It’S All About You: A Guide to Good Mental Health and Wellness

By Cynthia Rapazzini

Life has many experiences for which we rejoice and celebrate. Challenging situations present and sometimes the answer or solution requires a go to resource. Mental health conditions and concerns are often one of the challenges we face and need information. Where do you start? What do you do about it? Who can help?

When my son was diagnosed with a serious illness, it was an extremely difficult time. I found myself experiencing anxiety, and depression that I never had before. I share my story because it was real and I know others have experienced similar life changing events.

This book provides information regarding mental health concerns. The topics covered address many concerns that affect men, women, and even children to include: misconceptions, diagnosis, counseling/therapy, various helping professionals and their roles, medication management, client/therapist relationship, the therapy process, and mental wellbeing. The clinical terminology used is explained to provide understanding. I provided real-life situations that many will identify with or may have experienced.

As a result of reading this book, you will gain knowledge about mental health concerns. Ultimately, you will be better prepared to do further research, and affectively make informed decisions regarding care for yourself or a loved one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Aug 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504385770

Cynthia Rapazzini

Dr. Cynthia works as a consultant, and a counselor, connecting individuals to mental health resources and services through awareness. She hosts an internet radio talk show, and holds mental wellness workshops and seminars in her community. Dr. Cynthia earned a B.S. in Business Management, M.A. in Education, and Ph.D. Human in Services.

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Copyright © 2017 Cynthia Rapazzini, Ph.D.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8579-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8578-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-8577-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017912400

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/01/2017

Contents

Introduction

1 Misconceptions

2 Stigma and Fear

3 What Is Mental Illness?

4 What Is Good Mental Health?

5 The 411 on Disorders

6 Treatment Options: Therapy, Counseling, and Medication

7 Therapy and the Care Provider

8 Children Have Mental Health Concerns Too

9 How to Balance Your Life for Well-Being

Healthy Mind, Body, and Spirit Reflection Worksheet

References

Dedication

To my son Adrian, the most cherished gift of my life. With faith, confidence, determination, and passion, all things are possible.

Acknowledgment

To Victor and Adrian, thank you for your love, support, encouragement, and understanding. My love will endure forever. To all of my family, many thanks for your love and support. Your encouragement will never be forgotten. To my friends who were caring, encouraging, and supportive, words cannot express my gratitude.

Lovingly,

Cynthia

Preface

Understanding mental health concerns can be confusing, and the subject is often misunderstood. In many families, mental health is a subject that is never discussed. As a parent, educator, and community advocate, I empathize with individuals who don’t have a point of reference when such concerns arise. I wrote this book to provide a resource that can be a starting point for stepping out of our comfort zones to have courageous conversations about mental health. I wanted to take the mystery out of the emotional and psychological concerns that so many individuals struggle with.

This book is based on responses I received from individuals who were asked to share their thoughts, experiences, and feelings about mental health concerns. In order to get a variety of perspectives, I held several focus groups, posing questions to participants as conversation starters. After gathering their responses, I used the information to write this book.

Its purpose is to reduce the fear and stigma that individuals struggle with when they decide they need to address their mental health concerns. I’ve found that many resources on the subject are written for individuals who are in the profession or already have some knowledge about mental illness, and they are written in clinical terminology. Understanding such material can be challenging for some people. I wrote this book using nonclinical terminology that is easy to understand so that people reading it can make informed decisions about getting help for their concerns.

Introduction

As I sat in the waiting room at the hospital, crying and praying as I never had before, I felt like I was in a very bad dream. My son had received a serious diagnosis that required surgery, and I was waiting for the surgeon to come and tell me the operation had been successful. If you’re a parent, one of the worst feelings you can ever have is knowing you can’t help your child.

As a mental health professional, I know when an emotional issue becomes a mental health concern. Several months after my son’s diagnosis and surgery, I was still having difficulty coping with what had occurred. When I talked with a friend who had no knowledge of what my son and I had been through, the experience came back to me, leaving me just as raw and sad as it had when it first started. You can’t always handle such things alone; you may need professional help to get through them, and it’s okay to ask for help when you need it. And that’s exactly what I did. I decided that I was willing to do the work required so I could move forward and be whole again. For the sake of my overall wellness, I needed to get help to put everything in perspective, and learn strategies to allow me to overcome the ongoing anxiety and depression I’d been experiencing.

I remember how I felt about sharing all my feelings, thoughts, and problems, which contributed to how I was feeling, and my concerns about what the outcome would be when I had to speak to an individual I didn’t know. Adding to those concerns were my unresolved trust issues. How could I trust someone that much? I’m sure that you can relate to what I’m saying or have experienced similar feelings and thoughts. With this book, I want to give information to those who may be hesitant to get professional help or don’t know where to find it.

Some people are lucky enough to have a support system that they can rely on when they need this kind of help. If you don’t, or if your support system isn’t meeting your needs, look into getting professional help to get you through whatever you’re experiencing. I’m not saying that you have to seek counseling, but I am saying that professionals are available and willing to help.

What kind of support system do you use when you have a problem? Many people use family and friends. The problem with individuals who are close to us, however, is that they tend to be less objective than professionals. People who are close to you will want you to feel better, and so they will say what they think will make you feel better and not necessarily what will help you. In other words, they tend to say what they think you want to