That’s the question my local news reporter asked last night. Naturally I a) hung around on the couch long enough to hear the answer, and b) thought I would hear something related to Obama’s stance on mental health legislation.

Instead, what I heard was a local therapist discussing the stress-reducing benefits of Obama’s motivating and inspiring speeches.

Curious.

The overall idea was that, during such depressing and discouraging times, Obama’s talks about change help Americans feel more hopeful and at ease.

I’ll admit that I’m one of the many Americans who feels a bit more mentally (and even physically) relaxed when I listen to him talk; however, there’s only one man in this world whose words have the power to really calm me down – with no questions asked – and Barack Obama ain’t him. I need to see these changes before my stress will really leave; until then, Obama’s smooth words are just Band-Aids. Maybe Band-Aids with a dose or two of Prozac in them, kind of like those Band-Aids that have antibiotic oinments in them. Haha, get it?

Anyway…

What do you think? Has listening to Barack Obama’s speeches helped alleviate any of your stress? Do his words calm you and make you feel hopeful for the future, or are you grateful for his optimism but still holding out for results?

Post from: Blisstree

How Is Barack Obama Reducing Stress?

With only a few days until the 2008 presidential election, we’re getting down to the nitty gritty here in America. Like many Americans, I’m quite anxious. The race is close, and I’m looking forward to its finish. I’m looking forward to knowing who our next leader will be. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can pull us out of this economic slump.

I’m also looking forward to no longer receiving campaign emails and enjoying a full week of prime time television without debate interruptions.

Despite how close Election Day is, nearly 6.4 percent of the voting public is still undecided. And, given the number of Americans with mental health issues, I’m willing to bet a good percentage of those undecided voters could use some more information about the candidate’s health care platforms. Fortunately, they don’t have to go very far. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) launched its online Election Center, MI Vote Counts, to help them out.

From helping consumers understand the importance of voting and providing information about mental health legislation to informing them about registering to vote and exactly how to go about voting, the DBSA’s MI Vote Counts is a portal for all things election.

I was able to chat with Gloria Pope, the DBSA’s Director of Advocacy and Public Policy, about why MI Vote Counts is so important – specifically, the story behind MI Vote Counts, the importance of staying current with the candidate’s platforms, and the spark that sets the DBSA’s Election Center apart from all other online tools.

Read on!

Mental Health Notes: What prompted the DBSA to create the Election Center (EC)? What was the driving force behind it?

Gloria Pope: For the past two years, DBSA has been building a phenomenal network of online advocates. We started out by doing a couple of trainings on “Advocacy 101” with a few of our chapter leaders. Then soon after, we began to send alerts out when we needed action on a piece of legislation. We started with a small distribution list but through word of mouth; now distribute to more than 8,000 “constituents.”

Our goal for this upcoming election was to get our folks to register to vote, vote and encourage family and friends to do so as well. Our mantra – in all of our advocacy efforts has been – To be an advocate means you are empowered; and to be empowered means you are an advocate. The name of the center, “MI Vote Counts,” speaks for itself – and has been the message we’ve been trying to communicate throughout the year.

The EC will give our advocates a chance to truly be empowered by making their voices heard on November 4. To accomplish this, we needed to provide the tools and resources and make it quick and easy to find the information they would be looking for. All of the resources are need are in one place. The site with its colorful landing page has links such as, “Why Vote,” “How to Vote,” and the “Role of the Government,” will guide them to what they are looking for. Additionally, the homepage takes them directly to our Legislative Action Center (LAC), information on DBSA-endorsed legislation and an advocacy center, where they can learn how to be an advocate.

The EC will enable them to:

• Research the candidates and their platforms on healthcare.
• Find out if they endorsed or opposed mental health legislation throughout the year.
• Register to vote (day or night from the comfort of your home).
• Obtain an absentee ballot in case you may not feel well enough to vote.
• Learn about other legislators who are up for election.

We even made the center easy to find. Visitors can type dbsalliance.org/vote in to their search engines and go directly to the center.

MHN: Why do you feel it’s so important for mental health consumers to stay up to date with the presidential candidates’ platforms?

GP: We encouraged our advocates to go into the voting booth, armed with the best information possible. Throughout the past few months, we asked them not to be a part of “personality politics” – voting for a candidate because of their looks or personality. We wanted advocates to listen to all of the candidates’ platforms so that they could decide who would be the best candidate. Our advocates have the option of listening to what the candidates’ have been saying and then going to the LAC to see how they have voted in the past year on these same issues. We have found that some candidates’ support an issue on the campaign trail, but when you look at their voting record, it tells a whole other story.

MHN: And finally, what do you think makes the DBSA’s Election Center stand out from other advocacy groups’ similar election/candidate-focused informational websites?

GP: The EC gives our constituents everything they need to know right at their fingertips. They don’t have to search our site for different information. They can do everything from learning about the legislative process to reading about the importance of voting. – all in one place. We also have been finding an increase in letters sent to legislators by constituents who initially started out in the EC and then moved on the Legislative Action Center (LAC).

DBSA is extremely proud of our advocates. In 2006, approximately 500 letters were sent through the LAC. In 2007, the number increased to 10,300. This year, with two more months to go, more than 43,000 letters have been sent – making us one of the strongest grassroots networks of online advocates.

Personally, I’ve been browsing through MI Vote Counts since I first learned about it, and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s just now learning about it. It’s too late to register to vote in most states (except for those states that offer same-day and late registrations like New Hampshire and Montana), but keep in mind that is only one of the resources MI Vote Counts offers.

If you’re undecided, check it out.

If you’ve already decided, check it out anyway.

And don’t forget to thank Gloria for this insight into MI Vote Counts!

Post from: Blisstree

MI Vote Counts: The DBSA Helps You Decide

And, because it’s located at THOMAS (The Library of Congress’s site), the links are usually temporary so I’m giving you directions instead:

1. Visit THOMAS.
2. Click on Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 : H.R. 1424 at the top of the page. (I don’t know how long this will remain at the top.)
3. Once you’re on the page for H.R. 1424, click on Printer Friendly Display.
4. After that page loads, scroll down until you see SEC. 512. MENTAL HEALTH PARITY (it will be in the center of the page, near the bottom) or do a search for it using your browser’s “Find” option.
5. Read.

I’ve stumbled across a very important question regarding this legislation, but I want to give you a chance to read over the text before I ask it.

Post from: Blisstree

Read The Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008

Today was the last day for the “Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate” series here at Mental Health Notes.

And, if you missed it, you don’t have to scroll through the site trying to find each post – I’ve rounded them all up for you right here!

Number One: Stop Yourself And Others From Promoting Mental Health Stigma. People with any kind of illness – mental illness included – are up against a lot. Refraining from using stigmatizing words and committing actions that contribute to stigma is a great way to be a mental health advocate!

Number Two: Get Involved With Mental Health Advocacy And Research Organizations. Nationwide (and worldwide!) mental health advocacy and research programs have their stuff together, and they can help you learn about mental health and advocate for mental health awareness.

Number Three: Get Involved With Mental Health Support Groups. Support groups have been around for a looooong time. It’s because they work. If you join a support group in your area, or create one where once one never existed, you can learn more about yourself and your loved ones as well as promote mental health awareness.

Number Four: Educate Yourself And Others About Mental Health. Education is the key to…well, everything. Stigma, abuse, and bigoted thoughts and behaviors often stem from ignorance, so educate yourself about mental health and then go out and educate the world!

Number Five: Get Involved With Mental Health Politics. Band together with other mental health advocates to make our government hear us and create useful mental health legislation.

If you have any more suggestions on how to become a mental health advocate, or personal stories about how you have advocated for mental health awareness, feel free to share in the comments!

Image: SXC and Karolina K

Post from: Blisstree

Round Up Of The Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate

The “Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate” series here at Mental Health Notes comes to an end today, and so far you’ve read about stopping mental health stigma, getting involved with mental health advocacy and research organizations as well as mental health support groups, and ways to educate yourself and others about mental health.

To wrap up, let’s muse on mental health politics, i.e. mental health legislation that deals with issues like postpartum depression, substance and alcohol abuse, and of course – MENTAL HEALTH PARITY!

Number Five: Become a mental health advocate when you get involved with mental health politics and make your voice heard.

You don’t have to be a political person to get involved with politics that affect mental health legislation. Actually, you don’t even have to leave your house.

Thanks to organizations like the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), and the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), you can keep informed and get involved with mental health politics right from your computer.

To get started, check out these mental health legislative action centers:

• NAMI: Take Action
• DBSA: Advocacy in Action
• NMHA: Advocacy Network

Thanks to these groups – and the Internet – it’s possible and easy for us to sign petitions and send emails to our representatives regarding mental health legislation.

It’s never been easier to make our voices heard!

Later today, I’ll round up each of the posts in the “Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate” series. In the meantime, tell me what kind of mental health legislation you’ve been involved with lately.

• Are you subscribed to any newsletters or RSS feeds that keep you up to date with mental health legislation? Which ones?
• Which piece of mental health legislation is currently most important to you, and why?

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Get Involved With Mental Health Politics

Feel like taking part in a nationwide mental health movement today? Don’t have much time for anything other than a phone call?

Then you’re in luck.

According to Mental Health America, today is National Parity Call-In Day, a day that we’re all urged to call our U.S. Senators and our U.S. Representative and urge them to bring mental health parity to a vote.

With Congress back in session this week and only a short time left, it must pass mental health parity legislation. This is the moment to remind lawmakers that parity legislation is critical, unfinished business.

Never in the almost two-decade fight for parity have we been closer to victory. If Congress fails to bring parity to a vote before adjourning later this month, we must restart the push for parity in 2009.

The number to call is 1.866.parity4 (1-866-727-4894) and the message Mental Health America suggests is:

“I’m calling to ask the Senator/Representative to press congressional leaders to bring mental health parity legislation to a vote. It’s critical that Congress pass parity legislation this year.

Pretty simple, yes?

And when you’re finished, head over to Contest: Win A Copy Of Surviving Ben’s Suicide By C. Comfort Shields for your chance to win a copy of this moving memoir!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Today Is National Parity Call-In Day!