A former college athlete and mother of a youth sportster, Emily Isom knows all about long nights at the ballpark.

But by day, Isom is a certified medical assistant in pediatrics at OSF HealthCare. She’s combining her life experiences to give parents a roadmap during back-to-school season: What sport or activity is right for my child? How can they get the most out of it?

The benefits of kids getting active

• Physical: Isom says sports help kids strengthen muscles, speed, endurance and balance.
  
  “They’ll be able to run further and faster,” Isom says, noting that improves lung and heart health.
   
• Social and emotional: Sports can teach kids social skills like teamwork, communication and self-esteem.
  
  “It helps them become who they are as a person,” Isom says. “It helps them take ownership of their communication. They can build that communication within a team.
  
  “When you win, it feels great. But when you lose, some kids can take it really hard. They think they’re a failure and they’re not good at the sport. It becomes mental,” Isom adds, commenting on how sports can build skills to overcome stress, conflict and adversity. “But that feeling of being a failure is not true. You win and lose. That’s how it goes. But the key is to get better. They can work on kicking, running, hitting, catching or whatever it is.”
  
  Plus, you never know when a teammate will turn into a lifelong friend.

Navigating the season

Isom says a parent should never pressure a child into a certain sport or activity. They won’t enjoy it, she says. Instead, keep the conversation light and open ended. For example: is there a sport you’ve seen on TV that you’d like to try? Or, show them videos of different sports. And parents should not be upset if their child chooses an activity out of the norm. Maybe a boy from a family of football players wants to do dance or theater instead. That’s OK, Isom says.

“Kids look for support from their parents in anything they do. It doesn’t matter if it’s sports or the arts. If it’s something they want to do, you should encourage and support your kid,” Isom says. “My daughter is really into art. She might want to do art instead of sports one summer. I’m all for it. She’s still interacting with people. She’s happy doing something she wants to do.”

Isom says if a child gets burnt out on a sport, they’ll usually tell you. Again, Isom says not to pressure the youth to finish the season. But have a conversation about what’s going on and the paths forward. If you have to pull the kid out of the sport for their health, do it.

“If they’re showing depression, anger or hostility over the sport, I wouldn’t press it any further,” Isom says.

And of course, be a supportive cheerleader from the stands. Don’t heckle or shout criticism.

“It embarrasses the kid. And those kids can develop anger issues. They learn it from their parents,” Isom warns. “It makes the kid feel like a failure when the parents are yelling from the stands. I’ve seen it. It’s not fun. It’s not cool.”

Learn more

Read more about keeping kids healthy in sports and everyday life on the OSF HealthCare website. Pediatric care at OSF includes local offices like the one Isom works at that can provide sports physicals and treatment or minor sports injuries, plus OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria.

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Vitamin D basics

Maddy Draper, APRN, a health care provider at OSF OnCall, says vitamin D is a nutrient our body needs to produce calcium. Calcium helps create strong teeth and bones. So logically, not having enough vitamin D leads to brittle bones (a risk for greater injury after a fall), plus muscle aches and pains. Others with a vitamin D deficiency may not show symptoms. Either way, a provider may order a blood test to confirm the issue and then may advise you to take a supplement. This is usually in pill form and can be prescribed or bought over the counter by itself or as part of a multivitamin.

“Or the provider may just talk about vitamin D-rich foods first before starting a supplement,” Draper says. “High fat fishes, egg yolks, some cheeses and mushrooms.”

Draper adds that pregnant women, babies (especially babies who are breastfed), the elderly and people with darker skin often lack vitamin D.

On the flip side, Draper says it’s rare, but a person can get too much vitamin D. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and heart palpitations (feeling like your heartbeat is fast, pounding or otherwise irregular). You may also suffer kidney damage.

Summer sun

Here’s advice to commit to memory: Draper says research shows 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure three times a day can get you a healthy amount of vitamin D.

“You want to protect your skin while doing that,” Draper adds. “Sunscreen and protective clothing like a hat and sunglasses. There’s not any research showing that sunscreen or clothes will prevent you from getting the vitamin D you need.”

Experts say your sunscreen should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, and you should reapply every two hours. Clothing should be lightweight and light colored (Dark colors absorb more sunlight, leading to quicker heat illness.) Stay hydrated, and watch for redness and blisters from sunburns and suspicious moles that may be skin cancer. See a provider right away if you have issues from getting too much sun.

Another thing to note: Experts say a specialized lamp can help with seasonal affective disorder, a mental health condition often seen in the winter due to decreased daylight. The same logic does not apply for vitamin D. You need natural, not artificial light to get the vitamin D you need.

The bottom line

Draper says most people don’t have to worry about getting too much or too little vitamin D.

“The average person will get it through the sun,” Draper says. “If you live in a cold and dark environment, you’re at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency. People farther away from the equator are higher risk.”

If you have symptoms of too much or too little vitamin D or just have a concern, talk to your primary care provider.

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Mental health care starts with a first step, but that first step can be intimidating. Maybe you don’t want to let others know what you’re dealing with, or you’ve heard about friends having poor experiences while seeing a mental health provider.

Susan Hanson, DSW, LCPC, a psychotherapist at OSF HealthCare, is debunking misconceptions about therapy so you can feel comfortable and get the most out of your care.

• Myth: Seeing a therapist is scary.
  
  Fact: “People quickly learn it’s a safe place to talk about trials, tribulations and conflicts. It’s a very warm and inviting place,” Hanson says. She adds that even group therapy shouldn’t be intimidating. Group work can help build empathy and a sense of belonging. When you see others going through the same issues, you can often feel less alone.
   
• Myth: My private health information is at risk of becoming public.
  
  Fact: Hanson says this comes up often with her patients. They don’t want to talk about certain things with friends and family, but they’re also wary of talking with a provider. Hanson reassures that all health care providers abide by confidentiality and use software that keeps your information secure and private. She says the only reasons a provider must breach that confidentiality is if the person is a danger to harm themself or others or if there is evidence of child endangerment.
   
• Myth: I’ll be back to normal after just a few sessions.
  
  Fact: It’s usually not a quick fix, Hanson says. Therapy is something you need to buy into and stick with. Success is often seen after awareness, acceptance and internal structural changes in terms of emotional regulation and setting healthy boundaries.
  
  “Some people can come in and have a quick fix. Maybe they’re nervous about moving. Or they have test-taking anxiety, and we can work through skills for that,” Hanson says. “But many other people have more complex trauma that might take longer to work through.”
   
• Myth: Medication will fix me, and therapy is an easy way to get it.
  
  Fact: Hanson stresses that mental health care providers are not medication dispensaries, nor will medication alone likely heal you.
  
  “Sometimes medication is appropriate if there’s a biological basis [an issue innate within someone’s body, in other words], complex trauma or a diagnosis like ADHD or major depression. The medication can help enhance the talk therapy,” Hanson explains. She adds that a therapist can put a timeline on things. If, for example, anxiety symptoms aren’t improving after a few sessions, the provider could look into medications that could help.
   

• Myth: I’ll see my therapist then go back to normal life.

  Fact: Hanson says you have to put what you learn at therapy into practice. Common activities outside of a session include journaling, meditation, grounding exercises and finding a trusted person who you can go to if, for example, you’re having an anxiety attack. Some of Hanson’s patients have also benefitted from emotional support animals, she says.
  
  “Reframing thoughts around a certain situation can be a good goal. Learn positive word choices. Rewrite the story around a situation,” Hanson says. Reducing anxiety is another big goal she’s seen with patients.
  
  “Therapy is not a straight road. I like to see it like a dance. Two steps forward, one step back,” Hanson adds. “I also tell my clients that this bridge will take you halfway there. The rest, you walk alone. There’s only so much any one person can do for another person. We need to learn how to develop some of the skills outside of a therapy session.”

Learn more

Read more about mental and behavioral health care on the OSF HealthCare website. Mental health care at OSF includes providers like Hanson on the local level and the to-be-built Meadowview Behavioral Hospital in Peoria, Illinois, for people who need a higher level of care.

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Ways to cope

“I tell people: get in a routine, especially if you’ve graduated from college and don’t have a job lined up. It can be really hard if you don’t have things going on throughout your day. Have a sense of purpose,” Yuhas notes. “If gyms are your thing, join a gym. You’re getting socialization and helping your body and the chemicals in your brain. Go to the library. Join a community group.

“If you do get a job, be mindful of the Monday through Friday routine,” Yuhas adds. “Make sure you’re doing [pleasurable] things on the weekends, not just the same meal prep and laundry. Try to break it up and have things not be super consistent.”

Parents and other loved ones should also take an active role in helping the young adult blossom, Yuhas says.

“Be open. Be there for that person. Notice things and make observational statements like ‘Hey, I’ve noticed you’ve been late to work a couple times. How are you?’,” Yuhas says. “Or ‘I noticed you’ve been having trouble doing your laundry’ or ‘You haven’t been getting out of your room when you come home from work. How are things going?’

“Gentle check-ins and observations are better than accusing them,” she adds.

If the stress of young adulthood is too much to manage or if the person is a threat to harm themselves or others, see a mental health provider right away. One-on-one sessions, sessions with the parents or group sessions are all options. The provider could even help with career coaching.

“It’s a non-judgmental space to talk about the shift in your life. Because it is hard,” Yuhas says.

Learn more

Read more about mental health resources available at OSF that can help build life skills. Some resources, like behavioral health navigators and support groups at hospitals like the one Yuhas works at, are available even if you are not an OSF patient.

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The statistic is no surprise, says Kren Harmon, a licensed clinical social worker at OSF HealthCare: 80% of older adults suffer from at least one chronic health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure.

And since we know the body functions as a whole, it’s also no shock that physical problems for older adults can turn into mental health concerns. Depression over lost independence, purpose or financial stability. Loneliness due to isolation. A fear of death.

Harmon encourages everyone, young or old, to see a mental health professional. But seeing seniors over the years, she’s heard plenty of misconceptions worth debunking.

• “You’re just a shrink.”
  
  Harmon sees this apprehension often. She explains that mental health professionals are not only qualified, but they can link you with resources outside of the office.
  
  “Practical matters such as housing and transportation,” Harmon says. “I hear ‘My doctor told me I can’t drive anymore. How do I get to appointments?’ We network closely with our care management team to handle those social work kind of details.”
   
• “I don’t want to be a burden on my kids.”

On the contrary, Harmon says it’s useful and important to involve the family in coming up with a care plan. She recalls bringing an adult daughter into a counseling session and getting a much different picture of things than what the older adult was letting on.

• “Back in my day, we didn’t talk about this. We handled it on our own.”

Harmon says: “We start with a basic education. What is mental health? How do I know if I’m struggling? What’s the difference between a therapist, psychologist and a psychiatrist?”

Harmon also finds it less challenging when the person’s primary care provider makes a recommendation to get mental health care. She says the older adult has often seen the provider for a while, has built up trust and is more likely to take their advice.

• “I don’t want to take pills.”
  
  “There are just a lot of stereotypes about that,” Harmon says. “It’s going to make me feel like a zombie. I don’t want to be sedated. That’s not what we’re talking about with the newer SSRI [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor] medications. It’s not going to sedate you. It’s just going to help you be a better version of yourself. Have a little more hope and energy. It’s not going to radically change how you think and feel.

“They’re apprehensive because they’re thinking of medications from yesteryear,” she adds. “They even bring up shock therapy. That is not the first mode of treatment.”

Harmon also tells older adults: I might make a recommendation on medicine down the road, but that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to talk about your emotions.

• “Feeling these emotions makes me feel flawed, weak or not normal.”
  
  Harmon retorts: “Depression can just be a chemical imbalance in the brain. It doesn’t mean you’re not a good follower of your faith. It doesn’t mean you don’t have good values or morals. This is not your fault.”

Read more about mental health resources on the OSF HealthCare website.

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“I’ll clean the house later.”

“I’ll fill up the car with gas tomorrow morning.”

“Thinking about putting together a will stresses me out. I’ll deal with it later.”

At one time or another, we’ve all put something off. It may be large or small. It may be put off for five minutes or a year. Whatever the case, procrastination is a part of life. But what’s important is understanding why we procrastinate and how not to let it get out of hand to the point it affects our mental health.

The basics

Ari Lakritz, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at OSF HealthCare, defines procrastination as wanting to do an important task but pushing it off or finding something else to do.

“Despite my best efforts, I just can’t help myself,” Dr. Lakritz says, putting himself in the mind of a procrastinator.

Just like stress activates parts of the brain that control fear and anger, procrastination comes with a sense of relief in the brain, Dr. Lakritz explains.

“All those aversive stimuli in the brain settle and go back to their baseline. Then it’s smooth sailing until at least the next time the issue comes up,” Dr. Lakritz says.

Procrastination is often equated with being able to prioritize and work well under pressure. Don’t confuse the two, Dr. Lakritz warns.

“Procrastination is accompanied by a sense of shame,” he says. “A sense of ‘I know deep down what I’m doing is not the most productive way of working. It’s not the most responsible way of working’.”

For example, take a college student who can type an A+ essay right before the midnight deadline. A provider like Dr. Lakritz may not call them a procrastinator because working at the deadline is part of their plan. They know they are going to finish the task. There’s no opposing force.

The why and the consequences

So why do we put things off?

Dr. Lakritz says for many, it’s about how our brain interprets scenarios. If you pass a coworker in the hallway and they don’t greet you, you may think the person is mad at you. In reality though, the coworker was just lost in their own thought. But your brain doesn’t interpret that.

The same concept applies for procrastinators. And for people with attention deficit disorder, anxiety and depression, it may be worse.

“They’re not so good at understanding or feeling the consequences of what’s going to happen when they come to that big meeting or big test unprepared,” Dr. Lakritz says.

Ironically, those people may be on the other end of the pendulum – too optimistic or confident about what they can accomplish. They lack an understanding of time. They think they can bake a cake in five minutes, for example, when we know it takes longer, no matter your recipe or skill level.

The consequences of procrastination vary by person, but it comes down to missed opportunities and not living up to your potential. For a teenager, putting off homework might lead to missing the work altogether. That means poor grades and fewer chances at the higher education they want. For adults, procrastination may mean missed opportunities to advance up the corporate ladder. And it keeps spiraling from there.

Treatment

Dr. Lakritz says a mental health provider shouldn’t judge how a person organizes tasks or, in general, lives their life. But he says there are some evidence-backed ways to tackle severe procrastination.

•  Find the amount of time you can work without distraction. If it’s 15 minutes, break your project up into small, manageable chunks of around 15 minutes.

“Take a nice little break to revitalize yourself between those small chunks, then get right back at it,” Dr. Lakritz suggests. “You might spend more time overall on this task, but you’ll be working much more consistently.

           “With procrastination, slow and steady wins the race.”

• Rewards like food or music can work, but Dr. Lakritz suggests pairing them with productive work, not after. A work buddy can help here.

“Come up with a contract or rule. You’re only allowed to eat that ice cream or candy bar when you’re working actively,” Dr. Lakritz says. “You’ll begin to associate working with something physically pleasurable. We would expect that to have pretty good effects on your level of motivation going forward.”

Learn more

Learn more about behavioral and mental health resources on the OSF HealthCare website. Just do it today and not tomorrow.

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While living in Greene County, Illinois, in the 1980s and 1990s, Lea Anne Varble took a gut punch each time she heard about a suicide in her community. Eight to 10 in total in 15 years, she says.

“It just took me aback,” she says.

What the tragedies had in common: the person faced mental health challenges common to a rural setting.

Varble, a clinical psychotherapist at OSF HealthCare, knew she had to do something about it. So not only did she devote higher education time to studying the problem, but she’s also now getting the word out about the resources available.

The issues

Varble says stress and isolation are often experienced by people living in a rural setting, such as a farmer. There’s also a desire to be self-sufficient – a trope associated with farmers and other rural residents for decades.

“People living rurally often are independent. So, when stress comes, they want to handle it on their own,” Varble says.

Varble also knows the issues – stress, anxiety and even depression – of planting and harvest season.

“Hours and hours,” in the field, she says. “You’re expected to keep working even if you don’t feel well. Even if the stress is getting to you. You have to get up and do it again. Or at least that’s what your father before you did and his father before him.”

The work ethic can be admirable, but it can lead to medical issues if left unchecked.

And, the heads of some rural households are caring for two generations: their kids and their parents. School, chronic illnesses and advanced care planning are just more things to add to the to-do list. Varble adds that older adults in a rural setting are more likely to see themselves as a burden and choose to end their life.

Treatment

Varble says getting better starts simply with noticing the problem and talking about it with a trusted adult, like a friend, family member, faith leader or a medical professional.

The good news is that mental health professionals have made strides in this area, such as telemedicine and mobile health services. And society is more willing to talk about mental health. Farming magazines have articles on mental health, for example.

Other ways to help that Varble has picked up over the years:

• Get to know your neighbors and local organizations, like churches and businesses. Then, lean on them for help when the stress gets to be too much.
   
• Look into resources offered by state or federal agencies. In Illinois, where Varble works, the Family Farm Resource Initiative operates a 24/7 hotline and email.
  
  “Individuals can receive support from trained professionals who understand the unique challenges faced by those in the agricultural sector,” the initiative website states. “The helpline offers specialized assistance, including mental health resources and agriculture-related support, ensuring that farm families have access to the help they need.”
   
• Health care professionals should encourage people with rural backgrounds to become therapists.

               “It’s someone from their community who understands what’s going on,” Varble says.

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On a cold winter night in December 2019, Deanne Meseck of Rockford, Illinois, couldn’t wait to dig into her store-bought meal of roasted chicken, gravy and mashed potatoes. She had just completed a colonoscopy earlier that day and was famished.

But as she and her husband, Ryan, started eating, her life at age 47 changed forever.

Ryan noticed food was dropping from the left side of her mouth. Concerned, he told his wife to put her arms up, but Meseck couldn’t lift her left arm. And when he asked her to speak, her words were jumbled, so he immediately called 9-1-1. A crew arrived and suspected Meseck was having a stroke.

Meseck was taken by ambulance to OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, where she underwent a battery of tests and procedures. The diagnosis came back as an ischemic stroke from a blood clot.

Ischemic strokes, caused by a blocked vessel, account for about 87% of all strokes, and roughly 60% of strokes among people under 50.

Michele Johnson, APRN, is a nurse practitioner at OSF HealthCare, and Meseck’s primary care provider. Johnson says Meseck had a large-sized right middle cerebral artery stroke, that affected half of her brain.

“Anytime somebody goes in for a stroke, you have to look at what type of stroke,” says Johnson. “What was it caused from? Was it from a blood clot? Is it a bleed? Just trying to figure those things out initially, in the emergency room and in the hospital.”

Meseck required surgery to relieve the swelling in her brain. She suffered respiratory depression from pneumonia, which required being on a vent for an extended period. After spending weeks in the hospital, Meseck was moved to a rehabilitation facility, followed by extensive physical, speech, occupational and ophthalmological treatment, some of which is ongoing.

Turning a corner

Johnson says despite tremendous progress, Meseck will always have some limitations. 

“With the contractures (stiffness) of the hands, going back to therapy is important, some speech impediment, some visual problems and the weakness, she has progressed significantly since this all occurred,” Johnson says. “But there will always be some permanent disability.”

Perhaps the hardest part for Meseck was giving up her 26-year career in finance. “They were just really worried about what being in a stressful work environment would do,” says Meseck. "There was no way that I could hold a nine-to-five job.”

While the physical toll was hard on Meseck, the mental hurdles proved equally challenging. She sought mental health therapy, which gave her a new perspective while coping with severe depression.

“I spent a lot of time with a therapist talking about how I lost my identity, and I lost my whole way of life and had to figure out how to be a new person,” she says.  “That was probably as difficult as any physical therapy that I had.”

Meseck filled her days by walking her dog, streaming TV shows and enjoying time with her two-year-old grandchild. But as she worked to heal both inside and out, Meseck, now 53, was searching for an opportunity where she could make a difference, especially for people going through similar challenges.

Giving back

She started attending a local, monthly group for stroke survivors. In 2024, the organizers of the group planned a benefit walk, and Meseck was on board, recruiting friends and family to form a team. But when she found out there wouldn’t be a second walk the next year due to a lack of volunteers, Meseck knew what she needed to do. She and her sister, Shelly, rolled up their sleeves and started planning the second annual walk, which takes place on May 30 in Rockford. Proceeds from the event support a stroke camp for survivors.

Meseck says coordinating this major special event is her new calling.

“I want to motivate people to know that there is life after stroke,” she says. “It may be hard to find it, and you won't be the same as you were, but you can do it. If I can do it, anybody can do it.”

Johnson says the timing is right for Meseck to take on her latest challenge of planning the walk. 

“It is good for her to have a purpose because she was so busy before,” says Johnson. “This does give her joy. It’s important to hear from somebody like Deanne; there are treatments out there and you can live and function. Maybe not the way you did before, but there is life after stroke.”

Meseck says her journey is far from over. She knows that she will always be in constant recovery. And she can live with that.

“It was difficult,” she says. “But I just kept waking up every day saying, 'You know what, I'm here, and there's a reason I'm here.' You have to find a silver lining.”

When to seek emergency help

Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number right away if you or someone you're with has signs or symptoms of a stroke.

Use F.A.S.T. to remember warning signs.

• Face. Does the face droop on one side when the person tries to smile?
• Arms. Is one arm lower when the person tries to raise both arms? Is one arm weak or numb?
• Speech. Can the person repeat a simple sentence? Is speech slurred or hard to understand?
• Time. Every minute counts during a stroke. Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number right away if you see any of these signs.

Deanne Meseck interview clips 

Michele Johnson interview clips 

B-roll

A new study is challenging long-held assumptions about coffee’s effects on digestive health, suggesting the popular beverage could offer benefits for both the gut and the brain.

The research, published in Nature Communications, examined 62 participants, half of whom were regular coffee drinkers, to explore how coffee consumption influences the gut microbiome and mental well-being. Using psychological assessments alongside dietary tracking and biological samples, researchers found that individuals who drank coffee, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, reported lower levels of stress, depression and impulsivity.

The findings point to a growing scientific consensus: coffee is more than just a caffeine delivery system. According to the study’s authors, it acts as a complex dietary component that interacts with gut bacteria, metabolism and even emotional health.

Researchers also observed higher levels of beneficial bacteria among coffee drinkers, including strains linked to protection against harmful microbes and inflammation. Caffeinated coffee, in particular, was associated with reduced anxiety, improved attention and lower markers of inflammation.

Still, OSF HealthCare gastroenterologist Omar Khokhar, MD, cautions against drawing sweeping conclusions.

Kinds of coffee could make a difference

Dr. Khokhar points out it’s a small study that supports a hypothesis, but it’s not definitive proof that coffee will improve gut health or mood.

“There are so many different kinds of coffee. There’s Turkish coffee, there’s South American coffee, there’s Dunkin Donuts coffee, there’s Folger’s and Sanka for some of the people watching this on Facebook.” He points out, “It just comes down to each person and their own individual microbiome and how it responds to whatever particular type of coffee they’re ingesting.” 

Instead, Dr. Khokhar believes the study contributes to a broader shift in how scientists understand nutrition. Rather than labeling foods as strictly “good” or “bad,” researchers are increasingly focusing on individual responses, particularly how a person’s unique gut microbiome influences their reaction to what they consume.

Coffee itself is chemically complex, containing compounds such as polyphenols, which Dr. Khokhar says might act to feed beneficial gut bacteria.

“Now let’s suppose you’re at baseline and you have overall good gut hygiene and function; coffee could potentially be a good thing. It could be a prebiotic of sorts, that could potentially support your microbiome in that case.” 

This could help explain the observed microbiome changes in coffee drinkers.

However, those same compounds can have downsides. Coffee is known to relax the lower esophageal sphincter, potentially triggering heartburn, and Dr. Khokhar stresses coffee exacerbates symptoms in people with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.

The study did not differentiate between types of coffee, such as espresso versus brewed coffee, highlighting another limitation and an area for future research.

More research is needed

Dr. Khokhar says the study shows a link but not a direct cause and he thinks more controlled studies are needed to determine how specific varieties and preparation methods influence health outcomes.

“What I would like to see personally is if you controlled for what specific coffee a group of volunteers ingested and then either through blood or stool, looking at their exact gut microbiome diversification or pattern to see if that improved or how that changed from a robustness and a diversity point of view,” he says. “That would be more objective.” 

The research also raises intriguing questions about the gut-brain connection. Scientists now understand that the gut microbiome plays a role in producing neurotransmitters like serotonin, which can influence mood, sleep and behavior.

Whether coffee can enhance mood indirectly by improving gut health remains a hypothesis but an appealing one for millions of daily coffee drinkers.

For now, the takeaway is about embracing moderation and self-awareness. As Dr. Khokhar puts it bluntly, “If it makes you feel bad, don’t do it.” But he says if people can tolerate coffee well, in moderation, it might not be as harmful as once thought and could even be helpful, but more research is needed to prove that.

If you have questions about what's best for their health, talk to your primary care provider. 

Video clips with Dr. Omar Khokhar

B-roll-Coffee and gut microbiome

From misconceptions about symptoms to stereotypes about drugs like Adderall, there’s a lot to parse out when getting treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects attention, impulse control and activity levels. ADHD is seen in all ages and can overlap with other issues like depression and anxiety.

“ADHD is different from lack of interest or just not paying attention. It includes emotional dysregulation, chronic impatience, restlessness and constant fidgeting. There’s difficulty managing, planning and organizing things,” says Maghav Sharma, MD, an OSF HealthCare psychiatrist. “That leads to difficulties at home or work. It can cause relationship difficulties or difficulties with bosses. Maybe the person is not completing work on time or are impatient with the result of the work.

“We see symptoms of hyperactivity mostly in kids. They’ll run around their classroom. It’s a common reason why teachers and parents send their students to the doctor to get ADHD treatment,” Dr. Sharma adds. “In adults, that anxiousness and restlessness is not outwardly projected. It’s more inside. A person can feel overwhelmed. They are fidgety, restless or on edge.”

All this is why it’s important to get a treatment plan tailored to your needs. Seeing someone like Dr. Sharma would be a good first step. He says therapy can teach skills, like how to plan and be organized, that can help cope with everyday ADHD issues and, at the same time, help if there are other issues present, like depression. For example, if ADHD is causing you to procrastinate on work projects, you could feel anxious about getting in trouble or sad about missed opportunities to move up the corporate ladder.

“We do quite often see people with symptoms of depression or anxiety, but they have underlying ADHD as well,” Dr. Sharma says. “It’s hard to tell sometimes which symptoms are related to anxiety and which are related to ADHD. So we tend to treat the conditions together. Treatment for anxiety and depression can sometimes alleviate the symptoms of ADHD.”

ADHD treatment “never should be just medication,” Dr. Sharma says. But if ADHD is making daily life difficult, medication can be paired “thoughtfully” with other treatment, he says. Stimulants like Adderall and Vyvanse are often starting options for adults. For kids, health care providers might try methylphenidate (Ritalin is a common brand name). A provider could change your medication if side effects are a problem. They could try a non-stimulant like clonidine or guanfacine.

Lifestyle changes also play a big role in ADHD management, Dr. Sharma says. Sticking to a routine – everything from when you sleep to when you leave for work – can help. Exercise, staying hydrated, eating a healthy diet and getting outside to pursue hobbies or be around others can also help your mood.

Learn more about keeping your mind healthy on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Related stories

Click here for more stories on mental health care on the OSF Newsroom.

Whenever Paul Engelman’s wife left the house to join friends at their monthly book club gathering, the Rockford resident found himself looking for something to do. With all their children grown and out of the house, he could watch a sporting event or knock out some items from his honey-do list. But what he really was looking for was a social outlet of his own.

Over the years, Engelman has had plenty of male friends. Guys he grew up with, attended school with or served with in the military. But now in his 60s, he has few friends he would consider close knit.

“There wasn't anybody I thought of if I needed to call somebody for some help,” says Engelman, who works as a defense contractor. “If I'm in a pinch, who would I call around here? The list was short. So, the No Book Book Club (NBBC) was born.” 

For the past four years, members of the NBBC meet on a regular basis, much like their wives do with their book club. Anywhere from five to 10 guys get together to simply hang out. It might be at Engelman’s house to watch a football game, or a visit to a neighborhood establishment for trivia night. Some of the members have even joined an indoor golf league. The only thing the group doesn’t do is read books.

“I put out the call to put together the No Book Book Club, and the response was energetic,” Engelman says. “There are guys who are in our age group, are late in their work life, or retired, have children out of the house, or who have a gap when it comes to male friends.”

Engelman isn’t alone in that sense. According to a survey by the Survey Center on American Life, fewer than half of the men responding are happy with their friendships. Only about one in five said they had received emotional support from a friend in the last week, compared with four in 10 women.

In 2021, 15% of U.S. men admitted to having no close friends, which was five times more than 1990. And men with six or more good friends dropped from 55% to 27% during that same period. 

Forming a bond

Male friendships are important for many reasons, according to experts. Friendships foster bonding, connection, support and even validation. Friendships give men not only social outlets, but opportunities to bond over things that consume our lives, such as family, health, work and financial issues.

Travis Swink, DO, is a primary care provider for OSF HealthCare. He talks about the need for relationships with many of his male patients.

“You have to have some outlet outside of your family that you connect with, because connection is very important,” says Dr. Swink. “Where I see the most depression and the most issues are with people who isolate. Finding some outside source of entertainment and activity is important.”

Victor Mendoza is a behavioral health provider with OSF HealthCare. He says friendships usually call for some emotional vulnerability which may make some men uncomfortable.

“I think one of the barriers that men have is that we have a hard time opening up, because that has been seen as a weakness,” says Mendoza. “That affects them from communicating with other men about their feelings, and what they have going on. That just creates more isolation, which leads to depression or anxiety.”

Mendoza says male friends often connect over real life situations. It could be marital problems or work-life balance issues. How much you want to unload on your male friends is up to you. Mendoza adds that you could save your problems for another day and simply decide to catch a baseball game and enjoy a hot dog and your favorite beverage.

“Not every single interaction that you have has to be deep,” Mendoza says. “It could also be spending time with other people and having a good time."

Where to start

Mendoza says there’s nothing wrong with hanging out with a male sibling or cousin. But if you’re seeking friendship outside of your family circle, he recommends connecting with community resources such as church, fitness centers or other social gathering places.

“Having a good support system can help with your self-esteem,” Mendoza says. “It could help with your productivity at work, at home. You know, being a better father, a better husband or a better partner. You feel happier and just enjoy life better, in general.”

Engelman says forming his men’s group has been extremely rewarding. He adds that the camaraderie he gets from his male friends provides the balance he was looking for in life.

While members have come and gone, including one who died from cancer, the men have become closer on an individual basis. Engelman is always looking for new members who he thinks might ‘vibe’ with the rest of the group.

“I've found in talking about the No Book Book Club that everyone I've talked to has said, ‘That's a great idea.’ So, we're going to continue and keep going.”
 

Paul Engelman interview clips 

Dr. Travis Swink, Victor Mendoza interview clips 

B-Roll 

When talking about the good and bad of pregnancy, you might have heard terms like postpartum depression or, more casually, baby blues.

It’s critical new mothers get help in this area, says Tiffany Waters, a birthing center charge nurse at OSF HealthCare. She says up to 80% of moms experience the so-called baby blues. But when talking about maternal mental health, experts prefer the umbrella term: perinatal mood, anxiety and depression (PMAD). Perinatal refers to the time between conception and one year after delivery.

PMAD basics

Waters says for two to three weeks after delivery, most women experience hormone changes, a lack of sleep and general stress related to the “new normal.” Having a traumatic birth, like an emergency caesarean section, can compound mental health impacts. Waters says around one-third of women fall into this category.

All these factors can lead to a variety of longer-lasting PMAD symptoms, including brain fog, weeping, sleep changes, anxiety, depression, obsessive or compulsive behavior and even suicidal thoughts.

“There’s no one single cause that leads to a person experiencing these issues. It’s a combination of psychological, societal and biological factors,” Waters says. “There’s nothing a mom has done to get or deserve this experience. The best we can do is help her work through it.”

Screening and treatment

Waters says health care providers should screen a woman for depression and other mental health issues during and after pregnancy.

“There are commonly used tools,” Waters says. “The woman answers 10 questions. It gives us a rating on how their emotional and mental well-being is.”

She’s referring to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Each question is scored 0 to 3, with 3 being the response that most signals a possible mental health issue. That’s 30 total points, and a final tally of 10 or higher would warrant further evaluation.

Waters also says research is ongoing into whether certain biological markers in a woman are a sign of mental health issues to come.

“It can be difficult to admit or even recognize that a person is having depression or anxiety symptoms,” Waters says. “There are lots of reasons for that. There’s societal pressure to be a great mom. Moms might feel like if they admit how they’re feeling, their children might be taken away.”

Waters says journaling or talking to a trusted adult can help a mom document the issues she’s facing, opening the door for her to get help.

If a mom is diagnosed with PMAD, a provider will talk with her about resources like support groups, counseling, spiritual care and medication. Daily things like improved diet and exercise and exploring new hobbies can also help. And Waters says mothers should not be afraid to prioritize themselves. It’s OK to ask for a break from daily housework, for example.

Why it’s important

Waters says untreated PMAD can have consequences for the whole family and the people around the family. Substance abuse and domestic violence can increase. But if treated, it means a better life for everyone.

“It will improve the whole family dynamic,” Waters says. “It will lessen stress for everybody and lead to a happier unit.”

Learn more

Read more about pregnancy and birth and behavioral and mental health on the OSF HealthCare website. If you are in crisis, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 9-8-8.

Interview clips

Related stories

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Being open and honest about mental health
Suicide prevention involves all of us
Shining a light on perinatal depression
24-7 connection through OSF OnCall empowers patients and improves outcomes

As the stigma around mental health continues to improve, people are more likely to seek treatment. A woman who has just learned she’s pregnant may wonder: should I stop taking medicines like Zoloft or Prozac? Will they hurt my baby?

Sarah Shoemaker, a certified nurse midwife at OSF HealthCare, says first of all, you’re not alone. She says around one in five women experience a mental health concern during pregnancy, and many of those women are taking medication for things like anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder. Shoemaker says most of the time, you can and should stay on your medication. But it’s a conversation you should have with your health care team.

Shoemaker implores women to talk about medication with their provider early Ideally, it’s before they conceive. Shoemaker says don’t change or stop your medicine routine until you have that talk. You may have your child’s best interest in mind, but a change could compromise your or your child’s health.

“There are some women who take years to find the perfect combination of medications that keep them stable and healthy. We don’t want to mess with that. Very rarely do we have to completely disrupt somebody’s medication regimen,” Shoemaker says. “Nothing in our field is black and white. There’s no such thing as bad medication or strictly dangerous medication. We weigh the pros and cons and decide what’s best for each patient.

“If you look online, you’re going to find all kinds of information. You’re going to find conflicting sources, old studies and poorly written studies,” Shoemaker adds, referencing the temptation to rely solely on your own research.

Shoemaker says a provider may order one or more ultrasounds before making a decision on medication. If a provider advises that a change is needed, you could go on a supplement. For example, Shoemaker says a medicine like valproic acid (a seizure medicine sometimes used for bipolar disorder) may increase the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in your unborn child. Spina bifida, or the abnormal development of the spinal cord, is a common NTD. In this case, a provider may advise adding a folic acid supplement at a high dose. Shoemaker adds that for medications like valproic acid, drugmakers and doctors are vocal up front: don’t start taking it if you’re trying to get pregnant. That way, you don’t have to possibly make a change mid-pregnancy.

If you’re on a medication that’s new to the market, that’s also a definite “must talk about” with your provider. That’s because we don’t know a lot about how new medications impact pregnancy. Shoemaker points out that scientists typically don’t do intense studies on pregnant women so they don’t disrupt the pregnancy. Rather, the research is done after birth.

“We discuss what the woman is on, how we can counteract the risk and what the actual risk is for her specific situation. Then we can make a shared decision about what is best for her and her family,” Shoemaker says. She adds that the woman’s entire care team – their primary care provider, their mental health provider and their OB/GYN or midwife – should be working together.

Shoemaker admits all this can be a tough task. But there are tried-and-true ways to get to the root of a pregnant woman’s mental health concern. Providers also build extra time into appointments to talk about mental health. Shoemaker says she often uses humor to break the tension. She can also use personal experiences to relate to the mom-to-be. And she’s also not afraid to ask a lot of questions: are you sure there’s nothing else we can talk about? How are you doing emotionally?

“If you continue to ask in new and different ways, women eventually open up. They say ‘yeah, this is really bothering me. I wondered if it was normal. I was afraid to talk about it,’” Shoemaker says. “Once you make it clear that the provider is a safe person to talk to and mental health is really important, women will open up.

“More women need to talk about how difficult it can be to be pregnant, to be a mother and to be going through this huge life transition,” Shoemaker adds.

Learn more about how you can a successful pregnancy and birth on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Related stories

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Is it just baby blues or postpartum depression?

Mental health challenges in young people

Brittany Algee, APRN, a board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner at OSF HealthCare, says people Jamie’s age – late teens to mid-20s – have unique mental health challenges.

“It’s the transition phase into adulthood. They’re transitioning into college or a career. They’re starting a family. They have the pressure of being successful. There are financial constraints. They’re figuring out their lives,” Algee says. “They have this unrealistic expectation at 18 to have everything together. It’s very overwhelming.”

That can lead to anxiety and depression, and Algee says social media can make it all worse. Daily, symptoms can look like a lack of motivation, intrusive thoughts, worrying, eating too little or too much, irritability and poor hygiene. Parents should be on the lookout for all these.

“Maybe the child doesn’t want to talk as much. The child is self-isolating. You ask what they did over the weekend, and they say they stayed in bed. Or, they’re not going to class. Maybe the parent is getting a letter saying the child is on academic probation,” Algee says. “Those are red flags to ask ‘What’s going on? Why are we feeling that way?’

“Ask about sleeping habits, too,” she says. “Are they sleeping too much or not enough? Is there substance abuse going on? They could be doing that to self-medicate.”

If parents identify a problem, Algee suggests getting the child in to see their primary care provider, who could provide short-term help like medication while referring them to a mental health provider.

Some other tips from Algee and the Boones:

• Get outdoors to clear your head.
  
  “Exercise. Do some hiking or biking. Find hobbies and things you like,” Algee suggests. “I tell my patients not to wait until you have a buddy to do something you like. Nine times out of 10, you’re going to find some like-minded person you’re going to get along with. So if you want to go hear live music, go do it. There will be people there who like live music, too. That will help you meet new people.”
   
• When talking to a loved one about suicide, Johnny Boone says don’t be afraid to get specific. Ask if they have weapons at home. If so, ask to take them or change the combination to the gun safe, for example.
   
• Be mindful of how you talk about mental health and suicide, too. For example, Anita Boone suggests steering clear of phrases like “committed suicide” or “afflicted with mental health” because the person might feel judged.

Grieving a loss

Since Jamie’s death, Anita and Johnny have been in counseling, and Anita hasn’t returned to her accounting job at the University of Illinois. It’s proof that everyone grieves differently, and there’s no schedule for it, Algee says.

“There are numerous stages of grief,” Algee points out. “It’s imperative that you work through all of those stages. Seeing a mental health professional is going to be very beneficial in helping you get through those stages effectively and process the grief.

“Losing a child is absolutely horrific,” she adds. “It’s not something you can put a timeline on. You’re not going to get through it in a few weeks or years. It’s a void that’s difficult to fill. So just make sure you have resources like a therapist, medication and an overall support system.”

For the Boones, grieving involved changing their routine. Driving through the University of Illinois campus where Jamie once thrived is tough, so they steer clear when they can. A hobby of theirs – camping – is out in favor of a simpler outdoor activity – kayaking. Sometimes the couple talks while on the water. Sometimes they just float and cry.

There are even unconventional ways to grieve, as long as you do them safely. When Anita and Johnny need to get emotions out, they’ll take a baseball bat to a plastic pail in their backyard. Neighbors will peek over the fence, and Johnny will flash a thumbs up to show that no one is in danger.

The Jamie Boone Project

Johnny and Anita are still grieving, but they have turned pain into purpose by founding a nonprofit, the Jamie Boone Project. The pair spends hours toiling in their living room, assembling J.A.M.I.E. bags. It stands for Just A Mental Inventory Everyday. The bags contain things to take your mind off the world (stress balls, fidget spinners, journals and coloring books) and also steps to get long-term help, like information about the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and the 741741 Crisis Text Line. Johnny and Anita take the bags to schools, hospitals and anywhere else that could use them.

“We know it’s not curative. It’s just one way to get them through the moment,” Anita says. “For example, some people in a mental health slide might struggle to journal about positives in their life. Instead, the J.A.M.I.E. bags ask you to write down three things that didn’t stink today. It could be something as simple as ‘the car started this morning.’”

The couple has also visited schools and had students write what they call S.A.G.E. words. That stands for Student Affirmations of Grace and Encouragement and is a nod to the Monticello High School mascot, a sage owl. Through S.A.G.E. words, students write things they like about their classmates. Johnny compiles the comments and gives them to each child, sometimes at a milestone event like graduation. It emphasizes a simple message, one that’s on a sign outside the Boone home: you matter.

“We always hear the negative things about us,” Johnny says, speaking generally about how words can hurt. “We need to be more intentional. We need to hear positive things. You don’t realize how much you mean to people.”

“I’ve not had anybody not give us positive feedback on all our work,” he adds. “Monticello and the area have embraced us.”

“I think what the Boones are doing is absolutely phenomenal,” Algee says.

Learn more

If you are experiencing mental or behavioral health issues, such as depression, anxiety or addiction to alcohol or drugs, there are resources available.

• The OSF HealthCare website lists resources such as support groups and SilverCloud, an anonymous online platform available to people 18 and up living in an area served by OSF, even if you’re not an OSF patient.
   
• The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The lifeline encourages veterans to press one to be linked with resources unique to that group.
   
• The 741741 Crisis Text Line, similar to 988. This hotline’s website encourages you to reach if you simply “need to vent.”
   
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA.
   
• The Jamie Boone Project website lists other resources and hotlines.

“Talk to somebody. A professional, a friend,” Johnny urges. “Make a mental health safety sheet. Write down what things calm your spirit and who you can talk to. Anything that will help you get through a stressful situation. When you’re in the middle of the stressful situation, you’re not going to remember that you like to listen to a certain music to calm you down. You need to write it down. And make sure you give a copy to a friend or family member you talk to a lot. That way, they can spot the warning signs.”

“It’s OK to not be OK. You’re not alone. Don’t be afraid to have the hard conversation because suicide does not discriminate,” Anita says.

Interview clips - Johnny and Anita Boone

Interview clips - Brittany Algee

B-roll

Additional B-roll

Johnny Boone explains the Jamie Boone Project

Johnny Boone explains the J.A.M.I.E. bags

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Big emotions, bigger solutions

November, December and January bring bountiful holiday meals.

While it’s tempting to chow down, experts are cautioning about how overindulgence can make you feel mentally and physically crummy in the moment, plus open the door to long-term unhealthy eating habits.

Have the right mindset

Andrew Zasada, MD, provides emergency department care at OSF HealthCare. He says avoiding stuffing yourself starts before you sit down for the meal.

“If you come to the meal hungry, you tend to try to make up for not having breakfast. You load your plate up, which is going to cause you to overeat,” Dr. Zasada says. “Instead, have a light snack an hour or two before you sit down to the meal.

“Put the food in one room and sit down in another room to eat. That necessitates you going there rather than having food available for another fill.”

The meal itself

Enjoy holiday meals, Dr. Zasada says. It’s not a race.

Grab a smaller plate, and take smaller portions of each item. Pretend you’re filling the plate up for a child. You wouldn’t take five rolls and two big slabs of meat for a youngster, so don’t do it for your adult self.

Other tips: Chew slowly. Between bites, put your utensil down, take a drink of water and talk to someone. This allows your stomach to fill up and tell your brain that you’re full.

When you finish eating, leave the table, and go to another room. Staying next to the food increases the temptation to keep nibbling.

If you can’t help it

Dr. Zasada says despite our best efforts, sometimes you overeat during holiday meals. Maybe you don’t want to offend your aunt by not having a slice of her famous pie.

If that happens, Dr. Zasada says there are two pitfalls to avoid: Drinking alcohol and lying down right after the meal.

“That opens up the sphincters of your stomach, slows down digestion and increases the chance for heartburn,” Dr. Zasada says.

Try tea or coffee after a meal instead of alcohol. But if you must indulge in a spirit, Dr. Zasada says to wait at least 90 minutes so your stomach can partially empty.

Instead of lying down for that post-meal nap, sit upright, talk to people or play a game. If the weather is nice, go for a walk.

A word on more serious eating issues

Holiday meals may be difficult for people who suffer from eating disorders, such as binge eating (eating a lot in one sitting and feeling you can’t stop), anorexia nervosa (an unwarranted fear of being overweight which leads to things like starvation) or bulimia nervosa (taking unhealthy steps to avoid weight gain like purging your food).

Dr. Zasada says, in the moment, you should have someone you trust who can help you through the holiday meal and check in with you later. Long term, he says these are serious issues that should be talked about with a health care provider.

“Repeated bulimia will damage your teeth. It’s corrosive. You lose electrolytes when you vomit,” Dr. Zasada says. “You become sick. If you do this repeatedly, you will lose weight in an unhealthy way. You will possibly dehydrate. You will start losing muscle mass.

“It’s just not a good thing.”

Bottom line: Don’t get discouraged

Dr. Zasada says one day of extra eating may make you feel bad, but it isn’t going to derail your overall health.

“One day won’t make you fat,” he says.

Get back into your healthy eating habits the next day while enjoying those leftovers in moderation. If you feel you are struggling to maintain a healthy weight or body image, talk to your primary care provider. They may refer you to a specialist like a dietitian or mental health provider. From there, plans could include a diet and exercise regimen, medication or, in rare cases, weight loss surgery.

Interview clips

If you’ve been feeling a little off and not yourself lately, you’re not alone. You might be experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). To make matters worse, we turn the clocks back Sunday, November 2, as part of daylight saving time, which means it’s going to get darker one hour earlier.

“Seasonal affective disorder is also known as seasonal depression. It's a form of depression that occurs during different seasons,” says Erin Wojewodzki, APRN, a nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare. “There's winter onset seasonal affective disorder, which typically begins during the fall months. And then there's a summer depression, where symptoms develop during spring and summer.”

In the United States, approximately 5% of adults experience SAD. It’s typically diagnosed between the ages of 18 to 30, and it's more common in women. People with a family history of mental health challenges or depression are more likely to experience SAD. And so do people who live in areas farther away from the equator and experience more cloudier days including Alaska, Vermont and New Hampshire.

There are a range of symptoms that come with SAD, from feeling a little anxious to much more serious issues that could require medical attention.  

“The symptoms of the winter onset SAD include symptoms such as depression, feelings of guilt, and a lack of desire to do those things that you typically love doing,” says Wojewodzki. “There's a carbohydrate craving, it can impact sleep, and there can be feelings of suicidal ideation or thoughts.” 

Experts aren’t sure what causes SAD. Most theories revolve around a lack of sunlight and sun exposure. 

“We have this biological clock within us that's used to so much sunlight in the wintertime – that changes,” says Wojewodzki. “It gets darker earlier, and that can impact our mood, our sleep, our hormones, and lead to some of these symptoms.” 

Another issue is vitamin D deficiency. Sunlight helps boost vitamin D, which helps improve serotonin levels. Serotonin is the hormone in charge of boosting mood. Low levels of serotonin can lead to depression.

Finally, melatonin is another hormone that impacts our sleep. When you lack sunlight it can affect your melatonin, which makes us sleepier and groggier, which is easy to do when it turns dark by late afternoon.

Talk to your health care provider 

There is no blood test or scan to diagnose SAD. Instead, your health care provider will discuss family history, review symptoms and may make a referral to a psychologist. Health care providers also use a patient questionnaire called PHQ-9, a tool that assesses degrees of depression.

“We look at things like, are you having symptoms of depression?” says Wojewodzki. “Are those symptoms of depression occurring during a specific time of the year, every year, and have those symptoms occurred two or more times during a specific season where you've experienced these feelings?” 

A treatment plan is tailored specifically for each patient. Wojewodzki says that plan might include light therapy that can boost serotonin. Getting outside as often as possible can help. Your provider may recommend taking Vitamin D supplements or prescribe antidepressant medications until spring arrives. Medication called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can improve mood by managing serotonin levels in your body. Finally, spend time with people you enjoy, which can boost your mood.

Dealing with changes that winter brings can be tough on anyone, especially those who suffer from SAD. But by sticking to your treatment plan, caring for yourself and planning ahead, Wojewodzki says malaise feelings can be overcome.

“If you are feeling symptoms of depression, isolation, sleep issues, gaining weight, not yourself, and especially feeling like harming yourself, I want you to reach out to your health care provider,” she says.  “We can discuss different options to you, whether that's medication or non-medication options to help you through this hard time.”

For more information on SAD or other behavioral health issues, visit the OSF HealthCare website. 



 

Interview Clips

We’re approaching the late summer-early fall period when respiratory illnesses begin their annual upswing. The latest news from federal health officials concerns a new variant of COVID-19, NB.1.8.1. Some people impacted have reported severe sore throats, almost like there’s a razor blade in there.

Fred Burke, MD, an emergency medicine physician who sees patients at OSF HealthCare, says illnesses like COVID, RSV and the flu will always be around. It’s just a matter of taking precautions to avoid serious illness. So, what’s the level of concern with this new COVID variant as we begin to make fall plans?

The razor’s edge

Any sore throat is an annoyance. But Dr. Burke says you should monitor severe cases closely.

“You’re less likely to want to eat or drink, which can lead to further dehydration,” he says.

You can manage sore throats at home with Tylenol or ibuprofen, chloraseptic spray, warm tea and throat lozenges. Dr. Burke says if you have trouble keeping food or fluids down, feel lightheaded or dizzy or have trouble breathing, see a health care provider right away.

COVID precautions

Dr. Burke says this new COVID variant isn’t linked to as much severe illness as other variants. But, he says it’s more easily spread.

“The average healthy person might get through it with some [figurative] bumps and bruises and little to no symptoms. For people with comorbidities or who are immunocompromised, the virus might be a little bit more detrimental,” Dr. Burke says.

Getting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene are two big tools to avoid serious illness, he adds. Wash your hands and high touch surfaces, like doorknobs, often, don’t cough or sneeze into the open air and stay home and away from others when you don’t feel well. If you’re in a crowd, especially if you have a comorbidity like diabetes, Dr. Burke says you should consider wearing a mask.

“If you’re going to have a gathering, whether at home or somewhere else, you can also recommend people take a home test to make sure they don’t have COVID prior to going,” Dr. Burke suggests. Those at-home tests can usually be found over the counter at a pharmacy.

For vaccines, recent preliminary guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends the shot this fall for people 65 and up. For others, the shot is recommended for people who have a compromised immune system or a comorbid condition like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, lung disease or depression. The website for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, has a broader recommendation. When in doubt, Dr. Burke says to talk to your primary care provider.

Learn more

Explore other resources to keep yourself safe from COVID on the OSF HealthCare website, blog and newsroom.

Interview clips

College students will soon be home for summer break. They’re embarking on their independent phase, so opening up about mental health to their parents might not top the summer to-do list. It can leave parents wondering: How did the school year go? Did they make friends? Are they doing OK mentally?

Rachel Yuhas, LCPC, a psychotherapist at OSF HealthCare, says there are dos and don’ts to get the most out of a conversation with a young adult.

School stress

Yuhas says going off to college is a huge transition. The student may miss home. They may have trouble being accountable with no 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. structure they had in high school. Making friends can also be difficult. Yuhas says college students may be stressed and scared to branch out and meet people.

“They might be anxious or get into a rut of depression. They might isolate. They might sleep too much or not sleep at all,” Yuhas says.

Warning signs

Yuhas says parents should watch for drastic changes in their college student’s appearance as a possible “red flag” of a mental health concern. Some weight gain or loss in college is expected, but significant weight changes should warrant a discussion.

“This might mean they’re not taking care of themselves,” Yuhas says. “Stress might be coming on. They might be depressed. All of those things can cause issues with appetite.”

Other things to watch for:

• The young adult is spending most of their time away from others. Maybe they’re in their room sleeping all day.
   
• They drop hints about their college experience, such as “I didn’t join any new clubs this year.”
   
• The person looks messy. Maybe they used to be a snazzy dresser with groomed hair, but they stopped keeping up that appearance. Or they stopped hygiene practices like using deodorant or brushing their teeth. Parents should ask themselves: Is my child keeping up with daily tasks?

Dos and don’ts

It’s time to talk to your child about their mental health.

• Do: Ask open ended questions, and let the child fill in the blanks. For example: How did final exams go?
  
  Don’t: Ask accusatory questions like: What’s wrong with you? Or: Why aren’t you talking to us?
  
  “If you get mad at them, that makes it worse. They won’t want to open up,” Yuhas says.
   
• Do: Find the right time. Let the child get settled back in, and have a conversation over lunch a day or two later.
  
  Don’t: Bombard your student with questions the moment they get into the house.
   
• Do: Curtail your reactions and judgements. Be kind and mindful.
  
  “Instead of asking ‘Why?’, say ‘Oh my gosh. I didn’t know about this. What’s been going on? Tell me more.’,” Yuhas says.
  
  Don’t: Have knee-jerk reactions like: How could you? Or: Why did you fail that class? Or even: You know I don’t like your major. Why haven’t you dropped it yet?

Next steps

After that first conversation, Yuhas urges parents to not let the issue go.

“I encourage parents to become emotion coaches with their children,” Yuhas says. “Continue to check in. Continue to ask, ‘How are you doing?’ or ‘I saw the college had this event. Was it something you went to?’ Just stay involved in their everyday life, but don’t bombard them.”

If things aren’t improving, the conversation might turn to: I want to help you. Have you thought about talking to a therapist? Would that be a good option?

“Put the ball in their court,” Yuhas says.

“When we go off to college, it can be a huge adjustment. So we try to normalize their feelings,” Yuhas adds, outlining what she might talk to a college student about in a therapy session. “We go over ways to make friends and socialize. We go over how to manage stress, anxiety and depression. We talk about coping skills.”

For example, if a student is leaving their dormitory just for class, Yuhas may suggest going to the library to study. The student may make a friend along the way. Yuhas may suggest exercise or meditation. Or, is homework procrastination causing stress? There are ways to change those habits.

Learn more

Read more about healthy thoughts and behaviors on the OSF HealthCare website. If your stress has reached a crisis where you are thinking about harming yourself or others, talk to a trusted adult or mental health professional or go to the emergency department right away. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is also available.

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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. 

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Up to 95% of kids age 13-17 and nearly 40% of children age 8-12 use a social media platform, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

The report “Social Media and Youth Mental Health” says evidence indicates that there are “ample indicators” that social media can have a “profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.” Additionally, the advisory says that social media usage can disrupt vital activities for someone’s health and well-being like sleep and physical activity.

It’s no secret a major part of posting that “picture perfect” moment happens after the picture is taken. Through editing with filters, body positioning, and now even artificial intelligence, the photos you see of those you follow may not be an accurate representation of their life.

Kyle Boerke, Psy.D, is the director of behavioral health outpatient services for OSF HealthCare and a clinical child psychologist. He says what we go through as social media users when looking at the influencers we follow is called “upward social comparison.”

“You, as a teenager, take your worst day and you are comparing it to this video of somebody’s best day. Or I would say, artificial day, because it’s not real due to the filters and editing,” Dr. Boerke says. “We have a lot of research that talks a lot about the direct correlation between time spent on social media and an increase in anxiety and depression. We’re talking about a one-to-one correspondence where every hour spent on social media increases your likelihood of anxiety and depression.”

What can we do?

“Limit your exposure to social media as a whole. But certainly, limit those individuals that are negative and that are body shaming. There are body positive individuals out there.”

Dr. Boerke says, in many cases, the people you follow on social media aren’t your friends. You don’t know them personally, and you’ve probably never met them, and never will.

“More important than who you follow on social media is who you surround yourself with in real life. Surround yourself with positive individuals in real life. Surround yourself with people who truly know you, care about you, support you and are going to be there for you in hard times,” Dr. Boerke adds.

Social media is a tool

While social media is used, whether intentionally or not, for negative purposes, there are some cases where it can be used for positive outcomes.

“There are influencers out there that have a good message on body positivity and being healthy, as opposed to your weight and what your figure looks like. However, for every one of those, there are ten to twenty that by using filters, Photoshop and artificial nature. How they portray themselves can be a huge influence,” Dr. Boerke says.

In most cases, people may hear “social media” and think of the apps Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), Snapchat and Facebook. But he says a major social media platform reaching the youngest of kids is YouTube.

“I just want to caution everybody that even at a young age, be aware of what they’re watching and be aware of how much time they’re spending on these,” Dr. Boerke says. “While the themes throughout these YouTube videos are mostly good, there’s still probably some upward social comparisons happening even with our six and seven-year-olds.”

What if I’ve built a community on social media?

Connecting with people going through your same experience can potentially be good.

But Dr. Boerke says that can also be troubling, because you can get into a group with people who feel/think the same way you do, and they recommend you do something that is detrimental to your health.

“If you are struggling, tell an adult in your life and ask to talk to somebody. Start with your pediatrician or primary care physician. They can get you in touch with a therapist or psychologist that can help have those discussions with you,” Dr. Boerke says.

OSF HealthCare offers behavioral and mental health services across the Ministry to support adults, teens and children seeking diagnosis, short-term treatment or long-term management of mental and emotional health challenges.

The services offered can best fit your needs, from outpatient therapy to medication management. If you’re interested in speaking with a medical professional, visit the OSF HealthCare website.

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Lavender Zarraga, APRN, a behavioral health provider at OSF HealthCare, says it’s not uncommon for her patients to ask for a medication that isn’t the right fit.

The culprit? She says symptoms of common mental health issues like depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder can overlap. So, it’s important to stay in contact with your provider to make sure you’re on the best treatment plan.

On depression mimicking ADHD: “You have changed executive functioning. You can’t decide. You feel dull. You can’t concentrate,” Zarraga says. “You have a hard time learning new things. You can’t remember things or forget things easily. Attention and concentration are low. You think ‘Why am I processing everything so slow?.’”

Zarraga adds that she’s seen people with depression take prescribed medicine and feel better, but then residual symptoms that mimic ADHD creep in. And, she says, ADHD can seem like bipolar disorder.

“If you start somebody on an antidepressant and they have an underlying bipolar disorder that they have not been diagnosed with, that can trigger mood symptoms. It could potentially trigger mania [a high energy period where high-risk behaviors can occur],” Zarraga says.

It’s a lot to sort out, and it may make the person feel like they have a whole new set of problems.

“Talk to a provider. See what’s going on,” Zarraga says to people in that situation, noting that kids should not have to carry these issues into adulthood.

“There’s a lot of talking involved,” she adds. “Let’s start from the beginning. Let’s go back to your childhood. How were you doing then? And we relate that to how you are now.”

From there, Zarraga says treatment could include more counseling or different medication. She says medicine for children is more straightforward. But for adults, a provider will make sure the pill isn’t impacting the rest of the person’s body.

There are also science-backed written tests that can help diagnose someone with ADHD. Questions along the lines of: Can you sit still in class? Does your mind wander all the time?

And a word for caregivers, friends and family members: watch for symptoms of these disorders in your loved ones and have a conversation, if needed. Don’t ignore things, Zarraga says.

“There’s nothing wrong with just talking about it. It’s not going to hurt anybody to discuss it,” she says, noting that society is now more accepting of mental health issues.

Signs to watch for in your close companion: irritability, aggression, anxiety and trouble sleeping. If you or someone you know needs to talk to a professional quickly, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is 9-8-8. And the OSF HealthCare website lists other resources.

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Morgan Hurtado of Bloomington, Illinois, is in her early 30s and has three boys. She works during the day, while her husband works second shift. Weekends are spent with her oldest boy’s travel soccer team. But as Hurtado began reflecting, the mom realized she mostly relies on her family for deep discussions and support.

Hurtado’s experience isn’t rare.  Results of research released this year found the loneliness epidemic is deep among parents. 

According to a survey by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, nearly two-thirds of parents surveyed “felt the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently feel isolated and lonely.” About 62% feel “burned out by their responsibilities as a parent.” Nearly two in five (38%) “feel they have no one to support them in their parenting role.”

In May, the United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new surgeon general advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation and lack of connection in our country.

Kyle Boerke, PsyD, a clinical child psychologist and the director of behavioral health outpatient services at OSF HealthCare, says parents have long felt lonely due to the heavy investment in their children, and the latest Ohio State research confirms that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents were forced to take on additional roles for their children.

“They also were thrown into being a teacher, or they were thrown into becoming a daycare provider, in addition to whatever their typical job was, as well. And so, the demands continue rising for parents. And they’re investing so much into their children, and it’s draining. It’s leading to that burnout we’re hearing about in the study,” Dr. Boerke says.

Dr. Boerke has spoken across the country about the harms of social media and says despite the idea that it can keep people feeling more connected, he says it is actually contributing to the loneliness epidemic.

“It’s very clear the anxiety, depression, loneliness that people feel. It’s literally a one-to-one correspondence. Increase in social media use, increase in anxiety and depression.”

The artificial social interaction, he stresses, often replaces efforts for one-on-one or group social interaction. Still, he thinks social media, when used for good, can be an important connector.

“If we utilize the tool of social media to find social interactions and then go do those human-to-human, face- to-face, in-person interactions, that’s a great use of the tool,” Dr. Boerke says. But he adds, “Unfortunately, that’s not oftentimes how it’s being used.”

Hurtado is challenging herself to get out of her comfort zone and make more in-person connections.

“Something I’m trying in my personal life as sort of an experiment, if you will, is to limit my social media interactions or just limit my time as a whole on social media, forcing me to have those in-person interactions more often and maybe leading to new relationships and friendships,” she says.

Just as counselors often advise busy parents to make sure they have regular date nights to keep their relationship strong, Dr. Boerke says couples need to keep their individual “buckets” full.  In other words, it’s vitally important to make time for yourself and have social interactions that bring you joy and that are not necessarily focused on children.

Dr. Boerke suggests joining a book club and focusing on whether you can do that with people in your own neighborhood This way, you don’t have to get in your car and drive and can’t use the excuse that you’re too tired to do it. Proximity for interactions, Dr. Boerke suggests, is important to keep you accountable.

“Because if I can find somebody close by, even if it’s, ‘I’m gonna ask a neighbor to go on a walk with me three times a week, Monday, Wednesday Friday. We’re gonna walk in the morning before we go to work or before I start the day’,” Dr. Boerke suggests.

Mom groups are also an outlet for social interaction with people who have shared experiences.  Dr. Boerke explains you might have great friends, but their kids are in high school. And although they’ve been through the preschool age, those preschool experiences are in the past for them. So that connection is going to be a little weaker or not as beneficial to you.

Some parents find real friendship with parents of other kids during travel sports. Dr. Boerke advises when choosing activities for kids, make sure to select teams or groups where you personally connect well with other parents.

Dr. Kyle Boerke

Mom of three Morgan Hurtado of Bloomington, Illinois

B-roll for parental loneliness

Feeling tired all the time no matter what you do? Is it making it difficult to enjoy life? You might want to talk to your health care provider about chronic fatigue syndrome. Experts say it’s a tough ailment to live with and a tough one for science to grasp, but there are ways to ease the symptoms.

“It is challenging, for sure,” says Aminat Ogun, MD, a family medicine physician at OSF HealthCare. “Feeling that intense fatigue day to day for normal activities that other people can tolerate.”

Symptoms and diagnosis

Dr. Ogun says there’s no known, specific cause for chronic fatigue syndrome. But it’s associated with other health issues: viral infections like Epstein-Barr, coronavirus and retroviruses; Lyme disease; depression and sleep disruption. Dr. Ogun says the disorder impacts women more than men and is most often seen in ages 30 to 50.

There’s no test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome, so providers will look at five symptoms:

• Persistent fatigue
   
• Malaise (feeling discomfort or ill) after exerting yourself

“If you’ve done any mental or physical activity and you have that sudden onset of feeling fatigued and very tired,” Dr. Ogun explains.

• Feeling unrefreshed after sleeping
   
• Memory and concentration problems
   
• Orthostatic intolerance. This is a disorder where your blood pressure rises when you stand up.

“If you’ve had six months of these symptoms with moderate to severe intensity at least half of the time,” you’d likely be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, Dr. Ogun says. “It’s through history taking. When you see your primary care provider, they ask questions. That’s how it’s diagnosed.”

Treatment

Treatment for chronic fatigue symptoms can include medicine and lifestyle changes.

• A provider may recommend medication to help with the joint and muscle aches, nausea, headaches and depression that can come with chronic fatigue syndrome.
   
• Seeing a mental health professional
   
• Diet changes
   
• Graded exercise therapy. A provider will work with you to increase physical activity over time. This can help with overall energy.
   
• Improve sleep habits.

“Go away from screen time a couple hours before sleep. Don’t exercise right before sleep. That can also affect your sleep pattern,” Dr. Ogun lists as two examples.

Dr. Ogun says each treatment plan is different. Medical experts don’t know when, on average, chronic fatigue syndrome will go away. You may have to manage symptoms for the rest of your life. Dr. Ogun says you should stay in close contact with your primary care provider about your treatment plan.

Learn more

Read more about managing chronic fatigue syndrome on the OSF HealthCare website.

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Feeling bloated today? You’re not alone.

It’s not uncommon to get the sensation caused by gas, air or fluid retention in the stomach or small intestine. But what’s important to know: bloating has many causes, says Aminat Ogun, MD, an OSF HealthCare family medicine physician. So don’t let it linger and hope it will go away. If symptoms persist, see a health care provider so they can rule out something more serious and give proper treatment.

“It might feel like your stomach is full, swollen or sometimes tender. It can cause some discomfort,” Dr. Ogun says.

Causes for bloating include:

• The body makes too much gas.
   
• An overgrowth of intestinal bacteria. H. pylori is a common type. Dr. Ogun says it causes chronic inflammation in the stomach lining, and it can lead to peptic ulcers or even stomach cancer if untreated.
   
• Diet issues, like intolerance of certain carbohydrates or a gluten intolerance.
   
• Hormone changes during a woman’s menstrual cycle.
   
• Abnormal gastrointestinal motility. Simply put, this is when your gut is not working properly. Dr. Ogun says one example is gastroparesis.

              “The body takes its time before its able to pass food from the stomach to the small intestine,” she explains.

• Stress, anxiety and depression.

Dr. Ogun points out that we can’t control some of those causes, but others we can. She says a typical first step for a person with bloating is to change their diet. She says doctors may recommend a diet with a long name: fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. But just remember the abbreviation: FODMAP. It describes carbohydrates that are difficult for the body to break down.

Foods to avoid on the FODMAP diet: pasta, cereal, bread, yogurt, ice cream, apples, cherries and peaches. Alternatives include quinoa, brown rice, eggs, cheese, grapes, strawberries, chamomile tea, peppermint tea and ginger tea.

“Have a food diary,” Dr. Ogun suggests. “See what triggers your bloating symptoms and see if you can eliminate those foods.”

People with bloating may also take medicine like Gas-X. If you have intestinal bacteria, you’ll be on antibiotic medication.

Dr. Ogun adds for people age 55 and up, bloating is less common, and other health issues are, simply due to older age. So, if you are of that age and have sudden bloating symptoms, see a provider to find out if your symptoms are bloating or something more serious. And for all ages, if you have severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or unintentional weight loss, stop by a doctor’s office.

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·         58% clinical improvement for patients with moderate behavioral health conditions
·         53% improvement in patient depression screening scores
·         50% improvement in patient anxiety screening scores
·         94% patient satisfaction rate with the SilverCloud® by Amwell platform

“Better access to behavioral health services is needed now more than ever. Today, one in every four U.S. adults lives with a mental health condition, yet more than half receive no treatment,” said Ken Cahill, chief behavioral health officer at Amwell. “We are proud to have been selected to enable OSF’s delivery of a hybrid approach to behavioral health care that is delivering such a meaningful improvement in outcomes and patient access to care.”

“The Amwell platform provides a scalable, reliable and flexible framework that can help us meet the growing and evolving needs of our communities now and into the future,” Dietz added.

OSF HealthCare documented alarming trends of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts reaching its emergency departments. The health system selected Amwell to implement a comprehensive hybrid care solution that could enable three main goals: connect individuals with resources as easily and early as possible; manage conditions, reduce severity of symptoms and prevent mental health crises; and provide support for its mental health professionals and care teams.

OSF HealthCare implemented SilverCloud by Amwell, a global, digital mental health platform that provides 24/7 access to digital services for people who have mild to moderate symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety. Starting in 2018, OSF offered the digital program to anyone in its service area without the need for a referral or to be an existing patient and saw steady and positive adoption rates with a 300% increase in enrollments. Today, the program has more than 8,500 patient users.

To extend the powerful benefits of the solution, OSF HealthCare expanded its hybrid behavioral health approach to support teams delivering more acute levels of care, reaching more patients and helping more clinical teams maximize their effectiveness. Most recently, OSF Healthcare extended its use of SilverCloud by Amwell platform through a technology partnership with Illinois State University. This partnership will establish OSF as the sole medical provider for student-athletes and offer access to virtual mental health care via the digital program.

To learn more about the results achieved through the OSF HealthCare and Amwell partnership, read the case study here. 

Anxiety. Depression. Bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia.

They’re daunting diagnoses, but necessary to think about for many people.

And experts say those concerns don’t magically go away when a person reaches age 60 and beyond. Rather, older adults need to keep mental health care in mind and know the resources available to help with concerns unique to that age group.

Ari Lakritz, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist at OSF HealthCare who has taken a keen interest in this area.

“As individuals grow older, they start to prioritize their emotional needs over their professional, financial or more mundane needs,” Dr. Lakritz says. “So you may be surprised when you work with an individual who’s older at how quickly they want to work on the problems in their life and how solution-focused they are as compared to their younger cohorts.”

Dr. Lakritz has seen plenty of examples of this research-backed idea as he’s conducted counseling sessions. For example, an older adult may want to dive right into talking about death or family disputes that have been festering for years.

How does a mental health professional achieve results with this age group? Dr. Lakritz points to a concept called interpersonal therapy, which focuses on a person’s relationships and their overall place in the world.

“That is really what older adults have on their mind at this stage of their life. Many of them are retired. For many of them, financial issues or their professional climbing of the ladder have kind of taken a backseat,” Dr. Lakritz reiterates. “They are focused on their remaining relationships and making them as good as possible.”

A therapy session for an older adult may be structured the same as a younger person’s visit. But a psychologist would need to keep in mind the person’s needs. If the patient has mobility issues, for example, the office should be easy to get in and out of. If the person is homebound, a home visit or virtual visit would be necessary.

Those telemedicine appointments, Dr. Lakritz says, took on extra importance during the pandemic. Some older adults were already isolated, and COVID fears or government mandates to stay home separated them further from visiting their loved ones and practicing social or coping skills. Card games were replaced with phone calls. A trip to the community theater was scuttled in favor of watching the show on DVD.

“On the plus side, I think everyone saw and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly older adults managed to understand technology,” Dr. Lakritz says.  “[They] understand remote meetings and how to participate almost as fast as younger adults who also had to adjust very quickly.

“That was a big game changer in the field that is not going away anytime soon,” Dr. Lakritz says.

Not to mention the sense of pride from an old dog learning new tricks, as the saying goes.

“It’s very much emphasized, even in old age, to continue to pick up new skills. To acquire new knowledge,” Dr. Lakritz says. “That does lead to a great deal of self-esteem. And cognitive stimulation, learning new things, reasoning and being intellectually challenged are some of the biggest protective factors against dementia.”

One last thing Dr. Lakritz says clinicians should keep in mind when serving older adults: confronting biases or falsehoods about that generation.

For example: older adults are slower workers. The data say that’s more folklore than fact, Dr. Lakritz says.

“Many people have this misconception that working with older adults is something that is fundamentally different than working with younger people,” Dr. Lakritz says. “[Many think] you need specific, specialized training or you need to be an older adult yourself to work with older adults. And that serves as a barrier to older adults’ treatment.”

The OSF HealthCare website outlines mental health resources. Taking a look, then broaching the topic with your older friend or family member is a good first step. A necessary one, too, for some older adults who grew up in a time when “self-care” wasn’t a common term.

“If you’re a trusted person in that older adult’s life, and they trust you with more mundane concerns such as helping them get around the house and giving them rides,” Dr. Lakritz explains, “then, I think there’s a good chance they would trust you if you said, ‘I see you’re dealing with this. You’ve been dealing with it for a very long time. You haven’t been able to talk with anyone about it. There is someone we can go to’.”

And make those check-ins with your parents, grandparents and older friends a habit. They’ll be happy you did.

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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.

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Suicide prevention involves all of us

Nearly 1 in 10 Americans experience depression. That number is even higher when it comes to young people, with a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finding 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults dealing with depression.

Effects of depression know no bounds, with even the highest-ranking public officials experiencing it. In February, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., received treatment for his depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He was discharged in late March, and returned to the U.S. Senate in April. 

After he left Walter Reed, Fetterman opened up about his depression and urged Americans to seek help if they need it.

“Go to the doctor or whoever you’re able to. Address your depression. I was skeptical it would make anything better, but it did. It works. And I’m so grateful,” Fetterman told People Magazine.

OSF HealthCare offers mental health support for patients across the Ministry. Katie Koeller, a behavioral health navigator with OSF, says that speaking with a trusted source can help you get back to being your best self.

“If you’re struggling through all this, you’re not living your best life,” Koeller says. “The sooner you’re able to open up and talk to someone about what’s happening, the better off you are and the sooner you can feel like yourself again.”

Koeller says she, and other behavioral health navigators at OSF, can help people get connected with helpful resources in their local communities.

“I’m a resource that’s free to the community,” Koeller says. “It doesn’t have to be something in our hospital.”

Koeller adds that finding support is very important, but says sometimes it just takes that one person to help you get back on track.

“Find that person who you can confide in. Make sure they’re comfortable with that, but have somebody who can help guide you. Because it’s really hard to do that on your own, especially when you’re struggling,” Koeller says.

If you’re struggling and need immediate help, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. It’s a national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential support, and is available 24/7.

OSF HealthCare provides a wide variety of behavioral and mental health treatment options. You can find services, care providers and locations at osfhealthcare.org/mental-health/.

Video Interview Clips

The pros and cons of social media are well documented. It allows you to connect with friends and pursue passions, but bullying and misinformation can be rampant.

But can frequent social media use lead to changes in brain development during the formative adolescent years? A recent study suggests so, but much more investigation is needed, says Karna Sherwood, MD, a neurologist at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois.

The study tracked 169 sixth and seventh graders and found those who habitually checked social media were more sensitive to rewards and punishments. To view it a different way, kids who constantly refresh Facebook hoping the likes on their post will go up may be more impulsive to seek out real-life recognition.

“At a certain point, 10 likes or 20 likes are no longer gratifying enough,” Dr. Sherwood says. “And then you have to find another way to get even more likes or more appreciation.”

That “another way” could lead to risky behaviors such as substance abuse. But Dr. Sherwood says more study is needed to conclusively make the link. Just how much does our life in the digital realm affect our life away from the device?

“A follow up study would certainly investigate if [frequent social media use] has an effect on rates of anxiety and depression,” says Dr. Sherwood. “Could this affect addiction? And what interventions could be taken to nullify those behaviors?

“As a society, if we want to raise happy and healthy people in an age where we are getting better technologically, what steps do we need to take?”

Until then, Dr. Sherwood has some good advice no matter your age or number of Twitter followers.

“Until you get the rest of the information, it’s better to have some degree of regulation,” and restraint with social media, Dr. Sherwood says.

Learn more about how the brain works on the OSF HealthCare website.

Interview clips

Previous coverage

Tackling pediatric mental health

Bullying and the era of technology

Is social media impacting your mental health?

Kids' screen time: How much is too much?

A new year brings about many possible changes – promises to eat better, exercise more, stop smoking, save money, and so on. Another priority for some is to improve their work situation.

If that’s you, there may be no better time than the present, especially after the U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a report that links a toxic workplace culture to health issues such as heart disease, depression and anxiety.

“A toxic workplace is basically any work setting where you're dealing with any sort of psychological stress, where you're feeling nervous, you have some fear, anxiety, sadness, depression – things like that," says Victor Mendoza, a behavioral health provider with OSF HealthCare. "If you start noticing those things in your own workplace, that can be something we would call a toxic environment.”

According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the five components of a healthy workplace include:  protection from harm, connection and community, work-life harmony, mattering at work and opportunity for growth.

Mendoza says now is the time for organizations to assess their relationship with employees – to create a sense of connection among workers, show them they are important, and support their professional needs.

“First of all, if they haven't added these five components, they should probably try to because I think that's a good foundation to what a healthy work environment should be like," says Mendoza. "You want to have a workplace where you feel comfortable, you feel heard, you feel like there is upward mobility, and that that people care for you. That you're not just a number to them but that you actually are a human, and they understand and are willing to be empathic to your situation. And if there is a concern, they're open to listen to you.”

There are many ways feeling stressed or miserable can manifest in an unhealthy work environment such as increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease, increasing the chance of high blood pressure, weakening immune systems, causing headaches and increasing anxiety and stress. Mendoza says physical symptoms can include stomach aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and racing heartbeat.

The report comes during an uncertain time in workplace culture due to the COVID pandemic, when employees are seeking more flexible opportunities including working remotely or a hybrid schedule. Mendoza adds that the pandemic also affected our routines, and when routines are changed it can impact our mental health.

“It's been really tough for a lot of people," says Mendoza. "When all this started with the pandemic, a lot of people were having anxiety about what was going to happen. People feared losing their jobs, and a lot of people did lose their jobs, sadly, and that was very hard for them. They had to switch careers. A lot of them were lucky they were able to keep their jobs, but they had to work from home and that that created some stress as well even though we do have good technology.”

There are things, however, you can do to cope with your workplace stress. Mendoza suggests keeping track of the stressors in your job, developing healthy responses such as exercise, getting enough sleep and learning how to relax and take time to recharge by unplugging from work, and making sure to use your vacation days.

Mendoza says it’s easy for some people to feel guilty about work-related issues. The most important take home message is to first take care of yourself, and not let a stressful environment affect your health. 

“Sometimes you can only do so much and you have to advocate for yourself, and you have be aware when this happens," he adds. "So set up good boundaries with your workplace, make sure that you're taking some time off work for self-care, whatever that looks like for you, and do something you enjoy. Make sure you do some basic things like exercise, you’re eating well and you're sleeping well. That's a really good foundation to deal with a toxic work environment.”





 

Video Interview Clips 

Tackling any task – from a child walking to an adult learning a new job – starts with a first step. The same goes for taking care of your mental and behavioral health, but even the experts admit it may be daunting to ask for help. During the holiday season where some people may experience loneliness and depression, experts are reminding you there are resources to bridge the gap between “what do I do?” and “I have the care I need.”

Katie Koeller is a behavioral health navigator (BHN) at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois. BHN is a free, ministry-wide service at OSF HealthCare, but you don’t have to be an OSF HealthCare patient to use it. The program helps people in areas like depression, anxiety, drug or alcohol use, and problems with work, school, or relationships. The BHN talks to the patient – either at a provider’s office or over the phone – about what care they need, and they point the person to that care as close to home and as soon as possible. The BHN also checks the patient’s insurance coverage to see how it lines up with the care needed.

“We would do an intake,” Koeller explains. “So we'd ask questions, making sure that they're not in a crisis situation at the time and see what their symptoms are. And then that way we can better judge what they would be suited for as far as counseling, psychiatry, substance use treatment, whatever it may be.”

Koeller notes the treatment could be out-patient (the typical office visit) or in-patient (live-in treatment). She says a BHN will also check-in with the patient via phone call or message on OSF HealthCare’s secure online portal. Koeller says it’s usually three check-ins over a month, but each case is different.

“Some people just decide maybe it's not what they need, maybe just talking with somebody like me and just getting educated and feeling like they have that opportunity or just the knowledge about the community resources is enough,” Koeller says. “Because then they were like, ‘Well I can decide later on if that's what I need.’  But for the most part, I feel like a lot of patients are appreciative and do really like the service and find it helpful.”

Koeller, a BHN for three years, says even if the patient is on a good path, the BHN tells them they can always call back if they need more help.

The tendency to stay quiet about mental health is still an issue, Koeller says. But she’s seeing another roadblock to care.

“A lot of people just feel like they don't have time for it. I've heard a lot of people say that ‘I can't take off work for it.’” Koeller says. “I feel like a lot of people don't consider it to be [a crisis]. You don't want it to get to that [crisis] point. So they kind of push it back like it's not as important as my physical health.”

But in reality, Koeller says, mental health does impact physical health. In other words, if your mind hurts, your body may hurt, too.

Koeller also notes that some insurance providers can help with transportation – getting a ride to a counselor appointment, for example. Telehealth – a digital appointment with a provider from home – is also an option that’s growing in use. OSF SilverCloud is another resource designed for workplaces. These are some of the many things a BHN can check on and, at a minimum, educate the patient on what’s available.

Patients who are experiencing a mental or behavioral health issue can contact their primary care provider or – if you live within OSF HeathCare’s footprint – use the behavioral health navigator program. If you’re in a crisis situation that needs a first responder, call 9-1-1. If it leans toward a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 9-8-8.

Interview Clips

A survivor of four types of cancer, you can understand why Kristi Fetter was a little skeptical that a support group would be the magic to turn her mood around.

Five years later, it’s a 180 degree change of opinion for the Granite City, Illinois, woman.

“They helped me a lot with their knowledge. They’re caring,” Fetter says. “With all the other women there who have been through the same thing that I've been through, that helps too because you're on the same walk.”

Fetter and those who run the Caring Circle cancer support group at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois, are talking about the importance of having people to lean on – whether you’re dealing with cancer or some other hardship.

From attendee to leader

Patient navigators Heather Thompson and Karen Boyd head up the Caring Circle group in Alton. And you couldn’t ask for a better leader than Thompson. Herself a breast cancer survivor, she attended a support group at OSF during her cancer journey. Now, she counsels women who are in that same position. And attendance has grown from just a few to dozens.

“It’s just an amazing group,” Thompson says. “Karen and I look forward to it just as much as the women do.”

Support groups also provide an outlet for some who may not otherwise have an option that allows them to express how they’re feeling.

“Maybe they can’t share certain feelings with their family because they don’t want to upset them.” Thompson says. “They might not want to tell them things that they can share with other people outside their network.”

It’s not all bad

Fetter and Thompson are also trying to break the stereotype that support groups are just sitting in a circle and crying. Sure, emotional conversations happen. Group members can get sick or pass away. But there’s much more. Fetter says guest speakers swing by to teach things like exercising and mental health care. Group members share what’s going on in their lives, which sometimes leads to social outings together. Encouragement cards, crafts and high fives are common. And of course, everyone can bond over a good breakfast.

“We've made cards and sent them over to [service members]. We've sang over in the nursing home at Christmas time to elderly people,” Thompson says. “So we try to do things for other people to take away our problems.”

“I’ve made a lot a good friends,” Fetter says.

“Being alone is being alone,” Fetter adds. “You feel like you've got nobody to talk to. You get depressed. So when you come out [to a support group], you're hanging out with other friends. It lifts your spirits.”

Check with your health care provider or visit the OSF HealthCare list of events to see what support groups are offered near you.

Interview Clips - Kristi Fetter

Interview Clips - Heather Thompson

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