Last week I posted my review of Lumosity (you know, the set of games that are supposed to train your brain), and not long after that I bumped into 12 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Brain.

One of the suggestions is - you guessed it - mind exercises. However, rather than listing programs like Lumosity, the author suggests games like Scrabble and crossword puzzles, as well as activities like learning new languages and interacting with others.

Free activities, and games you probably have lying around the house. (I know I’m not the only nerd with some random edition of Scrabble in a closet. Hmm…on that note, I wonder if Monopoly counts…no, that probably falls under stress inducing.)

Common sense tells me the more you use your brain, the sharper it becomes.

Also included in the top 12 are foods to improve memory and help control anger, activities to reduce stress, and suggestions for getting better sleep. (Not a mind-blowing source of information - on the other hand, I didn’t know the bit about bleached foods contributing to bad nerves - but definitely a refresher.)

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been reviewing Lumosity, the “scientifically designed brain training program.” You’re probably somewhat familiar with it, given that it’s been featured in media sources and magazines like The New York Times and Women’s Health, as well as all over the Internet.

There’s been some controversy surrounding programs like Lumosity, and the source of much of the controversy gathers around one question:

Do these brain games really work, or are they just rip offs?

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you whether or not they work. I’m not a scientist, or a doctor, or Derek Shepherd. However, I can tell you that I had fun playing the Lumosity games, and I did feel a bit sharper, mentally, afterward.

Read on for my review.

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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!)

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Here at Mental Health Notes and b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, it’s become the trend for every week to feel just as busy - if not busier - than the last. I love it, mind you. I just think I need to sit down and seriously re-evaluate my current system of organization.

Anyway, on to what went on this week in the world of mental health!

Here at Mental Health Notes, I was all over the place. From sharing a few thoughts about LiveJournal to reviewing Google’s top five results for “brain games” to offering resources for help with cyberbullies in light of Megan Meier’s suicide and Lori Drew’s indictment, the topics this week were certainly diverse at Mental Health Notes. Too, I had to lash out about the battle against abusing mentally ill patients, pass up the opportunity to present an A.S.S. Award, share a little mental health humor, and remind everyone about the current Mental Health Notes Birthday Giveaway and This Is Why I ROCK! series!

Mental health advocacy group news was definitely a challenge to keep up with this week - there was so much! The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is reminding everyone about registration discounts for their Power of Peers conference in September, as well as their upcoming June webinar course Not a Pity Party: Effective Peer Support Groups. Mental Health America sent around a reminder for us to urge our House representatives to support including a delay on the Medicaid regs in the war funding supplemental bill. And TIME Magazine has named Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D., who speaks at many National Alliance on Mental Illness conferences and is president of NAMI Indiana’s Greater Bloomington affiliate, one of “the world’s 100 most influential people.”

Of course, keeping up with mental health in the news is always a busy time. Ira Katz, the VA’s director of mental health, has apologized for his email discussing veterans’ suicide attempts - you know, the one that read “Shh!” in the subject line. An study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests low levels of vitamin D and high levels of the parathyroid hormone could lead to depression in older adults. After recent studies, researchers are paying more attention to the role a distinctive pattern of the genetic variations single nucleotide polymorphisms may be playing in the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease. And, assistant professor of neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Roberto Fernández Galán, Ph.D., used math and a computer model of brain activity (and no rats) to show new looks at the dynamics of the brain’s cortex.

And finally, perhaps the easiest thing to keep up with this week was the b5media Health & Wellness Channel’s involvement in the world of mental health. Because May is Mental Health Month, our monthly theme day was focused on the topic of mental health. I hosted the event, so make sure you check out what all my fellow bloggers had to say! Also, the Health & Wellness Channel bloggers got together and shared their versions of “Top 5″ posts. Find out which posts I chose, and check out the rest of the channel’s lists courtesy of Kendra James!

That’s all for this week’s Saturday Sanity. If you have any news you’d like to share, send it my way for next week!

All images (except for the b5 logo) courtesy of Newscom.

Remember! You have until May 31, 2008 to enter the Mental Health Notes Birthday Giveaway, and forever to join the This Is Why I ROCK! series!

I’ve been working on a review of Google’s top five results for “brain games,” and as promised I’m ready to present them to you.

1. Games for the Brain - This clean, well-organized Web site offers quizzes, memory games, and trivia games in 17 different languages. Games for the Brain also includes a variety of traditional games, such as checkers and chess. My favorite thus far? TriviaNut.
2. Neuroscience for Kids - Brain Games - This Web page, which is part of the Neuroscience for Kids Web site, is geared toward K-12 students. It isn’t as “clean” as Games for the Brain, but it does offer up some brainy-esque images for your viewing pleasure. It offers many brain-related games; however, you’ll have to do a bit of scrolling to find the one(s) you like. Some of the games are also available in more than one language. My favorite thus far? Hmm…it’s probably a tie between Brain Hieroglyphics and Neuro-Jeopardy.
3. Brainist - Brain Games - This Web site claims to be “for educational purposes dedicated to online brain games for free mainly for adults,” but don’t let the bolding fool you - it’s free, but it’s totally kid-friendly (at least, as far as I can tell). At Brainist you’ll find puzzles, strategy games, optical illusions, trivia, and - yuck - math games. There’s a lot of text on the front page, but if you’re not into reading descriptions of every single game, don’t worry. Just skip it and click on the game! My favorite thus far? The riddles.
4. FunBrain.com - FunBrain.com, geared toward younger students, is focused more on all sorts of educational games, rather than just brainy- or memory-type games. The Web site is very colorful and, er…fun looking, with sections for parents and teachers, too. My favorite thus far? The Grammar Gorillas, naturally.
5. Kaboose - Brain Games - Like FunBrain.com, this is another colorful Web site dedicated to kids. Also like FunBrain.com, Kaboose includes a variety of online games for kids, too, such as sports games, holiday and seasonal games, and music games. My favorite thus far? The wizard games - hello! You can’t beat anything that deals with Hedwig and the golden snitch!

Remember, these five online brain games are just the top five Google results - there are many online games for your brain and mental health on the Internet.

Do you or your children have any favorites?

Image: Newscom

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!

I’ve been in the car a lot over the past week - making long trips, making short trips, stuck in delays because of road work - and at some point during that time I started thinking about road games (car games, travel games - whatever you like to call them). I don’t know why, as I was never one to play road games during trips. My sister and I (and especially my best friend, whenever she traveled with us) always made up our own games.

Lip-syncing to whatever was on the radio to entertain the people in the vehicles behind us was always a favorite.

Anyway, like I said, I started thinking about road games. Which led me to think about mental health road games. Which led to a Google search of “mental health road games.” Which led to a bunch of stories about road rage, MADD, and video game obsession as a form of mental illness (I wrote about that once, remember?).

And some stuff about math. But honestly, who cares about math?

So, do any of you know of any road games related to mental health? Or road games designed to keep the ol’ brain sharp (teasers, trivia, and the like)?

Except for those related to math. Because really, math sucks.

In the meantime, I’m working on a review of Google’s top five results for “brain games.” (I chose not to use “mental health games” because many of the results weren’t actually games.)

Image: Newscom

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!