Dr. Mindy Fullilove, Social Psychiatrist. Picture:YouTube
Dr. Mindy Fullilove, renowned scholar and social psychiatrist, provides us with an understanding of what has seemed to be a mystery. Why are blacks getting eased out of projects, low and middle income housing, formerly stable neighborhoods where we thrived, educated our children, formed generational relationships and established our identities? And how? Fullilove illuminates the present and the past. Through that light we can perhaps see into the future. Her books are instructive: ” Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It” is one of her six books and many articles on this phenomenon. The most recent, “Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy In America’s Sorted-Out Cities” goes further to provide simple steps that we can take to repair the psychological damage that uprooting causes.
The psychological impact of displacement trauma is identifield in Root Shock with a pattern of “sorting out” shown to be the result of moving people into tighter, more finely discriminated groups – much akin to segregation – but determined by race, class, income, education and perhaps violence. In Urban Alchemy, this sorting out is examined through the lens of what to do about it:a solutions that each of us can employ to help protect those places we care about or ease the effects of displacement so that in addition to losing our more immediate heritage, we are able to repair broken ties and create new ones. In doing this we can enrich our communities despite the clear patterns of disruption of urban areas.
What would make a young mother want to kill her children? That was the big question when this near tragic event first occurred. There were rumors that there had been domestic violence, that for some reasons she didn’t want her husband near her children. More recent reports from CNN state that Ebony Wilkerson had suffered a number of traumatic events, and all at the time that she was going through the major emotional and physical changes that pregnancy causes many women.
#1. Ms. Wilkerson had reportedly been raped prior to becoming suicidal, while she was pregnant.
#2. Ms. Wilkerson had been the victim of domestic abuse. Her sister reported that the violent husband had held a knife to her throat when she attempted to help her sister whom he had attempted to strangle.
The young mother may have thought she could drown her fears
Currently being held on $1.2 million bond and charged with three counts of attempted murder, the 32 year old mother, Ebony Wilkerson, who drove her children into the ocean near Daytona Beach, FL on March 4, 2013, is suspected of suffering from a mental illness. Now, normally, someone suffering from an illness is hospitalized and treated with medication, etc. and apparently, she had checked herself out of a hospital just before leaving her sister’s home and heading to the beach. Her sister had called 911 to say that she was worried since Ebony had spoken of feeling that there were “demons” in the sister’s home, causing her to leave.
Police had then stopped her while driving with her children, ages, 10, 9 and 3 and questioned her briefly, but felt that she answered questions appropriately and that she did not meet the criteria necessary to detain her for mental health reasons. It was said that Mrs. Wilkerson was fleeing her husband whom she felt was dangerous to her children. Reports have stated that Mrs. Wilkerson was pregnant.
Fish oil from arctic fish might be your & your child’s “bestest” friend. Odorless capsules now make it much easier to take. Seems like the old folks with their cod liver oil were truly wise.
Are children lacking the essential elements for a well nourished brain more susceptible to bad behavior?
A number of studies show a link between violent behavior in some individuals and their levels of DHA, an essential fatty acid. EFAs, or essential fatty acids are required by the brain in order for it to function well.
The body does not manufacture its own EFAs and so we have to obtain them from the outside, from what we eat. One type, ALA, alpha linolenic acid, comes from vegetable sources like flax seed and walnuts and some vegetable oils. The body only partially converts ALA into DHA and EPA. Fatty cold water fish provide a direct source of EPA and DHA, allowing more DHA to get into the body.
According to Dr. Frank Sacks, Professor of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at Harvard University School of Public Health, Omega 3 fatty acids protect from heart attack and stroke as well as against autoimmune disorders and in building the membranes of brain cells.
The ratio of EFA choices is important
The EFA that most Americans get a lot of is Omega – 6. It comes from animal (meat) sources. Compared to our ancestors, we are getting between 16 times more Omega -6 for each serving of Omega-3 than we did before the last 50 years or before we began eating so much processed food. We are getting far less DHA or Omega- 3 that comes from fish oil or krill( non-fish plankton) oil sources. It is the ratio of Omega- 3 to Omega – 6 levels that are important as well as the need to eat a moderate amount of each. A diet of 4 servings of Omega 3s to one serving of Omega 6 is considered ideal. So one would have 3 servings of cold water fish, and 2 or 3 servings of walnuts, flax seeds (1 or 2 tablespoons) or cold pressed organic vegetable oil each week. (See the Food section in the coming months for some super good ways to meet these brain needs.)
Low DHA levels were found in boys with impulsive behavior and later alcohol dependency
In observational studies done by Hibbeln et al. 1998a, 1998b it was suggested that low plasma DHA levels may increase the predisposition of some people to impulsive or violent behavior. This was seen especially in boys who become alcohol dependent before the age of 20. This suggest that they are probably attempting to self medicate with alcohol.
Raising DHA reduced stress levels
In another study done by Hamazaki et al. 1996, students taking DHA during periods of academic stress did not show the same rise in aggressive behavior exhibited by their peers who did not take DHA. This indicates that supplementing what the brain is missing to function normally and activate self control allows the body to calm itself naturally. Supplementation with omega-3 EFAs, vitamins and minerals were found to reduce violent behavior in prison populations by an average of 35% (Gesch et al. 2002). The results of this study and others which achieved similar results implies readily available solutions for communities where nutritional needs are not met and child behavior and learning are below potential.
High meat intake associated with violent behavior
A diet high in meat may cause an imbalance of essential fatty acids which are essential to brain health. Low levels of essential fatty acids (EFAs) are associated with a number of brain health problems such as depression, anxiety, dementia, multiple sclerosis (MS) and ADHD. In children low DHA levels are associated with ADD, ADHD, behavior problems, sleep problems and distractibility. We can improve behavior and learning by supplementing our children’s diets with a high quality fish oil (wild arctic salmon or cod) supplement.
In supplementing with fish oils, care should be taken to obtain the highest quality fish oil supplement by looking for those that are free of toxins and made from wild caught Arctic fish. (See VitalChoice.org for more info or see our FooD section in the coming weeks.)
This generation of the “squished”, that is, those folks who are caught between aging parents and young adult children is having a hard time. Their retirement savings were dealt a tough blow by the recession, their homes lost value, and many of their successful adult children’s mortgages went “belly up”. Just when they thought things were sailing along, they found themselves in deep water and struggling to keep their children afloat. Over 14 million adult children are living at home with their parents and 85% of college graduates are returning to their homes after graduation. How can you get them on their way to independence in this market without damaging your own financial and emotional health?
Tough times call for, hmmmm, ….. what? Patience? Do you have a choice? Creativity? Absolutely! Creativity, that is, seeing things from lots of new or different perspectives, is essential. Stepping “outside the box” by trying a different career field, expanding a former hobby into a service or product you can sell, that’s creativity. It’s not all bad. Many folks discovered talents they disregarded while going after the “real” or “practical” job. Many turned their weekend or evening pursuits into a full-time business and while they don’t have the same “benefits”, they enjoy freedom. But for most people who find themselves displaced from the job or financial standing that they were used to, it’s a time of reevaluation and reorganization. Yep, we know. It’s when your adult son cuts off the cable that you really have to worry.
What also works:
Clear rules
A written chore plan – those who work, pay; those who don’t, help
Agreements on food, utilities, parking space, storage, visitors, etc.
A clear plan for discussing and working out grievances
A time limit – Just how much time or what events (like getting a job) will signal the end of the roommate arrangement
A clear hierarchy in your home – You’re in charge & it is your house!
A rule about drugs, alcohol, mood problems & other issues that signal a need for other services.
What doesn’t work: you worrying, too or prodding about your adult child’s interview plans or nudging. Maybe you’ll pass along info about jobs when you hear about them, but not with suggestions. You’ll practice the fine art of building their self-esteem by reminding them of the successes they’ve had – yes- even if you have to go all the way back to 8th grade. You’ll maybe speak of the phases in your life when things changed for the worse – and muse over how you found your way back to better circumstances.
Of course, while you’re being supportive and empathic, you also have to be strategic, and not let your adult child get too comfortable or go completely without responsibility – after all, they are adults now.
Changes in financial, and even emotional status are not necessarily disasters. They are turning points that, just like when you’re driving a long road, you don’t notice until you’ve gotten beyond them.
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