As I gear up for tonight’s episode of Prison Break, now seems as good a time as any to nod in the direction of the research I kept bumping into this weekend regarding happy people vs. unhappy people when it comes to watching television.

The article I read all the way through was Science Daily’s Watching Television, Channeling Unhappiness?, which discusses researchers from the University of Maryland and the studies they conducted for over 30 years. I recommend reading the article (it’s not that long), but the entire thing is summed up near the top:

Examining the activity patterns of happy and less happy people in the General Social Survey (GSS) between 1975 and 2006, the authors found that happy people were more socially active, attended more religious services, voted more and read more newspapers. In contrast, unhappy people watched significantly more television in their spare time.

and near the bottom:

What remains unclear is whether happiness leads to lower viewing or more viewing leads to unhappiness.

I watch a lot of TV. Prison Break, Dirty Sexy Money, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters – these rank among the shows I do not miss each week. Period. Fringe, Life on Mars, Private Practice, Family Guy – these rank among the shows I try my best not to miss.

I even scour the Internet each week looking for uploaded episodes of Friday Night Lights, because I don’t have Direct TV and just don’t think I can wait until January when NBC starts airing them.

And, these aren’t shows I watch during my “spare time.” These are shows for which I bust my tail to create “spare time.” Or, simply drop what I’m doing and go watch them. So, happiness and unhappiness aside, I think for me it’s simply a matter of being quite invested in these shows. Though, I’d be lying if I said they didn’t provide a much-needed mental break from the rest of life.

I’m not the happiest person in the world. I have issues. I have issues with myself, my career, my personal life – I have issues. Am I investing in so many TV shows because I’m unhappy? Would I be a happier person if I watched less television? Or, if something in my life changed to make me happier, would I be driven to watch less television?

Do these researchers actually think any amount of happiness would make me give up Wentworth Miller and Prison Break each week?

I don’t know.

What do you think? How does your level of happiness or unhappiness compare to your TV viewing habits? Do you think the two are related, and if so, in what way?

Post from: Blisstree

Do Unhappy People Watch More TV?

I didn’t post an edition of What Do You Really Want? on August 26 because I was at a funeral and opted instead for the pre-written DBSA podcast post.

However, I’m back in the swing of things and have some really good (or bad, or troublesome…) searches for you readers.

Please keep in mind that while these phrases were searched by real people, it’s all completely anonymous. I don’t know who searched these phrases, and aside from tricking an ex-boyfriend into giving me his email password something like 8 years ago, I certainly don’t have the skills (or desire) to hack around to find out. So you can still feel completely comfortable searching Mental Health Notes.

5 MHN Search Phrases I May or May Not Be Able to Help You With

• “wentworth” – Finally, someone who completely gets why Wentworth Miller is mentioned a gazillion times at a blog about mental health.
• “sleeping with your therapist” – Isn’t a good thing. Don’t. Do. It.
• “mental illness posters” – Ah! You can get free mental illness posters (and a whole bunch of other free mental health-related stuff) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (I just received my free mental health stigma poster and suicide prevention notepad the other day).
• “joel osteen encouraging words” – Good ol’ Joel. I’ve written about him a few times. Check out Joel Osteen Enourages Me Once Again to get started.
• “lamictal rash photos” – I’m still trying to gather up some pictures of the Lamictal rash. I have a post going on about it, but thus far no one has any pictures to contribute.

And so ends another edition of What Do You Really Want? I’ll probably let this one suffice for both August and September, and then come back with new and interesting searches on October 26.

In the meantime, keep searching!

Image: morgueFile

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Health Notes Asks: What Do You Really Want? August/September Edition

Well, I am taking a break, and that break has involved getting caught up with the nearly two weeks worth of posts I missed over at b5media’s Prison Break Buff.

So, why am I writing a blog post?

Oh, just to let you know about all the awesome Prison Break cast interviews, Season 4 spoilers, and promotional pictures I’ve enjoyed over the past hour, and, um, oh yeah -

TO LET YOU KNOW THAT NIKKI KATZ WAS CHATTING UP MY BOYFRIEND DURING MY ABSENCE!

That’s right, folks. Nikki Katz, the b5media writer for Prison Break Buff, participated in a conference call with Wentworth Miller in which she actually got to ask him not one, but two questions about his character on Prison Break, Michael Scofield.

You can listen to all 2:26 delicious minutes of it at Wentworth Miller on Michael’s Potential for Redemption.

What does this have to do with mental health? Well, nothing, really. Unless you count the facts that 1) there was no Brain Break post yesterday, so, this could count, and 2) well, there’s really just the one fact.

Prison Break’s Season 4 premier is on FOX tonight at 8 p.m. Be there or be square.

Post from: Blisstree

b5media’s Nikki Katz Chats It Up With Wentworth Miller

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk about the man who’s going to marry me but doesn’t know it yet my TV boyfriend here at Mental Health Notes, but opportunity to drool my brains out pass along good news presents itself when I least expect it.

Actually, I should have passed this along a couple of weeks ago.

Remember back in April when I told you about all the Wentworth Miller fans who were pulling together to donate to UNICEF? And about all the great things UNICEF does for both physical and mental health?

Well, according to the latest post at the Wentworth Miller Fans for Charity LiveJournal group, fans donated $13,526 for UNICEF, and once Wenti chipped in his $5,000, the total came to $18,526.

YAY!

As if I needed another reason to make sure next Monday night is completely blocked off for preparation, viewing, and post-telecoital bliss.

Image: Newscom

Post from: Blisstree

Final UNICEF Donation From Wentworth Miller Fans For Charity

It seems that Fox Television Studios began shooting a new drama in Bogotá, Colombia last week – Mental.

Given that the show will air on Fox International Channels in Latin America, Europe, and Asia – and I’m in America – one might wonder why I’m interested at all.

Well, it is about “Dr. Jack Gallagher, a rebellious psychiatrist in a Los Angeles mental health hospital who employs highly radical treatment methods,” so, naturally that interests me. And, according to Variety, “it will be shopped to U.S. webs [...] later in the year.”

However, the real interest for me is the choice of the actor who’s playing the rebellious psychiatrist – Chris Vance, a.k.a. James Whistler, a.k.a. the man who played the character who bored me to tears throughout season three of Prison Break.

And I’m interested because I’m wondering if he’s leaving Prison Break? And if so, what happens to him? Does Gretchen kill him? Does Michael kill him? Does Mahone kill him?

Does anyone reading this care?

Probably not, given that it’s a mental health blog, but guess what peeps – season four isn’t that far away, and you can bet your tails I’m going to be scouring for any shred of mention of mental health in every episode so I can shamelessly talk about Wentworth Miller Michael Scofield how they incorporated mental health into the plot.

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

Post from: Blisstree

Prison Break’s Chris Vance Stars In New Fox Drama, Mental

I talked about a lot of stuff this week here at Mental Health Notes. Not only did I get to brag about my fantasy boyfriend and how awesome his fans are, but I also announced a contest/giveaway in honor of both Mental Health Awareness Month and Mental Health Notes’s own first birthday! Chato B. Stewart officially kicked-off the This Is Why I ROCK! series, and I took part in the Healthbolt Challenge. I also mused on House, sexy women, and bile in our bodies. And of course I offered my own thoughts on current events, including the Austrian Fritzl family and the recent suicide of Deborah Jeane Palfrey.

The world of scientific-, research-, and government-related mental health news hasn’t been so quiet, either. The Royal College of Psychiatrists is aiming to redefine “informed consent” when it comes to abortions by updating materials with information about the mental health risks of abortion, among other things. Christopher Hitchens points out that anger is “the innuendo for instability or inadequacy” in yet another discussion about Senator John McCain’s ability to run the country. You’ll find some of the highest rent in the nation in Stamford, Connecticut, so the Family Centers Housing Resource Program is helping folks with mental illness by providing subsidies, security deposit loans, and donated furniture. And, the American Heart Association is now recommending that children with ADHD undergo electrocardiograms before they’re prescribed ADHD medication.

Various mental health advocacy groups are quiet chatty lately. Mental Health America is promoting the Mental Health Awareness Month theme of Get Connected, as well as has recently released survey results that show health care obstacles for people with schizophrenia. The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is conducting a survey to find out which mood disorders research interests you most and the National Alliance on Mental Illness has released an informational self-help brochure for women with depression.

And of course, my fellow b5media Health & Wellness Channel bloggers are never very quiet, are they? To wrap April up, many of us decided to gather up some of our favorite posts from our respective blogs, and Channel Editor Kendra James rounded them all up for readers of all b5media blogs to check out.

Remember, if you have any news you feel is Saturday Sanity-worthy, pass it my way!

All images courtesy of Newscom.

Post from: Blisstree

Saturday Sanity: Keeps The Doctor Away

Oh, snap!

Thanks to Newscom, I now have access to a delicious cornucopia of Wentworth Miller pictures I can use here at Mental Health Notes – legally. Good thing, too, because I have some equally delicious – and inspiring – Wenti-related news.

I know, I know – you’re probably feeling as suspicious about my motives as my lovely imaginary boyfriend over there –> looks right now, but hear me out.

Last night, while perusing through some of my usual Wenti-related haunts innocently browsing the Internet, I found this Web site: Wentworth Miller Fans for Charity. Wentworth? Fellow fans? Charity? It was a smorgasbord of things I’m always eager to learn more about.

So, I researched the site and discovered that a group of fans got together to encourage other fans to raise money for UNICEF in Wentworth Miller’s name. While Went is excited about the mission and has agreed to allow the site to use his name and likeness for its purpose (as well as make his own donation of $5,000 to the charity), both he and the Web site make it clear that he is in no way actively involved in the running of the site (the site owners have that under control), nor is he actually the one collecting the money (UNICEF is handling that).

Yeah, that’s fine by me.

This particular UNICEF-donation opportunity presented itself at a great time. I have a little extra cash to share, UNICEF has the Humane Charity Seal of Approval, and, hello, it’s in Wenti’s name.

But what does this have to do with mental health? I’m all for helping people, whether it’s mental health-related or not, but I wondered if my future husband was actually having a hand in helping mental health, too.

Turns out, he is.

You see, not only does UNICEF strive to help in areas such as child survival, protection, and development, education and gender equality, life skills, and nutrition (and let’s face it, all of that is related to the health of your brain and your mind), but UNICEF also works to address mental health needs in emergencies, mental health promotion in skills-based education, and evaluation studies of psychosocial projects.

Wentworth Miller has quite the effect on my own personal mental health, but I’m even more ecstatic knowing he supports a charity that, in addition to physical health, also focuses on mental health. Seriously. Little cartoon hearts are shooting out of my eyeballs right now.

If you’d like to make a donation to UNICEF through Wentworth Miller Fans for Charity, the project is running until June 30, 2008. Head on over for donation details and give what you can to help the total health and well-being of our world’s children.

Wentworth Miller and UNICEF images courtesy of Newscom.

Post from: Blisstree

Wentworth Miller Fans Pull Together For UNICEF

I’ve been reviewing some of the search phrases that lead you lovely readers here to Mental Health Notes. I can figure out why most of them led you to MHN; however, one of them…well, you’ll see!

Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t add my own thoughts. Maybe they’ll help you find something just as interesting as what you were originally searching? We’ll see!

5 MHN Search Phrases I Can’t Really Help You With

1. “why do cats smell each other’s ass” – At first, I wondered why on earth this search phrase would bring someone to MHN. Then, I realized, I did indeed post about this topic once – kind of. Is This Why My Cats Smell Each Other’s Butts? discusses a study regarding how we “like” or “dislike” people based on their smells. However, I never really find out why cats smell each other’s butts; surprising, too, given that I’ve owned cats (or, cats have owned me) all my life.
2. “remember when, i remember, i remember when i lost my mind” – There were actually two recent searches for this from two different countries. The only guess I can make is that you wanted to know the lyrics to Gnarls Barkley’s 2006 hit, “Crazy.” Unfortunately, you won’t find them here. In my post I Remember When, I Remember, I Remember When I Lost My Mind… I simply discuss the musical act’s video that failed the Harding Test.
3. “u tube video bipolar disorder” – In And The A.S.S. Award Goes To…A Random You Tube Commenter, I featured a You Tube video of Daniel Johnston performing “Devil Town.” However, thus far I don’t have any videos archived that educate you about bipolar disorder, or…show someone “being” bipolar? If you find any, share with the class!
4. “what is michael johns email address” – I’ve never figured out how the average civilian gets hold of such information. If I knew, you can bet I’d be – hello! – blowing up Wentworth Miller’s email account. (It’s apparent the man hasn’t yet realized we’re destined to be together. Nothing wrong with a little persuasion, right?) Anyway, in Goodbye, American Idol Michael Johns: The 5 Stages Of Loss, I did offer up some explanation of what the fallen Idol’s fans may have experienced when he left American Idol.
5. “checking for lumps in my testicles video” – Unlike the above four search phrases, I can’t even guess why this search phrase led you to MHN. There were no matching results when I searched the phrase here at MHN, and when I googled the phrase, well, MHN wasn’t on the front page. The best I can do is point you in the direction of Scott Wharton’s Health and Men.

So, while we’re on the topic, what do you want to know? What questions to you have a burning desire to ask?

Image source and credit.

There’s still plenty of time to enter yourself in Mental Health Notes’ This Is Why I ROCK! and show the world why truly living with mental illness is possible!

Post from: Blisstree

Mental Health Notes Asks: What Do You Really Want?

How’s that for a slap of stigma? I guess I should have titled this, “In The World Of Show Biz, It Pays When The Stigma-Ridden Media Labels You Crazy, Assigns Photographers To Follow You Around For 12-Hour Shifts, And Just Completely Ignores Other Interesting And Photo-Worthy Hotties Such As A One Mr. Wentworth Miller.”

But, that’s not as catchy, now, is it? Nor is it entirely true. The media chases what they label as “crazy.” So, crazy it is, and it really does pay – to the tune of $120 million a year.

OK, that’s not what Britney Spears made for having several very public mental health-related meltdowns this year; it’s “the revenue generated from all things Britney” according to Is The Business Of Britney In A Recession?

And much of that revenue came from products, such as stories and photos, surrounding Spears’ often questionable behavior.

However, a recession in this area of the Business of Britney brings both good and bad news.

The good news is that it seems like Britney’s father’s conservatorship is helping keep Britney at home, which is in turn, keeping her out of the public eye and out of all those trashy rags that beckon me in waiting rooms.

The bad news is that, with Spears’ staying at home, things have gotten “really, really slow” for all those poor photographers. (Yep, you got me, that was some ol’ Sparks Sarcasm – I’m glad things are slow for them! Let Britney collect herself in peace for Pete’s sake. Go exploit someone else. Like Wentworth Miller. I hear he’s seriously photogenic.)

So, yay for Britney, yay for her papa, and yay for all those west coast McDonald’s locations that are probably going to see an increase in job applications.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Post from: Blisstree

In The World Of Show Biz, It Pays To Be Crazy

Earlier we discussed the definition, signs, and symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Now, let’s dig a bit deeper into one of the main OCD signs and symptoms – the obsessions.

You probably have a pretty decent, working idea of what an obsession is. Many of us have been what we call “obsessed” with someone or something. Some obsessions are seemingly harmless (think of my obsession with Wentworth Miller), while other obsessions can take over your life and bring danger to both you and the object of your obsession (think my obsession with Wentworth Miller if I ever gave in, moved to California, hunted him down, and landed in jail).

However, when OCD is concerned, obsessions almost always significantly interfere with your life. These obsessions appear in the forms of repeated and persistent images, ideas, thoughts, and impulses and are normally unwanted.

Image credit.

OCD-related obsessions may revolve around:

• Intense fear of germs, dirt, contamination, and disease. Such obsessions may lead people to constantly wash their hands, take showers, and/or refuse to touch objects or other people.
• Persistent doubt. When a person with OCD has persistent doubts, s/he may always wonder whether or not the stove is turned off, the doors are locked, the car windows are rolled up, etc.
• The need to have everything orderly, symmetrical, and organized. People with these kinds of obsessions may not be able to function properly unless towels are folded a certain way, each car in the garage faces the same direction, and/or all of their socks are lined up according to color.
• Repeated, aggressive, horrific, and/or sexual impulses or images. Examples of such images and impulses include hurting a loved one, committing a violent act toward a stranger, replaying pornographic images in your head, etc.

As you read that list, you may have identified with one or more of the obsessions/examples of obsessions. Fret not – lots of people like to keep their hands clean, make sure their stoves are turned off, and experience the occasional dirty image when they think of God’s gift to women hotties like Wentworth Miller.

However, when it comes to OCD people engage in repetitive, ritualistic behaviors as a result of having such obsessions. These behaviors are called compulsions. But we’ll talk more about compulsions later as we continue I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries here at Mental Health Notes.

Post from: Blisstree

Obsessions: We Ain’t Talking Wentworth Miller Here, Folks.