Judy Garland

Judy Garland’s performance in The Wizard of Oz has captured Americans’ hearts for generations. However, Garland was truly playing herself as a lost little girl, desperately trying to find her way.

Throughout her childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood, Garland emerged as one of the premiere entertainers in our culture. A highlight of her career was her performance in the Wizard of Oz at the age of 16. However, her mother and her agents put her on high powered, addictive drugs so Garland would have superhuman strength.  As psychiatric and substance abuse problems continued to escalate, Garland became deeply troubled. According to a biography by Jeffrey Kottler, “Her behavior was tolerated because of her gifts. People put up with her tantrums and fits, her explosions of anger, her delusions and paranoia, her drugged mind, fearful that she would stop performing, and the financial investment and expectations they had made would collapse and fall.”

Instead of addressing these issues with her psychiatrists, she made up wild stories in her therapy sessions, unable to separate fantasy from reality. Garland was constantly an actress playing a part, even in real life.

Despite her brilliant performances, MGM eventually had to fire Garland for her erratic behavior, including paranoid delusions and assault of a cast member. When she was fired, Garland tried to slit her throat because she was so distraught. Garland did eventually reinvent herself, shifting from film to stage. Once again, her fans were enamored with her performances while her colleagues struggled with her wild emotions.

After a final performance in Carnegie Hall in 1961, Garland’s life began to unravel even more as she approached her last days. She was performing in bars to get money for wine and drugs. Sadly, she was found dead in the bathroom of a London hotel at the age of 47, after a drug overdose.

Although Garland had a tragic life, there are lessons we can learn from it.

• The relationship between a psychiatric diagnosis and an addiction (often referred to as dual diagnosis) is a complex one, but help is available. Here are some resources:

 http://www2.nami.org/factsheets/dualdiagnosis_factsheet.pdf

http://tristarparthenonpavilion.com/service/dual-treatment-program

http://www.vanderbilthealth.com/psychiatrichospital/26602

 

• As we consider the challenges to Garland’s care, she may have benefitted from a team approach, with various professionals collaborating. At the Access Center, we have the opportunity for “Access Team Meetings” in which students, Access Center staff, and instructors come together to discuss strategies to maximize learning. Instructors can schedule an Access Team Meeting by contacting Andrew Mason (3741) or Gina Jones (3721).

 

• While we encourage our students to succeed, we should also encourage their well-being.  As Michael Sandler states in his book College Confidence with ADD, “while good grades are great, I want to help students discover their inner talents, joy, and passions so they may love, laugh, and achieve their dreams while living life to the fullest.”

Sylvia Plath

The complex mind and writings of Sylvia Plath have fascinated readers for decades. The combination of her literary brilliance and her emotional struggles gives her a unique voice among our great writers.

After a childhood and adolescence filled with one accomplishment after another, Plath’s success earned her a scholarship to Smith College in 1950, where she distinguished herself even among the most brilliant minds in the nation. Despite her success, Plath always despised herself for being a “scholarship girl” among the students from more wealthy families. She also began to experience a clinical depression, in the days before effective antidepressants. After a violent suicide attempt, a benevolent sponsor paid for Sylvia to get treatment at one of the finest psychiatric hospitals in the country, McLean Psychiatric Hospital. At McLean, Plath received terrifying electroconvulsive shock treatments with no restraints, tranquilizers, or doctors. Although the treatments did show some improvement, the depression would be a lifelong struggle.

Upon graduation in 1955, Plath earned a scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England. While in England, she had a more serious interest in men. Because of Plath’s charm and charisma, she received a lot of attention.  However, her intensity and unpredictability made it hard to sustain a relationship. According to one author, “because of her unusually low self-esteem, fragility, and self-destructive tendencies, she made some spectacularly poor decisions.” The most prominent example is Ted Hughes, the man she eventually married, despite his violent reputation.

After a marriage consisting of intensified emotional turmoil and the birth of two children, Plath eventually took her life in 1963. The poems she wrote in the months before her death are often considered the greatest by literary scholars.

What can we learn from the life of Sylvia Plath? We learn that mental illness affects people of all different backgrounds. Even today among America’s brightest college students, many could have similar stories. The college years can often be the happiest and the most challenging at the same time. Hundreds of our students juggle families, jobs, and academics, even with a complex health profile. The Access Center staff serves to meet these challenges as we all work together to solve problems and meet needs.

If Sylvia Plath were alive today, she would have more resources, and we’d like to close by sharing some of those with you.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

The Crisis Call Center 615-244-7444

United Way (food, clothing, shelter) 211

McLean Hospital, where Sylvia Plath was treated, is still a national leader in mental health. You can visit their website at www.mcleanhospital.org

The Wisdom to Know the Difference

In recovery, people often talk about “having the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The realization that some things are beyond our control is crucial to success in higher education as well. When a person tries to control everything, frustration is certain. However, by focusing on the things within our control, everyone at Nashville State can contribute to a positive learning environment.

We appreciate the students registered with the Access Center. Although none of them has chosen a learning, physical, or psychological health profile, they have focused on one thing that they can control—registering with the Access Center.  Instead of complaining about things beyond their control, they have shown “the courage to change the things they can” by requesting accommodations.

We love working with the faculty and staff here at NSCC, as we all work together to encourage students.  Whether it be giving a student extra help at the computer, making comments on a research paper, or helping an incoming student with paperwork, you all make a contribution to Nashville State. Students are responsible for their own learning and choices, but we appreciate you for doing your part.

Every day, students, faculty, and staff contact the Access Center. A faculty member is concerned about a student’s absence. A student is having trouble paying attention in class. A prospective student or parent calls to find out what accommodations are available. Each person is asking “What can I do?” When each of us answers this question honestly, we can truly have the “serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Effective Response to Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is the third most common health problem in the United States. When we lose our hearing, it may affect quality of life and relationships. In this blog, we look at the symptoms, causes, and treatments of hearing loss. You'll find some strategies to increase your communication.

Hearing occurs when sound waves reach the structures inside our ears, where the sound wave vibrations are converted into nerves that our brain recognizes as sounds. There are three parts that make up an ear: outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Sound waves pass through the outer ear and cause vibrations on the eardrums. The eardrums and the small bones of the middle ear amplify the vibrations as they travel to the inner ear. From there, the vibrations pass through the fluid in a snail-shaped structure in the inner ear called the cochlea. Attached to the nerve cells in the cochlea are thousands of tiny hairs that help translate sound vibrations into electrical signals that are transmitted into the brain.


Signs and symptoms of hearing loss may include:

• muffling of speech and other sounds
• difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise or in a crowd of people
• trouble hearing consonants
• frequently asking others to speak more slowly,clearly, and loudly
• needing to turn up the volume of the television or radio
• withdrawal from conversations
• avoidance of some social settings

Some of the causes of hearing loss may include:

• damage to the inner ear due to aging and exposure to loud noise
• ear infections or build up of ear wax
• ruptured eardrum resulting from exposure to loud noises or changes in pressure
• side effects of medication
• certain illness such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes
• trauma (eg. skull fracture or punctured eardrums)

Treatment options include:
(depending on severity and cause)

• removing wax blockage
• surgical procedures (small tubes that help the ears drain)
• hearing aids which amplify the sounds and direct them into your canal
• cochlear implants which compensate for damaged and nonworking parts of the inner ear

Strategies for communication include:

• making sure you face  the person if they are reading your lips
• speaking clearly with good diction and pronunciation (not speaking more loudly)
• using written communication if you are having  trouble communicating
• using captioned videos in the classroom

An understanding of the symptoms, causes, and treatments can allow a person with hearing loss to enjoy a greater quality of life. By using effective strategies for communication, people with hearing loss can gain better access to post-secondary education.

 

Finding Peace During the Holidays

  
During the holiday season, we are filled with so many emotions. Amid the joy and celebration, there can also be feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and frustration. Often we want to give the perfect gift, serve the perfect food, and have the perfect relationships. However, since we are all human, we will never achieve the perfection that we often crave. How can we have a joyous holiday season but still keep our expectations realistic? Here are some ideas:

Limit excessive spending

Obviously this is easier said than done! It is tempting to buy expensive gifts as a demonstration of love. However, people who truly love us will appreciate a simple, thoughtful gift. I (Andrew) remember spending the holidays a few years ago with Sarah, who is now my wife. Neither of us had much money to spend on presents, and she made a paper chain where I would tear off a link every day during the winter that she would spend in Wyoming and I would spend in Nashville. When the chain was gone, we would be reunited when she moved to Nashville. I appreciated that thoughtful gift more than something extravagant.

Make time for yourself

It is so easy to spend the holidays trying to please our family members, friends, and colleagues. It is important to have a giving spirit during this time of year, but we shouldn’t give at the expense of neglecting our own needs. Perhaps eating your favorite foods or listening to your favorite music could be comforting during this hectic time of year. You could also take a relaxing bath or read an interesting book.

Set realistic goals

Although a healthy sense of ambition is a good thing, sometimes we can take it to an extreme over the holidays. We may want to attend every social function we can with as many people as possible, but this can be destructive to our physical and emotional health. By having enough activities to be enjoyable, but not overwhelming, we can strive for a healthy balance.

Look for opportunities to give

There are many opportunities with agencies such as the Salvation Army and the Angel Tree that help struggling families this time of year. There are also intangible gifts you can give to people who may need a friend. A simple gesture of inviting a friend to your home or to a restaurant could be comforting to a person during the holidays. St. Francis mentions that we should not “seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, but to understand; to be loved, as to love.”

The Access Center has enjoyed serving the NSCC community this semester, and we wish you a relaxing break filled with peace and joy.         

 

 

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.