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 week’s Saturday Sanity!

This week at Mental Health Notes, Aside from telling you about brain foods for vegetarians and the history of the emoticon, as well as making a few announcements (see below), I didn’t do a whole lot of writing (I told you – it was a hectic week!). Fortunately, Airdrie Miller (remember her?) wrote a very special four-part guest series for Mental Health Notes about her battle with depression. If you missed it, backtrack and catch up with part one, part two, part three, and part four. I feel very blessed that she shared her story here.

Regarding mental health advocacy, Project Helping Hands is now also offering mental health resources to Hurricane Ike victims, NAMI has established a special fund to help Gustav and Ike victims, Mental Health America has launched its Vote for America’s Mental Health campaign, and the DBSA has launched a support group for parents of people with mood disorders.

In the world of mental health news, mental health professionals seem to be choosing methods that aren’t proven effective over methods that are proven effective when treating children suffering from PTSD, researchers are still linking pot and psychosis (did I read another study about that once?), overbearing parents may be fostering obsessive children (hmm…kind of like college students having low self-esteem because of their parents’ high expectations?), and homosexual men are experiencing poor mental health due to homonegativity (which is a “negative attitude towards homosexuality”).

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, we’re as busy as always:

• Kelly at Grounded Fitness wants to tell y’all about her GoTrybe.com one-year membership giveaway.
• Marijke at Womb Within wants to promote National Seat Check Saturday (which takes place today!).
• Karen at Pink Ribbon Review is recruiting people to join her team for Lee National Denim Day.
• Liz and Mary Emma remind us that today is the deadline to submit to the All About Alzheimer’s Carnival.

Enjoy your Saturdays!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Putting An End To A Hectic Week

Earlier this week I told you about how Project Helping Hands is providing mental health resources to Gustav victims.

Yesterday I received an email and press release from The National Council letting me know that Project Helping Hands is now also extending their help to Hurricane Ike victims.

The press release:

‘Helping Hands’ For Hurricane Ike Victims

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2008—As Hurricane Ike bears down on the Texas coast, help is available for emergency mental health and addictions needs in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Project Helping Hands, established by National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, will help behavioral healthcare organizations respond to people’s emergency needs in communities affected by the storm.

It is estimated that up to 25 to 30 percent of people in the most vulnerable communities experience new mental health and addictions problems in the wake of disasters.

“The stress and emotional impact of yet another major disaster along the Gulf Coast can cause severe worry and anxiety,” said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council. “Project Helping Hands can be an immediate resource for residents who may be psychiatrically
vulnerable and traumatized by the storm.”

Rosenberg said that people who have to leave their homes-seen as places of safety and comfort—can make the mental health challenges even more pronounced.

“The fear of losing your home, personal possessions, and even loved ones helps to compound the anxiety that people feel,” said Rosenberg.

Begun in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Project Helping Hands provided modest grants to treatment organizations in several Gulf Coast states. The grants were used to help with emergency needs like hiring treatment staff, setting up emergency outreach offices, and
purchasing medications and emergency equipment.

“In the wake of disaster, community behavioral health providers must address the critical needs of two groups — those who experience the onset of trauma and mental disorders as a result of the disaster and those with pre- existing serious mental illnesses and addictions who
need continued care and treatment,” said Rosenberg. “Our pockets are not deep but we are standing by to help in any way we can.”

More information about Project Helping Hands may be found at
www.TheNationalCouncil.org/HelpingHands.

Please feel free to forward this information to any Ike victim you know!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Update: Project Helping Hands Also Offers Assistance To Ike Victims

Saturday’s just don’t have the same magic they had when I was a kid. Saturday’s used to mean no school. Sleeping in. Hanging out with friends until all hours of the night. Going to the pool, or the mall, or some other such fun place.

Now, Saturdays mean catching up on work. Getting a quick call in with a friend. Doing chores I didn’t have time to do during the week. Going grocery shopping, doing laundry, or some other such mundane task.

It’s sad when you have to plan a lazy Saturday, yes?

In any event, enjoy this week’s Saturday Sanity. And the reason for the little smiley faces above is two-fold: One, there’s a lot of good news below, so yay! Two, there’s a lot of bad news below, so you’ll need some perking up!

This week at Mental Health Notes, in addition to participating in the Health & Wellness Channel’s September theme day with 5 Tips To Keep Your Child’s Mind Healthy This School Year and telling you about all the drugs that may or may not be in your water, I ran a five-day series on becoming a mental health advocate called – unsurprisingly – The Top 5 Ways To Be A Mental Health Advocate. Don’t worry; you don’t have to dig through a week’s worth of posts to find them. I’ve provided a convenient round up for you. Oh, and I’m running a contest to win a copy of Surviving Ben’s Suicide, which ends tonight – so hurry on over and enter!

Regarding mental health advocacy, Project Helping Hands is providing mental health services to Gustav victims (and Ike victims, as well, I just found out), Mental Health America set National Parity Call-In Day in motion, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) announced the 16 finalists in the Facing Us 2008 Music Contest, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is hosting a free teleconference on Tuesday regarding the challenges providers face when treating people with mental health problems. It’s too late for me to register (I just found out about it!), but maybe if any of you reading this are participating, you’d like to take notes and share with the class, hmm?

In the world of mental health news, there’s not a lot of good. Suicide is up for soldiers and still high for teens. Parents are doing a lot more talking with school personnel and health care providers about their kids’ mental health (well, now wait – that’s a good thing), and the number of young adults who’ve abused prescription drugs is up (okay, we’re back to the bad stuff). ADHD is causing adults to have lower levels of educational and occupational attainments, IBD is causing a whole plethora of mental problems (or, at least, being connected to them), and dialysis patients with depression are more likely to die or be hospitalized within a year than those who aren’t suffering from depression. Wow, I wish there was more good news. Well, I did find some stuff I’m saving for next week.

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, we’ve all been pretty dang busy! In addition to checking out Grace Ibay’s round up of theme day posts, you may also be interested in checking out:

• Mark’s look at medications and other drugs in relation to alcohol and substance abuse.
• Kendra’s recount of her experiences during 9/11.
• Mary Emma Allen’s thoughts on caregivers lifting their spirits when they’re down.
• Angelique’s five reasons parents ignore eating disorders.
• Ruth’s report of coffee perks for women.
• Kristen’s hysterical post about guppy sex (well, it’s hysterical to me!).
• Marijke’s report on how Wii Fit has been working for her.
• Karen’s quote in a Health.com article (go Karen!).
• My guest post over at Weighting Line. (Hint: It’s dripping with sinfully superficial ways to perk up on crap days – and some good advice, too.)

Enjoy your Saturday!

Image: SXC and Aleksandra P.

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: The Good, The Bad, And The Smiley Faces

Who doesn’t love it when our society pulls together to help victims?

Yesterday I received this press release from the National Council, the same bunch of forward thinkers who created an office on an island in Second Life called Nonprofit Commons in order to virtually offer mental health and addictions awareness and support.

Emergency Assistance Available for Gustav Victims

Experts Available to Discuss Mental Health and Addictions Issues in the Wake of Disaster

Contact: Meena Dayak, MeenaD@thenationalcouncil.org; 301.602.8474

Washington, DC — As the Gulf Coast braces for another potentially devastating hurricane, help is available to meet emergency mental health and addictions needs in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Established by National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, Project Helping Hands will help behavioral healthcare organizations respond to emergency needs in any community affected by the storm.

It is estimated that up to 25 to 30 percent of people in the most vulnerable communities experience new mental health and addictions problems in the wake of disasters.

“The stress and emotional impact of yet another major disaster can cause severe worry and anxiety,” said Linda Rosenberg, president and CEO of the National Council. “Project Helping Hands can be an immediate resource for residents who may be psychiatrically vulnerable and
traumatized by the storm.”

Rosenberg said that people who have to leave their homes—seen as places of safety and comfort—can make the mental health challenges even more pronounced.

“The fear of losing your home, personal possessions, and even loved ones helps to compound the anxiety that people feel,” said Rosenberg.

Begun in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Project Helping Hands provided modest grants to treatment organizations in several Gulf Coast states. The grants were used to help with emergency needs like hiring treatment staff, setting up emergency outreach offices, and
purchasing medications and emergency equipment.

“In the wake of disaster, community behavioral health providers must address the critical needs of two groups — those who experience the onset of trauma and mental disorders as a result of the disaster and those with pre-existing serious mental illnesses and addictions who need continued care and treatment,” said Rosenberg. “Our pockets are not deep
but we are standing by to help in any way we can.”

More information about Project Helping Hands may be found at www.TheNationalCouncil.org/HelpingHands.

Feel free to forward this information to any Gustav victims you know!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Project Helping Hands Provides Mental Health Resouces for Gustav Victims