Mental Health Notes

Like Sands Through The Hourglass…

by Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader on February 23rd, 2008

…so is the sanity of our Saturday. Or, um…so are the Saturdays of our sanity? But, it’s just one Saturday?

*sigh*

So much for my attempt at a clever spin on the “Days of Our Lives” Macdonald Carey voiceover.

Enjoy the this week’s Saturday Sanity folks!

• Diane Dardon, the Northern Illinois University Lutheran Campus Pastor, writes to Mental Health Notes about the six white crosses regarding Steven Kazmierczak and the NIU shooting.
• Remember when Mental Health Notes awarded TMZ.com the A.S.S Award based on their less-than-stellar journaling skills regarding Britney Spears? Well, ADHDFamiles has awarded TMZ.com the J.A.C.K Award (for Just Another Circulator of Misinformed Krud), which, clearly makes TMZ.com a J.A.C.K - A.S.S. Kudos to ADHDFamilies!
• Ever hop in your car to make a quick trip to the grocery store, but end up in the parking lot of a tattoo shop three states away with no idea how you got there? (Or, is that just me…?) Well, scientists at the University of Leeds may have answers about our sheep- and bird-like flocking characteristics.
• It’s long been thought that women tend to experience depression and chronic anxiety much more often than men. Many have suggested that the reason for this could simply be that women report their depression and anxiety, i.e. women seek admit and seek treatment for their depression and anxiety, much more often than men. However, Karolinska Institutet, a Swedish medical university, is offering up an new explanation: “the brain’s serotonin system differs between men and women.”
• In other female vs. male news: Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Oxford conducted a study in the Ashkenazi Jewish population (and later established a multinational collaboration to confirm their findings) that suggests “a genetic variant in the Reelin gene increases the risk of developing schizophrenia in women only.”
• Some research is now suggesting that duloxetine (brand name Cymbalta) may be a good management tool for fibromyalgia. You all know how I feel about Cymbalta. While I’m all for taking any medication that helps manage your symptoms and improve the quality of your life, the actual withdrawal from Cymbalta (which doesn’t seem to be accurately presented in anything other than support groups/messageboards/etc.) scares the hell out of me. Thanks to Marijke of Help My Hurt for this information.
• If you think living in a big city provides more opportunities for your children, think again. A recent study shows that children who live in areas heavily polluted by traffic may actually have lower IQ scores than children who “breathe cleaner air.”
• It’s still February, which means it’s still American Heart Month. In addition to what I had to say about heart health and mental health, check out what Care2.com has to say about protecting your heart with stress busters and then take the quiz on stress’s effects on your heart.

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POSTED IN: A.S.S. Awards, Criminal Psych, Current Affairs & News, Death, Doctors & Scientists, Everyday Stress, Have Some Fun, Medications, Men, Mind Mysteries, No Prescription Needed, Personal Recovery Plan, Saturday Sanity, Self-help, Side Effects, Sites of Interest, Suicide, Updates, Withdrawal, Women, stigma