The Free Three Things

Here’s some truth.

Psychiatrists, therapists, etc … aren’t really sure what causes depression and what the best course of treatment is for any given person.

Mental health does not lend itself to a diagnostic prescriptive model. It’s not clear what is happening and it is certainly not precise. It’s subjective.

The practitioner uses his/her “judgement” to prescribe a course of action.

There is some disagreement around “depression” (the “cause and cure”)

However, nearly everyone would agree that the ‘FREE THREE’ can help.

If you are struggling. Take action today

1. GO OUTSIDE / EXERCISE… move your body.
2. LISTEN TO SOME UPBEAT MUSIC
3. LAUGH. Schedule in some comedic relief. Watch a movie, listen to a funny podcast, watch some videos on YouTube.

Do this everyday for 30 days…. Money back guarantee!!!

ABOUT RICH JONES MA, MBA, LCAS, SAP
EVP & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HERITAGE CARES

Executive Vice President (EVP) at Heritage Health Solutions, Inc.
Chief Strategy Officer Co-Founder at Youturn,
CEO at Wellness Partners Group
CEO/President at Jones Solutions Group
Former CEO at FAVOR Greenville

Visit Heritage Health at – Click Here

For Addiction Support Info – Click Here

Please Subscribe to the Recovery Cartel – Click Here

The post The FREE Three Things – Really, they’re FREE…. appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

Understanding the Impact of Stigma

✌️Understanding the impact of stigma in the mental health and substance use disorder world(s).

I posted something the other day. It said “I had a panic attack today etc…”

After I made this post, I had these moments where I thought to myself:

“My goodness Rich … why would you post that ..”.
“What are people gonna think”?
“You’re supposed to be a leader”…
“You’re supposed to have your shit together”..

I was able to recognize these thoughts. And handle it.

Mental Health Struggles

But if that’s what I’m thinking as a provider, an advocate, a person in recovery and a professional in the field…. imagine what people in “regular” professions without the awareness and education think…

I learn about this stuff constantly. And I know that mental health struggles are the rule, not the exception. Yet I still get up in my head.

Maybe it’s just me. And the rest of you have it in check… but I think the stigma around these issue is so strong.

Unconsciously impacting us. Scripts of inferiority running through our minds.

The Same Secrets

The solution, the way I see it, is not a well orchestrated public relations campaign on mental health awareness and/or substance use disorders.

That certainly helps. But the solution is… We all talk about it!!!

It becomes commonplace and routine topic. As they say…

The big secret is. We all have the same secrets.

The post The Impact of Stigma appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

YES, “MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS”

First and foremost I would like to NOTE: WE ALL HAVE “MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS” AND “EMOTIONAL ISSUES” TO MANAGE.

If you think you are “above that” or you are thinking “no I don’t”; get over yourself and just own it.

You do. I do They do! We all do.

Throw off the fake Hallmark Movie facade and own the fullness of the human condition.

IT’S OK, REALLY

It’s okay to not be okay. Everything is a “spectrum disorder”. Mental health struggles fall along a continuum.

And we all have some of these symptoms and some of these issues.

A shift in perspective, related to mental health, is so important in light of our current situation.

The crap is hitting the fan with COVID-19. Financial stressors. Political tension. Racism. “A recession”. Wait, maybe a “great depression”.

We have a vaccine. We don’t have a vaccine. When do we get back to normal? There is no normal…

Here’s the reality behind the “look how cool I am” images:

“Look at me. Look at how worried I am, look at how anxious I am, look at how irritable I am, look how sad I am, look at how manic at am”.

If I have a manic episode. I do massive and epic things in the workplace. I “burn both ends of the candle” and I am praised for it. “Wow, look what Rich is getting done”…

Then I crash and need to regroup. It’s a cycle. It’s all relative. I learn to live with this “condition”. But make no mistake, I could be diagnosed “BiPolar Type 2″… Without question. Call your nearest psychiatrist and send him or her my way 🙂

Go ahead. Talk in hushed whispers behind my back. “What’s wrong with Rich”? “Wow, can you believe it. Rich has a mental health problem…”.

HERE IS MY RESPONSE TO YOU: WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?

A shift in perspective, related to mental health, is so important in light of our current situation.

The crap is hitting the fan with COVID-19.

Financial stressors. Political tension. Racism. “A Recession”.

Wait, maybe a “great depression”.

We have a vaccine. We don’t have a vaccine.

When do we get back to normal. There is no normal…

It’s white noise in the background. Like an annoying fly buzzing about at the picnic.

But a little bigger with a much stronger “bite”.

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS PILES UP

That gets to people. It piles up. Your stress bucket overflows.

But, you are not “crazy” or“insane”. You don’t automatically have a discrete “mental illness”.

You are a homo-sapien walking about the planet in the midst of one of the strangest and confusing times in the history of the planet.

Tough going all around. For all of us.

The main reason for the so-called “co-occurring mental health crisis” is NOT any particular incident or circumstance.

The main reason for the mental health crisis is this ever-present underlying stress that is inescapable.

STRESS VULNERABILITY MODEL

It is the stress vulnerability model writ large.

The American Psychologicale Association Dictionary of Psychology defines the “stress-vulnerability model“.

A theory that a: “genetic or biological predisposition to certain mental disorders exists and psychological and social factors can increase the likelihood of symptomatic episodes.”

As stress rises, and the bucket fills up, you will naturally display more symptoms.

Your loved one will display more symptoms.

And for the record, it’s likely that all of us have a “biological predisposition” to mental disorders.

The post WE ALL HAVE “MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS” appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

Happiness Is Misleading.

What do we know about being happy or happiness?

Actually, we know quite a bit. First, we know that happiness is a misleading term. For most people, being happy or experiencing happiness equals“fun” or “joy”. Those things are part of the good life. However, neither of those constitute a satisfying life in and of themselves.

We should get rid of the term happiness.

Instead, we should focus on SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING (SWB). 

There are other terms that capture the SWB spirit. Contentment, life satisfaction, serenity, personal wellness, self-actualization are in the same ballpark.

Whatever term fits best with your personal world-view. The important thing to keep in mind, we are not pursuing joy or happiness alone.

We are pursuing a state of being. We are pursuing a mindset. A happy mindset.

Where Do We Begin?

In 1993 Martin Seligman launched the discipline of positive psychology. Seligman was the president of the American Psychological Association at the time.

Seligman had access to some of the best minds in psychology and some of the best information in psychology.

He was disillusioned with the psychotherapeutic focus on pathology rather than strengths. He was stunned with the complete void of research surrounding happiness. Seligman responds by starting a new discipline. He and his colleagues begin the process of unpacking well-being.

Sigmund Freud reportedly said, “the goal of psychotherapy is to get you to ordinary human misery”. The goal of positive psychology is to help you thrive not just survive.

The positive psychology crew focused on the following:

1. Using the scientific method and gold-standard research practices, the team identified universal characteristics, traits, and behaviors of the “happiest people on the planet”. They found many common factors that transcend race, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and culture.
   
2. The crew developed psychologically sound interventions that address these characteristics. These interventions were tested, evaluated, and refined. The result is a very pragmatic and hopeful set of action-oriented interventions that are proven to improve mood and raise subjective well-being.

The Subjective Well Being (SWB) plan:

It stands to reason then, that we can take these interventions and form a very practical and easy to implement an action plan. We can develop a SWB plan!

How does the SWB plan work?

1. Start with an understanding of “happiness”. You can do this in a variety of ways. Ideally, you have a coach or instructor that can help you learn the content, clarify concerns, and answer questions. However, you may have to engage in self-study. I utilize an 8-week educational program to guide my clients and my groups. The syllabus covers the basics and leaves participants with a very good understanding of the principles of positive psychology.
   
2. Once you have knowledge of the principles: Find 3 or 4 positive psychology principles to focus on. Discuss their application to current life situations and explore the actions/interventions that are associated with each principle. 
   NOTE: the University of Pennsylvania Authentic Happiness website has a questionnaire section. These assessment tools can help you identify focus areas.

Here is an example of positive psychology principles driving individualized interventions. Guided by assessment and self-awareness.

The VIA-Character strengths questionnaire is used to identify top character strengths (there are 24 universal character strengths). Examples of character strength include creativity, bravery, curiosity, appreciation of beauty, and gratitude.

Let’s pretend you take the VIA-Character strengths questionnaire and “gratitude” appears at the top of the list.

The intervention calls for an intentional focus on doing things that tap into “gratitude”.

Be Happy – 3 Good Things

Therefore, you begin to actively practice the positive psychology intervention of “3 GOOD THINGS”

3 GOOD THINGS = Every day, at the end of the day, you write down “3 Good Things” that happened that day.

You commit to 30 consecutive days and you agree to never list a good thing twice. No repeat “good things”.

This will quickly force you to concentrate on recognizing good things throughout the course of the day. You will be tapping into the character strength of gratitude.

3. Identify the specific interventions you will integrate into your life. As discussed above, these interventions should specifically target positive psychology principles consistent with your individual profile. No two SWB plans are 100% the same.

Once you identify these focus actions, write it down. Then simply put one foot in front of the other.

If you make a mistake, get right back on the wagon. Day by day you will build new habits and subjective well-being will be within your grasp.

A Few More Happy Examples:

Principle: There is a formula for happiness or SWB:

SWB = 50% Set Point (S) + 10% Circumstances (‘C) + 40% Voluntary Control (VC)

Set point (S): You were born this way. This is the “nature” aspect of being happy or happiness. Your personality and your “make-up”. Simply put, some people are happier than others. Some people are more grumpy. Some nationalities are happier. Also, other nationalities are naturally more negative. It is what it is. You can’t change this.

Circumstance: External conditions. Finances. Health. Family issues and so on. These circumstances can be good or bad. Winning the lottery versus getting in a terrible car accident.

On the whole, over time, circumstances will account for about 10% of your overall SWB. Many times circumstances are out of your control.

However, Positive Psychology does provide specific interventions that help people through challenging circumstances. For example, how to respond to suffering is a question Positive Psychology tries to answer.

In addition, there will be certain “circumstances” which can be improved. Physical health problems, for example, can be improved via nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

Positive Psychology focuses on what you can control. Do what you can to improve the circumstances.

Voluntary Control: This is the main focus of Positive Psychology. 40% of your mood on any given day is under your voluntary control and can be directly influenced by intentional activities, disciplined thinking, and preparation. Most Positive Psychology interventions influence the area of voluntary control.

Action Planning

Using these general principles, develop a simple and direct action plan.

Focus on improving the areas of obvious need. Don’t overthink.

Example of an “Action Plan”:

Self-assessment: My circumstances could be improved by taking better care of my physical health. I don’t feel well many days and that influences my outlook and interactions.

Steps: Sleep at least 6 hours | Stop eating sugary snacks and hammering Red Bull energy drinks all day.

Voluntary Control: I could be more present and grateful.

Steps: Utilize “3 Good Things” to develop optimism, notice the positive and nurture gratitude.

Take a minute and do your own self-assessment.

• What circumstantial challenges are you facing right now?
• Can you do anything to change or improve the situation?
• What can you do to improve your attitude?

Positive Psychology

Use the Positive Psychology website to identify other interventions that improve outcomes in the area of voluntary control.

This website provides a great resource for solution-focused positive psychology interventions: https://positivepsychology.com/positive-psychology-interventions/

Note: Mental Health concerns such as anxiety and depression are very real.

If you are seeing a therapist or under the care of a psychiatrist please DO NOT change the treatment plan. These interventions are not meant to replace medical care.

Photo by Nicolas Castez on Unsplash

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MY SON IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE ECONOMY
– KEEP IT CLOSED!!!

In the spirit of full transparency: I was a COVID-19 denier at the beginning of the COVID news cycle.

I said stupid things about “over-reaction”. I made dumb comments about toilet paper hoarders.

Now I know what it’s like to be a grade A 100% “coronavirus clown”.

However, it quickly became apparent to me how wrong I was. I apologize for being one of the useful idiots.

I’m glad I was able to get back on track in a relatively short period of time. I would like to thank the lovely Mrs. Jones for her help in “waking me up”!

ONE OTHER THING BEFORE WE GET STARTED:

If you disagree with me, you can’t write me off as a “socialistic” loser who is just trying to live off the government.

I’m as free-market, capitalistic, meritocratic as it gets.

I own businesses that will suffer as a result of the shut-down.

The social justice warriors do not like me. I’m one of the evil capitalists. And I say: KEEP IT CLOSED.

MY SON AIDEN

In the fall of 2018 my son Aiden, was hospitalized due to a respiratory issue.

I won’t get into the details. The bottom line was 4 days in ICU in a “drug induced coma” with a “breathing tube”.

I thank God every day that he got through that.

However, he was hospitalized again in December of 2018 for the same issue. This is called a “pre-existing condition”.

COVID-19 has me losing my shit.

• I’m not sleeping well.
• I become preoccupied with my family’s health nearly every night.
• I’m not in a great frame of mind throughout the day.

COME ON RICH

If you say “Come on Rich, you are making a big deal out nothing”, it will engender a strong desire within me to react in an aggressive manner.

However, I will not do that, because I am gentleman. I don’t believe in violence.

One thing I know for sure though. If you make those “just chill out” type comments, you are the one who is mentally unstable; not me

One thing I know for sure. If you make those “just chill out” type comments, you are the one who is mentally unstable; not me.

MENTAL HEALTH EXAM

Mental Health Status Exam and Affect Appropriate to Situation. It is common practice in mental health settings to conduct a mental health status exam.

During the exam, the practitioner will assess multiple dimensions of mental and emotional health.

Including a category labeled “mood and affect”.

“Affect” is the patient’s immediate expression of emotion; mood refers to the more sustained emotional makeup of the patient’s personality.

Patients display a range of affect that may be described as broad, restricted, labile, or flat.

Affect is inappropriate when there is no consonance between what the patient is experiencing or describing and the emotion he is showing at the same time (e.g., laughing when relating the recent death of a loved one).

Both affect and mood can be described as dysphoric (depression, anxiety, guilt), euthymic (normal), or euphoric). (David Martin, Clinical Methods, the History, Physical and Laboratory Examinations, 3rd Edition).

Therefore, you can complete a mental health status exam on a person who is visibly upset, worried, angry etc… and conclude that they are “normal”.

NORMAL

There are multiple ways to describe these “normal” results of the mental status exam:

Affect appropriate to situation (something bad happened and you should be upset).

Mood and affect within normal range (your affect/mood is similar to most other people dealing with this type of issue).

The inverse is true as well.

NOT NORMAL

If you are NOT upset or worried or angry etc…when most people would be upset or worried or angry… you may be experiencing a “pathological state”.

Let’s just talk straight: If you think COVID-19 is no big deal.

If you think people are over-reacting.

If you think people are “just afraid and worried for no reason”.

YOU MIGHT BE THE ONE WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM. Not the other way around.

Anxiety, worry and fear ARE NOT DISORDERS.

BREAKING COVID-19 WORRY

There was little scientific “evidence” included in Pastor James Gordon Gilkey’s classic book: How to Master Life.

The book was basically a compilation of Gilkey’s personal philosophy, self-help advice, and anecdotes.

He wrote about his take on the world. He also gathered compelling observations from other people.

It was the 1930’s and the “self help industry“ was just getting started.

In the chapter entitled “Breaking the Grip of Worry” he writes about a “table” that someone developed.

This “table” has been attributed to Mark Twain-although no one is 100% sure if that is where it originated.

WORRIES & FEARS

The purpose of the table is to categorize worries.

Interestingly, this taxonomy of worry was widely endorsed and validated by readers at that time.

Picture a collective, head nodding, “I can relate”, type response.

To summarize what Gilkey wrote:

This man (presumably Mark Twain) had monitored his worries and fears.

He had written them down and after a period of time he came up with the following distribution of worry and fear:

• Worry about disasters, which never actually happened. About 40% of the anxieties.
• Worries about past decisions/mistakes. Things that you cannot control. About 30% of anxieties.
• Worries about possible sickness or “possible nervous breakdown”. But they never happened. About 12% of worries.
• Worries about family (especially children), friends. About 10% of my worries.
• Worries that have a real foundation. Possibly 8% of the total. (Legitimate concerns; real threats).
• Worries that have a “real foundation” are not worries.

YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED

They are fears, and they are legitimate fears.

Anxiety, worry, and fear serve a purpose.

They are not pathological, “diagnosable” or disordered.

They are not “clinically significant” unless they reach a very specific level. See DSM-V criteria for generalized anxiety disorder as an example.

If you are worried about COVID-19, and all the associated issues, it’s because YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED.

HAVE A COVID-19 PLAN

However, you do not have to act on the worry.

You do not have to be controlled by the worry. Also, you can move forward with confidence and still be worried.

You should develop a personal plan of action to deal with these challenging times AND you should work that plan.

But go ahead and worry. Go ahead and feel fear.

Courage equals performing your day to day duties in the face of fear.

You are courageous.

The post I WAS A COVID-19 DENIER – DON’T BE LIKE ME! appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

Mental Health Crisis

I am very certain that the following modern realities contribute mightily to current mental health crisis, our stress, anxiety, fatigue, depression, angst, despair, substance use/other self destructive behaviors and on and on….

The Steps

1. The “Look At Me” Peacock Culture
   The spectacle culture. Constant 24 hour a day comparisons magnified by filtered images and manufactured scenario. “Purchased” (literally) followers/“likes”, digital profiling, fear of being left out, status envy on steroids.
   
2. Too Many Choices
   Way too much of everything. Too many types of everything. From cereal to cars to software. Ridiculous and overwhelming.
   
3. Too Much
   Too much info and Too much toxic info.
   What do you read next?
   What do you binge watch next?
   Who do you spend your time with and where do you go eat tonight?
   Which website do you use to check restaurant reviews…. ?
   What source do you trust?
   
   Your argument defending your position on important matters is essentially a series of googled research articles that support your opinion. Stop doing that.
   
4. Hysteria and Shark Shaming!
   Out of context reporting on tragic situations. Creating hysteria. Click bait journalism.
   If it bleeds it leads has gone to another level. Kid attacked by shark in Nebraska circulates the cable news. Moms around the nation immediately enroll children in shark awareness training. PETA gets involved and is pissed sharks are being “shamed”.
   CNN runs a town hall hosted by Anderson Cooper: titled – “Has America Jumped the Shark-Intolerance and Fish-Hate Hits the Heartland”.
   
5. Tribalism
   Total tribalism on all political fronts. Trickling down to constant agenda pushing at all levels by all people in all parties. Always.
   People speak only in talking points. The call out culture runs the day. People troll online and in real life just waiting to call out other people when they violate a sacred principle of their identified tribe. Such bullshit. This circus is accessible all the time. Leads to a complete disregard for facts and a general feeling the world is falling apart. People have abandoned critical thinking.
   
6. Constant Connection 24/7/365
   We are always on the hook with work and other responsibilities. Requires concentrated willpower to check out.
   
7. The “Hurry Up & Get That Done” Vibe
   This seems to pervade every aspect of life. All sports are organized. All activities are organized.
   Vacations are a competition. They are organized and just splendid. And the results are broadcast over social media.
   For the record, my vacations are WORK. Kids wear my ass out.
   
8. TV Remotes Have 8,974 Buttons
   Every freaking device is too cool for its own good. They can record a show while watching another show while transcribing another show while running a retina scan while teaching the baby math, while turning oven off, while monitoring the perimeter, while changing the oil in the van etc…,
   
   Question: HOW DO YOU CHANGE THE CHANNEL OR TURN UP THE VOLUME ON A TV?
   That’s all I want to do …. Same complexity exists for all software updates and app instillation etc….
   
9. User Names & Passwords
   Too many user names and passwords to remember. The human brain is not designed for such things.
   
10. Bank Cards
    Bank cards that get randomly shut down because of new upgraded protection. With no warning.
    
11. The 10 Second Rule, Rules!
    The sense that my phone is “too slow” when I Google something.
    There was a time when I just wouldn’t have the answer to that question or the address to that business etc… it would not be “at my finger tips”.
    Now I get frustrated and lose my mind if I can’t get the answer within 10 seconds.
    
12. The GPS Lady
    The GPS woman providing directions.
    When you get off an exit to use the bathroom and she frantically screams at you…”proceed to the route”……

When it comes to explaining our current mental health crisis…. this list is as good as any explanation I have ever seen.

If you don’t know…now you know. You know very well….. 😎

The post “12 Steps” To A Mental Health Crisis appeared first on The Recovery Cartel.

The System

NOTE: When we talk “ The System ” we do NOT mean the “state drug and alcohol system or state mental health system” solely. Although the government organizations are part of the system.

I focus on the system in a much larger sense.

In a manner consistent with the following definition: “An organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent elements (components, entities, factors, members, parts etc.). These elements continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) to maintain their activity and the existence of the system, in order to achieve the goal of the system”. (BusinessDictionary).

Behavioral Health

In the case of behavioral health the system includes:

• Government mental health and substance use disorder systems (providers; public payers such as Medicaid; single state authority; state mental health departments etc…)
• Private addiction treatment providers (rehabs and such)
• Private mental health providers
• Healthcare providers involved with MH and SUD patients
• Researchers and academics focused on behavioral health
• Federal agencies: SAMHSA; CSAT; DMH; NIMH etc..
• Private/commercial insurance payers (BC/BS etc…)
• Accrediting bodies such as CARF, JCAHO, COA etc….

and others I am missing.

That said.

Consider The Following

A sociological fact as true as the law of gravity. Substantial change and transformation of our behavioral health system CAN NOT arise within the existing system.

The system will not eat itself. No one is going to work toward the elimination of their own livelihood.

No one is going to disavow the principles and paradigm they have promoted for decades. Rare is the person who can reverse field and change their opinion even if it means they lose power or position or prestige.

The fear is too great. The unknown is too anxiety ridden.

A great person takes the next step despite great personal risk.

However, most will play to the middle. Hoping to not ruffle feathers. Hoping to make it to retirement. Toeing the company line. (BTW, THE RECOVERY MOVEMENT HAS A COMPANY LINE AS WELL).

The Facts Are

We will only see incremental improvement. Any change MUST fit within the framework of the larger system.

This incremental improvement will be celebrated and championed as great progress and breakthrough. (See the celebration of a “Medicaid code” for peer recovery as an example).

Many in the “movement” will go along with this process as the movement is slowly but surely consumed by the legacy payers and providers. People will get positions of prominence and “stay in their lane”.

We will hear that all of this is progress and better than nothing. People will take what they can get.

Whats Next?

This leaves us with 2 logical options. In terms of next steps.

1) Accept incremental change as the norm and live with it. Accept that this behavioral health system is the best possible behavioral health system available and live with it.

2) Create an alternative system. From soup to nuts starting with “how it gets paid for”. Create it outside the system. Add value. Solve problems. And then we get some leverage with the existing system.

FAVOR Greenville

AT FAVOR GREENVILLE WE HAVE DONE THIS REGIONALLY IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Why can’t it be done nationally? At scale.

A Good Place To Start:

The creation of a new business model, in the substance use disorder treatment/recovery space, is necessary for any substantial progress toward acceptable outcomes.

Service diversity and innovation will only come if reimbursement changes.

Follow the money.

The doers will figure this out. We need more entrepreneurs in this space.

Unless you think everything is good to go?

How long until retirement?

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