Blog

When to See a Psychiatrist or a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

by Nicole Roder | Jun 10, 2024 | Blog

When you are looking for help with a mental health problem, it’s important to understand the roles that various mental health professionals play. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in psychiatry–the branch of medicine dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders. A psychiatric nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who blends medical and psychiatric expertise to provide comprehensive psychiatric mental health care for patients suffering from various mental health disorders.

As trained medical professionals, both psychiatrists and psychiatric NP’s hold a unique position in mental healthcare, possessing both medical expertise and the specialized knowledge to address psychological issues. Their comprehensive approach encompasses various aspects of mental well-being.

Both psychiatrists and psychiatric NP’s have the expertise to diagnose mental health disorders. They can identify and differentiate between various conditions, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD, substance abuse, ADHD, and more. This is important because, in mental health care, your diagnosis informs your treatment plan. It allows you to receive evidence-based care that is tailored to your needs. Additionally, these professionals have the authority to prescribe medication, allowing them to address biochemical imbalances in the brain that contribute to psychiatric symptoms. Medication combined with other therapeutic modalities can significantly alleviate symptoms and improve overall functioning.

Finally, many psychiatrists and psychiatric NP’s offer psychotherapy, a crucial component of mental health treatment. They can employ evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a supportive environment.

Ask The Therapist: How to Make Friends

by Nicole Roder | May 27, 2024 | Blog

As mental health providers, we receive a lot of questions from our clients and patients about solving problems in day to day life. So we are launching a new series on our mental health blog called “Ask the Therapist.” This month’s topic is “How to Make Friends.”

It’s hard to make friends as an adult. When you were a kid, things might have seemed simpler. You walked up to another kid on the playground at recess and said “Wanna be friends?” Or maybe you just joined in on their game of kickball. As an adult, this can feel pretty awkward and intimidating, especially if you have high anxiety. Sadly, many adults today report feeling lonely and socially isolated. According to a 2023 poll, nearly 1 in 10 American adults report having no close friends, and another 13 percent have only one friend.

This can lead to severe loneliness and poor health outcomes. Time and again, research has shown that loneliness and social isolation can lead to low well-being and high psychological distress, especially among people with disabilities and older adults.

Close friends are a balm for loneliness and a gateway to fulfilling relationships and a happier life. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the social landscape with confidence.

How to Stop Worrying: 5 Tools to Calm Those Ruminating Thoughts

by Nicole Roder | May 20, 2024 | Blog

Worrying is a natural part of the human experience, but when it becomes constant, it can interfere with our daily lives. Our clients frequently ask us how to stop worrying because it produces such painful anxiety. At Gladstone Psychiatry and Wellness, we understand that managing worry is not about eliminating it entirely but learning to control it.

Here are five tools that can help you stop worrying and start living more peacefully.

How to Stop Worrying: 5 Tools to Stop Worry Thoughts

1. Solve the Problem If You Can

The first step in managing worry is to identify if there’s a practical solution to the problem at hand. If there is, take actionable steps to address it. This proactive approach empowers you to tackle challenges head-on, reducing the space for worry to grow.

This is particularly useful when you are worrying about a task that needs to be completed. How many times have you felt paralyzed with anxiety, worrying that you won’t finish a project on time or complete all of the items on your to-do list? In those moments, taking action toward solving the problem can reduce your anxiety fast.

Children’s Mental Health: Why It’s Important to Validate Feelings

by Nicole Roder | May 13, 2024 | Blog

Welcome to our latest blog post on a topic close to our hearts: Children’s Mental Health. As a dedicated mental health care practice, we understand the profound impact that emotional well-being has on our young ones’ development. Validating children’s feelings isn’t just about acknowledging their emotions; it’s about empowering them to understand and express themselves in a healthy, constructive way. It’s the cornerstone of building resilience, fostering empathy, and nurturing a positive self-image. Join us as we delve into the reasons why emotional validation is not only beneficial but essential for a child’s mental health journey.

Validation Definition

When we say the words “emotional validation,” we mean the act of communicating to a person that we understand how they feel, and that their feelings make sense.

For children, emotional validation is a powerful way to help them understand and manage their feelings. It involves noticing whatever emotions your child is expressing–through words, actions, or tone of voice–and reflecting them back. Validating statements are non-judgmental and accepting by definition. They let the child know that their feelings are important and it’s OK to have them.

What Is DBT Therapy?

by Nicole Roder | May 6, 2024 | Blog

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive behavioral therapy used to treat people with out-of-control emotions and behaviors. It is based on decades of research that shows it to be an effective treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD), suicidal and self-harming behaviors, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions that involve intense emotional dysregulation.

Dr. Marsha Linehan, the founder of DBT therapy, often says that there are an enormous number of psychological treatments that don’t have any evidence to back them up, and there are an enormous number of mental health conditions that don’t have any evidence-based treatments. As a behaviorist, she believes that it is vitally important that if we are going to provide a treatment, we must have evidence that it actually works.

Sleep and Mental Health

by Nicole Roder | Apr 29, 2024 | Blog

How much sleep did you get last night? If you are like one-third of American adults, the answer is probably “not enough.” According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the problem is even worse for adolescents. Between 70.1 percent and 84.3 percent of American high school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep. And among children, between 25.2 percent and 52.5 percent don’t get enough sleep.

We all know this is a problem. Sleep deprivation makes us feel cranky, fatigued, and downright miserable. But missing out on sleep is much more than a painful inconvenience. It can have a significant impact on your mental and emotional health.

So why is sleep important? And how does it affect your mental health?