The term “eating disorder” carries stigma and many stereotypes in society. When someone hears the term, they often think of a white adolescent girl, bone thin, with ribs sticking out of her sides and a feeding tube up her nose. This extreme example represents an immensely small population of a large group of people struggling every day with something so many take for granted: eating.
The general public vastly misunderstands eating disorders. When thinking of eating disorders, most think of two types, the one where extremely underweight people do not eat, and the one where people make themselves vomit after every meal. Some may think in both scenarios people choose to engage in those behaviors which means they should simply stop when they want to. However, people with anorexia cannot “just eat,” people with bulimia cannot “just stop,” and it is not “just a phase.” Many believe in an eating disorder “look” as in a person with anorexia must be underweight and a “normal sized” person cannot possibly struggle with an eating disorder. People with eating disorders do not check boxes and they do not fall neatly into diagnostic looks or criteria. Eating disorders, despite popular belief are not about the food, but rather a complex interplay of many different insecurities and worries all channeled into food.
Eating disorders do not only affect models, they affect a large number of people, yet the public directs so little attention to them which only causes a perpetuation of misconceptions. Despite a general need for a greater understanding about eating disorders, they receive so little time, energy or money. This keeps stigma going which leads to adverse effects such as “more marked eating disorder symptoms, a longer duration of illness, lower self ‐ esteem, and greater self ‐ stigma of seeking psychological help.” (Griffiths para. 34) Eating disorders remain incredibly underfunded for research and other prevention strategies, thus creating ongoing misunderstandings. Government funding for eating disorders remains incredibly low compared to other issues “not as pervasive nor as fatal as eating disorders.” (Ekren para 3) The US government funds only 28 million dollars a year to eating disorder research which works out to about 93 cents for each person diagnosed with an eating disorder in America (Ekern para 3). This is compared to alcoholism which receives 505 million dollars, schizophrenia with 352 million, depression with 328 million and sleep disorders with 187 million (Ekern para 4). The funding statistics beg the question: why is something which needs so many resources continuing to receive so few? Currently, despite their prevalence in American society, people remain ignorant to the problem of eating disorders, spreading distorted ideas and beliefs. Increasing funding for eating disorder research into causes, education and best prevention strategies potentially greatly benefits America. The Pennsylvanian Department of Health should take measures to combat this problem and contribute to research initiatives by creating an eating disorder research grant given to the PA Health Research Office.
Thesis: Currently there is a devastating lack of funding for research on eating disorders despite their prevalence. The Pennsylvanian Department of Health should help to combat this problem by increasing their funding for eating disorder research through grants given to the PA Health Research Office
Solution Section:
A way to start to combat eating disorders in America is to increase funding for eating disorder research. As previously stated, eating disorders are severely underfunded in America, yet are such a prevalent and pervasive problem, affecting people of all ages. An increase in research could help find more concreate causes of eating disorders and work to figure out the most effective ways to treat them. Research on eating disorders could also focus on finding the most successful intervention methods, and the best ways to education children, and the public at large about the problems at hand. Researching things like early warning signs would help medical professionals have the tool to intervene early and effectively
When looking at funding and how to best support those with eating disorders, an issue comes in where the funding can and should come from, and the best place that it should be channeled. When looking on the national scale, it is apparent the national government has taken little care to learn more about eating disorders based on their incredible lack of funding. Therefore, the best way for eating disorders to get the funding for research, prevention and education would be to go to a state-by-state basis and take a more local government funding approach. A local approach would be done by taking state money and creating grants that would go to mental health research and specifically eating disorder research.
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania is in a unique position to become trailblazers in eating disorder funding and research. For one, the Health Secretary of Pennsylvania has a unique background and interest in eating disorders that put her in a perfect situation to being to raise funding and awareness. Before becoming Health Secretary, Rachel Levine founded the Penn State Hershey Adolescent Eating Disorder Program. She has an extensive background in treating eating disorder and carried this interest into her current role in the Pennsylvania government. In 2018, “as part of the commonwealth’s commitment to raising awareness of eating disorders,” Governor Tom Wolf signed a proclamation declaring an official eating disorder week in Pennsylvania (Wolf Administration Discusses Impacts of Eating Disorders para. 3). In the years that followed, Dr. Levine joined with legislative and eating disorder advocates to emphasize the need for resources and support. In 2020, Governor Wolf showed his support for those with mental illness once again when he launched “a multi-agency effort and anti-stigma campaign, Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters, aimed at expanding resources and overall support of mental health and related health care priorities.” (Department of Health Urges Awareness para. 6)
Pennsylvania currently ranks fifth in the country for mental health funding with 287.17 dollars given per capita per year (Sawe para. 5). Pennsylvania’s past allocation of resources indicate a willingness to fund mental health initiatives, and thus directing funding to eating disorder support would be feasible and understandable in this state setting. A state level approach to gaining funding for eating disorder support and research is the best way to start to develop a more national approach to treating eating disorders.
The best way for the state to begin to direct funds for eating disorder research and support would be through state grants in the Department of Health in their Health Research Office. The function of this office is to receive health-related grants from the state, and to carry out the research directives from these grants. A grant from the state for an eating disorder research project in the PA Health Research Office would be the best way Pennsylvania and its leadership could take their interest in this subject and begin to create concreate change in this field. This state funded research project would likely aim to learn more about the causes of eating disorder, but also aim to gain insight in the best preventative measures. By looking at not just cause, but also the measures that can affect outcomes of eating disorders, this project can begin to outline procedures and interventions governments and states can make in preventing these diseases. Any project resulting from this grant should aim to provide details for the state in how to intervene and support those with eating disorders and those at greatest risk.
There still may be questions over the effectiveness of a state approach to funding rather than a national approach. Some believe the recent attention the federal government has given to eating disorders may indicate a national approach as more effective. Congress recently introduced the SERVE Act which “to provide for eating disorders treatment for members and certain former members of the uniformed services, and dependents of such members,” (SERVE Act para. 1) and the LIVE Well Act which “to include eating disorders prevention within the nutrition education and obesity prevention grant program and the local wellness program” (LIVE Well Act para. 2). These two bills, however, do not prove a new dedication of the national government to eating disorders. These bills have yet to make it to the floor of the house and are very unlikely to make it there. When it comes to the national government, most major attempts to bring change to eating disorder awareness and practices have been ineffective, thus strengthening the case for a more localized approach.
If Pennsylvania would expand its demonstrated interest in finding and providing resources for mental health awareness and resources into a more specific eating disorder research initiative, they could become a model for other states around the country. If Pennsylvania were to take the steps to allocate money, more specifically to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, overseen by Dr. Levine, they could demonstrate to other states a process and procedure to create and implement funding and resources. If done in a way that demonstrates significant results, other states may see the need to take similar steps and fund eating disorder research and other preventative measures, thus spreading the awareness to a much greater region than just Pennsylvania. It would only take one state to create a funding blueprint for other states to do the same.
Works Cited
United States, Congress, “SERVE Act.” Congress.gov, 2019. http://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2767.
United States, Congress, “LIVE Well Act.” Congress.gov, 2019. http://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2625.
Warren, Perry S. “Co-Sponsorship – Eating Disorder Parental Education Legislation.” The Official Website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly., Legislative Data Processing Center, 10 Jan. 2017, http://www.legis.state.pa.us//cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20170&cosponId=21951.
Sawe, Benjamin Elisha. “States Who Spend the Most on Mental Health Funding.” WorldAtlas, Aug. 1, 2017, worldatlas.com/articles/states-who-spend-the-most-on-mental-health-funding.html.
“Wolf Administration Discusses Impacts of Eating Disorders.” Pennsylvania Pressroom, PA Press Office , 27 Feb. 2018, https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Health-Details.aspx?newsid=480.
“Department of Health Urges Awareness.” Pennsylvania Pressroom, PA Press Office , 25 Feb. 2020, https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/Health-Details.aspx?newsid=722.
For my advocacy project, I would like to continue my subject matter from my issue brief and focus on eating disorders in America. The advocacy organization I could hypothetically partner with could be the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA). NEDA is a major eating disorder resource in the United States and is constantly working to spread awareness of and resources for eating disorders. The exigence for this organization is clear with how prevalent eating disorders are in America, and how deadly eating disorders are. NEDA’s audience is people currently struggling with eating disorders and their families as they provide both education and resources. Other audiences include people who have recovered, medical professionals, mental health professionals, and lawmakers. Overall, they target anyone affected by eating disorder, or those who can impact change in the community. NEDA’s biggest constraints to their advocacy would most likely be funding, and the ability to reduce stigma that is so engrained in society.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Here is a post from the NEDA blog:
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/blog/you-didnt-choose-and-you-didnt-fail
While today almost everyone has heard of eating disorders, not too long-ago eating disorders remained relatively unknown and were not discussed in the way they are now. The death of Karen Carpenter in 1983 at the age of 32 from heart failure resulting from her battle with anorexia marked a huge turning point in the public discussion. Her death “raised public awareness of eating disorders, which had until then been little publicized or understood” (Latson para. 3). Karen Carpenter was part of a generation that idolized people like Twiggy, and she, like many other women at the time, was obsessed with the idea of looking bone thin. By many accounts, Carpenter was the first celebrity to die as a result of an eating disorder, but her death led to many other celebrities to come forward about their struggles. This most notably included Princess Diana and her struggles with bulimia.
Carpenter’s death not only brought eating disorders into the limelight on a social front, but on a medical front as well. After her death, significant steps were taken in the medical community to eliminate dangerous diet pills that were reportedly used by Carpenter. After her death, “a group of doctors and therapists who specialized in treating eating disorders lobbied the Food and Drug Administration to ban over-the-counter sales of the vomit-inducing drug ipecac” (Latson para. 4). It was reported that many women across America were using this pill to purge and lose weight. The pill had dangerous side effects, such as weakening the heart.
Society is now in a place where the term “eating disorder” is more widely known and acknowledge, but the question remains: what is an eating disorder? The answer is not so simple, in fact there are many different types and kinds of eating disorders. The most widely known is anorexia nervosa which is characterized by “weight loss; difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and in many individuals distorted body image.” (Anorexia Nervosa para. 1) People with anorexia typically restrict their caloric intake, while some may also exercise compulsive, purge and/or binge eat. Another widely known eating disorder is bulimia nervosa characterized by “a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self- induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating” (Bulimia Nervosa). The most common eating disorder in the United States is binge eating disorder (BED) and is similar to bulimia in that a person will eat large quantities of food to the point of discomfort and feel a sense of loss of control and shame but do not “regularly use unhealthy compensatory behaviors” (Binge Eating Disorder).
Many people do not realize there are many more clinically significant eating disorders other than anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder. Many of the other eating disorders are diagnostically new, meaning they may have existed for a long time, but did not have diagnostic criteria. One example of this is orthorexia which was coined in 1998 and is an “obsession with proper or ‘healthful’ eating” (Orthorexia). It is the fixation on what one is eating rather than the quantity of what they are eating. Another example is Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) which is similar to anorexia in that a person limits the amount of food they eat, but it does not “involve any distress about body shape or size, or fears of fatness” (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). Others include Pica (eating items that are not food), Rumination Disorder (chewing and spitting food), laxative abuse, compulsive exercise, and EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). Not only does the term “eating disorder” cover a wide range of diagnoses, within each of these is a diverse group of cases and people.
There are an estimated eight million Americans that have an eating disorder listed above (South Carolina Department of Mental Health). If someone walked into a room with 200 women in it, one woman in there would have anorexia, six of them would have bulimia and nearly half of the people would personally know someone with an eating disorder (South Carolina Department of Mental Health). Anorexia is also the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents (South Carolina Department of Mental Health). The mere prevalence of eating disorder is shocking, yet quite unknown to the greater population. They also have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness with around one person dying every hour from complications of an eating disorder (Eating Disorder Facts and Statistics). While all these statistics pertaining to eating disorders are quite upsetting, possibly the most upsetting fact is that only one in ten people with an eating disorder receive treatment (South Carolina Department of Mental Health). Those who do receive treatment face immensely high bills and often do not receive insurance coverage for their care.
Despite the fact eating disorders are talked about more now in society than they ever have been, there is still a need for more progress. For the last almost four decades, eating disorders have been a major heath issue in this country, but they remain severely underfunded and underacknowledged by both people and the government. Eating disorders are just as valid as any other health issues and deserve the same amount of attention as other conditions. Our nation is in desperate need for funding to increase education, discussion and research on eating disorders.
Latson, Jennifer. “Karen Carpenter: How Did She Die?” Time, Time, 29 Dec. 2016, time.com/3685894/karen-carpenter-anorexia-death/.
“Anorexia Nervosa.” National Eating Disorders Association, 28 Feb. 2018, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/anorexia.
“Bulimia Nervosa.” National Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/bulimia.
“Binge Eating Disorder.” National Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/bed.
“Orthorexia.” National Eating Disorders Association, 13 Dec. 2019, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia.
“Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).” National Eating Disorders Association, 22 Feb. 2018, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/arfid.
South Carolina Department of Mental Health. “South Carolina Department of Mental Health.” Eating Disorder Statistics, http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm.
“Eating Disorder Facts & Statistics.” Eating Disorder Facts & Eating Disorder Statistics | Eating Recovery Center, http://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/conditions/eating-disorders/facts-statistics.
Ekern, Baxter. “Funding for Eating Disorder Professionals Seeking to Do Research.” Eating Disorder Hope, 25 July 2015, http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/funding-for-eating-disorder-professionals-seeking-to-do-research.
The issue:
Many people across America have heard the term “eating disorder,” but not many people know what this means or what kind of problems this community faces. Eating disorders are much more common than many realize. Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents (Eating Disorder Facts and Statistics para. 1). In addition, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other mental illness with around one person dying every hour as a result of an eating disorder (Eating Disorder Facts and Statistics para. 1). One of the most striking things about eating disorders and their treatment is that over 70% of those who could be clinically diagnosed with eating disorders will never seek professional treatment because of stigmas, misconceptions and an overall lack of education (Eating Disorder Facts and Statistics para. 1). The public is generally unaware of such startling statistics, or of the overall prevalence of eating disorders in society. This additionally means most people are not aware of the need for research on eating disorders to better diagnose and treat those afflicted and educate the public. There is clear need to accelerate research in this field as the “causes, risk factors, brain changes and other biological abnormalities in eating disorders is unclear” (Research para. 1). If more research can be done on this topic eating disorders may become preventable and recoverable
Causes:
The cause of this lack of research leading to inadequate education, diagnosis and treatment has an inadvertent cause. Society is unaware that eating disorders are a big issue and require more research. Our society still knows very little about eating disorders as it was not until 1983 when Karen Carpenter died from anorexia that it became something people even talked about (Ekern para 1). Much of the inadvertent cause comes from the fact that government funding for eating disorders is incredibly low compared to other issues that are “not as pervasive nor as fatal as eating disorders.” (Ekren para 3) The US government funds only 28 million dollars a year to eating disorder research which is about 93 cents for each person diagnosed with an eating disorder (Ekern para 3). This is compared to alcoholism which receives 505 million dollars, schizophrenia with 352 million, depression with 328 million and sleep disorders with 187 million (Ekern para 4).
Policy instruments:
A policy instrument that would be used to increase the funding for eating disorder research would be inducements in the form of increased pubic funding. While it would be nice to think that the federal government would increase their funding for such topics, it is also widely known that this may be a difficult institution to target for increased funding. Breaking it down to a state-by-state basis and having states provide an increase in funding would be much more effective. One of the reasons why targeting states may be more effective, especially in Pennsylvania, is that there is more of an interest in the subject. In Pennsylvania, the Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, previously worked as chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital (University of the Sciences para. 6). This unique circumstance of Pennsylvania’s leadership makes the state government an ideal place to direct funding incentives. Institutions such as the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) have been directing their advocacy projects towards state and federal governments to attempt an increase in funding for research.
Works cited:
Ekern, Baxter. “Funding for Eating Disorder Professionals Seeking to Do Research.” Eating Disorder Hope, 25 July 2015, http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/blog/funding-for-eating-disorder-professionals-seeking-to-do-research.
“Eating Disorder Facts & Statistics.” Eating Disorder Facts & Eating Disorder Statistics | Eating Recovery Center, http://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/conditions/eating-disorders/facts-statistics.
“Research.” FREED, 20 Feb. 2018, http://www.freedeatingdisorders.org/research/.
“Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine to Address 2019 Graduates at Commencement.” University of the Sciences, 1 Apr. 2019, http://www.usciences.edu/news/2019/secretary-of-health-dr-rachel-levine-to-address-2019-graduates-at-commencement.html.
As I sit and write this post, I could not think of a better time to be writing a blog about stress than right now. Currently we are sitting right in the middle of a global pandemic, and the whole world is under a state of constant stress. Every single person has been affected by the pandemic and the impact is has had on the world. Each and every person’s lives have been turned completely upside down. Whether this means they are now working at home, or have been sent home from school, or some have even lost their jobs and are facing the possibility of also losing the homes too. It is not an over exaggeration when I write that no person is calm right now.
That is ok.
It is ok to be stressed. It is ok to feel upset, angry, confused or any of the other things you may be feeling. In uncertain times, you cannot help how your body and mind respond, but you can affect the actions you take in responding to the challenges. You can rise up to the occasion, and show that this thing, and these events do not define you. We can become one as a society and show we are all in this together, and as we do, we can slowly ease each other’s stress and the stress of the world.
So in in the times where it seems like there is nothing you can possibly do besides sit, stare at the wall, and feel sorry that you are not where you want to be, what can you do to ease this overwhelming sense of stress? One thing that I have picked up and have found very helpful has been yoga. For a long time, I HATED yoga and the idea of being still in the way that yoga forces you to be. However, when things started going really south with the Coronavirus and I could physically feel the stress coursing through my body, I knew I needed a physical release and yoga was just the thing. I found a YouTube channel with hundreds of at home yoga tutorials that are simple and not too complex. I have dedicated myself to doing yoga each day, and I now look forward to my daily yoga practice. Since everything is closed and there is really no where to go, the best way I have found to get out of the house has been going for walks. The weather for the most part has been really nice, and it is always good to go out and get some fresh air. In order to get the most out of my walks, I try to be really mindful, and pay attention to the things and sights around me as I walk. I also try to fill my time with art, including adult coloring books and other projects to keep my mind off of the stress that is around me.
If there has ever been a time to use the stress relief techniques of this blog it is now. This situation will not last forever, although it may seem like that now. Be proactive and take steps to reduce your stress before the stress gets the best of you.
Stay safe. Stay heathy. Stay relaxed.
I do not really know where to start this post. It is hard to pick one place to start talking about the Coronavirus. The sheer size of this pandemic and its effects are astonishing. It has almost seemed like a domino effect around the world. The effects of the virus are seen not just in the medical field and the overwhelming rate of cases hospitals and medical facilities must deal with, but also in many social aspects. One of the scariest domino effects of the virus is the toll it is taking on the global economy. The stock market is crumbling, and businesses are falling under. Even once the virus clears up, the economic downfall will be felt for a long time.
Every single person in this country has had their lives turned upside down. It is very upsetting to know that I will not being going back to school this semester, and I will have to move out of my dorm in the next few days. I do know, however, there were people whose lives took much more drastic turns than my own. I feel for the people who were supposed to get married in the next few weeks as many of them have had to cancel their weddings. I also feel for the people who are seniors in high school and college because many graduations and other events have been cancelled.
I am still trying to process it all. It is very hard to process as everything changes so rapidly all the time. It seems like I wrap my head around one development, either personal or national, and a new one comes right along seemingly turning my life, and the lives around me upside-down all over again.
I hope anyone reading this is safe, healthy and keeping busy.
Deliberation: Ex- Con and Moving’ On- The Reintegration of Prisoners Back into Society (Monday 3/2)
The topic of this deliberation was all about the issues surrounding the reintegration of prisoners once they leave jail. It looked at some of the biggest problems this population faces and what can be done to remedy these problems. The first approach looked at the process toward release and how to better prepare prisoners for the actual departure from the jail. One of the most interesting things I think this approach suggested was tattoo removal before release. This was something I had never really considered important until it was suggested in the deliberation. Tattoos often carry a certain stigma with them, and removal before prisoners are released could significantly assist in reintegration. The second approach looked at professional development. This is something immensely important to the process of reintegration. I had heard of programs like what this approach was suggesting, but what I found particularly interesting about this approach was continued assistance after release as opposed to just before release. I feel as this is a great suggestion to help support prisoners in finding and keeping work after release. The last approach discussed housing for convicted criminals upon release. They talked about halfway houses, and how vital they are for ensuring lower recidivism rates. They suggested expanding halfway houses and creating more to help a greater number of prisoners upon their release.
Overall, I found the deliberation to be run smoothly and the approaches flowed and fit together very well. There were a few interesting differences from my deliberation I found in the structure and layout of the event. First, I found it interesting that the moderators in team overview created a strict set of ground rules about how the event would be run and how things would and would not be discussed. I felt as if laying out the rules like this was overly formal and more less of an uncomfortable way to start the deliberation. Something else I found that was strange about the introduction was the way they had everyone go around the room and tell their name, position (student, employee, town member etc.) and their “person stake” in the issue. I thought this was incredibly uncomfortable as for the most part all the people there were students who had little to no personal stake in the issue. Additionally, there were a lot of attendees to the deliberation so introductions took up a lot of time that could have been used for discussion later down the road.
Something I did really like about the setup of this deliberation was that they had all the chairs set up in a large circle around the room. I felt as if this gave the event more of a conversational feel and less of a presentation feel that my deliberation had. Being in a circle made it easier to talk with people rather than talk at them. It made the event feel more relaxed and less stiff and formal. Another thing I really liked about this deliberation was the pro- con format the approaches had with their discussion. They introduced their ideas and then asked questions strictly about the pros and cons of their approach. I think this really helped keep the discussion on track with the approach and not veer off topic. At first, I was not a fan of such a strict format, but as the deliberation progressed, I really liked how efficient it was in discussing the topics.
When you are in those moments of deep stress what do you do? For me, one of the first things I do is go right into Spotify and turn on some music. This usually really helps improve my mood, so I wondered, can stress really be managed, in a broader sense, by music?
As I suspected, listening to music does have a relaxing effect on both our minds and bodies. Music can and often does act as a powerful technique to help manage stress. Music is a type of meditative tool as it absorbs your attention, distracting from whatever is causing stress in that moment. As it distracts from this stress it can help the mind from wandering and instead reach a deeper meditative state. The ability to take one’s mind off of distractions by any means allows one to explore their emotions or other thoughts. Often times when people are incredibly stressed, they actually avoid music because they may feel it is a waste of time or distracting. Studies have actually proven productivity increases and stress is reduced when people put on music.
One prominent study was done at McGill University and found that listening to music not only helped to reduce participant’s stress, but also improved immune system functioning. It was also found that it was more effective than prescription medications at reducing certain participant’s anxiety before surgery. They found that listening to music increased the production of immunoglobulin A which helps with the body’s immunity. Listening to music also reduced the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone in the body. Science continually backs this idea of using music to reduce stress, as many other studies have come to similar conclusions.
Initially when I thought about the relationship between music and stress, I only really thought about what the effects would be from listening to music. However, I also found there are significant benefits from making music as well. Researchers have stated that playing a musical instrument can also switch off the stress response in the body and can improve both physical and emotional health. The way it works is when the we undergoes stress, a chain reaction in the body occurs, switching genes in the cells to make chemicals as a response. Research has found playing music actually sets off an opposite chain reaction that switches off the genes again.
Recreational music making is the best type to experience this phenomenon. In a recreational setting we often feel the most comfortable rather than in a more professional music-making setting. There are multiple studies that have shown the benefits to recreational music making in many different at-risk groups, but researchers caution that one should not think to the actual music as a sort of “end product” but rather a tool to calm down. This is a good takeaway, especially for those who many not think of themselves as “musical.” Rather than sitting down and trying to learn a totally new instrument, try just messing around on a digital keyboard for a few minutes for a similar effect. Making music very well may turn out to be the stress relief technique we were all looking for.
https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/how-making-music-reduces-stress#2
https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/
https://blogs.psychcentral.com/nlp/2015/04/5-scientific-studies-the-prove-music-decreases-stress-and-promotes-healing/
When you think about the foster care system, you think about the kids. While the system is very obviously about the children, it is also very much about those who support the children: the foster parents. The retention of parents and foster families is a massive problem for the system. The turnover rate for foster care parents ranges from 30 to 50% each year, according to Foster Focus. This means almost half of all foster parents make the decision to no longer open their homes to a child in need. This fact combined with the increasing number of children entering the system, leaves a huge shortage of available homes for the children.
A big question is: why? Why are parents not staying in the system? Why are they choosing to drop out? The answers range based on the situation, but there is one constant. According to Foster Focus, 80% of foster parents who took place in a survey claimed they experienced feelings of grief and loss after a child from foster care transitioned out of their home. It is important to examine where these feelings come from and the underlying basis of these feelings of loss. For many foster parents, the sudden departure of a child can leave feelings of shock and may leave the family confused. They may feel angry or disappointed with the system especially if they feel removal of the child from their home or reunification with the birth family is not in the best interest of the child.
According to a study by Lois Urquhart, foster parents who are “’unprepared or unsupported for the separation and loss experience [are] considered foster parents at risk’ of leaving foster care.” Foster parents who feel unsupported by the system upon the departure of a child from their home are the most likely to be frustrated by the feelings of grief and loss. Only 33% of foster parents said they had enough training or support in the area of dealing with feelings of loss. This number is dramatically small especially when considering the emotional task foster care places on parents. It leaves many questions over what can be done to improve the system and keep foster parents going.
A big improvement has been seen in a campaign called CHAMPS. According to the Brookings Institution’s Center on Children and Families, it “helps states deliver better outcomes for children through improved foster parent recruitment and retention.” The CHAMPS campaign was introduced at a 2019 convention that focused on the best practices for dealing with common challenges in foster care and outlined the key drivers for better outcomes. They key drivers were compiled and are as followed: child-centered, data-driven and informed by continuous quality improvement, governed by multi-level agency leadership, collaborative and transparent within the agency and with families, reflective of youth and parent voice and sustainable. The CHAMPS collaborative and comprehensive approach is aimed at achieving and sustaining recruitment and retention of foster parents with the idea that the best way to help the children in the system is to have parents who are enthusiastic and involved. The hope with the CHAMPS campaign is to inform state policy makers and influence change at a large level to improve the well being of both the children and parents in the system.