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Continue readingTips for Maintaining Good Mental Health
Traditionally, when we talk about maintaining good health, we’ve focused on our physical health. Fortunately, this has been changing, and the focus on health has grown to include mental and spiritual health. Over time, healthcare providers have realized that mental and physical health are interrelated. If you are living with a chronic physical condition, your mental health can suffer. Likewise, if you are living with a chronic mental health condition, your physical health can suffer. Because the two are so tightly woven together, we all need tips for maintaining good mental health. At 10 Acre Ranch, we understand the importance of maintaining good mental health, and we can help you develop strategies for doing so.
What Is Mental Health?
You might hear a lot of talk about mental health but also wonder what it is. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is vital at every stage of life. Various factors impact our mental health, including biological factors, life experiences, and our genes. For instance, if you have a history of childhood or other trauma, you may need to maintain your mental health more actively than others do. Likewise, if you have a history of addiction, you will have to proactively approach your mental health to ensure that you maintain your recovery.
Why Is Focusing on Mental Health Important?
There was a time when discussions around mental health only focused on what was “wrong.” Today, mental health is starting to be viewed more like physical health. To maintain your physical health, you are encouraged to visit a physician regularly rather than waiting until you are sick. Similarly, you don’t have to wait for a mental health crisis before speaking to a mental health professional. By incorporating some tips for maintaining good mental health, you might even be able to avoid a crisis. Your mental health impacts every aspect of your life. It affects your perception of the world around you and how you process the things that happen in your life. Positive mental health enables you to better cope with stress and create a meaningful life.
Tips for Maintaining Good Mental Health
In essence, being proactive about your mental health is just like being proactive about your mental health. If you know you have a risk of heart disease, you will likely make better diet choices, exercise regularly, and see a doctor annually so that you can minimize your risk of having a heart attack. If you know you have a mental health disorder, you can see a mental health professional before you are in crisis. Even if you do not see a mental health professional, you can incorporate tips for maintaining good mental health, including:
- Connecting with others in your community or family
- Maintaining a positive attitude
- Incorporating movement such as walking
- Helping others in your community or family
- Ensuring that you get enough sleep
- Use activities such as journaling or drawing
- Use mindfulness techniques such as meditation or yoga
As you choose strategies to help you maintain good mental health, focus on the things that bring you joy or feed your soul. Perhaps sitting on the beach and watching the ocean brings you peace. Maybe it’s a walk in the woods or a walk with your dog. No matter what it is, choose the thing that helps you stay healthy.
Get Help Today at 10 Acre Ranch
At 10 Acre Ranch, we’ve provided Southern California with expert and caring mental health and addiction treatment for over 25 years. Our mission is to rebuild lives, restore families, and improve communities. We are one of the leading rehab facilities in California with a full range of therapeutic offerings. We provide a warm and welcoming environment where we tailor healing to the whole person. We are committed to helping you break the destructive cycle of isolation that many develop during active addiction. Contact us today and let us help you maintain your mental health and conquer your addiction.
Is There a Connection Between Borderline Personality Disorder and Drug Addiction?
Addiction is a complex disease that is often hard to understand. Add in a co-occurring mental health disorder, and you may be overwhelmed. The good news is that you don’t have to be. Over time, we’ve learned a great deal about the relationship between mental illnesses such as borderline personality disorder and addiction. We’ve also learned a lot about how to treat both separately and together. If you are struggling with addiction and borderline personality disorder, you do not have to struggle alone. At 10 Acre Ranch, we understand how hard it is to recover from addiction. We also know that you may feel that it’s that much more challenging because of a co-occurring mental illness. We are here to support and treat both.
What Is Borderline Personality Disorder?
Borderline personality disorder, sometimes referred to as BPD, is a mental illness associated with an ongoing pattern of varying moods, self-image, and behavior. Those with a borderline personality disorder will often act impulsively and may have problems in relationships. One of the key symptoms associated with a borderline personality disorder is that the individual has difficulty with how they view themselves and their place in the world. What this looks like from the outside is quickly changing interests and even values. Additional signs and symptoms that may be seen include:
- Self-harming behavior
- Recurring thoughts of suicidal behavior or threats
- Persistent feelings of emptiness
- Difficulty controlling anger
- Feelings of dissociation
Knowing the signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder, it is not hard to see how borderline personality disorder and drug addiction occur together. The feelings of BPD coupled with its impulsivity are a key reason why many who suffer from BPD self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.
What Is Drug Addiction?
Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by both drug seeking and compulsive use despite any harmful consequences. Addiction is a disease of isolation that affects the mind, body, and spirit. Approximately ten percent of the United States population struggles with addiction. Over time, continued drug and alcohol use change the pathways in the brain. It is these changes that make it so challenging to get sober and stay sober. Many who find themselves addicted to a substance will also find that it takes more than one attempt to find lasting sobriety. Those who suffer from a co-occurring mental disorder and addiction are best served by seeking treatment at a facility that can treat both simultaneously.
Is There a Connection Between Borderline Personality Disorder and Drug Addiction?
Nearly four percent of the United States population suffers from addiction and also has a mental illness. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is a correlation between borderline personality disorder and drug addiction. Researchers have found that half of those who have borderline personality disorder also have a substance use disorder. Similarly, about twenty-five percent of those with a substance use disorder also have a borderline personality disorder. Researchers believe that the struggle with emotions and the impulsivity of borderline personality disorder results in this connection between BPD and drug addiction. In addition to their being a connection, there is further evidence that those with a borderline personality disorder may experience relapses more often than those without it.
Benefits of Going to 10 Acre Ranch for Rehab
At 10 Acre Ranch, we’ve provided Southern California with expert addiction treatment for nearly three decades. We understand the importance of treating any co-occurring mental health illnesses, such as borderline personality disorder while treating your addiction. Our mission is to rebuild lives, restore families, and improve communities. We are one of the leading rehab facilities in California and offer a wide range of programs that will meet your needs. We are experts in helping people safely detox and stop using meth. We provide a warm and welcoming environment where we integrate the treatment to heal the whole person. We are committed to helping you break free from active addiction and build a life in recovery. Contact us today and let us help you with your addiction!
The Connection Between Borderline Personality Disorder and Drug Addiction
Individuals with mental illness are twice as likely to misuse drugs and alcohol than those without mental illness. The likelihood increases for adolescents with mental illness and for those with borderline personality disorder. This connection between mental illness and addiction highlights the importance of understanding the links between the two. Fortunately, much research has been done in this area. As a result, most addiction treatment programs include treatment for mental health disorders, or co-occurring disorders. At 10 Acre Ranch, we understand how to treat addiction and mental illness together so that you can begin a path toward long-term sobriety.
Borderline Personality Disorder Explained
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that often results in impulsive actions and problems in relationships. Individuals with borderline personality disorder often exhibit a pattern of fluctuating moods, self-image, and behavior. Additionally those with BPD experience intense episodes of anger, depression, and anxiety. These episodes can last a few hours or several days.
Those with borderline personality disorder tend to view the world in extremes and these extremes can change quickly. Additional signs and symptoms of borderline personality disorder include suicidal thoughts, impulsive behaviors, unstable relationships, fear of abandonment, and chronic feelings of emptiness. As with addiction, researchers believe that genetics, biological, and social factors play a role in the development of borderline personality disorder.
The Connection Between Borderline Personality Disorder and Drug Addiction
The connection between borderline personality disorder and drug addiction is quite strong. Nearly eighty percent of adults with borderline personality disorder will also develop addiction sometime in their lives. This colliding of the two presents unique challenges. It is not surprising that individuals facing both will likely be more impulsive and less stable.
Individuals with borderline personality disorder may also suffer from anxiety and post traumatic stress disorders. The combination of these disorders increases the risk for self-medicating with drugs and addiction. Additionally, those with borderline personality disorder may seek to simply fit in with others by using drugs.
How To Treat Borderline Personality Disorder and Drug Addiction
Treating those with borderline personality disorder and drug addiction is more complex. Researchers have found that dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) improved patients’ overall functional level and resulted in more drug-free days. Other therapies continue to be explored for their effectiveness in treating this combination. However, what is known is that early intervention is more successful than later interventions. Because of their impulsivity, those with borderline personality disorder are more likely to relapse and may relapse repeatedly. Researchers have found some success with medications such as naltrexone as a relapse prevention tool when paired with DBT therapy. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) allows for the treatment of both borderline personality disorder and addiction at the same time. Whatever approach is taken, the key is a clinician who is well-versed in treating borderline personality disorder and drug addiction.
Benefits of Going To 10 Acre Ranch for Rehab
At 10 Acre Ranch, we’ve been providing Southern California with expert addiction treatment for nearly three decades. We know how to treat co-occurring mental health disorders and we can put our experience to work for you. Our mission is to rebuild lives, restore families, and improve communities. We are one of the leading rehab facilities in California and offer a wide range of programs that will meet your needs. Our team are experts in helping people safely detox from drugs and do the work to stop using drugs. We provide a warm and welcoming environment where we integrate the treatment to heal the whole person. We are committed to helping you break free from active addiction. Contact us today and let us help you with your addiction!