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

If you’re the parent of someone with a mood disorder, and you’re free tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (or 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, 5 p.m. Pacific, 12 a.m. Tuesday GMT), then I have news of interest for you.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is launching an online support group for parents of people with mood disorders. You can learn more about this DBSA online support group – including its regular schedule – at DBSA Online Support Groups.
You may even find another one you’d like to attend.
Oh, and the DBSA is looking for your opinions about their …read more

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 …read more

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 …read more

Until this point in the “Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate” series here at Mental Health Notes, I’ve given you reasons to stop promoting stigma, a list of large mental health advocacy and research organizations with which you can get involved, and advice on how to get started with mental health support groups.
Today, I want to tell you how important it is to educate yourself and others about mental health. It’s more unlikely that you or anyone else will stigmatize mental illness once you understand it, after all.
Number Four: Become a mental health advocate when you educate …read more

So far in the “Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate” series here at Mental Health Notes, I’ve given you reasons to stop promoting stigma and a list of large mental health advocacy and research organizations with which you can get involved.
Today, let’s talk about the importance of smaller mental health support groups, how you can get involved with one, and how you can even start one if there are none in your area.
Number Three: Become a mental health advocate when you get involved with mental health support groups, or start a mental health support group.

Here at Mental Health Notes and b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, it’s become the trend for every week to feel just as busy – if not busier – than the last. I love it, mind you. I just think I need to sit down and seriously re-evaluate my current system of organization.
Anyway, on to what went on this week in the world of mental health!

Here at Mental Health Notes, I was all over the place. From sharing a few thoughts about LiveJournal to reviewing Google’s top five results for “brain games” to offering resources for help with cyberbullies in light …read more

Let’s see how much you know about mental health and factors that can actually predict the status of a person’s mental health.
Choose which of the following factors you think is the most effective in predicting a person’s mental health status:

Race/ethnicity
Age
Education
Income
Literacy skills
Employment

If you chose literacy skills, you’re absolutely correct. And it’s deeper than just being able to read and write – it’s also being able to understand health-related information. In other words, it’s your health literacy.