It’s been a fairly slow week here at Mental Health Notes, and I can’t quite put my finger on one particular reason why. We had thunderstorms almost every day this week, and so when I wasn’t working (which kept me fairly busy), I was taking advantage of the writing inspiration (and snooze-inducing effects) thunderstorms always seem to give me.

I also found out early in the week I’m going to have to work extra hard to keep my local NAMI affiliation going, which caused a bit of stress, but I was happy to find I’ll have support.

Oh, and I’ve been re-reading the Harry Potter series in anticipation for November 21, 2008. A bit early, yes, but I’m also trying to squeeze in a re-watching of Prison Break seasons one, two, and three before September.

However, my slow (and, at the same time, busy) week doesn’t mean the rest of the mental health world has slowed down. Read on for this week’s Saturday Sanity!

This week at Mental Health Notes, I shared my thoughts about pzizz, passed along the news of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s new music contest, laughed at Sharon Stone, applauded Jenifer Lewis, and issued a call for pictures of the Lamictal rash.

In the world of mental health news, as reported by The Boston Globe, Marylou Sudders, president and chief executive of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and a former state mental health commissioner, claims that mental health parity will only add minimal costs to insurance, while Dr. Marylou Buyse, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, is iffy about it all given the current economic situation. Several states away, The Columbus Dispatch reports that a plan “designed to reduce Medicaid spending on costly psychotropic drugs could actually cost the state money in the long run.” Denis Paré, professor at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University in Newark, studies the amygdala and has helped identify brain cells related to fear which could help lead to better treatment for anxiety disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, and we may all soon be able to tell exactly how stressed we are simply by getting dressed.

Regarding mental health advocacy, Mental Health America is applauding the Senate’s action on Medicare, and is asking us to ask President Bush not to veto Medicare Parity. The National Alliance on Mental Illness has also spoken out regarding the death of a psychiatric patient in Kings County, New York, and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance wants to know how computers are used during your mental health care.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Marijke at Womb Within is hosting a prenatal vitamin giveaway, and Ruth at Eating Fabulous is holding a contest to win a copy of Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for Life. Mary Emma at Alzheimer’s Notes lists 13 summer projects for Alzheimer’s patients, caregivers, and loved ones, and Kristina at Autism Vox discusses therapy animals. Liz at Healthbolt shares some news about potentially life-saving medical tattoos, and Hope at Weighting Line shares some thoughts on the Emotional Freedom Technique.

That’s it for this week’s Saturday Sanity news. If you have any news, announcements, or just interesting stuff related to mental health that you’d like to pass along for next week, shoot me an email!

Image Credit: Me

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: And The Thunder Rolls

I know they’re pretty, but it’s time to get caught up on the goings on in the world of mental health!

This week at Mental Health Notes, it was back to business as usual after my three-day vacation. In addition to helping you update your calendars with mental health awareness weeks for July, I also passed along an article regarding using our brains to promote health. I also started a discussion about handgun laws and how they may be related to suicide statistics, proved to you that hard mental health advocacy work pays off, and introduced you to two interesting Web sites: Get Over It and i am neurotic. Oh, and of course I wished you a Happy Fourth of July and listed five ways to celebrate Independence Day this year.

Read on for updates in the world of mental health news, mental health advocacy, and the rest of the b5media Health & Wellness Channel.

In the world of mental health news, the President and CEO of Mental Health America, David Shern, Ph.D., has given a statement regarding the death of a mental health patient in a psychiatric emergency room and the House of Representatives has passed legislation regarding national standards for juvenile “boot camps.” Studies from UC Irvine suggest women over the age of 90 are more likely than men over the age of 90 to have dementia, and Jeff Huffman, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and lead author of a new study, states that heart attack patients with severe depression are more likely to die from cardiac problems later on than those without depression.

Regarding mental health advocacy, everyminute.org is offering several ways to help spread the word about their campaign, including MySpace and Facebook, and David Eraker would like to spread the word about a new startup, Mindsite (I’ll be talking more about this site later on). Facing Us is holding a music contest sponsored by the DBSA and Dave’s Spark: Start Something (another topic I’ll address more later), and NAMI is urging us to support the Healthy Transition Act of 2008.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Kristina has highlighted some hot summer autism topics at Autism Vox, Angelique is urging folks to celebrate their independence from Ana at Breaking the Mirror, and Ruth explains how nutritional supplementation can save the lives of patients who’ve suffered traumatic brain injuries. Kristen highlights stories about brain activities and workouts at Lively Women and Marijke talks about how child psychologists feel about NBC’s “The Baby Borrowers” reality show at Womb Within, while both Grace at Kids Health Notes and Hope at Weighting Line are hosting giveaways!

That’s all for this week’s Saturday Sanity, and remember: if you have any Saturday Sanity-worthy news for next week, send it my way!

Image: morgueFile

If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over to This Is Why I ROCK! and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Put The Fireworks Away