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

Post from: Blisstree

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

As you read this, I’m probably sleeping. Or splashing around in water. Or watching a movie.

Or, you know. Sleeping.

You see, I’m on “vacation” this weekend, and actually wrote this post Thursday afternoon. While I know a three-day vacation isn’t exactly long, it’s definitely some much-needed time away from work.

However, my three days off doesn’t need to interfere with your Saturday Sanity, so read on!

This week at Mental Health Notes, things weren’t as busy at they normally are. I pointed you in the direction of two articles exploring brain exercises at OpenEducation.net, told you about NAMI’s Schizophrenia: Public Attitudes, Personal Needs and then shared my thoughts about MTV’s True Life: I Have Schizphrenia, and gave you the June edition of What Do You Really Want? I also updated you on the House and Senate agreement regarding Mental Health Parity, showed you a tattoo of a Sylvia Plath quote, and attempted to prompt a discussion about two YouTube videos exploring bipolar mania and spiritual enlightenment. Perhaps the most noteworthy post this week, however, was Elizabeth Dillon’s guest post about her experiences as a Help Center Volunteer Counselor at the University of Maryland-College Park Help Center.

In the world of mental health news, a recent survey shows that mentally ill patients have longer ER waits than non-psychiatric patients due to a decrease in mental health units and beds, the FDA wants “black box” warnings put on antipsychotic medications due to the increased risk of death to older patients, and the the US Supreme Court determined mentally ill dependents no longer have the right to represent themselves in court if the judge determines they aren’t mentally up to the challenge. Psychosomatic Medicine published a study stating that children who grow up feeling self confident and in control of their lives may become healthier adults, Wellcome Trust scientists have identified a part of our brains that encourages us to be adventurous, and Burnham Institute for Medical Research scientists have programmed embryonic stem cells transplanted into the brain to become nerve cells.

Regarding mental health advocacy, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is trying to match a $10,000 grant from The Curtis & Edith Munson Foundation by the end of this year. The DBSA will also post the transcript from their Recovery Chat: Laughter’s the Best Medicine in a couple of days.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Mark at A Dozen Steps gives a nice reminder regarding martyrdom and climbing down off the cross, Kendra at A Hearty Life notes new data from the Mayo Clinic regarding socioeconomics and heart attack recovery (and we see socioeconomics rear its ugly head in all fields of health, don’t we?), and the ladies at Alzheimer’s Notes are holding a book giveaway! Gloria from Cancer Commentary is also holding a giveaway – for lip gloss and compact mirrors – and Ruth at Eating Fabulous talks about the prevention of cognitive decline with grape seed extract while Scott at Health and Men offers a treatment option for those twitchy eyelids stress and fatigue often cause. And don’t forget to read what Liberty at Healthbolt has to say about pumpkins, tryptophan, and serotonin as well as what Marijke at Womb Within says about antidepressants and pregnancy.

That’s all for this week’s Saturday Sanity! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s written-on-Thursday-but-posted-on Sunday Brain Break!

Image: morgueFile

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Even When I’m Sleeping