Suicide Prevention week

 Suicide Prevention Week

September 7-13th 2015

In remembrance of those that may have lost friends or family to suicide. 

There are several forms of depression which in severe cases lead to suicide. 

While suicide is a leading cause of death, it is preventable. As a nation, we have a mental health crisis. To reverse the trend of suicide increasing, we need to invest in research, education, and support policy that helps people with mental disorders get the help they need. We need to talk openly and honestly about this serious but preventable health issue.

According to the Mayo clinic, Nationally there is an average of 3 million cases treated each year. 

According to the NIMH, depression can be broken down into the following categories:

Mayor depressive disorder

Persistent depressive disorder

Psychotic depressive disorder

Postpartum depressive disorder

Seasonal affective disorder. 

Depression is not a choice it is an illness typically caused by a variety of different factors such as, genetics, biological, environmental and substance related. 

Signs and symptoms include:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Overeating, or appetite loss
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.

If you are in crisis, and need immediate support or intervention, call, or go the website of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  (1-800-273-8255). Trained crisis workers are available to talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your confidential and toll-free call goes to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline national network. These centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals. If the situation is potentially life-threatening, call 911 or go to a hospital emergency room.

Sources:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression

https://www.afsp.org/news-events/in-the-news/suicide-prevention-investment-needed-to-reverse-trend-of-increasing-suicide

https://www.afsp.org/in-your-community#

Bear with me...

As I go through various rants, raves, mixers, elixirs and thought processes I have conjured over the years I will be posting them. So be patient. 

This blog is still in process. 

Peace, Love & Happiness,

Dana

Why America is not the greatest country on Earth.

I am, at times, ashamed to be an American.

Jeff Daniels, hit the nail on the head. 

https://www.facebook.com/AazizElali/videos/1715502048674460/

What happened to our country?

Our newest fad: "Black Lives Matter"

News flash: ALL lives matter. 

•red •orange •yellow •black •brown •green •white •ivory

•homeless, barely sheltered, living moderately, middle class, upper class. 

•single families, married families, mixed families. 

•the "crazy", the sane, those suffering and those reaping. 

•police officers, juvenile delinquents, teachers, children, pastors, civilians, military, politicians. 

•lesbian, straight, transgender, bisexuals, gay

ALL LIVES MATTER

We are all people. 

It's called the human race. 

Although it's not a race, we are all human. 

As time goes by, society changes. 

New laws are passed. 

New rules are enforced. 

New public officials are elected. 

What happened to our country?

What happened to respecting your fellow man?

It's so very frustrating to live in a country fueled by hatred, negativity and nonsense. 

If you look back 30 years the society we live in today would not be as so. 

Children had manners, they were taught right from wrong. 

Children were spanked when they needed it, "Spare the rod, Spoil the child" 

But, these days we abide by the rules OUR children make, dare we speak an ill word to them to teach them right from wrong  or raise a hand to their disrespectful mouth.

Parents, Americans, Teachers, baby boomers, What are we going to do about this?

Life with boys

Just an FYI for parents with boys going through life changes I.e puberty and starting or still attending middle school. 

Middle school is a very difficult time for most kids and parents not just due to change, girls and class-work but due to the non-stop trendsetters, social media and hormone overload. 

They are becoming men. Suddenly. 

They are growing hair, smell bad, want to fit in, getting taller, changing their likes and dislikes, getting bullied, or bullying others, learning new things some good, some bad. 

I have come to discover that all boys regardless their upbringing have the following characteristics: personal huge now depends on the day, you can never buy enough Axe Spray, they rarely wear deodorant, they know everything, they are smart-mouthed beyond belief. They are girl crazy, they never stop eating, they need new shoes every 3 months (trust me),Mine Craft is amazing and they can play it for hours or days if you let them. They suddenly lose homework or are assigned a huge project and it's due the next day, their teachers "hate" them, They love social media: Snap chat, Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Flipagram, iMovie, Twitter. They are heart-breaking, drama-filled, hormone infested bottomless pits.

This is my life. 

As this school year comes to an end, and all three boys are now in middle school. I am unbelievably proud of them yet so shocked and surprised at the insurmountable amount of drama that evolves as boys grow and advance in school. 

Don’t get me wrong: my boys are great kids.They do well in school, they are funny, passionate (about whatever trend is trending), animal lovers, kind-hearted, loving and sweet. But there are minutes, days, sometimes weeks where I cannot wrap my mind around their behavior and what is going on in the pubescent head of theirs. 

The top 5 things that drive me insane:

1. All boys smell like feet and/or butt. Their bedrooms, their shoes, (this is wear the new shoes every 3 months comes in) their clothes, the bathroom, the hall-way the list can go on FOR DAYS. No amount of Axe body spray, febreze, deodorant or laundry soap helps this. EVER. 

2. They suddenly take several showers or spend lots of time in their room. Don't ask, don't tell. Don't touch anything in their room that is crumpled into a ball or wonder where your Cosmo went or look for your lotion. Like I said, don't ask!

3. They love Mine Craft! I have tried numerous times to understand this game. "It's educational" I've been told. No, it is not, we do not live in a world of blocks, nor do we live in a world where digging in the dirt and building endless roller coasters, killing ghosts and hanging out with a guy named Steve helps one learn. Unless "Steve" is a tutor I have hired. They repeatedly watch YouTube videos about Mine Craft that last 30 mins each, contain reference profanity that are filmed by a high-pitched male and his accomplice with a strong middle eastern accent. 

4. They never stop eating. When they are not sleeping, they are eating. They wake in the middle of the night to eat, they eat when they get home from school, they eat at school, they WILL NOT eat dinner if it's homemade and nutritious, they prefer Subway or McDonalds. Spending hundreds of dollars a month on food to cook for them is useless, though I do it anyways. The preferred food for most boys is Ramen Noodles. There is even a YouTube video with 100 ways to eat them. I'm sure my boys have surpassed this. All parents need to buy stock in Ramen Noodles (yuck), Hot Pockets and Corndogs. 

5. You are no longer cool and they hate you. No longer are the days where snuggling on the couch or giving hugs and kisses or wiping boogers or tears is appealing to them. They are men, they can handle it. You embarrass them and they are TOO COOL for that. Word to the wise: Hug them anyways, snuggle them anyways, listen to them, wipe their tears, hand them tissues and try not to cry yourself. They are growing up. They do not actually hate you, their hormones are going 3000 miles per hour and telling them this will only make things worse. This too shall pass. 

As a mother and a step-mother of three boys my list is short. But so very true. These boys grow more and more everyday, they are so smart and will continue to grow and get smarter. (though they think they know everything now). They are no longer babies but not yet men. They are my babies and will always have my heart if they want it or not. They are my world and my existence regardless if I'm not cool enough, or if I embarrass them or if I disapprove of the girlfriends, games or their food choices. They will always be my little men. This will pass as time goes by and they will appreciate that I'm such a "mean, boring mom" and grow to be amazing men, fishers of men and when they fall I will help them up. Because they will fall and they will feel as though their life is over. But it won't be, just be patient parents. It won't be like this for long. 

A look back at April 27: weather=chaos

Looking back to April 27, 2011 living in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.

The weather man had called for tornadoes for over a week. 

The entire Southeastern part of the U.S.  was aware of the potential "severe" weather. But not of the devastation that was to come. 

I, a native of Western Oklahoma know my fair share about severe weather, thunder heads, hail, tornadoes, storm cellars, tornado drills, ect. 

Being a then resident of North Georgia, this common-knowledge I was brought up with was a taboo topic in my new home. "We don't get tornadoes, here" was an often heard comment from the locals. 

Boy, were they wrong on this day. This great city I know now as my home was shaken by over    10 tornadoes on this day. Several lives were lost and a city my sisters grew up in was demolished. Their high school was ripped to shreds and one of their high school classmates and his family lost their lives. 

My heart breaks when I think back to this day. 

The frantic mothers calling children, aunts and uncles calling Mom and Pop. 

It was a devastating day. 

From dawn to mid-evening storms wrecked havoc in the North GA/Tennessee Valley. 

School was cancelled early due to severe weather, that most overlooked because "We don't get tornadoes here". 

As, I drove back to my job with my children in tow, I gazed at the sky, bubble clouds as I used to call them back home with a slight tinge of green. 

Oh, No was my first thought. 

I must get to work quickly, it's about to hit. 

As, hail pounded my car, I pulled into my job, kids in tow. I warned the other employees that we must get to the basement immediately. 

They brushed me off. 

"It's just a little rain, we don't get tornadoes here". 

At this moment, my dear friends house was being demolished by trees. Unbeknownst to her, this was only the beginning. 

This day will bring back several negative memories for myself and my family and friends. 

But, also a sense of humility, adoration and love. 

I learned as a new resident to the South. 

We DO get tornadoes here. 

We are not prepared for tornadoes, ever. 

The weather guy really enjoys pulling false alarms on people. 

Mother Nature is NO joke. 

General terminology that all Southerns Need to Know:

•Rain- simple definition water falling from the sky, no potential severe weather, just Momma N watering the land. 

• Thunderstorm- rain, lightening and thunder. Low chance of severe weather unless you are wearing metal and standing on top of a roof. Lightening strikes to people are pretty rare. 

• Severe thunderstorm- rain, lightening, thunder, hail, wind. 

This type of weather can be very dangerous. Take cover until the skies clear. Watch out for flying debris, falling branches and wear a bucket on your head to prevent damage to your done if it's hailing outside. 

• Tornado Watch- this means the atmospheric pressure is good enough for a potential tornado to hit the area. There may be some rotation in clouds in another area, where a severe thunderstorm is present.  This does NOT mean, one has been spotted, this does NOT mean drive like a maniac on the way to the store for bread and milk. 

This is usually followed in the springtime by a Severe Thunderstorm coming from the Texas area. (historically speaking)

• Tornado Warning- This means a tornado has been spotted, take shelter immediately. Usually high wind, heavy rain, dark greenish skies, large hail, thunder, lightening. Very dangerous. 

The best places for shelter in Your home: Bathtub with a mattress over you ( to protect your head), basement, storm cellar, inner most room in your home on the ground level away from windows and potential flying debris. 

Now, I am not a meteorologist. But, as I stated earlier, I grew up with this weather. We were prepared, Gary England was the greatest weather man in the universe everyone loved him and his fantastic insight on severe weather and tornado alley, where I call home. 

I just hope, in the future we here in the South take a deeper look at the weather, try to educate ourselves and our children and never forget the devastation that Tornadoes and severe weather may cause.