The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

  By: Brian Murray, LMHC, NCC Depression is a condition that affects our mood. There are variations of the disorder found in the DSM-5 manual that describes each type of depressive disorder. Clinical depression goes by many names ranging from mild to severe. Mild could mean nothing more than a case of the blues that fades out after a week or two. More severe cases may require medication or a brief stay in the hospital. However hospitalized cases usually involve psychosis which can be debilitating. Longer term depression, which can be life long, is called Persistent Depressive Disorder which until recently was called Dysthymia. An example of long-term depression is seen with Eeyore in Winnie The Pooh. Depression is more than just a sad mood for a day or two, it’s something that goes for weeks, months or even years on end. Most people who experience depression report a primary feeling called anhedonia which is the inability to feel pleasure. On depression questionnaires you will se...

By: Megan Muñoz IMH Some find it difficult to understand the struggle many have with suicidal thoughts. Part of this struggle has to do with how we sometimes categorize things we don’t understand. Suicidal thoughts and suicide are often thought of in black and white terms. For example: either someone is terribly depressed and suicidal or the thought has never entered their mind. But suicide and suicidal thoughts have a much longer and broader spectrum than we often realize. There is a long and difficult road of gray hues that fill in the gap between the starting point of never having had a suicidal thought and the end point where the act of suicide takes place. We are not born with suicidal thoughts. However, we are born with the capacity to become overwhelmed by stress, adversity and pain that can threaten our ability to cope and lead towards thoughts of suicide as a solution. No one is completely exempt from the possibility of developing suicidal thoughts, however, ...

By: Christine Hammond LMHC Recently a friend, Donna, experienced the trauma of losing their sister to suicide. Even though it has been eighteen years, four months, and 17 days since my best friend committed suicide, it still haunts me. Within seconds of hearing Donna’s journey, I was instantly transported back in time to the days following my best friend’s death. I tried to stay engaged with Donna and show empathy for her experience all the while desperately desiring empathy for my own. My best friend was beautiful inside and out with a compassionate heart too large for her physical body. As one of the smartest people I knew, she loved to engage in passionate discussions about her favorite subject: politics. She had more energy and could cram more things into one day than most could in a week. She was lovely, generous, clumsy, sarcastic, determined, enthusiastic, and feisty. She was also Bi-Polar Type 1. She tried to overcome it through numerous efforts of self-m...

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (lhttps://afsp.org/about-suicide/risk-factors-and-warning-signs/) lists three areas that elevate the risk of suicide: HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT, HISTORY. Health factors Mental health conditions Substance abuse disorders Alcohol abuse disorders Serious or chronic health conditions Chronic pain Limited access to healthcare Sleeping difficulties Environmental factors Stressful life events including death, divorce, or separation or job loss Prolonged stress factors including harassment, bullying, relationship problems Financial or school difficulties Access to lethal means including firearms and drugs Exposure to suicide in the media or community Historical factors Previous suicide attempts Family history of suicide attempts History of self-harm Recent hospitalization Cultural beliefs that support suicide The Foundation indicates warn suicide may be imminent in these three areas: TALK, BEHAVIO...