During divorce kids cope much better when both parents have consistent rules and are actively involved in their lives. See “Helping Adolescents Survive Divorce” under Interesting Articles.
The average child in the U S will view more than 200,000 violent acts in the media before age 18. This can result in increased anxiety or desensitization to violence.
About 20% of U S teens engage in sexting. Sending or receiving sexually explicit messages can result in criminal charges. See “The Sexting Phenomenon” Under Interesting Articles.
All kids grieve differently. Never force a child to attend a funeral. Instead find a way to honor or remember the loss in some other way (scrapbook, photos, and stories).
Eating meals together as a family reduces a child’s risk for depression, anxiety and substance abuse.
School aged kids and teens need at least 10 hour of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation leads to greater risk for depression and anxiety in adulthood.
Technology lighting on computers, TVs and cell phones can interfere with melatonin, a sleep promoting hormone.
Heart and Mind Program (2)
These are books we have found helpful to educate people about the psychological aspects contributing to heart disease:
Recovering From Heart Disease in Body & Mind: Medical and Psychological Strategies for Living with Coronary Artery Disease
by Brian Harvey Baker, et al
Stress and a Healthy Ticker: A Psychological Approach to Healing and Preventing Heart Disease
by Diana Wisdom
Women Are Not Small Men: Life-Saving Strategies for Preventing and Healing Heart Disease in Women
by Nieca Goldberg, M.D
The Fitness Factor : Every Woman's Key to a Lifetime of Health and Well-Being
by Lisa Callahan, M.D
Other Helpful websites:
www.heartdisease.about.com
- Info on heart disease and cardiology for the lay person
www.heartcenteronline.com
- Info on heart disease for patients
www.nimh.nih/gov/publicat/heartbreak.cfm
- About heart disease and depression
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/nhaap/
- National Heart Attack Alert Program
www.cdc.gov/cvh
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.americanheart.org
- American Heart Association
www.whvc.com
- Wisconsin Heart and Vascular Clinics, a Milwaukee area cardiology practice
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The Heart & Mind Program takes an educational and biopsychosocial approach to wellness. To best cope with and make changes to decrease your risk factors for heart disease, you must be educated and understand how to change the lifestyle issues that need attention.
'Biopsychosocial' refers to taking into consideration what treatment you need for your heart condition (bio), how you respond to your condition emotionally (psycho) and how your condition is affected by the way you live your life (social).
Preventative Treatment
Risk factors that are known to significantly increase the development of heart disease include:
- Overweight/Obesity
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Alcohol abuse
- Physical inactivity
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Chronic stress
- Type A personality
- Diabetes
- Lack of social support
- Age
- Family history
- Gender
The more risk factors a person has, the greater their chance of developing heart disease. Family history of heart disease and age cannot be changed and heart disease affects both men and women; it is the number one cause of death for both genders. All of the other risk factors can be successfully treated with specialized psychological intervention.
The services of The Heart & Mind Program are designed to help you make change that improves both physical and emotional aspects of heart disease. We will help you develop healthy coping skills that make a difference for the long-term.
Many people have tried to lose weight, exercise more, eat better, reduce stress, stop smoking and overcome anxiety and depression, but are often unsuccessful in their efforts. Psychological treatment identifies and addresses the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that unknowingly undermine attempts to make change. Until these thoughts, feelings and behaviors are determined and alternate coping skills developed, attempts to lose weight, stop smoking, feel better, reduce stress, be more active, etc., are not likely to last.
By providing primary preventative treatment, our goal is to help you reduce or eliminate your risk factors before you are faced with a diagnosis of heart disease or with a cardiac event.
Pre-Surgical Preparation
When cardiac patients do not require emergency procedures and are able to schedule them in advance, we offer treatment that helps prepare for the procedure. Feelings of stress, fear, anxiety, panic, helplessness and uncertainty are common in patients undergoing medical procedures, especially when they are cardiac procedures.
Guided imagery and relaxation training are powerful psychological strategies that enhance a patient's ability to cope with medical/surgical procedures before, during and after the procedure takes place. Several hundred research studies conducted over the past 30 years have shown that guided imagery and relaxation training improve the mind-body connection.
A strong mind-body connection can:
- Reduce stress and anxiety before and after medical/surgical procedures
- Shorten recovery time and hospital stays
- Decrease side effects of the procedure, pain and the need for pain medications
- Enhance the ability of the body to heal
- Improve sense of self-control
You will learn how to mentally and emotionally prepare for your procedure using guided imagery and relaxation training, strategies for positive self-talk, emotion monitoring and by identifying what you need from your support system before and after your procedure.
Post-Surgical Services
Often times people are not aware of how their risk factors for heart disease are actually affecting their heart's ability to function. The seriousness of a person's heart disease may not be recognized until they have a major cardiac event and/or require emergency surgery.
Patients with heart disease who have already had procedures or surgery will also benefit from The Heart & Mind Program. Risk factors can still be treated effectively. Guided imagery and relaxation training can significantly help patients overcome problems associated with major illnesses and medical/surgical procedures, such as fear, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, pain, stress, anger and helplessness.
By treating risk factors and improving the ability to recover from surgery, the main goal of treatment is to improve quality of life and reduce the chance of another cardiac event.
Additional Services
The Heart & Mind Program also provides treatment to:
- The patient's family who also experiences significant stress and emotional strain
- Improve compliance with treatment recommendations
- Address problems with impatience, competitiveness, multi-tasking and urgency
- Reduce resistance to change and denial of symptoms/disease
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