Just when I think I’m going to have a normal week (i.e. one not bogged down with getting caught up with work and chores, but one actually spent working and “choring” at a regular pace!), a gigantic tree about 20 feet from my house decides to give up on life and take a few power and telephone lines down with it.
Fortunately, no one (and no homes) were hurt, but most of my street went without power and/or telephones for two days – which not only blows for people who, you know, want to keep the food in their refrigerators cold, …read more

And by “one thing” I mean prescribing medication.
Aside from the cost of mental health care, one of the biggest patient complaints I’ve heard since beginning Mental Health Notes and becoming involved with NAMI is the way in which appointments with psychiatrists seem to go these days.
It’s become the norm for a patient to take a half or whole day off work to sit in a waiting room for an hour or more only to see a psychiatrist for a few minutes in order to discuss whether or not a particular medication is working, grab a new or adjusted prescription, and …read more

I’m trying a bit of a different style for Saturday Sanity. Let me know what you think!

First up, let me refresh your memory regarding some of the more interesting things that went on at Mental Health Notes this week: The Lolcats paid us a visit, Boston Legal made me proud, the folks opposing the postpartum depression legislation confused me, I offered fellow American Idol Michael Johns fans some help, and, oh yeah, Mental Health Notes wants to know why you ROCK!

Next in line, I have a couple of Saturday Sanity-worthy Web sites to share with you sent in by MHN …read more

Did anyone watch New Amsterdam last night? That new FOX show about the brilliant New York City homicide detective who happens to be immortal and, um, over three centuries old?
I’m in the process of becoming a devoted viewer. Now, don’t misunderstand me. Nothing can take Prison Break’s place in my heart (not even a new FOX show that also happens to feature a female doctor named Sarah – FOX hates me) – nothing. But, New Amsterdam may become a show I watch each week.
Anyway, last night’s episode was great. Murderous psychiatrists, war veterans, and falsely-accused child abusers, oh my! Not …read more

Back in September I posted I’m Firing My Psychiatrist. In short, the post explained the reasons I had for firing my psychiatrist. Actually, the post explained the one main reason I had for firing my psychiatrist: He assured me that I could stop taking Lamictal cold turkey without even glossing over the potential risks for seizures that accompany quitting Lamictal cold turkey.
Yesterday, reader Patrick left the following comment under that post:
This discussion of lamictal is quite educational for me. I really don’t like the person I’ve become, the edginess, being short tempered and irritable all the time but my shrink …read more

They’re all part of this week’s Saturday Sanity!
It’s not unusual to skim through the other b5media Science & Health Channel blogs and find mental health-related discussions going on. Here are a few from this week:

Elaine at Genetics & Health posted Happiness is down to your genes, a look at a University of Edinburgh and Queensland Institute for Medical Research study dealing with happiness being “partly determined by personality traits and that both personality and happiness are largely hereditary.”
Marijke at Help My Hurt posted Don’t bother with aromatherapy – it won’t help your pain, which highlights a recent study suggesting aromatherapy …read more

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries – Part 5
We’ve hit the halfway point and it’s all downhill from here. Feeling any more educated about obsessive-compulsive disorder? Sure you are.
Now that you know the signs, symptoms, causes of, and risk factors for OCD, how do you know when it’s time to talk to a doctor? And on that note, how will a doctor even determine whether or not you have OCD?
Sometimes people mistake perfectionism for OCD, and vice-versa. Sometimes people mistake little quirks or odd habits for OCD, and vice-versa. However, if your “perfectionism” or “little quirks or odd …read more