Category: Blog

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 20 percent of adults or 46.6 million Americans have a mental illness, 17 million of whom suffer from depression. While traditional talk therapy and medication management help many, an estimated 30% of these individuals are considered “treatment-resistant”, meaning they see little or no results from standard treatments. That is a massive number of people who are left with no clear path of how to heal and see relief from their struggles. 

The standard for mental healthcare for years has utilized an impersonal “try it and see if it works method”, even though nearly every other area of healthcare takes into account personal circumstances. For example, if a patient is diagnosed with high cholesterol, a doctor might prescribe a cholesterol-reducing medication, alongside lifestyle changes, healthy diet, exercise, etc. So when it comes to something as unique as our brain…why is the one size fits all approach still considered the standard?

At Heading, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to live their best life, and have built our practice around this premise.  We offer a holistic new model of care, which takes a multi-dimensional and personalized approach to treatment. At Heading, treatment plans are tailored to your needs and goals, integrating effective, cutting-edge treatments such as TMS, intramuscular ketamine, Spravato and nutritional therapy alongside mental health medications, psychotherapy and even nutritional therapy. 

As we grow, we hope that our personalized care model will take root as a new standard for  the mental health community. In the meantime, if you’re ready to invest in yourself, your mental health, and your future through a treatment plan fitted specifically to you, we invite you to give us a call at 855-204-2502 or contact us on our contact page to get started on your mental health journey today

It’s incredible how something as simple as talking, sharing our thoughts and feelings is such a powerful tool for self-liberation and healing. Many mental health treatment centers, including Heading, offer a well-known form of therapy known as “talk therapy” or psychotherapy. Talk therapy has a long-standing record of efficacy and  has become one of the most accepted and widely used treatments in the world of mental healthcare. Even as modern medicine and innovation has offered millions a wider array of available treatments to help improve their mind health, this form has continued to hold true in its overall effectiveness and versatility for treating mental illnesses and trauma from anxiety to suicidal ideation. Let’s quickly break down the back story of this age-old method, and how it can benefit you!

History: According to the American Psychiatric Association, talk therapy or psychotherapy is a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties. Talk therapy can help increase self-awareness, allowing the individual in treatment to reduce troubling symptoms and develop strategies to improve overall quality of life. 

While the most widely accepted “birth of talk therapy” was in the 1800s, as far back as ancient Greece, philosophers like Aristotle began exploration into what would eventually become psychotherapy. As these philosophies emerged, some of the world’s earliest known physicians including Hippocrates, further explored the link between mental state and medicine. Flashing forward a thousand years or so, two names that are familiar to most Josef Breuer and Sigmund Freud came together to investigate Breuer’s “talking cure” for nervous disorders and with that modern psychotherapy was born. 

While psychotherapy has evolved quite a bit from the Freudian images of people laying on a couch while sharing their feelings to a man behind a clipboard nodding along and asking probing questions, the essence of talk therapy as a powerful remedy for combatting depression, PTSD, or even OCD.

How does it work? Generally speaking, when a person enrolls in talk therapy, the  therapist or leading physician will ask several questions during the initial appointment, known as an intake to allow the therapist to gain a comprehensive understanding of a person’s history, background, present circumstances and state of mind. This allows the therapist to, collaboratively with the patient, decide on the best approach to treatment. Questions might focus on family history, past experiences, current coping skills, what they want to achieve out of therapy, etc. 

Talk Therapy goes with everything: While many individuals see medication and psychotherapy as opposing treatment options, they don’t have to be. Talk therapy can certainly be a stand alone treatment option but many studies have shown how, when  used in combination with another intervention such TMS, traditional medication management or ketamine infusions, the effects of both treatments can be enhanced and amplified further than either standalone treatment typically offers. 

If you are curious about talk therapy and the possibility of implementing it in your personal mental health journey, reach out to us by giving us a call at 512-777-2591 or visit us at headinghealth.com, or join us in our Q&A session next Thursday, March 10 at 6:00 pm CST on Facebook Live!

Hallmark’s holiday, heart shaped chocolates, flowers everywhere, table for 2 reservations, cupid’s bow, also known as Valentine’s Day. The holiday that was created to celebrate love has popularly also become known as “single awareness day” or just a day of dread for many whether or not they are in a relationship.

Let’s take a second to break down why there is such an unhappy feeling when it comes to the day of love. For starters, movies and TV shows and even Instagram feeds often display images of ‘love’ ‘romantic gestures’ or ‘happy couples’. This can make those of us on the other side of the screen question ourselves: if we are living up to that definition of love, if we are worthy of love, and even, for some of us, remind us of perceived failures- whether we are in a relationship or not. While love and romantic relationships are something to celebrate, such heavy saturation of media can also make us feel isolated and alone.

So how do you cope with Valentine’s day and its associated woes? Dealing with mental health challenges can be difficult, so we’ve compiled a few things you can do this year to make it a day filled with more joy (and less loathing).

“Loneliness is a sign you are in desperate need of yourself.” ― Rupi Kaur

Love YOU

Single or not, we all can feel lonely. Sometimes when we are in a relationship and dealing with mental health challenges, we can feel isolated from our partner, or when we are single and dealing with those challenges, we can feel lonely as well. The holiday is about love, why not start with loving yourself, after all the relationship with yourself is the most important.

This year on Valentine’s Day, start off by writing down three things about yourself you love the most, remember and praise those qualities that truly make you special. And then indulge in some self- love. Make sure you take a few minutes that day for yourself, whether its going for a walk, reading a favorite book, taking a relaxing bath, treating yourself to your favorite food, etc. Honoring the love for yourself is a great way to celebrate the holiday, single or not.

Can we just talk: Communication is often something we forget is a powerful tool. Whether it is talking to your partner about the emotions you are feeling leading up to the holiday, or some friends who are also single, share your thoughts and feelings with the people who care about you. And then together, make a plan for how you want to spend the holiday or not celebrate at all. Managing expectations is an easy way to alleviate some holiday stress and anxiety.

Remember the Meaning: social media and pop culture might have dubbed this day as one to be filled with fanfare but the reality is it was truly designed just to take a moment to honor the ones we love, including yourself. Be proud of that love most of all and honor the progress you make each day on your journey.

So if you find yourself mid-scroll on Instagram feeling a little melancholy about the chocolate covered strawberries filling your feed, remember that you have people in life that are important to you, including yourself….and it is one day only so maybe pause on the social media till then, after all by February fifteenth the candies will all be half off at the store and it’s back to business as usual.

“Drink more water” we hear it everywhere, quoted on social media, designed on water bottles, a sign on the walls of gyms and spas, even the famous basketball star Steph Curry says, “drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle…”it seems simple enough, but does it merit all that exposure and hype?

The short answer is yes. While water is not a magical remedy to solve all the world’s problems, it certainly has the ability to improve our health both physically and mentally and make an impact on our day to day.

The Science

Our entire body needs water to function properly, in fact 70-80% of our brain tissue is made up of water which is why our levels of fluid and hydration can impact our mood. Research has shown a correlation between water intake and mental health. When we are dehydrated, we can increase the risk of anxiety and depression and experience other fluctuations like confusion and fatigue.

During the day we are constantly losing water through unavoidable bodily functions like breathing, sweating and urination. Meaning as much as we are losing, we have to replenish it to keep our body and mind’s equilibrium intact. A pair of studies published a few years back had researchers induce mild dehydration in their focus groups. The groups experienced fatigue as a result of dehydration and degraded moods and less ability to concentrate.

What can I do?

There is enough scientific evidence out there to prove the basic fact, our body needs water to function. So how can you make sure you are increasing your water intake throughout the day without having to devote tons of time and focus on it?

Start simple, here are some easy steps you can take each day to make sure you are giving your body what it needs.

Easy Access: make sure you have a water bottle with you that you can fill up throughout the day so whether it’s at work, in a class, in the car, at the gym or running errands you have the ability to fill up when needed. And to make it fun why not think about decking out your water bottle with a motivating quote or fun design to keep you motivated. Link here to some fun options

Gentle Reminders: Technology like our phones, smart watches, you name it has a way of keeping us notified throughout the day on our emails, texts, social media engagements, calendar invites you name it. We are being nudged about what needs our attention according to our phones so why not add in a notification that is helping our health. Add in a reminder on your phone throughout the day to check-in and remind you to take a sip or two.

Eat-up: Close to 20% of your water intake can come from food that you eat, so add in some delicious fruits and veggies that have a higher water content to help keep you hydrated and well fed. Some easy fruits and veggies to include can be strawberries, peaches, watermelon, cucumber, celery, zucchini, and lettuce.

Life can be full of challenges and dealing with mental health disorders like anxiety and depression can seem like another hurdle. The good news is that while you are on your journey to mental well-being there are simple things you can do each day to help you along the way, like just adding water.

Interested in other ways to improve your mental health? Reach out to us at Heading, our team is always available to talk and see what options are right for you.