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It’s been a pretty hectic week for most of my American readers. A major national holiday and Black Friday, all in one week. Back to back, no less!
The only thing that could rival that excitement would be a brand new Saturday Sanity, right? (Well, it was worth a shot.)
As you read this, I’m most likely putting up Christmas decorations. And that is more exciting to me than any of it!
This week at Mental Health Notes, things were sad. People watched as a fellow human being committed suicide live, the numbers of children being dropped off at …read more

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It seems like just a few Saturday Sanities ago I was talking about how warm and sunny it was outside; now, we’re covered in snow. We have been all week. I still don’t have a winter coat (I didn’t have one last year, either – I can be very serious about my procrastination) and Chopper doesn’t understand why we don’t go outside 9,375 times a day anymore.
Anyway…
This week at Mental Health Notes, I talked about a new study about the television viewing habits of unhappy people, commented on two legal situations involving mental health issues (the …read more

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As I gear up for tonight’s episode of Prison Break, now seems as good a time as any to nod in the direction of the research I kept bumping into this weekend regarding happy people vs. unhappy people when it comes to watching television.
The article I read all the way through was Science Daily’s Watching Television, Channeling Unhappiness?, which discusses researchers from the University of Maryland and the studies they conducted for over 30 years. I recommend reading the article (it’s not that long), but the entire thing is summed up near the top:
Examining the activity …read more

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Well, we’re, what…two weeks into November? And NaNoWriMo is not going as well as I hoped it would. Don’t get me wrong – it’s going much better than last year’s. I just thought I’d be farther along than I am right now. Still, any progress on this book is a blessing!
On to the brainy stuff:
This week at Mental Health Notes, it was business as usual. I commiserated over animal testing in new schizophrenia research, told you about two ways you can donate to help veterans receive mental health treatment, pointed you in the direction of an …read more

Passed in 1997, Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act makes physician-assisted suicide legal for terminally ill patients. Currently, Oregon is the only state in America that allows physician-assisted suicides. (I guess Michigan felt it’d be a bit inappropriate.)
Even though there are several “safeguards” within the Death with Dignity Act that aim to cover all mental health bases before a doctor can help a terminally ill patient commit suicide (such as psychological evaluations), folks from the Oregon Health and Science University are raising questions about patients with depression and anxiety (those who are likely to have impaired judgment). And, the answers to …read more

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“According to a new study [...] homosexuals and bisexuals are about 50% more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to suffer from depression and abuse drugs [...] most likely due to the lifelong stresses caused by the discrimination and rejection that homosexuals and bisexuals suffer from.” (From About.com’s Depression Blog post, Homosexuality Strongly Linked to Depression and Suicide)
“Researchers at the University of Minnesota have published a study showing that the degree of internalized homonegativity (negative attitude towards homosexuality) among homosexual men is what predicts poor mental and sexual health – not the act of being homosexual.” (From …read more

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Ecstasy produces intensely pleasurable effects – including an enhanced sense of self-confidence and energy. Effects include feelings of peacefulness, acceptance and empathy. Users say they experience feelings of closeness with others and a desire to touch others. (DrugFree.org)
Sounds seductive, doesn’t it?
I remember when ecstasy first started hitting the streets in my area. And I mean, really hitting the streets. As in, ecstasy use was running rampant through my campus, I knew people who did it, and I knew people who sold it. I also remember when stories about people dying from ecstasy started hitting the news …read more

I’ve been fairly stressed out this week.
The state of the American economy, the housing market, health insurance (or lack thereof), my yet-to-be paid off student loans – in other words, money (or again, lack thereof) – all have me freaking out just a bit about my future and my country’s future.
I didn’t used to worry about things like this. Of course, I don’t remember a time in my life when things ever seemed this bad.
Anyone else feeling the stress? Have some suggestions for mellowing out? I’d love to hear them.
In the meantime, let’s check out what’s going on in the …read more

Whoa! I have had one hectic week! Most of it has been work-related, so I’m not complaining (when one is a freelance writer and editor, one doesn’t complain when work gets hectic), but I’ve barely been able to leave my desk long enough to take Chopper outside.
Next week is going to be just as hectic, but that’s mostly because of all the big plans I have for Mental Health Notes, as well as something special all of us in the b5media Health & Wellness Channel are cooking up.
Oooh, I bet you’re curious now.
Have patience and, in the meantime, enjoy this …read more

I don’t know who originally talked about “the calm before a storm,” but in my 26 years of existence, I’ve found it to be all too true.
Aside from the depressing news about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince release date, last week was a pretty good week.
This week, after spending numerous days in the hospital with a loved one who’s suffered a brain stem stroke (I’ll talk more about that tomorrow), Warner Brothers’ big surprise with Harry Potter looks peachy by comparison.
Still, I have prepared a pretty decent Saturday Sanity, all things considered.
Enjoy!
This week at Mental Health Notes, I …read more