We’ve come a long way baby when it comes to the subject of mental illness (to use a dated but still relevant expression). In 2016, with extraordinary advances in knowledge and treatments regarding all types of mental illness, consumers can live normal, abundant lives despite their diagnosis. A local psychologist is keen to deliver the good news.
Anyone meeting Dr. Eric Ochs takes to him immediately. His easy charm and sharp wit belie an analytical and astute professional behind the quick smile. A local psychologist, Dr. Ochs has over 10 years’ experience in providing expert mental health care to adults with anxiety disorders, depression and ADHD/ADD.
According to the World Health Organization, “depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.” Dr. Ochs concurs: “Depression is the most common mental health issue in the world today.” He specializes in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), an umbrella term for a range of treatments founded on the premise that what we think and believe influences our emotional life and how we behave.
“A good deal of evidence has accrued over the years to show that using CBT interventions will change the progression of anxiety and depression. CBT was first developed to treat depression and was quickly shown to be much more effective than past attempts to manage it. Depression affects many aspects of physiology and cognition, and so perhaps not surprisingly, CBT, with its focus on both behavioural and cognitive intervention, has proven very effective at managing depression,” says the affable doctor.
One by-product of our overloaded, multi-tasked, stressful lives is anxiety. Even with full-blown diagnosed disorders, Dr. Ochs has encouraging news: “Many anxiety conditions are getting easier to treat, either with medications, or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques, or both. We can talk about curing panic disorders and some specific phobias, and we can successfully manage many other anxiety conditions.”
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was long thought to be intractable and untreatable, but modern therapies are giving people back their health and lives. “I have a particular interest in working with clients who experience obsessive compulsive disorder,” says Dr. Ochs. His message is hopeful: If a client is able to learn and implement techniques based on CBT, “a 50 per cent reduction of symptom intensity is expected to occur. This makes a huge difference in quality of life. In the past, less was known about the nature of OCD and how to treat it. These days, a number of paths to improved functioning are available to clients with OCD.”
Our quality of life and sense of well-being can be affected by negative messages about ourselves and the world around us that play on a repetitive loop in our heads. The compelling feature of CBT is that it teaches people to change their way of thinking; one strategy is to challenge those subjective and biased judgments we conjure up in our minds. Everyone can benefit: “CBT techniques, such as questioning our own beliefs, are good tools anyone with or without any specific mental health condition can apply to improve their own lives. Our emotions tend to follow from what we believe is happening. Practising curiosity and exploring alternate explanations for events opens us up to many options in life. Flexibility in thinking about and responding to events are the hallmarks of good health and are great coping mechanisms with difficulties and challenges.”
As people age and experience losses in their lives, they can become more susceptible to depression and other mental health problems.
“The best advice I’ve heard is: ‘use it or lose it.’ This means keeping physically active, mentally active, socially engaged, pursuing meaningful activity in life, and doing the best self-care that is feasible. Check out the world of positive psychology to see what psychological insights and methods might improve your quality of life.”
In 2012, I attended the Together Against Stigma – Changing How We See Mental Illness conference in Ottawa, sponsored by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. We were all mesmerized by media legend Lloyd Robertson, who gave a poignant and raw account of his late mother’s battle with mental illness. Born a century ago, when treatment was non-existent, her story has no happy ending. Fast forward to the millennium and we are truly fortunate that modern state-of-the-art knowledge of and treatments for mental illness have transformed people’s lives, giving them hope for the first time.
Doreen Marion Gee is a local award-winning writer, visual artist and social activist. She was a finalist in the 2012 Victoria Leadership Awards for her work in the community promoting respect and inclusion for people with mental illnesses.