The Daily Return

Suicide Intervention: Mental Health First Aid

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 Every year in the United States, there are approximately 33,000 reported suicides, more than twice the number of homicides. The number of suicide attempts reported every year is roughly 1.1 million. It is the third leading cause of death among young people aged 15 - 24. Other groups at higher risk include older adults, "non-Hispanic Whites," "Native Americans and Alaska Natives." But the risk factors for suicide - e.g. depression and other mental health disorders, drug or alcohol use, family history, exposure to suicidal behavior of others (even celebrities) - can affect anyone.

Unfortunately, the warning signs of suicide risk often go unnoticed. Even when they are noticed, the taboo against discussing suicide (along with mental health problems in general) prevents many people from getting help that could save their lives. 

Consider the fact that tens of millions of Americans have been trained in CPR and first aid to address physical illness and injury. But few of us are ever given any instruction on how to address mental illness and injury. In the aftermath of suicide, we all too often hear that people "had no idea" their friend or family member was in trouble. Or, "I knew she'd been depressed, but I never thought she would kill herself."

I sometimes wonder what it would be like if we could suddenly see the psychological injuries people carry with them as easily as we can spot someone with a broken leg or a bleeding wound. With more than 1 in 4 US adults suffering a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year, we might feel like we were living in a disaster zone. 

The good news is that we don't need special powers to notice these injuries in others, and we don't need counseling degrees to offer some much needed help. All we need is a bit more awareness and empathy, two qualities that are the foundation of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) that I attended last weekend. 

Dreams of Summer

Last weekend, it was minus 4 degrees when I woke up at six to walk the dogs. Even wearing insulated snow-pants, heavy boots, gloves, a scarf, a hat, and two layers of flannel under my winter coat, I felt the cold seeping into my bones before we made it one block. 

Generally speaking, I try to adhere to the "be here now" mantra. But I think there are times when a little bit of escape is good for the spirit. Heading to Florida for a week is certainly one way to get away from the icy grip of winter, but not everybody has the time and money. So here are a few low-budget "vacations" you can take without leaving town.

The Gift of Destruction?

Kali, goddess of destruction

My wife and I recently watched Outsourced, a movie about an American guy (Todd) who manages a customer service call center for a company that sells novelty products. At the beginning of the movie, Todd's whole department is laid off when the company decides to outsource the work to India, and Todd is sent to India to train the replacements. What follows is a charming, albeit fairly predictable culture clash comedy featuring an equally charming and predictable love story. If you're looking for a cozy evening at home with your significant other and a DVD, you could do a lot worse.

What makes this movie memorable for me is that ensconced in the affably formulaic plot-line are some small pearls of Hindu wisdom. As Todd moves through the story, he finds himself seemingly shadowed by the fearsome image of a snarling, sword-wielding, blue goddess. Finally, he finds himself in a taxi with the female lead, his native guide and eventual love interest, Asha. When he notices a statue of the same figure on the dashboard, Asha explains:

"Oh that's Kali, the goddess of destruction."

"Why would you want the goddess of destruction in your car?"

Losing sleep? Take a Pass on the Pills

Who needs Ambien when you have dogs?

I must confess that I have never had much trouble sleeping. In fact, my ability to conk out ten seconds after my head hits the pillow has been a not infrequent source of frustration for my better half, who often tosses and turns for a good hour before drifting off. It probably doesn't help that, apparently, I have a tendency to snore like a drunk grizzly bear.

But she's not alone in her nightly frustration. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than one third of adults have insomnia at some point, and 10 to 14 percent are chronic sufferers. Last year, the sleepless filled over 50 million prescriptions for medications to knock them out. Many of these drugs, like Ambien and Lunesta, carry a risk for serious side effects (depression, hallucinations, dependency, antisocial moods, and so on). On the other hand, insomnia can depress the immune system and contribute to weight gain in addition to the obvious feelings of fatigue.

The good news is that a number of natural alternatives are proving to be just as effective as pharmaceuticals.

Better than flax seed? Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

A few days ago, I wrote about 5 under-appreciated super foods, including flax seed, one of nature's best sources for omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs). That's when my cousin Cheryl brought chia seed to my attention.

In pre-Columbian America, Chia seed was highly prized by Aztec and Mayan civilizations, and with good reason! It is an excellent source of high-quality protein, calcium, potassium, trace minerals and antioxidants. Better yet, according to some sources, chia seed has more omega-3 EFAs per serving than flax seed!

Does that mean we abandon the flax seed ship and climb aboard the SS Chia? Well, not so fast. One caveat worth noting is that when it comes to EFAs, many experts maintain that it isn't just the quantity of omega-3 that matters; it's also important to have the right ratio of omega-3 to omega-6, and when that ratio gets too far out of balance, you may be at greater risk for heart disease, autoimmune diseases, cancer and more. 

3 Simple Meditations For Your Busy Life

If you're like a lot of people, meditating is a little bit like flossing your teeth. You know it's something that you should do every day, and you've been meaning to start. Sometimes, you even get into the habit for a week, two weeks, three weeks, and you think to yourself, "I'm never going to give this up!" But at some point, the chaos of life intervenes and you fall off the wagon. And despite your good intentions, tomorrow always seems like a better time to get back on because right now your just in too much of a hurry.

Then again, maybe you're one of those perfect people who wakes up fully refreshed before your alarm goes off - in fact, you don't even set your alarm, because your circadian rhythms run like a Swiss clock. After you brush and floss, you meditate for 45 minutes, practice yoga, run three miles, lift some weights, have a bowl of oatmeal, and head off to another day of your exciting and well balanced career. If that's you, congratulations! Please forward this blog post to all of your less disciplined friends and be on your way.

For everyone else, here are a few simple meditations that are just right for you. Why? Because you don't have to fit them into your busy life; they're already in your life, waiting to be transformed from samsara to sublime. These meditations are no replacement for a traditional sitting practice, but while you're procrastinating on that front, they can help create a little more space and peace in your daily routine.

Tired of Your Yoga Videos? Try These Free Online Lessons

There is something to be said for routine in your yoga practice (or any fitness program). Following routines gives your body a chance to integrate patterns of movement so that they can be done without excessive conscious direction. Thus can you enter that celebrated state of "flow" that psychologists and performance experts talk about. (Learn about the concept of flow from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the man who first named it, at TED.com.)

But sometimes, a routine becomes a rut. The collection of yoga DVDs my wife and I have accumulated over the years are a testament to that. Sooner or later, even our favorite routine gets a little old, and we're ready to mix things up again, to introduce a healthy dose of novelty and confusion. So I was pretty excited when I discovered the free streaming yoga lessons at yogajournal.com. Check out their selection here.

5 Super Foods Nobody Is Talking About

Some of my favorite super foods

Superfoods. Every time I go through the gauntlet of health and lifestyle magazines at the grocery store checkout these days, I see cover lines about "superfoods." One of my favorite offenders is "Men's Health," (recently exposed for recycling cover lines) which seems to take an almost cynical approach to the superfood topic. One of their lists actually includes hot dogs, beef and beer. Yes, hot dogs. Because the onions you put on your hot dog have some benefit.

As the old saying goes, people love to hear good news about their bad habits. The truth is, many foods, probably even hot dogs, contain at least one compound or nutrient that is good for you. Unfortunately, writers of these lists often forget that it's the total package that matters. Hundred-dollar bills are pretty super; but if somebody tosses you a hundred dollar-bill wrapped around a lit stick of dynamite... Well, not so super. So when you read a list of superfoods, read with a critical eye.

With that disclaimer, here is my own list of superfoods. Are these the top 5 best foods in the world? Probably not. But I chose them because they don't often appear on other lists, and I think they deserve a place in your pantry.

Till Veganism Do Us Part

"I would do anything for you, dearest. Except give up bacon." 

My friend Jasmin blogged yesterday on the subject of a recent New York Times article regarding the recent spike in families having "green disputes." Apparently, environmental concerns (including food choices) are quickly approaching the status of religion and politics as a subject likely to cause rifts between couples, between parents and children, between siblings and so on.

The good news is that there are now therapists specializing in these issues. But what kind of advice are these therapists giving? From the Times:

"Changing the family diet because of environmental concerns can be particularly loaded, [according to family and marriage therapist Linda Buzzell]. She warns wives and mothers not to move a family toward vegetarianism before everyone is ready."

I've been vegan for nine years now. I know a lot of vegans, and I can imagine statements like those from Ms. Buzzell might ruffle some feathers. 

Art Universal

The Milky Way

Whenever my view on the world turns bleak, when the trials and tragedies of life seem to press in too hard, I often find it helpful to close my eyes and remember my place in the universe. Somehow, taking my mind to the outer limits of existence helps bring me back to center. I remember how fleeting life is, and at the same time, how the eternal is ever present in this moment.

Now, instead of closing my eyes, I can just go to YouTube for this inspiring video, courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History and the Rubin Museum of Art:

This video is part of the Rubin Museum's new exhibit, "Visions of the Cosmos," a collection that features representations of the universe as they emerged over the course of human history, both East and West.