Double The Sanity This Saturday!

Wow, we’re already having the second Saturday Sanity of February - my, time really does fly when you’re having fun, huh?

Saturday Sanity is special this week (I know, I know - Saturday Sanity is always special) - but, this week, you get sanity-worthy updates from around the b5media family as well as all over the world!

Let’s take a peek at my fellow b5media bloggers…

• Handcuffs in Middle School? Fellow b5media blogger Kristina Chew certainly has an interesting discussion going on over at Autism Vox - one no self-respecting parent, teacher, school administrator, police officer, or anyone interested in mental health should miss.
• Angelique of Breaking the Mirror is staying busy with two events: Her Breaking the Mirror contest and her 24 Hours of Body Love event! Both are great ways to feel better about yourself.
• Kristen of Lively Women is just as busy. She just wrapped up her contest to win a $50 Target gift card, and has now launched a new series for the month of February: A History of Abortion in the US and Worldwide. I’ve already contributed to the comments, regarding the mental health effects of abortion.
• Suicide: You Are Not Exempt. In honor of Suicide Prevention Week in Quebec, Marijke contributed a very special guest post here at Mental Health Notes regarding the impact suicide has had on her family.
• Elaine of Genetics & Health has outlined a decently longterm study of how major stress in early pregnancy may lead to schizophrenia in children.

And now, sanity-worthy news from around the globe…

• I read a post this week at Finding Optimism called Food and Mood for Thought, and it may make many of you think twice about what you chow down on. Find more information at The Mind Guide to Food and Mood.
• Tainted pills hit U.S. mainland. If you take prescription medication, watch out. Among the drugs listed include Paxil CR and Zoloft.
• GOP Senators Reassess Views About McCain. Does McCain have a “temperament unfit for the Oval Office”? Sen. Thad Cochran states, “He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”
• Kristen King sent me a great tip: Genetic Testing for Psychiatric Diseases - turns out, the very organized Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei has outlined how three companies are involved in this kind of genetic testing as well as included some observations from Dr Cathryn Lewis at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, and family practice physician Tim Janzen. I encourage you all to head over there and find out how genetic testing can affect, benefit, and possibly even freak out you and your family members!
• A Canadian research team has decided that exercise reverses weight gain from antipsychotics. This may sound like a no brainer, but the truth is that the team developed a behavioral weight control program to counteract the struggles mental health patients have with exercise routines and proper diets.
• And finally, by screwing around with rat brains (*sigh*), researchers have discovered that obesity may be wired in our brains. As it turns out, there may be some abnormal brain development going on that leaves the brain less responsive to leptin, the hunger-suppressing hormone. Hmm…does that make obesity a brain disorder? A mental illness? Both? Interesting…

Remember, if you have any Saturday Sanity-worthy news tips, feel free to send ‘em my way! Now, go enjoy your weekend!

Image source.
Photographer’s Web site.