As the end of the month of July gets near I started reflecting on what I have written this past month. This was my 2nd month writing for families.com and I thought it was time for some self-evaluation. Writing about mental health can be scary sometimes. I have worked in the field for awhile and developed my own personal thoughts and opinions about some things, but when sharing information with others I pressure myself to ensure current research is in the mix. It can get hard, partly because research is boring and partly because a single research experiment outcome does mot make it 100% true. The flip side is sharing opinions based on experience and risk giving bad information. After all, opinion based on experience is still just opinion.
So I have tried to incorporate some things I know with things I am learning. It is an adventure to say the least. I had no idea how much research that comes out weekly on mental health issues. If I was not teaching college I am not sure I would have ever been exposed to research after graduating college. Blogging, however, has forced me to keep a closer eye on things.
There is a lot of research going on for depression and anxiety. It seems for anxiety the focus has been on ways to help people think differently, whereas for depression there is a focus on medical intervention like medications. I find it interesting because medications and therapeutic approaches for depression and anxiety are linked. While the approach may be slightly different, anxiety and depression are often treated in similar fashions: take medications to help stabilize, and cogitative behavioral therapy to change thinking. The medication doses may be different, but the starting points are often the same. As I looked through the research this week I was a little surprised that the focus seemed to be different; however, I am sure there is a lot out there I have not seen yet.
So as I finish out my 2nd month I am committed to continue my plight of combining current, evidenced based information with meaningful information to ensure quality blogging. If you have any ideas or topics you would like to see explored please don’t hesitate to contact me.