LGBTQIA+ Teens Need Our Support!
Teenage years are the time for exploration. It's time to figure out what clothes fit us, what hair color and style doesn’t make us look stupid, what friends are true friends, what classes to take - and we are also trying to fit in. This journey of finding yourself is completely personal, as only you know how you truly feel and what you truly want. During this time, teens and young adults around the world also discover their gender and sexual identity. We have drifted from a world where everyone must be cis and straight to becoming more accepting of finding what others' pronouns are. It is totally fine to be cis and straight, as long as you respect that others are not. Of course, the same goes for the other way around. Exploring who you truly are takes time, making it an extremely personal and emotional journey.
When a teen does not use the “assumed” identity, people around them can have a hard time understanding, or sometimes flat out refuse to accept them. This could be like when someone finally get the courage to cut their hair super short, and people around them say, “I miss the long hair, you don’t look like you anymore”. It's hard enough to deal with how you see yourself, and to deal with others accepting or not being accepting might stunt the journey and make you regret and hate yourself.
But on the other hand, parents might become super involved and be black and white about it in the other direction. They become 100% team short hair. While supporting your child is amazing, you have to leave room for them to move around and explore what we feel is right. They might feel like they have to stay the new way because everyone knows them and accepts them with short hair now even if it doesn’t fit them anymore. They won't want to hurt or disappoint their family and friends who are trying to do the right thing and support them. Rigid thinking either way (rejecting or accepting) can both put a limitation on their growth and experience. Complicated right? Welcome to being a teenager!
I’m going into Senior year of High School, and I have many friends around me that have come out as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. My friend groups have been supportive as we love our friends, but the other kids in our grades are almost always a-holes (to put it bluntly). They make the LGBTQIA+ kids feel not wanted and not able to express themselves. So, being supportive at home and letting them explore and feel themselves at home is super important. Be open to evolution and give them the room to explore all aspects of themselves and basically just love them.
Right now, the government is trying to put limitations on the rights of LGBTQIA+ people . Me and many others affected by this aren't old enough to vote yet. So, I ask you, PLEASE VOTE to protect our rights and the future to keep the world safe to explore ourselves. Thank you :)
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Happy Pride Month!
Max Lyons
High School Senior
Medical Director and Psychiatrist
Lakes Center Mental Health Network
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How Helping the Environment Can Make You Feel Better
Helping the environment isn’t only beneficial to our earth—it is also very helpful for our mental and physical well-being. When we care for the environment, we are often engaged in the natural world, whether that is getting outside for a beach cleanup or growing your own food.
Through being outside and becoming active in nature, we can begin to experience both mental and physical health benefits.
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Mental Health Tip:
Get Outside to Exercise
Want cleaner air and a bit more exercise? Pick at least one outdoor activity like hiking, cycling, swimming etc. and take up some calorie burning household chores like mowing the lawn, painting the fence, gardening etc. even playing games such as tag with your kids is a great way to burn calories.
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Mental Health Tip:
Enjoy a Summer Vacation or Staycation!
If you want to stay healthy and well, it may surprise you that a summer break may be just what you need. Take advantage of summer’s slower schedule and take a time off from your regular routine. Use your vacation time to unwind by giving your mind and body time to relax. Vacations have multiple benefits: They can help lower your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress.
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We provide comprehensive psychiatric and psychotherapy services for a vast array of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, psychotic illness, borderline personality disorder, substance abuse/addiction, trauma related issues, relationship difficulties, life transitions, and behavior problems. Call (248) 859-2457 to set up an appointment.
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Did you know? SPRAVATO® can have a rapid antidepressant response and is added on to an antidepressant and the rest of your regimen. It is the first new mechanism of action to treat depression that has come out in over 30 years.
There is hope for treatment-resistant depression. Call (248) 859-2457 to set up an appointment.
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Lakes DBT We provide comprehensive DBT services to provide effective treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and other disorders involving emotion dysregulation, including co-occurring substance use disorders, major depressive disorder, and individuals with history of trauma. At Lakes DBT Center, we believe that with effective evidence-based treatment and a caring and coordinated treatment team, clients can achieve a life worth living.
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New Group Sessions Starting Sept 13, 2023
Wednesdays 10:30 am - 12:00 pm, starting September 13, 2023
Lakes Center, 2300 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield, MI 48323
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Nurse Practitioner
Angela Stathopoulos is a 2002 graduate of Michigan State University's College of Nursing and a 2005 graduate of Wayne State University's College of Nursing's Master of Science in Psychiatric Nursing Program. She is ANCC board certified as a Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Angela comes to Lakes Psychiatric Center with over 17 years of full time work experience as an NP in outpatient psychiatry.
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Clinical Social Worker
Josephine is a Licensed Masters Social Worker with a Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
She has over 20 years experience treating young adults and seniors using methods customized to the individual including: cognitive/behavioral therapy, mindfulness, insight therapy and relaxation/ stress reduction techniques.
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