Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty (And Mental Health?)
Have any of you bloggers heard of, or perhaps participated in, Blog Action Day? I think I remember it last year, but thanks to Marijke of Help My Hurt and Womb Within, I know about it early enough this year to participate.In a nutshell:
Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.
Poverty is the topic for Blog Action Day 2008, which is scheduled for October 15. I’ve registered Mental Health Notes to take part in this event, and am really interested in seeing what I can come with regarding a mental health spin.
About a thousand different ideas have already popped into my mind.
If you’re not a blogger (or, even if you are), and have a suggestion on how to write about poverty and mental health for Blog Action Day 2008, feel free to leave your ideas in the comments!
POSTED IN: Mental Health Notes
2 opinions for Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty (And Mental Health?)
Kat
Aug 21, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Alicia,
I didn’t know about blog action day, but now I do! I’m going to go register for it in just a sec. I think I can probably come up with something suitable for both blogs.
If you are looking for a topic, one that I come across often is the dilemma faced by those who do not have insurance but still need meds to manage mental health conditions. As a pastor, I have seen this countless times, and since some people’s mental health problems are expressed behaviorally, it can cause a lot of problems for families and relationships. I do limited couseling with people, but I’m sure that you know that it’s very hard to address relational problems until the chemical ones are stablized.
One thing that a lot of people don’t know is that most pharmaceutical companies have programs where they offer meds for free or steeply reduced to people who can’t otherwise afford them. This is how my husband and I get our Wellbutrin and Strattera, respectively. You usually have to go through your doctor to do it, though, which means paying for an office visit–another burden for the uninsured and working poor.
So, yes, I think there’s absolutely a connection between mental illness and poverty, even if it’s only a difference in the resources needed to treat or manage it. Might be something to think about on 10/15…
Kat
Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
Aug 23, 2008 at 12:51 am
@ Kat - I’m glad you’re going to participate! I’m fairly excited about the event.
I’ve written about mental health coverage/lack of insurance/finding assistance several times here at Mental Health Notes, and it’ll probably be something I tackle again for this blog event. It’s something you can never really get “too much” information about, you know?
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