YOU OUGHT TO KNOW…

• One in four adults–nearly 60 million Americans–experiences a mental health or brain disorder in any given year.

• One in seventeen lives with  a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression, or bipolar disorder.

• Nearly 10% of all American children have a serious mental illness.

• Anxiety disorders affect 18% of American adults, an estimated 40 million individuals. They can co-occur with depression or addiction.

• Over 5 million Americans have a dual diagnosis–mental illness AND addiction issues. Over one-third of America’s homeless population falls into this category.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Alcohol and/or drug abuse
• Withdrawal from normal or previously pleasurable activities
• Undue, continuing anxiety or worry
• Too much or too little sleep
• Extreme high or low feelings or moods
• Tension-caused physical problems (backaches, headaches, jaw clenching, stomachaches)
• Excessively strong feelings of anger, guilt, or remorse
• Persistent negative or overblown positive self-image or outlook
• Substantial, rapid weight gain or loss
• Self-harm (cutting, burning, head-banging, punching walls)

Sound familiar?

Know someone who does several of the above?

Need to know more? (more…)

If you want others

to be happy,

practice compassion.

If you want

to be happy,

practice compassion.

- The Dalai Lama

We often get caught up in our own moods, worries and challenges, failing to see beyond personal concerns. This focus on self intensifies our perception of our hardships, making the challenges seem all the more challenging.

How do we break out of the cycle of poor-me-thinking? (more…)

Parents concerned about their child’s mental health should seek professional help sooner rather than later. According to recent studies, as kids advance in age from 12 to 17, those identified as having depression grew increasingly worse as they got older. (more…)

Any of you an emotional eater?

Oh My, Am I!

At 48, I think I’ve finally managed to understand why I eat what I eat, and to change those patterns to match my personal health and wellness goals.

48!

Again, remedial, but committed.

So here are some important things I’ve learned, and with which the American Diabetic Association and DBSA agree… (more…)

If you or someone you care for is under eighteen, read the Bill of Rights for Families Living with Mental Illnesses, a mandate for improvement in care throughout the country that was introduced by The Children’s Mental Health Coalition*.

THE BILL OF RIGHTS… (more…)