for Suicidal Thoughts is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Approach

When considering therapies that can relieve suicidal thoughts, it’s important to recognize that there’s no single approach that’s universally effective. Different treatments have different efficacy for different disorders. Someone with treatment-resistant depression who’s experiencing chronic suicidal thoughts may benefit more from certain types of suicidal therapy than someone who’s thought about suicide after losing a loved one or feels hopeless following a lengthy illness or terminal diagnosis.

Research into suicide-specific treatments to help reduce suicidal thoughts reveals some effective therapies that have been both studied in controlled clinical trials and used in psychiatric and mental health care settings.

1. Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention

A suicide-specific form of psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (CT-SP) has shown impressive results in reducing suicidal thoughts and repeat suicide attempts, reducing depressive symptoms, and increasing hope. A primary treatment focus is reducing suicide risk factors and increasing coping skills. Central to the therapy is the tenet that the individual will continue to have stressors and problems, but armed with effective coping skills, they’ll no longer be automatically triggered to suicidal behavior.

This form of suicidal therapy includes a strategy for relapse prevention and making use of a hope kit to help prevent subsequent suicidal behavior.

2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Suicidal Ideation

For someone experiencing chronic suicidal thoughts, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an effective therapy to reduce suicidal attempts and ideation. Individuals suffering from a borderline personality disorder, for example, not only need therapy for suicidal ideation that can help ensure their safety, but they also need to learn new skills and access resources that can lessen the fixation with suicide.

Chronic suicidality isn’t something that a person can tell themselves to stop thinking about. It’s become a habit, a deeply ingrained fallback that they revert to. While someone can’t control what they think, they can learn how to better respond to the thoughts that come to them. That’s where DBT can help. The suicidal therapist and other suicide counselors provide the therapy. This type of therapy has been described as CBT that’s combined with Zen Buddhist principles.

Rather than fixate on suicidal thoughts, with DBT suicidal therapy the person can master detachment that helps them look at the thoughts from afar with a kind of curiosity. It’s like standing beside it and looking without being involved in the thought. They’re better able to objectively say that’s not them talking, it’s their depression, PTSD, stress, or other condition that’s speaking.

Key aspects of DBT suicidal therapy are skills training in group and individual psychotherapy, skills strengthening and addressing motivational barriers, and skills application in daily life in concert with regular phone calls to the suicidal therapist.

3. Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality

Called CAMS for short, collaborative assessment and management of suicidality is a suicide-specific intervention that makes use of a range of clinical techniques and theoretical orientations. CAMS helps in suicidal therapy to understand the individual’s suicidality. This leads to the suicidal therapist designing a treatment plan that’s specific to suicide. The emphasis is on identifying and treating suicidal drivers and developing a stabilization plan for outpatient use.

4. Neurotherapy

Neurotherapy is an innovative treatment approach for people with conditions that include depression, substance abuse, anxiety, ADD/ADHD, and other mental health disorders. Neurostimulation therapies include biofeedback, vibrational, and electrical stimulation approaches that help in the brain’s neural repair process. They may also work to help reduce symptoms associated with depression, anxiety, withdrawal, cravings, and difficulties with attention and memory, among others.

Specific neurostimulation therapies, some of which have been studied for their therapeutic value and effectiveness in reducing suicidal thoughts include:

• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
• Transcranial Alternate Current Stimulation (tACS)
• Transcranial Advanced Pink Noise Stimulation (tAPNS)
• Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (pEMF)
• Biofeedback

Research into the effectiveness of various seizure therapies and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques finds that some are more effective than others in reducing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Researchers looked at studies of these therapies as a key intervention for suicidality. Seizure therapies included electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), and magnetic seizure therapy (MST). Among the non-invasive brain stimulation techniques were transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and cranial electrostimulation (CES).

Researchers suggested that tDCS in combination with sertraline or other pharmacotherapy might be the best suicidal therapy for those with depression. They support the recommendation of using ECT for acute suicidal ideation. Overall, they conclude that combination therapy is a better approach to achieving a sustained and quicker reduction in suicide.

5. Yoga, Meditation, Mindfulness, Physical Activity

Although not a primary intervention for reducing suicidal thoughts, physical activity, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness are proven therapies that help individuals with depression and other mental health disorders cope with recurring or chronic suicidal ideation and behaviors. As such, these therapies should be utilized as adjunctive approaches, with counseling and other psychiatric modalities the main interventions ".

Are You Having Suicidal Thoughts?

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, have recently thought about suicide, talked about it, or if you are currently thinking about suicide, this isn’t an issue to tackle on your own. Please seek immediate help by calling 911, a local emergency phone number or crisis hotline, or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255).

 Meanwhile enjoy these photos from my collection:

 My recent Tifanny Lamp Purchase and Batman Jacket

 

 

Popular Medications with Suicide Ideation as a Side Effect

I have a close relative taking both an acne treatment drug ( accutane) as well as an anti-depressant. Both accutane and most anti-depressants are link to suicidal ideation as one of the side effects. 

Thus this blog is my search on some common medications which have been linked to suicidal ideation as a dangerous side effect. If you know of someone taking medications as listed below, consult immediately your physician if your love one shows some symptoms of suicidal thoughts.  

I hope you find this blog helpful and informative.

Medications With Suicide Risks: What You Need to Know

Drugs may have any number of dangerous side effects, including an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. For instance, some drugs used to treat other conditions, including some antidepressants, acne treatment and smoking cessation medications, have been linked to suicidal thoughts.

Doctors and pharmacists have a responsibility to be aware and notify patients of any potential side effects of the medications they prescribe and dispense. Moreover, medical professionals and caregivers need to appropriately monitor and check in with the people under their care who are taking medications with these risks. Otherwise, these already vulnerable patients are at extreme risk of dying by suicide.

If you or a loved one has experienced suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide after taking a medication, seek medical assistance immediately. It is important to call your doctor right away if you or a loved one has experienced any unusual mood changes or changes in behavior after taking a drug. If you lost a loved one by suicide, talk to an experienced attorney to learn about your rights. Call 214-618-8222.

A List of Medications That Have Been Linked to Suicidal Thoughts of Behavior

The following are some of the brand names of drugs that have been linked to suicidal thoughts or behavior:

• Accutane (isotretinoin)
• Banzel (Rufinamide)
• Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol XR (carbamazepine)
• Celontin (methosuximide)
• Chantix (varenicline)
• Darvon and Darvocet (propoxyphene)
• Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene (divalproex sodium)
• Depakene, Stavzor Extended Release Tablets (valproic acid)
• Dilantin Suspension (phenytoin)
• Felbatol (felbamate)
• Gabitril (tiagabine)
• Keppra (levetiracetam)
• Klonopin (clonazepam)
• Lamictal (lamotrigine)
• Mesantoin (mephenytoin)
• Mysoline (primidone)
• Neurontin (gabapentin)
• Paxil (paroxetine)
• Peganone (ethotoin)
• Prozac (fluoxetine)
• Topamax (topiramate)
• Tranxene (clorazepate)
• Tridione (trimethadione)
• Trileptal (oxcarbazepine)
• Vimpat (lacosamide)
• Zarontin (ethosuximide)
• Zonegran (zonisamide)

The following are some of the signs that a drug may be leading to suicidal thoughts:

• Worsening depression
• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Trouble sleeping
• Panic attacks
• Anger
• Irritability
• Agitation
• Aggression
• Dangerous impulses or violence
• Extreme increases in activity or talking

Doctors are advised to monitor patients being treated with anti-epileptic drugs for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, or any unusual changes in mood or behavior. Doctors and other Prescribers should also alert the patient's family members, after obtaining permission from the patient to do so, of signs indicating possible suicide risk. Failures to properly monitor and alert family members of risk are failures which can lead to a suicide attempt. Patients also should not change their treatment without first talking to their doctor.

For complete details read this site:

https://www.skipsimpson.com/suicide/medications-with-suicide-risks 

 Here are five therapies for coping up with suicidal thoughts

https://fherehab.com/learning/therapies-suicidal-thoughts 

Meanwhile enjoy these 4 photos of  Macrine(RIP) and I in our younger years. 

The photos were taken at Los Angeles, Vancouver, Chicago and Washington DC respectively during the Annual Marinduque Associations Dinner Dances except for the bottom picture( MACA ) Marinduque Association of the Capital Are) Christmas Caroling Group). 

 

 

A Question on Jeopardy about Mikhail Baryshnikov

 

Are you a Jeopardy Fan? I am and the recent Tournament Of Champions Series prompted me to write this post. 

One of the Questions on Jeopardy-Person who escaped from the Russian KGB after a performance in Toronto, Canada?

Analysis of His Dancing Abilities-

I was watching Jeopardy several months ago. One of the question: who was the person who run away(escaped) after a stage performance in Toronto pursued by the Russian KGB. The answer was Mikhail Baryshnikov.   This aroused my interest and thus this article on this most celebrated ballet dancer in the world( from Wikipedia).

" On June 29, 1974, in Toronto while on tour with the Bolshoi, Baryshnikov defected, requesting political asylum in Canada. He then joined the National Ballet of Canada for a brief time in a guest role. He also announced that he would not return to the USSR. He later said that Christina Berlin, an American friend, helped engineer his defection during his 1970 tour of London".

Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov (Russian: Михаи́л Никола́евич Бары́шников, IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil bɐ'rɨʂnʲɪkəf]; Latvian: Mihails Barišņikovs; born January 28, 1948) is a Soviet Latvian-born Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He was the preeminent male classical dancer of the 1970s and 1980s. He subsequently became a noted dance director.

Born in Riga, Latvian SSR, Baryshnikov had a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad before defecting to Canada in 1974 for more opportunities in Western dance. After dancing with American Ballet Theatre, he joined the New York City Ballet as a principal dancer for one season to learn George Balanchine's neoclassical Russian style of movement. He then returned to the American Ballet Theatre, where he later became artistic director. Baryshnikov has spearheaded many of his own artistic projects and has been associated in particular with promoting modern dance, premiering dozens of new works, including many of his own. His success as a dramatic actor on stage, cinema and television has helped him become probably the most widely recognized contemporary ballet dancer. Baryshnikov has never returned to Russia since his 1974 defection and has been a naturalized citizen of the United States since 1986. In 2017, the Republic of Latvia granted Baryshnikov citizenship for extraordinary merits.

In 1977, he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Yuri Kopeikine in the film The Turning Point. He starred in the movie White Nights with Gregory Hines, Helen Mirren, and Isabella Rossellini, and had a recurring role in the last season of the television series Sex and the City.

For Complete details on his biography visit the link below:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Baryshnikov

 

Meanwhile enjoy these photos of my one of my house plants in bloom and my orchids

If you love Ballet, joined the FB group Passion ballet. Here's also a list of popular movies about Ballet.

https://dancebibles.com/ballet-movies/

Time for Some Music Appreciation- Grand Pas de Deux

The other day, Carlos Avila( Macrine's nephew) posted on his Face Book a trio arrangement of Grand Pas de Deux for piano, violin and viola that I enjoyed very much.  I have replayed it a number of times the last couple of days as it reminded me of our younger years when Macrine (RIP) and I attended Ballet( Nutcracker Suite/Swan Lake) and Concerts here in the US( Chicago, Kansas City, Washington DC and San Francisco) . 

 

Orchestral Rendition-Grand Pas de Deux-Nutcracker- Tchaikovsky-Gergiev

If you are not familiar with the term here's a summary from Wikipedia.

In ballet, a pas de deux [pɑ d(ə) dø] (French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ballets, including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Giselle. It is most often performed by a male and a female (a danseur and a ballerina) though there are exceptions, such as in the film White Nights, in which a pas de deux is performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines.

A grand pas de deux is a structured pas de deux that typically has five parts, consisting of an entrée (introduction), an adagio, two variations (a solo for each dancer), and a coda (conclusion). It is effectively a suite of dances that share a common theme, often symbolic of a love story or the partnership inherent in love, with the dancers portraying expressions of affectionate feelings and thoughts between romantic partners. It is often considered to be the pièce de résistance and bravura highlight of a ballet and is usually performed by a leading pair of principal dancers.

Entrée

A grand pas de deux usually begins with an entrée (literally "entrance"), which serves as a short prelude to and also unequivocally denotes the beginning of the dance suite. During the entrée, the dancers first appear on the stage and, typically with great pageantry, acknowledge each other and position themselves near each other in preparation for the subsequent adagio. Depending on the choreography, the ballerina and danseur may enter the stage simultaneously or at different times.

Adagio

The adagio or adage (meaning "slowly") part of a grand pas de deux features graceful and elaborate partnering by the dancing pair. In the adagio, the ballerina performs elegant, often slow and sustained movements while the danseur supports her. The danseur, in turn, strives to maintain a display of poise and seemingly effortless strength while providing support for the ballerina. The danseur may support the ballerina in a variety of common ways, including lifting her, holding and steadying her during turns, and offering a steady arm or hand for her to use as a "virtual barre" when she performs balancing feats that would be difficult or impossible without assistance. Because of this support the adagio is sometimes called supported adagio.

• Meanwhile enjoy this photo of my Christmas Capiz Parol from the Philippines
• 
  
   
  
• 
  
  

 

Social Anxiety Disorder or Social Phobia

I was watching Lisa Ling's documentary last night on social {phobia) anxiety on CNN. It reminded me that during my teenage years in the Philippines, I have some mild form of social phobia. My symptoms are scared of attending social parties and gathering and I enjoyed being alone instead of socializing. Luckily as I get older and later after I got married, my spouse help me conquer those anxieties I suffered during my teenage years. Today, I enjoy attending parties and making friends even with strangers. The subject of social anxiety affects also a few of my closed relatives. 

Thus I did some search and here's a summary from the Mayo Clinic for your reading pleasure. For complete details read the website at the bottom of this page. The Causes, Risks Factors, Complications and Prevention are outlined as follows.     

Causes

Like many other mental health conditions, social anxiety disorder likely arises from a complex interaction of biological and environmental factors. Possible causes include:

• Inherited traits. Anxiety disorders tend to run in families. However, it isn't entirely clear how much of this may be due to genetics and how much is due to learned behavior.
• Brain structure. A structure in the brain called the amygdala (uh-MIG-duh-luh) may play a role in controlling the fear response. People who have an overactive amygdala may have a heightened fear response, causing increased anxiety in social situations.
• Environment. Social anxiety disorder may be a learned behavior — some people may develop significant anxiety after an unpleasant or embarrassing social situation. Also, there may be an association between social anxiety disorder and parents who either model anxious behavior in social situations or are more controlling or overprotective of their children.

Risk factors

Several factors can increase the risk of developing social anxiety disorder, including:

• Family history. You're more likely to develop social anxiety disorder if your biological parents or siblings have the condition.
• Negative experiences. Children who experience teasing, bullying, rejection, ridicule or humiliation may be more prone to social anxiety disorder. In addition, other negative events in life, such as family conflict, trauma or abuse, may be associated with this disorder.
• Temperament. Children who are shy, timid, withdrawn or restrained when facing new situations or people may be at greater risk.
• New social or work demands. Social anxiety disorder symptoms typically start in the teenage years, but meeting new people, giving a speech in public or making an important work presentation may trigger symptoms for the first time.
• Having an appearance or condition that draws attention. For example, facial disfigurement, stuttering or tremors due to Parkinson's disease can increase feelings of self-consciousness and may trigger social anxiety disorder in some people.

Complications

Left untreated, social anxiety disorder can control your life. Anxieties can interfere with work, school, relationships or enjoyment of life. This disorder can cause:

• Low self-esteem
• Trouble being assertive
• Negative self-talk
• Hypersensitivity to criticism
• Poor social skills
• Isolation and difficult social relationships
• Low academic and employment achievement
• Substance abuse, such as drinking too much alcohol
• Suicide or suicide attempts

Other anxiety disorders and certain other mental health disorders, particularly major depressive disorder and substance abuse problems, often occur with social anxiety disorder.

Prevention

There's no way to predict what will cause someone to develop an anxiety disorder, but you can take steps to reduce the impact of symptoms if you're anxious:

• Get help early. Anxiety, like many other mental health conditions, can be harder to treat if you wait.
• Keep a journal. Keeping track of your personal life can help you and your mental health professional identify what's causing you stress and what seems to help you feel better.
• Set priorities in your life. You can reduce anxiety by carefully managing your time and energy. Make sure that you spend time doing things you enjoy.
• Avoid unhealthy substance use. Alcohol and drug use and even caffeine or nicotine use can cause or worsen anxiety. If you're addicted to any of these substances, quitting can make you anxious. If you can't quit on your own, see your health care provider or find a treatment program or support group to help you.

 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/social-anxiety-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353561 

Meanwhile, enjoy this autumn color in my front yard.

 

 

Two Young Cats and An Old Dude Wish You a Bountiful Thanksgiving Weekend

Robin-The Naughty and Needy One ( Mews for Attention)

Batman- The Independent, Composed( Seldom Mew) and a Massager  Today, is 

Thanksgiving Day.  At 1PM my oldest son Dodie and wife Ruth and daughter Marina and new boy friend are bringing some Food ( turkey etc...) for our pot luck. Dinah my oldest daughter with son Ian King and wife Sara are also coming bringing other dishes and desserts. My own contribution is Pancit Bihon (cooked by my Pinay home care Aide), Chicken Macaroni Salad and Banana Cream Pie. This blog is about my 2 companions( B & R) and myself.  

Last April, the old dude adopted 2 kittens (neutered males), 12 and 14 weeks old. The old dude named them Batman and Robin( B&R). Today B & R keeps the old man company.

The old Dude was surprised that the older Cat, Batman, become more submissive to the younger and smaller Robin. The 2 kitties have opposite personalities. 

Robin, the younger one is more aggressive and vocal. She craves more attention and meows when she is hungry or want to got for a 30 minute Vitamen-D exposure in the sun daily. Otherwise both cats stay in the house. They have access to the whole house except for the formal and dining rooms and my cave( computer room).  

Batman on the other hand is calm, seldom meows, I believe he is mute. He is patient but loves to massage my legs. Both loves to set on my lap when I watch TV. Batman is not excited to go out. He prefers to set on the window ledge of the BR in the Utility room which is always open for Ventilation.  

This week I allowed them to hang around the master bedroom when I watch TV. But at night they sleep on the guest room. In the morning at around 7:30AM, I will hear a banging on my door. This would wake me up and start their morning feed. They are feed again in the late afternoon, alternating wet canned food and dry food. There are 2 litter boxes in the house.    

B&R are still very energetic since they are still young. They would exercise  and play with each other, running and sometimes climbing on the drapes in the Family room. They have a scratch post, but occasionally scratch on the sofa in the family room. 

So how about the old Dude? The old man keeps himself busy with his blogs( mental exercise), enjoy cooking sometimes, but order most of his meals on line via DoorDash, Grubhub or Shef.com  Once a week, his relatives would call him just to say Hello. Once a month a close relative would visit him and help him of whatever he needs. The old man gets a regular visit from Macrine's niece Family every other month. They always bring Pinoy Food that the old dude enjoys. Lately, he decided to hire a home care aide to do light housekeeping and to provide transportation services for his medical/dental appointments and other errands. 

The old man lives in a sprawling 4BR and 2.5B ranch house with a big yard. Once a month the house is serviced by 2 cleaning ladies. The house lawn is serviced twice a month by a professional landscaper. The old man gets a home-service whole body massage once a month. Otherwise the old man is home bound, except for an occasional walk across to street to talk to his 2 friendly neighbors.  He attends Mass on line, and  enjoys groceries shopping on line(doordash/Instacart). He has both a landline phone, a cell phone and an I-pod, but prefers his landline than his cell phone.   He is addicted to FaceBook, TV( Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video) and in the computer. Hopefully, the old man will live long enough to see his youngest grand daughter graduates from college. The old man has been taking Metformin for the last 3 decades, so hopefully this could delay his aging process further.  

https://theintellectualmigrants.blogspot.com/2022/10/current-research-on-anti-aging.html

Lately, the old man is a little down in spirit, when he learned that one of his buddies and contemporaries ( mid-1960's) at the University of Illinois passed away at age of 89. The old man's 88th birthday is next month, on Dec 20. Wish him an advance BD greetings.

Finally, the old man is thanking all his FaceBook friends and the readers and followers of his blogs. Happy Thanksgiving To ALL!!!!!

Here's a photo of the old man taken 2 years ago at Stimson Beach,CA during the height months of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

and here's a photo of the old dude youngest grand daughter-CKT
 

From Ditas FB Page-My youngest beautiful and talented grand daughter at NOLA, 11/18-19/2022-Carenna Katague Thompson