MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT
March 2, 2001
"The life you have led doesn't need to be the only
life you'll have." - Anna Quindlen
MARCH IS RED CROSS MONTH
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WASHINGTON, 28 February 2001
Following a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struch 11 miles northeast
of Olympia at 10:55 AM PST, American Red Cross disaster relief
workers mobilized supplies to operate shelters, provide meals and
provide basic health and mental health services. Red Cross mental
health workers, specially focused on meeting the needs of children
and the elderly, will help victims of the quake deal with the
emotional trauma caused by the disaster.
The Seattle-King County Chapter of the American Red Cross has been
teaching earthquake preparedness for years to help residents
remain safe before and after an earthquake. In preparation for
disasters, the Red Cross has pre-positioned 17 containers with
shelter supplies for 350 people throughout the area. The Red Cross
initially plans to open shelters in Tacoma, King, Lewis and
Thurston counties. Twelve Emergency Response Vehicles are being
mobilized in the area. Additionally, a quick response team of
experts in damage assessment, logistics, shelter management,
feeding and health services left Washington, DC Wednesday to
join relief workers already responding in Puget Sound to the
earthquake. They will help to determine the size and scope of
the Red Cross relief effort and will coordinate vital services.
The quake was centered about 11 miles northeast of Olympia and 35
miles southwest of Seattle and was felt in Salt Lake City, 700
miles away. Witnesses in Seattle said the ground shook for about
45 seconds and was followed by a strong ground roll. The long
lasting tremor was felt as far away as Portland, OR. The largest
quake to strike Seattle was 7.4, making this one of the strongest
in the state's history.
More than 25 people in Seattle and Olympia, WA were reported
injured.
There are reports of power outages and scattered damage to homes
and businesses. Phones and communications systems have been
jammed with people trying to find out about loved ones. Pioneer
Square in downtown Seattle is showing the greatest amount of
damage in masonry building. The Seattle-King County Chapter of
the American Red Cross received little damage but is functioning
on generator power.
For further information, go to one or more of the following links:
AMERICAN RED CROSS - http://www.redcross.org
DISASTER RELIEF - http://www.disasterrelief.org
ANNOTATED DISASTER MENTAL HEALTH LINKS
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/sites.html
NATURAL DISASTER REFERENCE DATABASE
http://ltpwww.gsfc.nasa.gov/ndrd
NATURAL HAZARDS CENTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER
http://www.colorado.edu/IBS/hazards
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The Red Cross provides the following tips in the event an aftershock
strikes an earthquake stricken area. WHEN AFTERSHOCKS OCCUR, PEOPLE
SHOULD:
* DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! Move only a few steps to a
nearby safe place. Stay indoors until the shaking stops
and you're sure it's safe to exit. Stay away from
windows. In a high-rise building, expect the fire alarms
and sprinklers to go off during a quake.
* If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting
your head with a pillow.
* If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings,
trees and power lines. Drop to the ground.
* If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place
(as described above). Stay in the car until the shaking
stops.
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Health Information for Minority Woman
http://www.4woman.gov/minority/index.htm
From the Office on Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, this Web site provides topical health information on each
minority group - including nutrition, substance abuse, reproductive health
and osteoporosis. The site also provides fact sheets, frequently asked
questions, press releases, links to other sites and search engines.
* * * * * * * * * *
Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC),
A federal program designed to reduce child and youth mortality and
morbidity sustained due to severe illness or trauma, has created a Pediatric
Emergency Care Resource Kit. The kit is available in CD-ROM format and
was developed with close cooperation among government, national and
professional organizations. The resource kit provides critical information
about techniques and equipment to support and improve pediatric injury and
illness prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Psychology practitioners
working in medical settings may find the materials particularly useful.
The entire kit is available free of charge at http://www.ems-c.org
For more information, contact Suzanne Sellman, Communications
Director, EMSC National Resource Center, (202) 884-6843; Email:
ssellman@emscnrc.com
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STRESS REDUCTION METHODS: MEDITATION
Meditation is a general word which is used to describe a wide
variety of mental relaxation techniques, many of which have
strong religious or cultural overtones. The central purpose,
however, of meditation activities is the focus of attention
on the inner self, decreased thought patterns having to do
with daily activities, and steering attention away as much
as possible from the environment. However long that meditation
lasts, it should be a period in which there is an attempt to
separate from daily routines and to concentrate on achieving
a mentally relaxed state. While relaxation training acts to
ease tension in the body, meditation works in exactly the same
fashion for the mind. Therefore, since many stressors are
constantly with us because we continue to think about them,
meditation provides a means of eliminating, or at least
reducing, these sources of stress.
LOCATION
Just as with the relaxation process, meditation should be
performed in a quiet location which has a minimum of outside
distractions. Everything possible needs to be done to ensure
remaining undisturbed during the meditation process.
POSITION
There are many positions to choose from for meditation. However,
it is important that you should be situated in a fashion such
that you will not fall asleep during the meditation process.
Complicated positions are probably not good for a beginner. As
an example, the classic lotus position in yoga is quite difficult
to properly accomplish without a great deal of practice. The best
position for a beginner is probably either sitting tailor fashion
on the floor with legs crossed, or relaxed in a straight-backed
chair with feet on the floor and hands resting on the thighs. Once
a position has been selected and assumed it's a good idea to make
sure that body weight is evenly balanced and you are generally
relaxed and comfortable.
TECHNIQUES
There are literally dozens of ways in which to meditate. Keeping
in mind that the purpose of meditation is to relax the mind, then
any technique that allows you to think about something other than
daily stress sources is likely to be a successful one.
COUNTING
One of the most common methods of emptying the mind is to count
numbers in some fixed sequence, over and over. Count breaths,
heartbeats, or simply repeat a group of numbers time and time again
(a social security number might be used for this purpose). The act
of counting should serve to keep the mind empty of thoughts which
are likely to be stress-producing.
IMAGING
Choose a picture that you like. Study it mentally each time you
are meditating. When you concentrate so closely on the picture,
your mind becomes blank to most other thoughts. Be sure to select
a picture you know well (a real picture or simply an image of a
place or activity you have experienced). Use the same picture each
time.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
A regular, industrious program of Physical Activity is one of
the most common forms of stress management used. It is often used
without being aware that it is reducing stress. Many games like
handball, tennis, bowling, jogging, etc. are done because one
feels better afterward - mentally and physically.
BODY RELAXATION
Muscular tenseness is one of the most common components of a
stress reaction. Vigorous physical activity reduces, and often
eliminates, this tenseness. This is because it forces the muscles
to perform their usual functions. It uses up excess metabolic
materials that were needed to maintain a constant state of tension.
People who partake regularly in demanding physical activity
report feelings of relaxed calmness after an exercise period. These
feelings, together with the stress-reducing nature of physical
activity, make exercise a major candidate for the control of local
symptoms following stressful interactions. Physical activity works
through the normal function of muscles and requires little
preparation or training, whereas systematic relaxation does.
STRESS BY-PRODUCT ELIMINATION
Stress reactions cause a numbers of changes in body chemistry.
These are what is primarily responsible for the unpleasant side
effects surrounding and following stress-producing experiences.
Rigorous physical activity utilizes these by-products of stress
responses and brings the operating chemistry of the body back to
normal pre-stress levels.
The onset of stress responses release sugars, hormones, and other
materials into the bloodstream. There it prepares the individual
to fight or to flee. When the individual sits tight, doing nothing,
these stress-produced materials can become detrimental to health.
But, engaging in demanding physical effort rapidly uses up these
stress by-products, relieving at least the local symptoms of the
stress syndrome. This quick elimination of stress-response
components decreases both the amount and intensity of the reaction,
speeding up the regaining of control over the syndrome.
THOUGHT RE-DIRECTION
Stress responses can be quite harmful when they affect one to the
degree that just thinking about a stressful situation intensifies
or prolongs the reaction. Physical activity has the advantage of
re-directing one's thoughts away from stress-provoking
circumstances toward acts which are more directly concerned with
the physical effort. By forcing the focus on the action itself,
physical activity provides a means for breaking up habit patterns
of reviewing stressful situations and reacting to them, even when
they are in the past.
The above are most likely to occur when physical activity meet
the following criteria:
VIGOROUS ACTIVITY
Exercises should be strenuous and demanding enough to require
an effort by the whole body and should engage attention and
concentration for the duration of the activity. Choose an
activity that you personally like but which still meets the
criterion of vigorous application. For your own safety, it is
important to have a complete physical exam prior to beginning
a regular program of physical exercise.
REGULAR ACTIVITY
A particular activity should be performed on a regular basis.
Since many stress-producing situations appear more or less
constantly, it is important that the physical outlet you select
be worked into your day such that there is always a block of
time in which to complete the activity. A stress reduction
strategy which includes a physical activity component will have
its greatest positive effect under conditions where the above
described advantages of exercise are regularly available.
Individuals do not normally feel or experience stress when:
1. They feel they can handle the demands in their
environment, because they feel they have the personal
and/or material resources to meet all demands or
opportunities; or
2. They alter the demands to balance their available
resources.
How an individual responds to stress is partially determined by
their perceptions, coping skills and strengths, and the adequacy
of their support system.
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For further information on this topic and to search for and order and
purchase books on this topic, go to the search engine below and begin
by trying the following descriptors: Meditation, Relaxation training,
Stress reduction, Imagery and relaxation, body relaxation, physical
activity and meditation, relaxation and thought re-direction, etc.
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
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Contact your local Mental Health Center or check the yellow
pages for counselors, psychologists, therapists, and other
Mental health Professionals in your area for further information.
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George W. Doherty
O'Dochartaigh Associates
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENTS Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
