Mental Health Notes

May 11th, 2008

Give Your Brains A Break This Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there!

I know it’s Sunday, and I’m only supposed to write a Brain Break post, but…it’s also Mother’s Day, and the article I’m getting ready to share with you may actually help the mothers out there give their brains a break.

In 2008 May is Mental Health Month: Stressed “Sandwich Generation” Mothers Must Care for Themselves, Mental Health America “encourages mothers to take the Mental Health Connection Challenge by building their social support networks to help cope with the stress of their demanding lives.”

The article offers tips for mothers to cope with the “demands of modern motherhood,” as well as a list of problematic symptoms to consider, and it all ties in with Mental Health America’s “Get Connected” theme for Mental Health Month.

Check it out, and remember to take care of yourselves as you take care of others!

Image courtesy of morgueFile.

Ken Jensen is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

May 10th, 2008

Lewis & Bushey: Incarcerated For Causing Mental Health Harm To Children

Today marks the end of Children’s Mental Health Week, and it seems like I just keep running into sad and…odd mental health news related to children.

Case in point:

Tammy Lewis, mother to a 15-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son, and self-described bishop Alan Bushey are in custody on “felony counts of being a party to causing mental harm to a child.”

According to a Yahoo! News article, Lewis and her two children lived with Magdeline Alvina Middlesworth’s corpse for two months on Bushey’s advice. Bushey claimed Magdeline (who was 90 years old when she died) would come back to life.

Well, Magdeline did not come back to life, and authorities found her body on a toilet at Lewis’s residence late last week. Lewis and Bushey were placed in custody, and the two children were placed in foster care.

Like the Fritzl case, this is…well, it’s not something you hear about every day. Like the FLDS case, religion is heavily involved.

Ken Jensen is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments

May 10th, 2008

Saturday Sanity: Ain’t The A Kick In The Brain?

How much sanity can you handle on this glorious Saturday? Let’s find out…

This week, which was also Children’s Mental Health Week, was fairly busy at Mental Health Notes. I talked about mental health situations in the news (some…bizarre, and some not so uncommon) as well as well as a few mental health studies such as increasing intelligence and how compliments affect the brain. I told you about NAMI and the DBSA participating in the online Women’s Health Expo, how my local NAMI’s cookout for Mental Health Month panned out, and even shared a few extreme ups and downs I experienced this week. Perhaps most noteworthy, however, is that Ken Jensen took over the This Is Why I ROCK! series slot for the next week!

My bookmarks are overflowing with mental health news-, research-, and government-related information. The Pentagon is working to reduce mental health counseling stigma (I wonder if this decision was made before or after VA mental health director Dr. Ira Katz sent around an internal email dealing with suicide data that had “Shh!” in the subject line?). Researchers in Canada believe celebrities are one reason the number of young people who visit mental health professionals has doubled in the last two years (well, that certainly adds to Tuesday’s conversation about celebrities and mental health), while researchers in Australia believe helping pregnant women cope with depression during pregnancy may lower the risk of being depressed after giving birth. And, sadly, another mental health care budget slash is in the works; this time, in California’s Santa Clara County.

And, as usual, the rest of the b5 Health & Wellness Channel has a slue of stuff going on. In addition to Mental Health Notes’s birthday giveaway, Grace at Kids Health Notes currently has five giveaways going on (some end tonight, so hurry on over!) while Gloria at Cancer Commentary is running an HPV Awareness contest. In addition to the upcoming Living with Pain blog carnival, Help My Hurt’s Marijke has interviewed the author of How-To Marijuana, A Step-by-Step Guide to Medical Marijuana and is hosting a contest to win a free copy of the book. And, for you poets out there, Angelique at Breaking the Mirror is hosting a contest for a free copy of For Keeps: Women Tell the Truth about Their Bodies, Growing Older, and Acceptance. Of course, just when you thought we b5 bloggers didn’t know how to do anything but give stuff away, Gabrielle at Fertility Notes gets serious with tips for coping with fertility problems while Elaine at Genetics & Health the connections between child abuse, genetic changes, and suicide.

That’s all the sanity I can stand this Saturday! Remember, if you have any Saturday Sanity-worthy stories, send ‘em my way for next week.

Top image courtesy of morgueFile.
Middle and bottom images courtesy of Newscom.

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

May 9th, 2008

Sometimes Your Brain Just Needs A Little Cuteness

Over the past 48 hours, I’ve experienced the following:

• Extreme joy. (My baby sister is now a college graduate and beginning a profession she loves.)
• Extreme stress. (My computer keeps freezing up for no reason and with total disregard to my work deadlines.)
• Extreme fatigue. (Travel, late nights, uncomfortable hotel beds - need I say more?)
• Extreme pain. (Having some wisdom tooth issues.)

Needless to say, I just don’t have the energy to dedicate to a meaningful post.

What I really need, in addition to an extreme nap, is some extreme cuteness. Unsurprisingly, I found it in the Lolcats:

more cat pictures

Ken Jensen is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments

May 8th, 2008

Bipolar Survivor Ken Jensen Explains Why It Takes Guts To Be Him

Last Thursday, Chato B. Stewart rocked our funny bones with his mental health humor. This Thursday, Ken Jensen puts us through psychiatric boot camp with his system for surviving bipolar disorder.

As if my nauseatingly incessant play on words didn’t give it away, 39-year-old Ken Jensen is a former soldier – not just any soldier, but a Marine. (“A MARINE!” I’m reminded of Marty Maraschino in Grease every time I say that. What can I say? I’ve always been partial to the devil dogs – ex-husband aside.)

Add to his resume author, speaker, motivator, and entrepreneur (as well as self-proclaimed former bipolar disorder victim), and this Tillson, NY resident may just leave your mental muscles begging for rest, yet ready to take on your own brain and shouting ooh rah the entire way!

Enough of that. Ken truly is an amazingly down to earth, no bull, bottomline kind of guy. Let’s let him tell his story!

Read More

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

May 7th, 2008

Add An Emergency Medical ID To Your Personal Recovery Plan

I love free stuff, and I love passing along information about free stuff. So, you can imagine how much I loved finding this free emergency medical ID wallet card from MedIDs.com.

Sure, you could probably find various kinds of free emergency medical ID wallet cards in a thousand other places, but I like this one because it’s computer generated. You can enter the information into the online form and print it. Not only is this easier on you (and more encouraging to actually do because it is easier), but it also helps ensure that people will be better able to read your information in the event of an emergency (not everyone has the…er, neatest of handwritings!).

This particular emergency medical ID wallet card allows space for:

• Your name and contact information.
• Your doctors’ names and contact information.
• The names, contact information, and relationships to emergency contacts.
• Your medical conditions.
• Medicines you take, including the dosage and frequency (this is also a good space to include any natural remedies you’re taking - like flaxseed oil).
• Allergy information.

Various situations could necessitate a medical ID wallet card, such as overdosing or missing a dose of your medication, reacting negatively to a new medication or the combination of two or more medications, and experiencing an episode in which you’re not thinking clearly.

Given these scenarios, completing and carrying an emergency medical ID wallet card could also be a part of your personal recovery plan.

Try it out, and if you’ve ever had a situation in which an emergency medical ID card of any sort helped save your life, feel free to share in the comments!

Image: morgueFile

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments

May 7th, 2008

Visit NAMI & DBSA Booths At Revoltion Health’s Women’s Health Expo!

I have some mental health news for you ladies and…well, just ladies, as this doesn’t really pertain to the gents; unless, of course, you’re looking to find mental health information for that special lady in your life!

Revolution Health, that lovely Web site that hosted the Revolution Health Online Health Fair last year, is at it again. Only, this time, they’re hosting the online Women’s Health Expo!

Both the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) are participating in the Revolution Health Women’s Health Expo.

According to NAMI’s email, at their booth you will:

• Get information about women and depression;
• Get information about NAMI’s free education and support programs, including the NAMI Connection recovery support group;
• Get information about managing pregnancy and bipolar disorder; and more!

And, according to the DBSA’s email, at their booth you will:

• Learn about mood disorders like depression, postpartum depression and bipolar disorder - and that recovery is possible!
• Advocate for postpartum depression programs and educate yourself and others about the illness that affects 10 to 15% of new mothers.
• Register to learn from experts like Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison at our “Power of Peers” national conference in September.
• Design your own personal wellness tools at our new, online home for anyone seeking support for a life of health and well-being.
• Find support through a peer-led, recovery-based support group. Choose between online and in-person groups, or learn how to bring support to your community.

Many of us find health information online. Sure, we rely on our doctors for actual treatment, but we use the Web to research, talk with others, and even share ideas with our health care professionals. This is especially convenient for those of you who for whatever reason can’t, or don’t want to, get out of the house and travel to a traditional health fair.

Even more good news is that you can help raise money for both NAMI and the DBSA when you visit their virtual booths. Revolution Health is making a donation to each organization every time someone visits one of their booths, for total donations of up to $10,000! This means that not only can you learn more about your mental health, but you can also help two awesome organizations raise money to continue their advocacy work!

Head on over to the Revoltution Health Women’s Health Expo - I believe it’s schedule to last all month - and feel free to come back over here and share what you’ve learned!

Image: Newscom

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 1 comment

May 6th, 2008

Celebrities And Mental Health: Private Matters Or Public Domain?

Depending on how well you keep up with sports news, you may or may not have heard about former England football legend Paul Gascoigne checking himself into a Roehampton rehabilitation clinic after a series of suicide threats and attempts. According to the UK’s Telegraph, Gascoigne “has struggled for years with alcoholism and depression and was detained under the Mental Health Act in February.”

I’m always just a tad bit hesitant to discuss celebrities’ mental health news in the media. On one hand, I feel these public announcements (the news stories that are just that - news stories, and not actual accounts from the celebrities themselves) are utterly disrespectful of the celebrities’ privacy. To broadcast someone else’s struggles for ratings or page views is tacky and shows serious lack of regard for your fellow human beings.

On the other hand, I realize that some news stories can actually help boost mental health advocacy and bust stigma. Many people may see their favorite singers, actors, or sports heroes going through the same things they’re going through, and feel less alone. Sometimes such stories also spark other helpful mental health tools, such as the suicide warning signs I offered after Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s suicide. (However, at the same time, there are media sources like TMZ that accomplish nothing other than promoting stigma with their ignorant stories about troubled celebrities such as Britney Spears.)

When the media first made Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt public, my heart went out to him. And when Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Chambers finally explained why he’d been in a psychiatric ward for a serious sleep disorder, I wondered how frustrated he might have been to feel he should come forward and clear up rumors.

It’s difficult enough to deal with any kind of mental health situation without having to deal with the public’s opinions, too. I expect this turns out to be even more difficult for celebrities, because unlike the regular folk who make the news simply because of their mental health issues, celebrities have to continue being in the public eye long after the news of their problems hits the press.

I know the media will probably never stop reporting this kind of “news,” and, like I said above, sometimes it could actually be helpful (especially when the celebrities themselves publicly address the issue). However, before we start sensationalizing and sending the rumors flying, we should pause, realize that these people are fellow human beings who are going through the same things many of us go through, and take note of how we’d want to be treated.

Image: Newscom

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

May 6th, 2008

Increase Your Intelligence When You Increase Your Memory?

Has the ol’ brain been feeling rather weak, lately? You may want to read up on how researchers now think we can improve our fluid intelligence.

Researchers conducted a study to determine whether or not increasing working memory would help increase fluid intelligence, because the two are so closely related.

The results?

Yes.

According to Susanne M. Jaeggi, a University of Michigan postdoctoral fellow in psychology and one of the paper’s co-authors, the “results show you can increase your intelligence with appropriate training” (Memory Training Shown to Turn Up Brainpower).

However, no one knows yet how long your intelligence will remain “increased” after you stop engaging in the activities that increase your working memory, so, I suggest keeping your kid’s deck of Concentration cards handy. :)

Image: Newscom

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments

May 6th, 2008

NAMI Cookout For Mental Health Month

As I mentioned yesterday, my NAMI affiliation had a cookout at one of our local city parks in honor of Mental Health Month.

Well, it turned out to be a lovely event! The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and aside from a crowd of skateboarding teenagers (who eventually moved on to skate somewhere else - I guess we were boring, ha!) and restroom facilities that were out of order (a water leak forced the manager to shut everything down - the day before our cookout!), everything went perfectly.

My only gripe is attendance.

We had a fairly decent turn out, but nothing to brag about. I don’t understand what went wrong. I hung fliers, and announced the cookout well in advance on the news (including the news station’s Web site), in the paper, through group emails to our regular meeting attendees, through phone calls, and on our Web site. It’s all very reminiscent of the health fair ordeal.

I know that, throughout the country, there are many folks who prefer other mental health advocacy organizations over NAMI. However, in my neck of the woods, NAMI is “the thing,” so to speak. They are very active, and very well liked with an awesome reputation and great relationships with other health organizations. So, I’m not inclined to say, “It’s because it was NAMI.”

Last summer, when I took on the NAMI Affiliation Leader role, I knew it was going to be a serious effort getting people to not only want to address their mental health issues, but to actually get out of their houses and join others dealing with similar health and life situations; however, I had no idea it was going to be this difficult.

Please don’t misunderstand; I’m not getting discouraged, nor am I overlooking the importance of the people who do participate. I am very grateful for them. Not only are they taking action to learn more about their mental health, but they’re also helping advocate for mental health.

I guess I’d better head back to the drawing board and try to think of new ways to promote and get people interested and involved. Any suggestions are welcome!

Image: morgueFile

Chato B. Stewart is currently rockin’ out in the This Is Why I ROCK! series here at Mental Health Notes. If you have a mental illness and are still living the life you love, head on over the the official announcement post and enter!

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By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments