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Month: September 2022

Physician Spotlight 1: Welcome, Dr. Lydia Ann!

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Lydia Ann

By Ashley Barnes   Welcome! In today’s physician spotlight we welcome Dr. Lydia Ann to the Mental Health Center with great joy and gratitude! Dr. Lydia Ann is our newest psychiatrist specializing in general adult psychiatry and geriatric psychiatry, as she is a current geriatric psychiatry fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  Her vast experience in both inpatient and outpatient, hospital and emergency settings, correctional settings, and crisis residential programs has equipped her with robust knowledge and experience. Her clinical approach is integrative in that she views a patient’s support system as integral to the treatment process, emphasizing individualized care for each of her patients.  About Dr. Lydia Ann. Dr. Lydia Ann started her journey at UCLA where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics. She started her journey into medicine at UCLA’s prestigious and highly selective David Geffen School …

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Vicarious Trauma

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vicarious trauma

By Ashley Barnes What is vicarious trauma? In understanding vicarious trauma, it is important to have knowledge about trauma itself. When many people think of and conceptualize trauma, they may immediately think of trauma as an event that occurs; for example, one may explain a near death experience as trauma. However, such situations are traumatic events. Trauma is a response to a deeply distressing or disturbing traumatic event; it often manifests through changes in psychological and physiological responses.  Vicarious trauma, “also known as secondary trauma, can be described as indirect exposure to a traumatic event through first-hand account or narrative of that event” (Good Therapy, 2016). Vicarious trauma often involves a shift in someone’s worldview with repeated exposure to traumatic content, such as viewing the world as an inherently dangerous place or people as inherently untrustworthy. Who is at risk? Those in helping professions such as counselors, medical professionals, first …

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Embracing National Recovery Month in September

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Embracing National Recovery Month in September

Did you know that September is National Recovery Month? When you think about recovery from alcohol or drugs, your initial thoughts may be of millions of people and their families struggling with addiction’s physical and mental effects. Most conversations revolve around the signs, symptoms, treatment, and prevention. The Recovery Research Institute states there are tens of millions of people in recovery. They used results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health results to determine the exact numbers. What they found is remarkable. The representative sample who reported having a substance use disorder at some point in their lifetime was 11% or more than 27 million people. Nearly 75% or 20.5 million reported being in recovery during the survey. Another 30% of people with a substance use disorder were in recovery from a mental health disorder. What is the Meaning of Recovery? Debates …

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National Suicide Prevention Month

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vicarious trauma

By Ashley Barnes   What is National Suicide Prevention Month? National Suicide Prevention Month spans the entirety of September with the goal of uniting mental health professionals, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members to promote suicide prevention awareness; this is achieved through educating others with the use of resources, research, and powerful stories. September also hosts National Suicide Prevention Week from September 4th through September 10th as well as World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th. Suicide Prevention. It is important to recognize warning signs of suicide as well as understand it’s prevalence in order to work towards suicide prevention. Suicide describes the act of ending one’s own life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States (CDC, 2021). Research has found that around 46% of people who die by suicide have a known mental health …

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