Well, they’re not all new, per se, but they’re some of the mental health blogs I’ve been checking out lately.

Recovering One Day At A Time is written by maryruth, a seriously busy American woman (she’s a single mother of four, a homeschooler to her special needs son, a writer, a NAMI advocate, and she just started working on her Master’s in Psychology!) who wants to share her “walk through mental illness to recovery.”

I’m Listening is written by “Wandering Coyote,” a Canadian lady who’s managing borderline personality disorder, dysthymia, and major depressive disorder and who seeks to bust the stigma of mental illness.

Clinically Clueless is written by “Clueless,” another American woman who, for the past 20 years, has both worked in the mental health field and has been is psychotherapy. Clueless has been dealing with dsysthymia, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and an eating disorder, as well as self-injury and suicidal ideation.

One Bipolar Life is written by “Preciousrock,” a single mother who is managing bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and who also runs OneBipolarLife.com.

Advocate Support Blog is a very thorough blog that covers mental health resources, interesting links, mental health news, and other information related to mental health. The writer, James Crosson, is also affiliated with Advocate Support Services, Inc.

PsyBlog is by no means new (I think it’s been around since 2004), but I just recently stumbled across it. Its owner, freelance writer Jeremy Dean, has various degrees in the mental health field and he keeps the site packed with mental health information.

Mental Health – Able Mart is a sort of Web site/blog duo, where you can find articles/blog posts about everything from managing stress as a caregiver to bipolar disorder.

I’ve added each of these blogs to the blogroll here at Mental Health Notes, and if you know of any others you think I should feature, feel free to drop me a line in the comments.

In the meantime, happy reading!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Check Out These New Mental Health Blogs

During Celebrity Health Week, I wrote two posts about schizophrenia: Celebrities and Schizophrenia and Tell Me More about Schizophrenia: Signs, Symptoms, and Treatments.

However, had I known about NAMI’s Schizophrenia: Public Attitudes, Personal Needs Web site I would have definitely included it.

The Web site:

• Gives a summary of the schizophrenia survey. For example, did you know an average time period of eight and a half years passes between the time a person’s schizophrenia symptoms first surface until the time the person first receives schizophrenia treatment? You can also see the methodology of the survey.
• Provides an analysis section, broken down into three parts designed to help explain schizophrenia in easy-to-understand terms: Living with Schizophrenia, Public Attitudes, and Caregiver Experiences and Challenges.
• Lists six recommendations to help improve attitudes about schizophrenia and meet the needs of people with schizophrenia.
• Dedicates a section to highlighting schizophrenia in the media.
• Offers an online quiz about schizophrenia. The quiz includes seven questions, and provides explanations after each answer.

You can peruse through these sections, or download the whole report. Either way, I think this is a well-organized and easily translated break down of schizophrenia.

Give it a look and let me know what you think. Did you learn anything from it? Do you think it could be simpler or should be more in depth? Would you pass it on to others to help them learn more about schizophrenia?

Image: Newscom

This post is part of the Mental Health Notes series. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over to This Is Why I ROCK! and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

NAMI Presents Schizophrenia: Public Attitudes, Personal Needs

From the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Action Alert I received last night:

We are delighted to announce that the Senate and the House negotiators have reached a historic agreement on the Mental Health Parity compromise bill. Since early March, when the Senate passed its own version of the bill, S. 558, the House and Senate have been engaged in intense negotiations to reconcile differences between the two bills. (The House bill, H.R. 1424 – passed in early March).

Now the bill must go for one more, final vote in both chambers and then goes to the President for his signature.

You are all amazing! For many years, you have hung in there for the long haul – the mark of a true advocate. Now we need to rally once more so that the bill is passed quickly in the House and Senate.

Although there is great optimism on the Hill, that passage will occur soon. Let’s not leave anything to chance. Please send a letter to your legislators in both the House and Senate asking them to pass the compromise bill NOW.

And, you can send a letter (or email) to your legislators when you visit the action alert at the DBSA. Simply enter your zip code and the DBSA will present you with a list of people (from the President to your local newspaper!) to send the letter (or email) to.

Image: Newscom

If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over to This Is Why I ROCK! and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Update: Senate And House Reach Historic Agreement On Mental Health Parity

Let’s see if we can get caught up, shall we?

This week at Mental Health Notes, I spent most of my time trying to get away from the topic of celebrities. I shared with you a study regarding the aroma of coffee and your brain, talked about the governor of Virginia’s decision to take a mentally ill inmate off death row, updated you on Pfizer’s defense of Chantix, discussed a study involving heavy marijuana use and brain size, and discussed another study involving the similarities in the brains of homosexual men and straight women. (I admit, however, that I didn’t get too far away from celebrities: I also announced the upcoming arrivals of Mental, a FOX drama starring Prison Break’s Chris Vance, and Shrink, a movie in which Kevin Spacey portrays a pot-smoking psychiatrist. Geez, what’s with all the weed lately.)

In the world of mental health news, The court-appointed receiver who oversees health care in California’s prisons has asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for $7 billion to upgrade the physical and mental health care lacking so much that it has been deemed unconstitutional. French researchers believe smoking affects the memory and reasoning skills of middle-aged smokers. Dr. Mark D. Seery and his group of researchers have concluded that people who experience trauma may not benefit from being urged to talk about it unless they want to. Aetna has agreed to cover eating disorders under the same terms and conditions as biologically based mental illnesses. British researchers have linked low serotonin levels with aggression. And, sadly, the number of suicides in Japan increased in 2007 to 30,777.

Regarding mental health advocacy, Chato B. Stewart of Mental Health Humor has launched 5 Question FRIDAYS, a weekly feature he’ll be doing to help readers get to know each other better, as well as share their experiences in the world of mental health. Tammi Green, a remitted borderline personality disorder consumer, has released her new book Self Help for Managing the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. Brian Gordon Sinclair, author of Hemingway On Stage, recently performed as a fund raiser for Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault and is open to requests for more fund raisers for promoting awareness of depression and bipolar disorder. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has released the 2008 National Conference Agenda.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, we tackled our monthly theme day posts on Monday. June’s theme? “School’s Out!” I wrote about the importance of helping your children maintain healthy sleep schedules during the summer months, and thanks to host Gloria Gamat of Cancer Commentary you can also check out what the rest of my fellow bloggers had to say!

That’s all for this week’s Saturday Sanity! If you have any mental health news, announcements, or entertainment to share, send it my way for next week.

First image: morgueFile
Second image: morgueFile
Third image: Newscom
Fourth image: b5media

If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over to the This Is Why I ROCK! and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Let’s Catch Up!

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc. has gotten some seriously negative press regarding Chantix, the drug that’s supposed to help people stop smoking.

For example, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the Food and Drug Administration both made similar reports dealing with a link between Chantix and suicide, seizures, and traffic accidents, airline pilots and air-traffic controllers have been federally banned from using Chantix, and across the Internet, everyday folks are reporting the negative mental side effects of Chantix (try Can Chantix Cause Depression?, Are Chantix Side Effects Worth the Risk?, and one woman’s story about her daughter’s “hellish experience”).

Neither the public nor Pfizer have let this negativity go unnoticed. According to Pfizer Counterattacks on Chantix Safety Concerns,

Sales of Chantix have fallen by about one-third since January, when the FDA report came out, and Pfizer’s shares have fallen 30 percent in value in the last year.

So, Pfizer has launched a crusade to repair the reputation of Chantix as well as cover their own asses as far as safety and Chantix side effects go. The company has published advertisements in five major newspapers in America to let readers know about the benefits of Chantix as well as the possible risks and how to react to them (i.e., call your doctor). Pfizer has also sent letters to health care providers across the country and is planning to hold “special briefings” for reporters.

As someone who is addicted to nicotine, I don’t want to take a drug to stop smoking. Mind you, I do want to stop smoking, I just don’t want to take a pill to do it.

If you want to stop smoking, but would rather steer clear of medications to help you stop smoking, consider checking out Nicotine Anonymous. I had no idea this group existed until this morning. Unfortunately, there are only three groups in my state – the closest of which is over three hours away. Still, I’m interested.

I’m also interested in knowing if any of you have experienced any negative side effects after taking Chantix, or know someone who has. Would you recommend the drug to someone who wants to help kicking the smoking habit?

If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over to This Is Why I ROCK! and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Pfizer Defends Chantix, But Warns Of Mood And Behavior Changes

Celebrity Health Week is over, and boy, and I glad.

Actually, Celebrity Health Week was technically over on Saturday, but as last week was quite eventful for me away from the computer, my own Celebrity Health Week posts carried over to early this morning.

I also opted to cut some of the posts out of the original Celebrity Health Week schedule. Honestly, given the busy week I had and the fact that I was just getting tired of writing about celebrities and mental health, I decided to cut myself some slack. It’s as simple as that.

Sure, I have, from time to time, mentioned famous people and mental illness here at Mental Health Notes; however, I’m not entirely comfortable with it, which is why I normally choose to only write about well-publicized information that has come directly from the famous person’s mouth or a seriously reliable source.

In any event, I hope Celebrity Health Week at Mental Health Notes taught everyone a few things. It definitely reinforced a few truths for me.

• Having a mental illness doesn’t mean you can’t have relationships and children, work your ideal job, and live your dreams.
• While your own health – physical and mental – is your own business, publicly acknowledging your mental health issues can be empowering. Not only does it leave little room for people to criticize you (honestly, there’s not much else for someone to say when you look them in the eye and say, “Yeah, I have bipolar disorder. What about it?”), but it also helps others understand that they’re not alone and it helps bust stigma.

So, in closing to Celebrity Health Week:

• I want to thank all the celebrities who have come forward with their mental health problems, and especially those who have become mental health advocates.
• I want to apologize to anyone about whom I’ve passed along incorrect information.
• I want to thank all the readers who commented and shared their thoughts, or corrections, on the Celebrity Health Week posts.

Tomorrow, we’ll get back to plain ol’ mental health issues! In the meantime, what are your thoughts regarding Celebrity Health Week at Mental Health Notes?

Image: Newscom

If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over to This Is Why I ROCK! and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Celebrity Health Week Comes To A Close

This post is part of Celebrity Health Week at the b5media Health & Wellness Channel. For more information about Celebrity Health Week posts here at Mental Health Notes, visit Introducing Celebrity Health Week: Celebrities And Mental Illness.

We’ve taken a look at famous people who have attempted suicide, as well as celebrities who committed suicide, so let’s now look at suicide itself: some of the causes of suicide, warning signs of suicide, and resources for people considering suicide.

Please keep in mind that this post is just an overview – and a brief one at that – and by no means meant to act as a substitute for medical professional advice.

Read on.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, three years ago, in 2004, suicide was the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States, and it’s estimated that per every completed suicide there are at least 8 to 25 attempted suicides.

Back in May 2008 I posted Suicide Warning Signs: In Light Of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Within that post are:

• Suicide warning signs, as well as questions you can ask yourself and observations you can make regarding your loved ones who may be contemplating suicide.
• Suggestions on what to do if you think or know for sure a loved one is planning suicide, i.e. get help.
• Web sites and organizations to check out for help with suicidal situations.

I also highly recommend checking out the following:

• Suicide: You Are Not Exempt – Marijke Durning shares the experience of her brother’s suicide with Mental Health Notes.
• The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance’s very thorough section on suicide prevention which aims to help you better understand suicidal thinking, offers suggestions on how to cope with and get help for suicidal thoughts, helps you better recognize suicide warning signs, and describes how you can respond to a suicidal situation. The DBSA also provides a round up of suicide hot lines and Web sites.
• The National Institute of Mental Health’s section Suicide in the U.S.: Statistics and Prevention, which also covers risk factors and what roles age, gender, and ethnicity play in suicide statistics.
• Two sections from the National Alliance on Mental Illness Web site: The Emergency Department Resource Toolkit, which provides downloadable versions of informative brochures for consumers, families, and providers, and their intensive section covering resources, organizations, and discussion and support groups.

If you are contemplating suicide, please get help. If you so much as suspect someone you know is contemplating suicide, please get help. There are resources available to you, and there are people out there trained and willing to give you the help you need.

Image: morgueFile

Post from: Blisstree

Tell Me More About Suicide: Risks, Warning Signs, and Resources

This is a comic video that illustrates the influence that a group behavior has on an individual.

As I was watching the video, I had to ask myself what would I have done in that situation? At first, I thought, “There’s no way I would keep turning around and facing different directions like that in an elevator!” However, after thinking more about it, I thought, “Yes, I probably would, because everyone else was (feel up to a jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, anyone?), but I know for certain I’d be laughing my ass off the entire time.”

Although it doesn’t explicitly say in the video, I think this is a pretty clear example of “herd behavior.”

For more information on herd behavior, check out Wikipedia’s articles on herd behavior. I know, I know, Wikipedia isn’t 100% reliable, but this piece does give some insight on herd behavior (including herd behavior in animals, herd behavior in human societies – including financially-related herd behavior – and herd behavior regarding everyday decisions), as well as additional resources to check out.

Air is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

Post from: Blisstree

Funny Google Video On Herd Behavior

If you’ll look to the right and scroll down a bit, you’ll see the Mental Health Notes blogroll. (Ignore the sections called “Helpful Websites” and “Other Great Blogs” – those are going to vanish soon.)

Pretty pathetic, huh? Especially given that there are several Mental Health Notes readers who have mental health-related blogs of their own. That list should be much longer, but, unfortunately, I’m not aware of everyone’s mental health-related Web sites and blogs.

That’s why I’ve decided to conduct a “call for entries” of sorts. Intrigued? Of course you are. Read on for details.

The details are simple, really. I’m interested in knowing about – and linking to – your mental health-related Web site or blog. More specifically, I’m interested in the mental health-related Web sites and blogs of Mental Health Notes readers and commenters. I have a number of faithful (and even semi-faithful) readers who deserve to be recognized and linked to, so, naturally, I want to recognize and link to them.

See? Simple.

There is a catch, however; if you’re a random person who just happened to find this post and/or are just looking for a way to promote your own Web site or blog, move along. I’m not interested in you.

So, what do you do? Ah, simplicity continues to abound. Just email me – or leave a comment in this post, whichever you prefer – with the address to and a brief description of your mental health-related Web site or blog. I’ll then add you to the blogroll.

Note that this isn’t some manipulative plan to increase links, traffic, page views, or anything of that nature. I just honestly want to recognize the mental health-related Web sites and blogs of my readers. You read mine, so why shouldn’t I read and help support yours?

Post from: Blisstree

A Mental Health Notes Call For Entries