Just when I think I’m going to have a normal week (i.e. one not bogged down with getting caught up with work and chores, but one actually spent working and “choring” at a regular pace!), a gigantic tree about 20 feet from my house decides to give up on life and take a few power and telephone lines down with it.

Fortunately, no one (and no homes) were hurt, but most of my street went without power and/or telephones for two days – which not only blows for people who, you know, want to keep the food in their refrigerators cold, but also really blows for people who work from home.

And I once again found myself scrambling to meet a deadline last night.

In any event, all’s well with the world (and electricity!) again, and here’s your Saturday dose of sanity!

This week at Mental Health Notes, Karen Lynch contributed tips on how to manage emotional distress (and gave me a much needed break!), and then I told you about a few mental health blogs I’m reading, asked you if you’re happy with your psychiatrist’s services, reminded you about the chance to have your donations to Mental Health America matched, posted my review of Surviving Ben’s Suicide, rolled out another edition of What Do You Really Want?, and shared five brain cancer resources. Oh, and I also announced the winner of Dr. David Clarke’s They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!, spread some doggy humor, and publicly announced my extreme jealousy of Nikki Katz.

Regarding mental health advocacy, along with the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Suicide Prevention Action Network USA, Mental Health America published their statement on the JAMA study that shows a continued high rate of suicide among youths after the “Black Box” warnings, the DBSA’s Power of Peers National Conference is right around the corner, and there’s still plenty of time to participate in NAMI’s Grading the States survey.

In the world of mental health news, it’s a big day for women. Researchers believe dialectical behavior therapy may help women who suffer from both an eating disorder and borderline personality disorder, a large study suggests women who experience extreme stress right before or during pregnancy have a higher risk of giving birth to underweight babies, researchers have reported young women who’ve experienced extreme stress have a higher risk for developing breast cancer, and another study suggests that babies born to depressed mothers have “more chaotic sleep patterns early in life.”

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Karen Lynch of Pink Ribbon review hosted a live blogging event during Friday night’s Stand Up To Cancer event, and also featured each one of us Health & Wellness Channel bloggers, and a few others, who participated in helping to spread the word about cancer awareness. Check it out!

• Susan Watiker is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Alicia Sparks is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Kristen King is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Michelle Smith is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Ruth Schaffer is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Scott Wharton is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Kendra James, RN is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Angela White is Standing Up 2 Cancer
• Marijke Durning, RN is Standing Up 2 Cancer

Enjoy your weekends!

Image: SXC and Andrew Faulkner

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: If A Tree Falls 20 Feet From Your House…

What do a wake, a funeral, a dog who seems to have developed irritable bowel syndrome, a depleted bank account, and a would-be fistfight in a Wal-Mart parking lot all have in common?

Why, they all worked together to make up my week, of course.

(Don’t worry, I wasn’t involved in the scuffle. I just happened to be strolling up the aisle when Wal-Mart’s parking lot almost turned into a boxing ring.)

Fortunately for today’s Sunday Sanity (yes, Sunday – I was running errands yesterday and our servers were undergoing maintenance last night, so, no posting for me!), the world of mental health news and events has been just as eventful (though not quite as depressing) as my week.

This week at Mental Health Notes, I offered you resources for learning more about brain stem strokes, told you about NAMI’s call for survey participants and the DBSA’s plethora of mental health podcasts, and updated you on my boyfriend’s Wentworth Miller’s (and his fans’) success with a donation to UNICEF. It was also a big week for books, as I finally posted my review of Bruce Goldstein’s Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac and started a contest for a copy of Dr. David Clarke’s They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!

Regarding mental health advocacy, Mental Health America released “Get Connected” on Campus to offer college students stay connected and manage stress, and gives us information about the Democratic and Republican platforms on mental health and substance abuse issues, while the National Alliance on Mental Illness offers tips on how to manage hot weather while taking medication.

In the world of mental health news, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have discovered (with mice) the need to create new brain cells for exercise or antidepressants to be effective in reducing depression, a study published in a recent online issue of Neurology shows that older people’s mental skills begin to decline before death even without the presence of dementia, and researchers from the University of Michigan Depression Center and their nationwide colleagues have found gender differences regarding the effectiveness of antidepressants. Cherry Hospital of Goldsboro, North Carolina will soon be under investigation after the recent death of a patient who was left unattended in a chair for 22 hours and died choking on his medication, Dr. Raj Sherman of Canada is taking on mental health stigma, and in Australia a man who loses one of his cabins and “lost an income” to the arson of a mentally ill homeless man feels the Mental Health Court’s decision to detain the man at a mental health facility is a “cop out.”

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Kristina at Autism Vox talks about the shocking case of a video on YouTube of an autistic boy getting beaten up, Kendra at A Hearty Life muses on the mental strength a marathon runner must have, and Liz at Alzheimer’s Notes shares a video about a family dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. The gals at Healthbolt are holding a giveaway for the Food Matters Documentary DVD, Scott at Health and Men talks about how badly America’s healthcare needs help, and Grace at Kids Health Notes gives a few tips on how to help your kids get back to school stress free. Karen at Pink Ribbon Review is up for the Best Health Blog for the Blogger’s Choice Awards, Angelique at Breaking the Mirror celebrates her 23rd “ana-versary,” and, sadly, Marijke at Help My Hurt explores a different kind of hurt when she said goodbye to her beloved greyhound Dee.

That’s all for this week, folks! There are some pretty interesting news bits in there – some I will probably address further later this week – but in the meantime feel free to discuss them in the comments!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Sanity: Front Row Seats At The New Wal-Mart Boxing Ring