Common Sense Mental Health

By Carlos Tejera, MD

This book is meant to help individuals navigate the day-to-day problems they face and learn how stress can impact how they cope with life and their mental health. The book describes various coping mechanisms people may develop from stress and intends to bring the conversation about mental health to the forefront of our day-to-day life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350907438

Book preview

_BK90078704.jpg

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO ALL WHO HAVE AND SUFFER FROM PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

COMMON SENSE MENTAL HEALTH

© 2023 CARLOS TEJERA, MD, DLFAPA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 979-8-35090-742-1 paperback

ISBN: 979-8-35090-743-8 ebook

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

1. MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

2. SELF ESTEEM

3. RELATIONSHIPS

4. COPING MECHANISMS

5. ANGER

6. WORK/RETIREMENT

7. BEREAVEMENT/GRIEF

CONCLUSION

TREATMENT SAYINGS

INTRODUCTION

My name is Dr. Carlos Tejera. I am a board-certified psychiatrist who has been in the field of psychiatry for thirty-seven years. I am also a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. I am in private practice and have been associated with two not-for-profit agencies throughout my career, the last one being the medical director of a not-for-profit agency in Queens, NY. I got the idea to write this book from seeing the toll that stress takes on people and noticing how poorly people are sometimes able to handle the challenges that life brings us all. Unfortunately, our society has become more stressful in the last twenty-three years. The millennial generation signaled a change in the degree of stress that people face. There are many reasons for this, and I will address some of them, but my focus in this book will be on trying to educate people and give them some coping mechanisms on how to better deal with the problems we face every day.

The worry about Y2K started to have people worrying that things would stop working, they would lose their money, or maybe even that planes would fall from the sky. People started to buy survival kits of food and water to last two to three years to prepare for the end. That never came. Then 9/11 happened and unhinged our society forever. We were no longer safe from being attacked by extremists. Some people stopped going to work in NYC, and others would no longer drive there or moved away to the suburbs or other states that were safe. Some executives started to buy parachutes in case we were attacked again. Then the Iraq War started in 2003. We went to war. Then the housing and the financial markets crashed in 2008. People started to lose their homes, then money got tight, and then new graduates could not get jobs. More and more, life became full of fear. Strange diseases like Ebola outbreaks started to spread, and fear increased that we would be contaminated here in the USA. Finally, our country shut down after the outbreak of COVID, and this paralyzed our society. Unfortunately, our political climate started to implode, and this has not helped anything the last several years as no one agrees on anything and is unwilling to compromise. The stress just grows and grows. All these events gradually build on each other and lead to more and more worries for everyone.

Most of the ideas presented here come from my development of techniques to help people cope that I have treated over the years. Some ideas are taken from other sources that we are all familiar with. I call most of the ideas I have developed common-sense psychiatry or practical psychiatry.

It is my expectation that once you have read this book, you will feel somewhat empowered and better able to deal with the stress faced every day in life, which will allow you to be a healthier individual.

CHAPTER 1

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

The most important thing in life is your health. Without it, you cannot do anything.

What is the most important thing in your life? Is it your kids? Is it your parents? Is it your property? It is your health! Without your health, you do not have anything, and you cannot do anything. It can be your physical health or your mental health. You need both to be able to deal with the day-to-day rigors that life challenges us with. Your mental stamina is very important to help deal with the stress of the day or life in general. Remember, the question is not, Are the problems going to come? The question is, WHEN are the problems going to come? If you are