What do a wake, a funeral, a dog who seems to have developed irritable bowel syndrome, a depleted bank account, and a would-be fistfight in a Wal-Mart parking lot all have in common?

Why, they all worked together to make up my week, of course.

(Don’t worry, I wasn’t involved in the scuffle. I just happened to be strolling up the aisle when Wal-Mart’s parking lot almost turned into a boxing ring.)

Fortunately for today’s Sunday Sanity (yes, Sunday – I was running errands yesterday and our servers were undergoing maintenance last night, so, no posting for me!), the world of mental health news and events has been just as eventful (though not quite as depressing) as my week.

This week at Mental Health Notes, I offered you resources for learning more about brain stem strokes, told you about NAMI’s call for survey participants and the DBSA’s plethora of mental health podcasts, and updated you on my boyfriend’s Wentworth Miller’s (and his fans’) success with a donation to UNICEF. It was also a big week for books, as I finally posted my review of Bruce Goldstein’s Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac and started a contest for a copy of Dr. David Clarke’s They Can’t Find Anything Wrong!

Regarding mental health advocacy, Mental Health America released “Get Connected” on Campus to offer college students stay connected and manage stress, and gives us information about the Democratic and Republican platforms on mental health and substance abuse issues, while the National Alliance on Mental Illness offers tips on how to manage hot weather while taking medication.

In the world of mental health news, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have discovered (with mice) the need to create new brain cells for exercise or antidepressants to be effective in reducing depression, a study published in a recent online issue of Neurology shows that older people’s mental skills begin to decline before death even without the presence of dementia, and researchers from the University of Michigan Depression Center and their nationwide colleagues have found gender differences regarding the effectiveness of antidepressants. Cherry Hospital of Goldsboro, North Carolina will soon be under investigation after the recent death of a patient who was left unattended in a chair for 22 hours and died choking on his medication, Dr. Raj Sherman of Canada is taking on mental health stigma, and in Australia a man who loses one of his cabins and “lost an income” to the arson of a mentally ill homeless man feels the Mental Health Court’s decision to detain the man at a mental health facility is a “cop out.”

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, Kristina at Autism Vox talks about the shocking case of a video on YouTube of an autistic boy getting beaten up, Kendra at A Hearty Life muses on the mental strength a marathon runner must have, and Liz at Alzheimer’s Notes shares a video about a family dealing with Alzheimer’s Disease. The gals at Healthbolt are holding a giveaway for the Food Matters Documentary DVD, Scott at Health and Men talks about how badly America’s healthcare needs help, and Grace at Kids Health Notes gives a few tips on how to help your kids get back to school stress free. Karen at Pink Ribbon Review is up for the Best Health Blog for the Blogger’s Choice Awards, Angelique at Breaking the Mirror celebrates her 23rd “ana-versary,” and, sadly, Marijke at Help My Hurt explores a different kind of hurt when she said goodbye to her beloved greyhound Dee.

That’s all for this week, folks! There are some pretty interesting news bits in there – some I will probably address further later this week – but in the meantime feel free to discuss them in the comments!

Image: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Sanity: Front Row Seats At The New Wal-Mart Boxing Ring

It took me much longer than I anticipated to read Bruce Goldstein’s Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac – The True Story Of A Man And The Dog Who Saved His Life. Not because the book was a difficult read (on the contrary, it was quite an easy read, especially given Goldstein’s conversational writing tone) and not because I didn’t like it (I did like it). It took me so long to read the book because once I sat down to read, I was completely engrossed.

So, I quickly learned that I could only curl up with Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac and a cup of coffee when I had absolutely nothing else to do for the rest of the evening, which turned out to be about one evening every week or two.

Not an ideal reading speed, but well worth it.

It’s clear throughout the beginning of the book that, had he never had bipolar disorder, Bruce Goldstein might have been one of the people who contribute to the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Quietly, of course, and perhaps completely unknowingly, because he doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who would have openly and consciously stigmatized; Goldstein was simply a product of a society that, for the life of it, still isn’t as educated about mental health as it should be – a society that can’t get past the “crazy people in the movies, psychopathic killers” who surely were the kinds of people who needed psychiatrists. It seems his thoughts during the beginning of his symptoms, and then treatment, are not really about getting better, but about hurrying up and getting better because he’s not crazy damn it and no, no, no he’s not bipolar and he’ll be damned if he takes medication.

That is, until he can’t handle the knives in the kitchen sink telling him to kill himself anymore.

Over the course of 41 fairly short chapters and an epilogue, and in a tone that suggests the two of you are sitting on a park bench having a regular conversation, Bruce Goldstein very openly tells the story of his beginning battles with bipolar disorder, his struggles with finding the right mental health professionals and “cocktail” of medication, and his decision to wage war with Hurricane Bertha in order to claim Ozzy, the black male Labrador that plays a key role in saving Goldstein’s sanity, and possibly his life.

Like all new dog owners, Goldstein soon discovers that raising a puppy isn’t all slobbery kisses and wagging tails. Once Goldstein feels comfortable enough with Ozzy to actually take him home, he realizes owning a dog is work. Real, committed, sleep-deprived work. (I laughed at Goldstein’s frustration at trying to potty train Ozzy, and his excitement when he eventually started adding one, two, and three hours to his sleep schedule – I’ve been there!)

Unlike many new dog owners, however, Goldstein realizes that he has to learn how to manage his bipolar disorder and take care of Ozzy.

Dog poo won’t wait on the owner’s depression to pass before it needs to pass, after all.

In addition to forcing him to leave the house, showing him unconditional love, and reminding him that the world doesn’t stop spinning just because the throes of mania are on the horizon, Ozzy also teaches Goldstein a very valuable life lesson about patience. One passage that stuck the most with me comes from Chapter 18, page 143:

Patience, now there’s a new word in my vocabulary. There weren’t any short cuts. Raising a puppy was going to take a lot of time and energy. I had a lot of hard work ahead of me. Starting immediately.

Not only is patience something dog owners have to learn, but it’s also something people with mental illness have to learn. Goldstein clearly illustrates the importance of patience when he tells us about his frustrations with trying to hurry up and get better, i.e. find the right mix of therapy and medicine to get control of his bipolar disorder, and some people think Goldstein isn’t being rational when they find out he wants to add the additional patience-zapping presence of a helpless puppy.

However, after conquering manic shopping sprees for pet supplies, surviving their first serious trip to the vet’s office, and making tons of new friends, Goldstein and Ozzy triumphantly emerge from the sleepless nights and pee-stained hallways as an unbeatable team.

I highly recommend Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac to anyone with a mental illness or a loved one with a mental illness. Not only does the book offer a good look at the struggles and successes a person with a mental illness experiences (as well as all the other health problems and situations we experience in life, such as Goldstein’s Crohn’s Disease and devastating break up with his first true love), it also offers insight to additional recovery options. While I don’t think taking on more responsibility would be the right choice for everyone (we’re all different), it was right for Goldstein and it may be right for others.

To learn more about Bruce, Ozzy, and the book that’s made them famous, check out the Web site, Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac. And, if you’ve already read the book and want to share your thoughts, feel free to leave them in the comments!

Image: Courtesy of Da Capo Press/Perseus Books

Post from: Blisstree

Book Review: Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac

Oh. My. Gawd. Is that not just the most precious little thing you’ve ever seen? Ozzy is his name, and according to Bruce Goldstein, Ozzy is more than a ridiculously cute canine.

He’s also a lifesaver.

In his new book, Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac, Bruce Goldstein tells the story of how bipolar disorder sent his life spiraling out of control ($18,000-helicopter rides over Hawaiian volcanoes? Sure, we’ve all been there. Mine was more of an eBay spending spree, but hey, we BPs tend to work with what we have) until Ozzy stepped in and proved to be just the anti-depressant Goldstein needed.

Thanks to Da Capo Lifelong Books I’ll be receiving a copy of Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac to review. Until then, you can learn more about Goldstein and Ozzy when you watch their clip on FOX News Network’s The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet and on the official Web site, Puppy Chow is Better than Prozac. (Or, you can always buy the book and get ready to discuss it with me.)

And, for more adorable pictures of Ozzy, check out The Ozzy Photo Gallery.

Rock on, little pooch.

Like me? Hate me? Rate me at Psych Central:

Post from: Blisstree

Could A Dog Really Be Man’s Best Friend?