OSF HealthCare Newsroom

Taking steps to fight off depression

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 16:00:00 -0600

For years, we’ve heard about the many health benefits of walking and exercise in general.

That includes for better mental health.

A new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that the steps we walk each day can help reduce symptoms of depression.

When you’re feeling depressed or anxious, walking or any type of exertion might be the last thing you want to do. But a few miles or even a few steps can really go a long way to helping you feel better.

Victor Mendoza, a behavioral health provider for OSF HealthCare, says regular exercise such as walking can release natural brain chemicals called endorphins. It can help ease your mind of worries, help gain confidence and improve social interaction with others.

“It helps you get motivated, helps you get moving and helps you do the things you want to do,” Mendoza suggests.

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes a week of activity for better overall health. When it comes to exercise for improving mental health, Mendoza says the key is getting started – even if it’s just five minutes or a quick lap around the block.

The study indicates that no matter the type of activity or intensity, every bit counts when it comes to preventing depression. The research reviewed 33 studies involving more than 96,000 adults.

Taking more steps isn’t the only move you can make toward better mental health.

“It can be many things, as long as you're active,” advises Mendoza. “I think what's important is you're moving, you're active, and you're doing something like a sport, swimming, walking, anything, as long as it keeps you moving.”

Many people struggle with finding the motivation to exercise, especially in the winter. Mendoza recommends going to a mall and walking around the center court or even in the store aisles. If that doesn’t work, consider joining a gym, getting a trainer or asking a friend to go for a walk. You need to make the activity enjoyable to keep it up.

“It helps with accountability,” says Mendoza. “When you're not feeling good, that gym partner might push you, like, I want to do it. And sometimes we don't want to ruin it for him or her. There are times when we're motivating our gym partners and helping them as well.”

Mendoza says exercise helps him to be a better husband, father and medical provider to his clients. After all, he says, juggling work, family life and other commitments can be stressful for most people.

“Now the gym has a new meaning. It's my time to be with myself and exercise. It's my me time,” says Mendoza. “It has become an outlet for me, not just my physical health but my mental health as well.”

Mendoza stresses it’s important to remain patient with yourself when it comes to starting an exercise routine.

“We're going to have some lows, and there's going to be time that we're just going to not be able to be consistent with it, but that's OK. That's part of being human,” Mendoza acknowledges. “We are affected by our emotions, and sometimes they don't let us do those things that we know are good for us. It's just giving ourselves some breaks and telling ourselves, today was not a good day, but tomorrow we're going to try again. And restart that process and go back to that exercise routine.”

If you are looking for ideas with your walking, YouTube has several treadmill walking routines. And if you want to get your kids involved, there are workout programs, including dancing, you can do together. There are also free versions of apps such as FitOn that allow you to share workouts with friends, send them your favorite advice articles and celebrate achievements.

For more information regarding behavioral or mental health support, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview Clips

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When exhaustion is something more serious

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 10:00:00 -0500

A survivor of a 2019 heart attack, Randy Isham was already on notice.

But Randy and his wife Dawn, retirees in Mansfield, Illinois, couldn’t predict the chaotic events of May 24, 2023. An ambulance took Randy to OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in nearby Urbana, and the man was soon fighting for his life due to a second heart attack.

“I’m glad to be alive,” Randy puts it plainly.

The Ishams and their OSF care team have now joined the chorus of heart health advocates, urging others to know when everyday exhaustion or dehydration is something more serious, especially if you have a history of heart issues.

From garage to gurney

On May 24, Randy was assembling a table in the garage when he began to feel weak but had no pain.

“When I touched his arm, it was a cold sweat,” Dawn recalls. “That’s when I got concerned that this didn’t seem right. Let’s call 9-1-1.”

It was in the ambulance that first responders determined Randy was having a heart attack. That’s when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart is narrowed or blocked. Heart cells begin to suffer damage and die, and the heart no longer works how it should. Serious, life-long health issues or even death can result.

Randy coded at the hospital, adding to the urgency.

“It means there is no pulse. The heart stops. There is no blood reaching the brain and the whole body,” explains Tariq Enezate, MD, one of Randy’s OSF cardiologists. “When that happens, you need to know why and act fast.”

As the hospital pastoral care team and other Mission Partners (employees) kept Dawn informed, Randy was fighting for his life. He was without a pulse for 20 minutes, Dawn says, before Dr. Enezate’s team was able to revive him. Along the way, they removed a blood clot stemming from plaque buildup that they believe was the source of the heart attack. They then put in a stent. Randy is up to three stents, he points out, after his 2019 heart attack. It’s something he can speak about with relative ease now, but the nine-day hospital stay was no laughing matter.

“It could have gone either way,” Dawn says. “They wanted me to call the family in.”

Dr. Enezate describes the scene: “I had to go inside his heart while they were doing chest compressions. I was able to open [the blocked area in] his heart. At that moment, blood flow started back to the heart, and his pulse came back.

“Minutes mean muscle,” during heart attacks, Dr. Enezate adds. “The faster you restore flow in the artery and put a stent in, it’s better for the patient. It relieves their pain. It decreases the risk of complications.”

Lessons learned

Dr. Enezate calls Randy his miracle patient, and the Ishams agree.

“It was lucky he made it,” Dr. Enezate says. “I think the fact he came in early helped him.

“When we saw him coming back, that moment I can’t describe. It’s worth the world for all of us,” he adds.

Dr. Enezate’s affirmations “just gave me a nice warm feeling,” Randy says.

“Everybody there treated me like I was the only patient they had,” he adds, noting daily visits from Pastor Dave Jassman gave the couple strength.

Randy is back at home, doing well and receiving care typical for people who have suffered a major heart event, like therapy through OSF Home Care and cardiac rehabilitation. And he and Dawn are back at the healthy lifestyles that became the norm after Randy’s 2019 heart attack. Exercise is good, but no long work periods in the summer heat, for example. You’ll find Dawn cooking fish instead of steak. A tough, but necessary adjustment, Randy chuckles. Recipes from the American Heart Association also help.

“I used to think I was invincible, but I realize I’m not anymore,” Randy says.

The Ishams are also urging others to research trusted sources and learn not just the signs of a heart attack, but how to tell the difference between those signs and everyday pain like Randy thought he had on May 24. And don’t hesitate to call 9-1-1 when something is wrong.

“It could save your life,” Dawn says.

Dr. Enezate says the classic symptom of a heart attack is chest pain. Some people describe it as an elephant weighing on their chest. You may also be short of breath, sweat, feel anxious or feel like you’re going to pass out. Or you may have no warning signs, and suddenly you’ve collapsed.

“If you have symptoms and you’re not sure why, call [a health care provider] for advice,” Dr. Enezate advises.

What about prevention for people who’ve had a heart attack?

Practice healthy habits, Dr. Enezate says. Don’t smoke. Take medication as directed by your provider. Control risk factors like diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol. Exercise and eat right.

Learn more

Read more about how to care for your heart on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips - Dawn and Randy Isham

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PTSD has a wide range of treatments

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 07:58:55 -0500

Model and media personality Hailey Bieber recently revealed that she has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from a stroke in 2022.

“It was so terrifying, so jarring, so discombobulating in every single way that you could imagine,” Bieber told Vogue.

PTSD is often associated with veterans, but it can affect anyone, says Ari Lakritz, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at OSF HealthCare. It describes the development of symptoms following a traumatic event, either through firsthand or secondhand exposure. Secondhand exposure is usually not as simple as, for example, watching news coverage of a violent crime. A more appropriate example, Dr. Lakritz says, is a police officer who routinely investigates those crimes.

Dr. Lakritz describes what may trigger the beginning of a PTSD diagnosis: “Memories of the event. Dreams or flashbacks. Avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma.”

Those symptoms then change the person’s moods and level of arousal, Dr. Lakritz says. They may feel guilty or unworthy. They are easily startled, irritable and have trouble concentrating. For example, a sexual assault survivor smelling their attacker’s cologne or deodorant may make the person feel anxious or withdrawn.

“This particular set of symptoms can often very much look like depression,” Dr. Lakritz says.

PTSD symptoms can arise right after the traumatic event, or they can appear months later.

Treatment will vary widely depending on the person’s needs, Dr. Lakritz says. Two evidenced-based methods he sees a lot are cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy.

Cognitive processing therapy has people challenge or modify their beliefs about the trauma.

“Try to reframe [the beliefs]. Try to make a different end to the story,” Dr. Lakritz explains. “Try to change their thoughts about what happened and about their future and their ability to recover.”

Prolonged exposure therapy “teaches people to gradually approach the trauma in increasingly closer ways,” Dr. Lakritz says. For example, a shooting victim may come to a counseling session and be shown a picture of a gun. Then at a session days or weeks later, they hear the sound of a gunshot. The stimuli increase in intensity as the person learns there is very little to fear now.

Medicine and treatments outside a doctor’s office, like spending time with animals or picking up a new hobby, are also options. The first step, though, is to make an appointment with a mental health provider.

And when it comes to people like Hailey Bieber talking about mental health, Dr. Lakritz says it’s good because celebrities have great influence. But there’s a caveat.

“The more useful part is when they talk about the help they got,” Dr. Lakritz says.

Learn more about PTSD and mental health care on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Previous coverage

Coping with trauma during the holidays

PTSD and the 4th of July

Mental health care starts with a first step

Suicide prevention involves all of us