A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
Melanie Travis has a complicated family life. Most people do, but her family takes it to extremes. She has an ex-husband and a shared pre-teen son. Ex has married Claire who is now one of Melanie’s best friends. Melanie has Sam, her husband of a few years. They share Kevin, a toddler who is a champion at getting into messes. Aunt Peg, well, she’s of the opinion she knows everything and everyone which is pretty much true.
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Suicide amongst Americans has become an epidemic in this country. The statistics of those taking their own lives is staggering. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on average, there are 129 suicides per day; in 2017, firearms accounted for 50.57% of all suicide deaths. Based on research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. for all ages, there is one death by suicide in the U.S. every twelve minutes, and suicide takes the lives of over 44,965 Americans every year.
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Every year, World Mental Health Day is held on October 10 to encourage conversations around mental health and to help educate the public about what it means to live with a mental health condition.
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Feeling blue, by definition, means feeling melancholy, sad, or depressed. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, alternative rock band Blue October, in reference to their 2018 single release “I Hope You’re Happy,” I’d say the Fresno audience came away with that feeling.
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In mathematics, a proof is a way of verifying a hypothesis by building on known facts and theorems. When I tried to explain to two separate people that David Auburn’s Pulitzer-winning play Proof is about mathematics and mental illness, each asked, “Aren’t they the same thing?” The Good Company Players’ 2nd Space Theatre hosts this study in family and prime numbers through August 12.
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Five years ago, I was diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. I had been dealing with all of them for far longer than five years, but I didn’t understand myself well enough to know what was happening. Although, some days, I think I knew the whole time what was going on, and I just didn’t want to face that reality.
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Anisa A. Abeytia is a writer and researcher with an interest in Syria, the Middle East, and the Refugee crises. Her work is featured in the Hill, New Arab, Orient, Net English, Middle East Monitor Fremmed, Brunei Times, and the Middle East Observer.
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In 1987, Joseph Robinson, a young man who struggled with mental illness, died as a result of a violent encounter with the Memphis Police Department in Tennessee.
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March 30 is World Bipolar Day. The date was chosen for the artist Vincent Van Gogh’s birthday, after psychiatrists determined that he very likely had Bipolar Disorder when he was alive.
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Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder articulately written by Dyane Harwood is a touching memoir that portrays a woman’s struggle with Postpartum Bipolar Disorder and the courage that helps her find healing from mental illness.
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My first experiences with mental health conditions are the reasons that I co-founded The Youth Mental Health Project. I believe that by changing the way we talk about and how we act with regard to our children’s mental health, we can create better outcomes for ourselves, our children, and future generations. That is why the International Bipolar Foundation’s #SayitForward campaign is key to change.
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My mother told me she lost track of how many times I tried killing myself. The truth is so have I. It wasn’t until my last suicide attempt that I had a broad awakening. I actually almost died by an overdose. It is by God’s grace that I survived it. I overdosed on all my medication. My roommate did not realize what I did the night before and didn’t call 911 until the morning when she was getting ready for work.
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New stories will begin, new futures will start, new hopes will appear, fears will be overcome, challenges will melt away; this is what newcomers face when they begin their path in the United States.
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I’ve worked in the field of suicide prevention for nearly a decade. In that time I have seen and experienced a lot of interesting things. National Suicide Prevention Week, which falls September 10-16, 2017, is a perfect time to reflect upon some of the changes and advancements, as well as looking forward to the future.
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