Yipee! It’s the Health & Wellness Channel’s monthly theme day, and I’m super excited because not only am I finally hosting, but the theme is mental health in honor of May being Mental Health Month!

My fellow b5media bloggers have really pulled together and presented some great information this month, so grab a cup of coffee and settle in for some good readin’!

Over at Help My Hurt, Marijke Durning addresses Depression and Chronic Pain, and touches on the question of, “Which comes first, depression or chronic pain?”

Healthbolt gives us a first-hand look into depression via a Question and Answer session with a long-time sufferer. Diagnosis, triggers and treatments are all discussed in this exclusive interview.

At Alzheimer’s Notes, Mary Emma Allen discusses Depression – a Mental Health Concern for Caregivers and Alzheimer’s Patients. (Something I’ve experienced firsthand and can’t wait to read!)

With Stigma and Pride, Kristina Chew at Autism Vox reminds us that some of the past and present stigma cast upon autistic individuals is in part because of misconceptions not only of autism, but of mental illness.

Karen Lynch at Pink Ribbon Review points out that Breast Cancer Can Cause Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In her post she lists symptoms to watch for and links you to an assessment tool to see how far you’ve come in terms of personal growth and healing.

Weighting Line’s Hope Wilbanks gives us some insight on How To Deal With Depression And Weight Gain.

Over at Lively Women, Kristen King asks a very thought-provoking question – after she offers up some just as thought-provoking quotes – with In Honor Of Mental Health Awareness: Are You REALLY Happy?
Gabrielle Sedor at Fertility Notes nods in the direction of this year’s Mental Health Month theme, “Get Connected,” with Get Connected for Mental Health Month. Not only does she encourage us to get connected, but she offers resources to do so!

Gab is also now the blogger for Daily Tomorrow, and for that she offers up Is Going Green Good for Your Mental Health, or Just Making You Crazy? (You can bet I’ll be leaving a comment or two on that one!)

Grace Ibay reminds us of the importance of Building A Positive Self Image In Our Children at Kids Health Notes.

Health and Men’s Scott Wharton got a jump on all of us last week by rounding up FIVE of his mental health-related posts with Health And Men’s Best Of Mental Health.

Mark W. discusses Anger Turned Inwards at A Dozen Steps (something I’m really looking forward to reading, especially given that he explores mental health and alcoholism – over the past couple of years, I’ve become very interested and somewhat involved with mental health and addiction of any sort).

Angelique at Breaking the Mirror fills us in on mental health, medication, and eating disorders with Anorexia, Bulimia, Depression, Prozac – What You Should Know.

Breastfeeding 1-2-3’s Angela White takes a look at traditional anti-depressants and alternative treatments for depression in breastfeeding mothers with Breastfeeding, Mental Health, Anti-Depressants and Alternative Treatments.

Gloria Gamat over at Cancer Commentary talks about how mental health is a critical factor in the life of a cancer patient, thus it shouldn’t be ignored by healthcare professional and the patients and their families alike, with PTSD, Cancer Patients, Mental Health Month and Channel Theme Day.

And finally, at Diabetes Notes our very own Channel Editor Kendra James presents Depression Is An Independent Trigger For Type 2 Diabetes to inform us that depression is an independent factor for type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that depression alone, and not lifestyle factors like being overweight, can trigger Type 2 diabetes in adults 65 and older, a population with a high prevalence of diabetes and depression.

Kendra also writes A Hearty Life, and over there she tells us about Heart Disease And Depression/Anxiety: It Is Directly Related.

That’s all for now! Be sure to let each one of these awesome bloggers know how much you appreciate the time, effort, and research they dedicated to these posts!

Ken Jensen is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Join The Health & Wellness Channel In Recognizing Mental Health Month!

Or, soccer, for American readers.

I love Saturday Sanity.

Not only does it give me a chance to recognize all the important mental health-related news I discover throughout the week (that, for one reason or another, I don’t have time to talk about in depth), but it also gives me a chance to let you all know about things going on here at Mental Health Notes and the rest of the b5media Science & Health Channel.

• Yesterday I told you about the work The National Council is doing via Second Life. Soon after I posted it, I found out that Preferred Family Healthcare (a member of The National Council) is also doing great things with the help of Second Life. Hopefully I can get some more information on this soon!
• Taking care of yourself should be the first item on your list of priorities today and every day, and I firmly believe that in order to best take care of both your physical and mental health, you need to take care of your soul – regardless of what your religious (or nonreligious) definition of “soul” may be. Having said that, Mark over at A Dozen Steps is good for his thought-provoking posts, and two of his most recent are Things That Nurture My Soul and Things That Rot My Soul.
• Autism Vox’s Kristina Chew highlights a new study on rare genetic mutations and schizophrenia, but reminds us that “80-85% of people with schizophrenia do not have the mutations.”
• In an effort to treat and manage depression and/or bipolar disorder, are you upping your intake of omega-3 fatty acids like me? If so, and if you have babies (specifically babies you feed infant formula), you may be interested in one of Ruth’s latest posts, Infants Need Omega-3 and AA Omega-6 Fatty Acids, at Eating Fabulous.
• Dr. Frederick W. Reimherr of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and his colleagues report that women with ADHD are more impaired than men. And, speaking of ADHD, in addition to ADHDFamilies, which I added a while back, I’ve also added a wonderful new ADHD-related blog to the blogroll: ADHD-Living. Check it out!
• And how awesome is this news? In an effort to keep “mental health publicity” from being “mainly people just out of hospital stabbing someone,” Janette Hynes, founder of the London-based Positive Mental Attitude League, runs two football leagues for mental health consumers which she claims has both “positive psychological and physical benefits.”
• Speaking of the psychological benefits of football (or any sport, I’m assuming), check out Mental Help Net’s The Relationship Between Exercise and Mood by Natalie Staats Reiss, Ph.D.
• NAMI New Jersey’s Eric Arauz and NAMI New York City Metro’s Mary Ann Ceron spoke frankly on the ABC News digital cable channel’s “Mind and Mood” program about living with bipolar disorder. Getting on national television and discussing your mental illness? How’s THAT for busting stigma!
• I’m sure by now most, if not all, of you are aware of the reports of drug traces in our drinking water – including mental health drugs. While many of us could use a little extra help (a joke, and one in poor taste, I admit it), Mark Shannon of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is addressing the demand for cleaner H2O.
• Not only am I passionate about mental health advocacy, but I’m also passionate about mental health care and advocacy within the prison system. Imagine my delight when I found out “[t]he four-month-old NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal is investigating how to maintain the human rights and dignity of people detained in a mental health facility, or serving a community treatment order issued by a court.”

That’s all for this week, lovelies! Remember, if you have any mental health-related news you feel is worthy of Saturday Sanity, send it my way!

Cool image source and credit.

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Are You Ready For Some Football?