Giving Thanks

During this season of Thanksgiving, the Access Center is thankful for the benefits of higher education. Specifically, we would like to reflect on students, faculty and staff, and community resources.

The students who come to the Access Center are often some of the most motivated students we have at NSCC.  To help students contribute the most they can to their college experience, we create opportunities through ADA accommodations. We have changed our name this semester from Student Disability Services to Access Center to reflect a positive, welcoming approach. We want to focus on solutions more than problems, and the NSCC community has embraced our change.

We are also thankful for our colleagues here at NSCC. It is a truly caring environment where we care about each other, not only professionally, but also personally. When we see e-mails about illnesses and deaths in the family, we appreciate how much the employees here care about each other and strive to provide emotional support during times of sorrow. We also share our joys with each other during weddings, births of children, graduations, and other happy occasions. When an employee feels that co-workers care, it certainly affects our interactions with students.  

The Access Center is fortunate to have so many wonderful community resources to which we can refer students. Nashville is a thriving, growing, cosmopolitan city with many opportunities. For example, United Way and Family/Children’s Service offer a crisis line at (615) 244-7444 for mental health emergencies.  United Way also offers free resources by just dialing 211 or entering www.211tn.org to reach the online data base for food pantries, clothing, shelter, and other basic needs.  Next semester, the Access Center will present a series with more details about community resources that create access.  

                We are approaching a hectic time of year with holidays and exams.  Hopefully we can all take a quiet moment to be thankful.  A sense of gratitude is beneficial as we reflect on the past, and greet the challenges of the new year.

Responding to Mania

Last week we looked at the symptoms of depression, and this week we will look at the opposite symptom--mania.  Mania is a symptom of bipolar disorder, an illness in which a person experiences both mania and depression.

During a manic episode, a client suffers a break with reality, often referred to as a “nervous breakdown.” Although the term “nervous breakdown” is commonly used, it is a slang term and not a clinical one.  Symptoms of mania may include inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, talkativeness, racing thoughts, being easily distracted, psychomotor agitation, or risky and unwise decisions. (For more details on exactly how a manic episode is diagnosed, you can see the DSM-V book on p. 124).

Obviously, there are many challenges to getting a manic person help.  Family and friends may think the client’s actions are comical, and they unknowingly encourage manic behavior. Even when loved ones do recognize something is wrong, the client is often enjoying the feelings of euphoria and therefore resents someone trying to intervene and say he or she is sick.

It is wise to be aware of emergency psychiatric resources and how to develop a plan of action. Since an individual experiencing severe mania is unable to reason, traditional counseling is ineffective. They need immediate, specialized help. If you ever experience someone having a manic episode, there are several appropriate resources. At NSCC, you can contact Security, Dean for Students, or the Access Center. We can contact a crisis counselor to get a person help.  If you ever experience a family member or a friend having a manic episode, you can take them to a psychiatric hospital such as Parthenon Pavilion, Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital, or Skyline Madison. You can also call the crisis line at (615) 244-7444.

If you ever need to call the crisis line or take someone to a psychiatric hospital, it is important to stay with the client until they are no longer alone.  It would be unsafe for the person to be left alone, since mania impairs clear thinking. Clients may seem angry or agitated and tell you to go away, but they need your support, whether they realize it or not.

The Access Center staff hopes that this information has prepared you to effectively recognize mania and how to react.  A manic episode can be frightening and overwhelming for everyone involved, but when it is treated effectively, clients can become safe and healthy.

Depression Can Be an Illness

Everyone suffers from depression from time to time. For many people, a simple treat at the local shopping mall after a hard day can be the fix. However, this is not always the case. When people are clinically depressed and suffer from a chemical imbalance, they need medication more than a surface-level answer. Depression can be so severe that a person could suffer from Major Depressive Disorder, a diagnosable disorder in the DSM-V book.

According to the DSM-V, five or more of the following symptoms must be present during a two-week period to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder:

1. Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day

2. Diminished interest in most activities most of  the day, nearly every day

3. Unhealthy weight loss or weight gain

4. Sleeping too much or too little

5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly   every day

6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt

       nearly every day

8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate,  

       or indecisiveness, nearly every day

9. Recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide

 

Also, to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, the symptoms must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. The symptoms must also be not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or to another medical condition.

 

There’s an amusing, but wise cartoon about Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh that was discussing how to interact with someone with depression. It said that Eeyore’s friends accepted him for who he was and realized he was different. They simply loved him and let him share their adventures. Students who struggle with depression should be treated the same way. Although they may be different and face different challenges, they should be welcomed to the adventure of learning in higher education.

Wounded Healers

There’s a story of a worker who had a job fetching water. For his work, he used a long wooden pole with a pot on either side. The pot on the left was very proud of its perfection, and it would always do an excellent job carrying water, without spilling a drop. However, the pot on the right was filled with cracks and holes and the water would always spill out before the worker reached the destination. This pot would often be jealous of the perfect pot who always did a perfect job. The pot said to the worker “I am so ashamed of my flaws. You rely on me to transport water, and I always fail you.” The worker responded, “What you don’t know is that I’ve planted seeds along your side of the path, and you have been helping the flowers grow when you leak water. You have been ashamed of your imperfections, but your cracks and holes have been responsible for beautiful flowers.”

Many people who work in the helping professions have been through difficult situations with their health, families, or other adversity. These challenges can help us to be more compassionate and wise. However, one author cautions that it is not simply going through difficult experiences, but the ability to think critically about those experiences, that makes a wounded healer more effective.

Higher education is filled with employees who use their life experiences to improve the lives of college students. When we attend our statewide conference for higher education and disability issues, individuals who have all kinds of different abilities have been in attendance. These colleagues have been great advocates for their students as well as excellent role models.

Our college campuses are filled with students having diverse abilities and challenges. When faculty and staff are able to empathize, we can help every student feel safe and accepted.