Saturday Sanity: I Will Note Let You Ruin My Week, Warner Brothers

Plenty of things happened this week for which I’m thankful. I talked to two of my favorite editors, spent some much needed time with a loved one, realized there was more money in the bank than I thought, and helped someone find a job.

Chopper even found her favorite ball – one that’s been lost for almost two weeks – which means I can stop relying on those tennis ball-type toys that she demolishes in five minutes.

However, I was also reminded once again that money tends to make the world go ’round, which seems to be the only reason the release date for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed back from it’s original November 2008 date to SUMMER 2009.

WHAT?!

Ah, well. It can’t all be peaches and cream.

Luckily, I recovered enough from my shock to round up a seriously plump Saturday Sanity for you folks – enjoy!

This week at Mental Health Notes, there were plenty of resources to pass along, like those for parents of children with mental illness, everyminute.org’s PSA and new site features, free online sessions for people with PTSD and other mental illnesses, and ULifeline for college and university students. NAMI wants the opinions of people who are between 18 and 24 for their new social networking site, while Jane shared her experiences with the Amen Clinics, Erin shared a paper on postpartum depression in China and America, Jason shared pictures from his tour of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, and SAMHSA is sharing tons of mental health freebies. Of course, I shared, too: One of my favorite commercials and an A.S.S. Award.

Regarding mental health advocacy, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is offering continuing education credits for peer specialists who register for a one-day course covering “Peer Specialist Ethics and Boundaries” and “Peer-Led Wellness Strategies” at the DBSA 2008 National Conference, “The Power of Peers.” The DBSA also wants input on how you think they can improve their online community. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has information up about their fourth annual “Unmasking Mental Illness” Gala, which is in October this year and is still too pricey for my bank account. Mental Health America has announced their “Jammin’ Away the Blues” events which will begin in the fall of 2008. Protesters from special needs and disability groups are upset with new movie release “Tropic Thunder,” and Timothy Shriver, the chairman of Special Olympics, speaks out in a special CNN article. (Thanks to Kristen for this heads up!)

In the world of mental health news, Beth Baker tackles the controversy around “brain games” in The Washington Post’s Is It Really Smart to Teach Old Brains New Tricks? (you can get some more background on this at OpenEducation.net Explores The Importance Of Brain Exercises), and a recent Reuters Health article reports that people with PTSD have an increased risk of dying early from heart disease. Researchers presented information at Thursday’s annual American Psychological Association meeting regarding stress, anxiety, and worse and lingering allergy attacks, and University of Texas at Austin biologists have developed a model for Angelman syndrome.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Mark at A Dozen Steps shares AA resources in the UK, the ladies at Alzheimer’s Notes want to remind you about their “All About Alzheimer’s” carnival, and Susan at Grounded Fitness is giving up coffee to improve her meditation and gain a more focused mind (whereas I would chew coffee gum if they made it). Liz at Healthbolt tells us about the part of our brains that makes us feel like someone’s following us and Kristen at Lively Woman has a very justifiable rant at the recent treatment of two little girls at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.

Plus, Kendra at Diabetes Notes is holding a contest (the prize of which is a cookbook of your choice!) and Marijke at Help My Hurt is doing a drawing for a $50 Amazon gift card!

Image: SXC