Mental Health Notes

May 1st, 2008

Enter The Mental Health Notes Birthday Giveaway!

Guess what amigos! Not only does today begin Mental Health Awareness Month, but it’s Mental Health Notes’s first birthday!
That’s right - exactly one year ago today b5media and I gave birth to Mental Health Notes, the lovely vessel of information you read each day (well, at least I hope you read it each day…every other […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 8 comments

April 4th, 2008

Of Disloyal House Elves And Guilt-Stricken Humans

In J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, house elves “are small humanoid creatures who inhabit large houses belonging to wealthy Wizarding families” (HP Lexicon). House elves are the servants of these Wizarding families and are, for the most part, very loyal to their Wizarding families.
Some house elves even punish themselves when they feel they’ve been disloyal […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 0 comments

March 26th, 2008

Compulsive Hoarding: Do You Fit The Profile?

My father is a pack rat. It seems like he saves everything - empty coffee cans, old computer monitors, broken stereo speakers - you name it, and Dad might have one or three out in his storage building. He’s even been known to pocket a few twisty tie things from break loaves in his day.
I […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 2 comments

March 21st, 2008

Statistics Have Already Let Your Little Secret Out Of The Box

I spent a pretty decent amount of time trying to think of a clever way to begin this post, but it’s apparent the only way to begin it is to just come right out with it:
Yesterday, I felt the weight of mental health stigma like never before.
Yesterday a local health and fitness center hosted its […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 4 comments

March 1st, 2008

Celebrities With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Smile For The Camera!

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 8
Woohoo! We’ve come to the end of the OCD miniseries here at Mental Health Notes and, as promised, I have a list of celebrities with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Oooh, it’s not very often we get some juice here at Mental Health Notes, is it? ;)
Note that […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

February 29th, 2008

Untreated OCD Leads To Severe Complications

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 7
Now that you know more about available treatment and management options for obsessive-compulsive disorder, let’s talk a bit about what happens if you leave your OCD untreated and unmanaged.
It’s not a pretty picture, folks.

When ignored, OCD can:

Make you feel like a prisoner. Your OCD may […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments

February 29th, 2008

Treatment And Management Options For OCD

I Must Shave My Legs: The OCD Miniseries - Part 6
Once you’ve been properly diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, there are three main categories of treatment and management options for you: psychotherapy, medications, and self-care.
Psychotherapy
The Mayo Clinic gives a great, thorough definition of psychotherapy.
In short, psychotherapy is effective for both children and adults, and the form […]

By Alicia Sparks, NAMI Affiliation Leader -- 3 comments