Gentle Path Welcomes New Director

Pine Grove is pleased to welcome Dr. Susan Campling as the Director of Gentle Path.

Dr. Campling has been a Registered Nurse since 1982, received her Masters of Clinical Psychology in 1998, and her Doctor of Clinical Psychology in 2003. She comes to Pine Grove from Keystone Center Extended Care Unit in Chester, PA where she has served as Director of the Residential program since 2002.

Dr. Campling has worked in the field of addiction for over 20 years. She has served on the faculty of Widner University Doctoral Program, as well as Alvernia College Department of Nursing. She is Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist – Supervisor, Certified Domestic Violence Counselor, Certified Sexual Offender Therapist and Administrator of Abel Assessment of Sexual Interest.

She has presented extensively on the topic of sexual addiction and trauma. We are pleased to have Dr. Campling on the Pine Grove Team. We provide a safe and secure environment where patients work together through many different tracks, programs, and courses to insure patients find the results and recovery they need. Specialized tracks include Impaired Licensed and Legal Programs, Dual Diagnosis/Multiple Addictions, Healthy Sexuality, and a Family Care Program.

Gentle Path is a Pine Grove program for those suffering from sexual addiction, relationship addiction, and sexual anorexia. Developed by Patrick Carnes, Ph.D., C.A.S., world-renowned speaker, and author on addiction. Dr. Carnes’ 30-task-model serves as the basic curriculum for treatment. The staff on-hand is multi-disciplinary and includes psychiatrists and addictionologists. The Gentle Path program consists of two components: A Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment and a Residential Treatment Program.

Visit http://www.pinegrovetreatment.com/ or call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673) for more information.

Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services in Hattiesburg, Mississippi is known as one of the nation’s most comprehensive treatment campuses. For over twenty five years Pine Grove has offered a continuum of services ranging from outpatient to inpatient and residential treatment for adults, children and adolescents suffering from psychiatric and addictive diseases. Specialized services include the treatment of addictions, eating disorders, and professionals struggling with interpersonal difficulties. The Pine Grove Mission is to be a leader in healing and changing lives by providing the highest quality behavioral health services.

Dr. Patrick Carnes' Book Club

My love of books really started with meeting Peggy Vikingson, our new librarian in the fourth grade. She had me read Stephen Meader’s Guns for the Saratoga, an adventure story about revolutionary times. It was my first adult book and I was surprised at how I loved it. Soon the whole Meader series was read and my relationship with Mrs. Vikingson blossomed into a lifetime friendship. It was a relationship I desperately needed. She guided my reading—and my life—through the eighth grade.

Reading voraciously was not well appreciated at home and the butt of family jokes and concerns about “living in the real world.” Truly I was the poster child for that research we are all familiar with about kids raised in traumatic circumstances. Those who find deep attachment outside the family can find the resilience to overcome the obstacles mounted in front of them. Mrs. Vikingson was one of the relationships that saved me. And the vehicle we had was talking about books. Those conversations led to talking about everything else. Even today I have some self-consciousness about how much I love to read and think about the writing of others. Some times the twenty some books I will have written by the end of this year seem presumptuous. The idea of inhabiting the world of the written world at times still presents echoes of those family rules about being “too educated.”

Some years back I took the risk of recording my thoughts of books not directly related to clinical matters. And we published them. People seemed to enjoy the comments which resulted in letters and some friendships. The staff suggested a monthly book club built around my response to recent books and how they might inform clinicians and be helpful to recovering people. I have agreed to try this format and look forward to the venture. However, I may periodically have to banish some ghosts of the past into their appropriate corners of residence.

Visit http://www.pinegrovetreatment.com/dr-carnes-bookclub.html or call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673) for more information.

Sexual addiction or normal sexual behavior?

Problematic sexual behavior does not necessarily mean that you are a sex addict. There are many other conditions and problems which can cause sexual behavior to get out of control. You might wonder if you have a sexual addiction when you actually have normal behavior. It may take some soul searching and professional help to decide if sex addiction is really the problem.

Sexual addiction comes in many different forms. There is no single type of behavior or even amount of behavior that will indicate you are a sexual addict. The problem is much more complex than can be explained in a few words and if you have been living the life of a sex addict, you know how difficult it is to describe what you are experiencing.

Three basic things to consider when you define sexual addiction are:

- Do I have a sense that I have lost control over whether or not I engage in my specific out-of-control sexual behavior?

- Am I experiencing significant consequences because of my specific out-of-control sexual behavior?

- Do I feel like I am constantly thinking about my specific out-of-control sexual behavior, even when I don't want to?

It is these three "hallmarks" that help to define the boundaries of sexual addiction and compulsivity. The range of behaviors can include masturbation and pornography through sexual exploitation of others. If the three questions are answered "yes," then you may want to seek further help to begin to sort out the complexities of your sexual behavior and find out for certain if sexual addiction is the best descriptor of your problem.

Visit http://www.pinegrovetreatment.com/ or call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673) for more information.

You may also visit http://www.sexhelp.com/addiction_tests.cfm for online assessments.

Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services in Hattiesburg, Mississippi is known as one of the nation’s most comprehensive treatment campuses. For over twenty five years Pine Grove has offered a continuum of services ranging from outpatient to inpatient and residential treatment for adults, children and adolescents suffering from psychiatric and addictive diseases. Specialized services include the treatment of addictions, eating disorders, and professionals struggling with interpersonal difficulties. The Pine Grove Mission is to be a leader in healing and changing lives by providing the highest quality behavioral health services.

Depression

Depression is a serious medical condition. In contrast to the normal emotional experiences of sadness, loss, or passing mood states, clinical depression is persistent and can interfere significantly with a person’s ability to function.

Types of Depression:

There are three main types of depressive disorders. However, within these types there are variations in the number of symptoms, their severity, and persistence.

Major Depression: Manifested by a combination of symptoms that interfere with the ability to work, study, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. This disabling type of depression may occur only once but more commonly occurs several times in a lifetime.

Dysthymia: A less severe type of depression, involves long term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep one from functioning well or from feeling good.

Bipolar Disorder: Also called manic-depressive illness. This disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes: severe highs (mania) and lows (depression).

Symptoms of Depression:

Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Severity of symptoms varies with individuals and varies over time. Some of the symptoms of depression include:

- Persistent sad, anxious, “empty mood”
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness/ helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed
- Decreased energy, fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia or oversleeping
- Appetite/weight changes
- Restlessness, irritability
- Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts

Treatment for Depression:

The first step to getting appropriate treatment is a physical exam by a physician. Some medications and some medical conditions can cause the same symptoms as depression, and the physician should rule out this possibility through an exam. If a physical cause is ruled out, a psychological evaluation should be done, by the physician or by referral to a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Treatment choice will depend on the outcome of the evaluation. There are a variety of antidepressant medications and therapies that can be used to treat depression. Depending on the severity of symptoms, the therapist may prescribe medication and/or one of the several forms of therapy that have been proven effective for depression.

Local mental health treatment facilities can also offer evaluations or assessments to help determine treatment needed for depression.

Visit http://www.pinegrovetreatment.com/ or call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673) for more information.

Warning Signs of Suicide

Suicide is a devastating act that almost always seems to friends and family members like a bolt from the blue. But people often give clues that they are thinking of suicide. Recognizing the warning signs of suicide could result in a life being saved.

Giving away cherished possession, making a will and being preoccupied with death are red flags for impending suicide. Furthermore, the old saying that people who talk about suicide don’t do it is simply not true. Often such talk is a cry for help before it’s too late.

Another warning sign of suicide is depression. Any of these changes could indicate depression:

- Feelings of hopelessness or helplessness
- Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
- Poor performance at work or school
- Poor concentration
- Withdrawal

Anyone who is depressed or has been depressed is at risk for suicide. Other risk factors include:

- Alcohol and drug use
- History of physical or sexual abuse
- Death of a friend or family member
- Previous suicide attempt
- End of a relationship

If you suspect someone is considering suicide, take the warning signs seriously! Don’t assume it will blow over. Share your concerns with someone who is a position to take charge or contact your local health professional.

Visit http://www.pinegrovetreatment.com/ or call 1-888-574-HOPE (4673) for more information.