Stress at Holidays Fictional: Local Counselors Differ Over Season’s Meaning

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, IN): Local mental health experts say increases in stress during the Christmas season result from myriad factors. Among those are financial constraints, unrealistic expectations, family discord, jam-packed itineraries or a recent death being brought to bear by a gathering. Theresa Krauhs, who co-owns Peace Counseling, a substance abuse center, sees another, more destructive side of stress management. She says substance abuse increases over the holidays. Still, in the layered field of mental health care, which includes everything from stress reduction services to counseling for more serious psychological disorders to inpatient psychiatric care, the holiday season doesn’t necessarily translate to inflated rolls. “This is a pretty quiet time,� says Dr. Kevin Murphy, medical director of Parkview Behavioral Health. In his experience, holidays don’t translate into a spike in acute psychiatric emergencies. Generally speaking, Murphy believes that the Christmas season probably isn’t the stress-inducing force it’s made out to be. If anything, he says the media contribute to the popular perception by bringing the subject up every year. “(Stress is) just a real problem all year long in my experience,� Murphy says. Other area psychiatric and counseling centers in Fort Wayne also report a lull in services provided in December. Most say that the busiest months are January, February and March.