For some reason, there wasn’t really any mental health advocacy news to report this week. Ah, it’s just as well. The sun is shining and my dog wants to play.

Enjoy your Saturday!

This week at Mental Health Notes, I kept things mostly light. Tickets for Broadway’s revival of Equus went on sale, and UK mental health blogger Simon Brody told us the play was a well received in London. In light of a Yahoo! article about hair loss, I talked about hair loss and stress, and in light of the Olympics, I pointed to a few mental health resources for Chinese. I also shared a cute (dog? brain? haha!) picture of an loldog and a mental health public service announcement from the 1970s. Oh, and I was interviewed (and honored!) over at Mental Health Humor.

In the world of mental health news, an article at nola.com reports that post-Katrina victims are experiencing less anxiety, but more depression. International researchers have found three gene variations that increase the risk of schizophrenia. Psychologists from Duke and Ohio State study the way people tend to alter their behavior, both consciously and automatically, in order to “fit in.” Researchers now think two predictors of post-partum suicide attempts are histories of substance abuse or psychiatric disorders. And, Kelly with the Nursing Online Education Database would like to pass along one of the site’s new articles, 100 Healthy Habits You Should Start in College.

And, here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Liberty at Healthbolt tells us how we can get rid of our old medications and help people out in the process, Grace at Kids Health Notes offers some tips on how to tell if your children are stressed, overworked, and anxious, and Marijke at Womb Within talks about celebrities and postpartum depression. As usual, there are tons of freebies and giveaways going on, so be sure to check out Angelique at Breaking the Mirror, Scott at Health and Men, and Kristen at Lively Women.

And, sadly, Gabrielle is leaving the b5blogger family. We’ll miss you!

Alright folks, that brings another Saturday Sanity to a close. Send me your mental health news and advocacy stories, and I’ll get them in next week’s edition!

Image: Mine

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Where Are The Mental Health Advocates?

I had a lot going on during my senior year of high school. In addition to, you know, the regular stresses of a high school senior (worrying about college applications and such), I was Co-Captain of my cheerleading squad, Class President, a member of the National Honor Society, a senior member of the Natural Helpers, and had a love life that was, to say the least, interesting.

So, my dermatologist wasn’t nearly as surprised as I was when I ended up in his office flipping out about the sudden appearance of four bald spots on my head. He patiently explained to me that I was most likely experiencing alopecia areata, brought on by stress, gave me a prescription for a tube of seriously itchy steroid cream and the advice to chill out, and sent me on my way.

Fortunately – and for reasons unknown to me – I haven’t experienced this stress-induced alopecia again, but hair loss remains a physical side effect of stress for many people. Yahoo! News recently published information from John Hopkins University, listing psychological factors like “stress, anxiety, and depression” as one of the Top 6 Causes of Hair Loss, and the experts at MedicineNet.com list both emotional and physical stress as possible causes for hair loss.

Have any of you experienced hair loss due to stress, anxiety, or depression? What steps did you take to manage stress and reclaim control over your scalp? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below.

And, in the meantime, you can learn more about stress and hair loss at the following links:

• Hair Loss and Stress
• Stress and Hair Loss: What Are The Causes of Hair Loss?
• Stress and Hair Loss: Are They Related?
• Telogen Effluvium

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Hair Loss Is A Physical Side Effects Of Stress