On October 6, 2008, the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (<- you gotta love those Canadians!), with the support of Manulife Financial, launched Let’s Face This – Confront the Stigma of Mental Illness. As the name suggests, Let’s Face This is a grassroots, web-based campaign to bust stigma and promote public awareness and education about mental health. And – as the name suggests – the campaign really does want you to face this.
When you visit Let’s Face This, you can add your picture to a growing tree of people who – like you – want to help promote public awareness and …read more

Here at Mental Health Notes, I try to write about happy things as often as possible.
Sure, I gripe. I’ve been known to tell off Representatives and mental health care workers I don’t know from states I’ve never been. And yes, I even poo-poo on progress for the sake of progress sometimes and roll my eyes at strangers and remind folks that – statistically speaking – stigma is stupid.
I mean, come on. I hand out A.S.S. Awards.
I admit that, when it comes to the world of mental health, there are still so many hurdles to jump. It’s enough to make a …read more

See that cheesing rocker to the right?
Well, he’s the reason I missed Wednesday night’s DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows on PBS.
I couldn’t help it. I had to watch the American Idol finale. I got really wrapped up in this season, so I had to find out which of the Davids won at the exact moment he won.
Anyway, the good news (aside from David Cook winning American Idol) is that PBS has made it possible for us to watch DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows online. I hope to do this sometime this weekend, but if anyone beats me to it, feel …read more

If you aren’t already counting down the hours until you find out which of the Davids is going to be the next American Idol (which, I am), turn your channel to your local PBS station tonight at 9 p.m. and watch DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows, the first 90-minute component of “a multi-dimensional PBS project that explores the disease’s complex terrain, offering a comprehensive and timely examination of this devastating disorder.”
About the Program:
“By weaving together the science and treatment of depression with intimate portrayals of families and individuals coping with its wide-ranging effects, the film raises awareness and eliminates the …read more

So, while I’m sitting in the waiting room at my dentist’s office today, a man walked in. There’s nothing really distinct about this man – just your regular ol’ Random Joe. Looked to be about 65 years old and in good health.
Apparently he’s well known by the various secretaries, dental assistants, etc. who were milling about at the time he walked in, as they all greeted him when he came through the door.
Anyway…
Random Joe: Walks through the door.
Staff: “Hi [Random Joe]!”
Random Joe: “Hi, [dentist office staff people]!”
Staff: “How are you?”
Random Joe: “Ah, if I was any …read more

As I mentioned yesterday, my NAMI affiliation had a cookout at one of our local city parks in honor of Mental Health Month.
Well, it turned out to be a lovely event! The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and aside from a crowd of skateboarding teenagers (who eventually moved on to skate somewhere else – I guess we were boring, ha!) and restroom facilities that were out of order (a water leak forced the manager to shut everything down – the day before our cookout!), everything went perfectly.
My only gripe is attendance.
We had a fairly decent turn out, but …read more

“To take away the stigma is to take away the fear.” – Nancy Devine.
Have any of you heard of the old Willard Psychiatric Center in New York? Until it closed in 1995, it went through several names, ultimately sticking with the Willard Psychiatric Center.
Anyway, once Willard was closed in 1995, hundreds of “abandoned” suitcases were found in the attic of one of the center’s buildings. These suitcases belonged to patients at Willard. Of course, the majority – if not all – of the suitcases were taken to and forgotten in the attic because the owners – the patients – died …read more