Tricia and Karen Callaghan share their experiences  with chronic depression.

Additional video and information available at www.bringchange2mind.org

View additional videos and learn more by going to:

www.bringchange2mind.org

Fighting the stigma of mental illness…

For additional videos and information, go to:

www.bringchange2mind.org

Mental Health America launched a new, interactive website called Live Your Life Well, where you’ll find tools to live a more balanced, healthy life, information about stress and wellness, personal success stories, a gratitude stream and much, much more.

Go to Live Your Life Well and see for yourself. Chances are, you’ll find lots of information to help you live a more healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Small Ideas That Make a Big Difference

Start making a difference.

Every individual can take action to help solve homelessness.

Here are five small things you can start doing now:

Make eye contact: Say hello - greet homeless individuals the same as you would a friend or colleague.

Give small supplies: Instead of money, give Ziploc bags of toiletries, socks, food or grocery coupons. Keep a supply in your car.

Donate clothes: Give your gently worn clothes to a local homeless facility.

Watch your mouth: Don’t call people experiencing homelessness “bums,” “transients,” or even “the homeless.” They are still people first.

Volunteer: Work directly with people experiencing homelessness.

Bust the stigma and share stories: Feeling support and being part of a community is empowering to those struggling with a mental illness. By listening to others or by sharing personal experiences, you help to break the silence that keeps people from being open about their illness.

Special acknowledgment and thanks to TAKE PART- The Soloist.

Help eliminate stereotypes and myths about people experiencing homelessness and mental illness.

Watch the gallery above, courtesy of TAKE PART- The Soloist, and then send it to five friends.

Below are additional myths and facts that aren’t in the video gallery.

Myth: Homelessness has declined dramatically in recent years.
Fact: The criteria through which the government defines homelessness can change as often as these surveys are taken. Sometimes people living in cars, or staying with their relatives are considered homeless; sometimes they are not. Therefore it is not always an equal comparison to the previous count.

Myth: Mental illnesses are brought on by a weakness of character.
Fact: Mental illnesses are a result of the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Research has shown genetic and biological factors are associated with schizophrenia, depression, and alcoholism. Social influences, such as loss of a loved one or a job, can also contribute to the development of various disorders.

Myth: Children do not experience mental illnesses.
Fact: A report from the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health showed that in any given year 5-9 percent of children experience serious emotional disturbances, which can result in mental illness.

Myth: Homeless people will probably always be homeless.
Fact: The length of homelessness varies from person to person. Many spend years on the streets and then are able to get permanent housing.

Myth: Psychiatric disorders are not true medical illnesses like heart disease and diabetes. People who have a mental illness are just “crazy.”
Fact: The fact is that brain disorders, like heart disease or diabetes, are legitimate medical illnesses. Research shows there are genetic and biological causes for psychiatric disorders, and they can be treated effectively.

Last week I shared a movie trailer and urged you to see “The Soloist.”

This week I’m doing the same.

And after you see this life-altering film, go to Take Part and become a member of the live, active community that is taking action, taking part and making a difference in the lives of all those affected by serious mental illness or homelessness.

See “The Soloist.”

Learn, love, be prepared to be altered.

Then Take Part.

And share your thoughts with us here.

I urge you.

Most Lovingly,

Few of us can imagine being unable to distinguish between thoughts, fears and reality.

Few can fathom hearing voices or seeing people and things that simply don’t exist.

Even fewer can relate to perpetual noise coming from within.

But these are facts of daily life for the millions of Americans diagnosed with schizophrenia.

As the blockbuster film starring Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx as “The Soloist” opens in theaters across the country, media outlets are offering rare and much needed coverage and insight into the realities of living with schizophrenia. One excellent article written by CNN’s Madison Park is excerpted below.

“The intrusive voices popped into William “Bill” Garrett’s head. “They’re coming for you,” the voices told the 18-year-old. “Find somewhere to hide; they’re going to get you.”
In the film, “The Soloist,” Lisa Gay Hamilton and Jamie Foxx play Jennifer Ayers-Moore and Nathaniel Ayers.
3 of 3 They told the Johns Hopkins University freshman that his father had poisoned the family dog, his sister had injected crystal methamphetamine into his pet lizard and his grandmother had put human body parts into his food.

As schizophrenia took hold, the Maryland teenager became lost within his own mind and had to leave college after winning a full, four-year scholarship.”

Read the entire CNN story here.

I hope you’ll read Park’s article and send the link to others in your circle.

If you haven’t seen “The Soloist” see it soon. Tell your friends, take your neighbors. The elimination of stigma and discrimination begins with enlightenment. Let’s shine the light.

A New Movie About Life, Love and Being Different

An online acquaintance, Chrysti Hydeck, whose amazing art is available at her Etsy store, The Altered Abbey, introduced me to Phoebe in Wonderland.

The trailer and publicity material are deeply moving. I expect wonder, enchantment and enlightenment from the film itself.

I cannot wait to see it. I will report back when I have.

“It’s not just that it’s okay to be different, but you can actually derive strength from it.”

It is letters like the one below that keep me writing about mental health issues and that treatment works and recovery is possible…

“I read your book today, started it today and finished it tonight, and i wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My son has been battling Bi-polar disorder his whole life. (My mother also suffers) He was DX at age 7 and these days hope of recovery or well being is slim. He is now 13 and new issues are arising. Your book shined a new light of hope for me, and the courage to continue fighting his battle, and helping him to fight his battle. God Bless you Kate, your husband, and your three Children. Your journey touched my heart and made me feel not alone in the hopes of my son’s recovery towards feeling well. I hope to one day share his story and have the courage that you have now. Thanks so much for being a wonderful mother and human being.”

If you have a loved one with a mental illness, remember that yours is a journey shared and that hope always exists.

Blessings!