Apparently, there are even “600 visual art galleries” in Second Life. I find this number mindboggling! This whole subject has raised several questions in my mind. Namely:

If you’re an artist, do you spend your time promoting yourself in the virtual world? Or do you focus on the real world? At what point do you draw the line between fantasy and reality? And finally, if you have fans in the virtual world, does that mean you are a success as an artist?

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

An Artist? Earn Extra Money in Second Life

That’s what happening in at the Imperial College in London. Students there “navigate a full-service hospital where they see patients, order X-rays, consult with colleagues and make diagnoses.” The only catch? It’s all in the virtual world. The patients they “see” on are on the computer screen and they are essentially playing a game to learn how to treat them.

While I think this might be interesting for a week or so, nothing can replace hands on learning. I’d personally rather see this hospital spend more time on getting students real-life education than on working in a virtual world to treat patients. It isn’t the same thing.

What do you think?

Image: sxc.hu.

Post from: Blisstree

Second Life Medical Training

Or, soccer, for American readers.

I love Saturday Sanity.

Not only does it give me a chance to recognize all the important mental health-related news I discover throughout the week (that, for one reason or another, I don’t have time to talk about in depth), but it also gives me a chance to let you all know about things going on here at Mental Health Notes and the rest of the b5media Science & Health Channel.

• Yesterday I told you about the work The National Council is doing via Second Life. Soon after I posted it, I found out that Preferred Family Healthcare (a member of The National Council) is also doing great things with the help of Second Life. Hopefully I can get some more information on this soon!
• Taking care of yourself should be the first item on your list of priorities today and every day, and I firmly believe that in order to best take care of both your physical and mental health, you need to take care of your soul – regardless of what your religious (or nonreligious) definition of “soul” may be. Having said that, Mark over at A Dozen Steps is good for his thought-provoking posts, and two of his most recent are Things That Nurture My Soul and Things That Rot My Soul.
• Autism Vox’s Kristina Chew highlights a new study on rare genetic mutations and schizophrenia, but reminds us that “80-85% of people with schizophrenia do not have the mutations.”
• In an effort to treat and manage depression and/or bipolar disorder, are you upping your intake of omega-3 fatty acids like me? If so, and if you have babies (specifically babies you feed infant formula), you may be interested in one of Ruth’s latest posts, Infants Need Omega-3 and AA Omega-6 Fatty Acids, at Eating Fabulous.
• Dr. Frederick W. Reimherr of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and his colleagues report that women with ADHD are more impaired than men. And, speaking of ADHD, in addition to ADHDFamilies, which I added a while back, I’ve also added a wonderful new ADHD-related blog to the blogroll: ADHD-Living. Check it out!
• And how awesome is this news? In an effort to keep “mental health publicity” from being “mainly people just out of hospital stabbing someone,” Janette Hynes, founder of the London-based Positive Mental Attitude League, runs two football leagues for mental health consumers which she claims has both “positive psychological and physical benefits.”
• Speaking of the psychological benefits of football (or any sport, I’m assuming), check out Mental Help Net’s The Relationship Between Exercise and Mood by Natalie Staats Reiss, Ph.D.
• NAMI New Jersey’s Eric Arauz and NAMI New York City Metro’s Mary Ann Ceron spoke frankly on the ABC News digital cable channel’s “Mind and Mood” program about living with bipolar disorder. Getting on national television and discussing your mental illness? How’s THAT for busting stigma!
• I’m sure by now most, if not all, of you are aware of the reports of drug traces in our drinking water – including mental health drugs. While many of us could use a little extra help (a joke, and one in poor taste, I admit it), Mark Shannon of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is addressing the demand for cleaner H2O.
• Not only am I passionate about mental health advocacy, but I’m also passionate about mental health care and advocacy within the prison system. Imagine my delight when I found out “[t]he four-month-old NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal is investigating how to maintain the human rights and dignity of people detained in a mental health facility, or serving a community treatment order issued by a court.”

That’s all for this week, lovelies! Remember, if you have any mental health-related news you feel is worthy of Saturday Sanity, send it my way!

Cool image source and credit.

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Are You Ready For Some Football?

Are any of you familiar with Second Life? I know, I know, I can be really behind sometimes – I just discovered it a few months ago. I’m not a member yet, so to find out more about Second Life you should check out the Web site’s What is Second Life? and FAQs sections; however, simply put, “Second Life is a 3D digital world imagined and created by its Residents.”

So, why am I talking about Second Life on a mental health blog? The answer to that is interesting indeed.

A few days ago I received an email from an employee with The National Council letting me know about – well, actually, she explains it better than I can:

The National Council is the first organization of its kind in the United States to offer mental health and addictions awareness and support virtually using the technology of Second Life. The National Council created an office on an island in Second Life called Nonprofit Commons and uses the space to build community among those with mental illness and addiction disorders and those who care for them. Second Lifers get the benefit of in-person education and engagement that helps them better manage the challenges they face, knowing they are not alone. They are connected to resources for employment, comprehensive care, and grassroots advocacy to lobby for increased access to effective mental healthcare.

How cool is that?!

Aside from visiting The National Council’s Web site, you can also visit On Our Minds to learn more about The National Council and their virtual office at Second Life. And, if you’re already a Second Lifer, you can visit the virtual office now.

Sure, online mental health support groups and other resources are readily available; however, I think creating a virtual mental health-related office in an extremely popular virtual world is just, well, awesome. The National Council has just taken a giant leap toward closing the gap between mental health resources and folks who, for whatever reason, don’t have access.

The Internet can be amazing, no? So can passionate and caring mental health advocates.

Image source and credit.

Post from: Blisstree

National Council Uses Second Life For Mental Health Advocacy