Advocate Support Blog

NAMI Meets with President Obama at White House

NAMI Executive Director Michael Fitzpatrick joined a group of 12 representatives from the disability community last week for a historic meeting with President Barack Obama.

Government to Boost Funding for Suicide Prevention

Government to boost funding for suicide prevention, Mental Health Articles...
By Kathleen Blanchard RN 
According to a new release from the American Psychological Association (APA), the government is boosting funding to suicide prevention hotlines across the nation.
Emaxhealth - http://www.emaxhealth.com/

Mental Health Buzz: August 6, 2009

Mental health funds cut - CharlotteObserver.com Mentally ill North Carolinians will have less access to care as the state makes dramatic changes to save money in the recession. Charlotte Observer: Local News - http://http/www.charlotteobserver.com/local/index.rss

Mental Health - Antidepressant Use Rising While Psychological ... Antidepressants have risen to the top spot as the most commonly prescribed class of medications in the US, the position formerly held by blood pressure medications. It seems antidepressants usage has grown from 6 percent to over 10 ... Healthnews.com - More Natural... - http://www.healthnews.com/

BC Liberal mental health and addiction cuts will hurt communities ... By admin  VANCOUVER -Â The Campbell government's plan to cut vital counseling and tr... read more. BC Vote - http://www.bcvote.ca/

"Mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that ... By Vote by Issues  The American Psychological Association adopted a resolution Wednesday stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments. ... Vote By Issues! - http://votebyissues.org/ Iowa farmer's story brings rural mental health crisis home for ... By Lynda Waddington  Dr. Jeffrey Leichner, a psychologist and a founding member of the Minnesota Consortium for Advanced Rural Psychology Training, recently attended a National Association of Rural Mental Health conference in New Mexico and by chance met a ... Iowa Independent - http://iowaindependent.com/ Mental Health - Elevated Cholesterol Levels Significantly Increase ... With both a good and bad side, cholesterol could be considered the Jekyll and Hyde of medicine. As Dr. Jekyll, it makes new cells and hormones, helps digest fats from food, and converts to vitamin D in the skin when exposed to sunlight. Healthnews.com - More Natural... - http://www.healthnews.com/ U.S. Spending on Mental Health Care Soaring - Health News - Health.com By timeinctemp  US spending on mental illness is soaring at a faster pace than spending on any other health care category, new government data released Wednesday shows. Health News - http://news.health.com/ Media dis&dat: Mental health crisis descending on New Orleans By BA Haller  NEW ORLEANS -- A mental health crisis that has swamped this city's care facilities as surely as Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters washed over the Lower 9th Ward is about to become even worse, care providers say. ... Media dis&dat - http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/ Among studies of torture and war-affected populations, rates of ... By andyrasmussen  The PTS accounted for a “modest” (their words) amoung of the variability in mental health outcomes, but I think the fact that thye used it deserves praise and further study. One of the major objections practicitioners have to research ... Andrew Rasmussen's Blog - http://andyrasmussen.wordpress.com/

Antidepressant Use Increasing In The United States

A Medical News Today News Article today reports, "A marked and broad expansion in antidepressant treatment occurred among Americans older than 6 years between 1996 and 2005, although treatment rates remain low among racial and ethnic minorities, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals."

Click HERE for the full article.

Boston University: Recovery Model Through ‘Innovations Institute’ « DISCOVER AND RECOVER: Resources for Mental Wellness

DISCOVER AND RECOVER: Resources for Mental Health Boston University: Recovery Model Through ‘Innovations Institute’ « DISCOVER AND RECOVER: Resources for Mental Wellness.

12-Step ‎(michaelquach)‎

12-Step is a pretty cool iPhone App that was developed by Michael Quach. 

12-Step is an easy-to-use, quick, and convenient way to find a 12-Step program near you. With this handy application, you can be sure to find a local meeting closest to you, even while you are traveling out of town. 

12-Step quickly identifies your current location and lets you choose the nearest 12-Step program such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-Anon & Al-Ateen, Gamblers Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, etc...

Suicide Myths

By Jim Crosson

Following is a list of 12 myths about suicide that everyone should know.

1. Suicide happens without any warning.
2. People who talk about suicide don’t ever really do it. 
3. You shouldn’t talking about suicide to someone you think may be suicidal because this will only encourage them to go through with it. 
4. Only a certain types of people commit suicide. 
5. Suicide is a lower class phenomenon or occurs in only certain ethnic groups. 
6. Suicide genetic and runs in certain families. 
7. Suicidal people are crazy or mentally ill. 
8. People who are seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist, or therapist rarely commit suicide. 
9. People who are prescribed psychiatric medications rarely commit suicide.
10. An unsuccessful attempt at suicide shouldn’t be taken seriously. 
11. Young people are more likely than old people to commit suicide.
12. If someone wants to commit suicide, there is nothing you can do to help them or stop them.

For more information about suicide and resources on suicide prevention, I recommend visiting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline web site.