November 19 is International Survivors of Suicide Day. This is an occasion that encourages people affected by suicide loss to gather, share comfort, and create an understanding of what has happened and the journey yet to come.
Millions of Americans of all ages struggle to live with depression every day. But unfortunately, depression suffered by the elderly is often overlooked as a common side-effect of growing old.
Those of us who are around mental illness on a daily basis, have to ask ourselves what is me authentically and what is the illness? It’s hard at times to distinguish between the two.
As the grocery store aisles fill with candy and pumpkins begin appearing on suburban doorsteps, my mind turns to the ghosts and goblins of the month of October. Not the ones that hit the streets on Halloween. These are the ones that consume the minds of many who suffer from depression and seasonal affective disorder as night falls fast, as the leaves begin to fall, and the cool winds of winter are beating at the door of our lives.
Teen suicide. These two words strike fear into the hearts of most parents. Due to this fear, the topic is frequently treated like a boogieman, and people believe that if they don’t talk about it, will not happen. The sad truth is that reality is the exact opposite. Silence leads to lost lives. In order to combat this issue we must confront it, become educated, expand, and strengthen programs to prevent, intervene, treat, and unfortunately, respond in the aftermath of suicide (postvention).
National Suicide Prevention Week is September 5-11, 2016. This is a time set aside to raise awareness of an issue that impacts the lives of far too many people. It is a time to increase awareness, education, and activities relating to suicide prevention. It is an opportunity for an article such as this.
Since May is Mental Health Month, we have been featuring a mental health related article every week. To end this month, we interviewed Bob Carolla, Senior Writer, Communications & Public Affairs, at NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Health) about what they are and what they do.
Jamie Tworkowksi is the founder of To Write Love on Her Arms--a non-profit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery.
In 1949, Mental Health America named May as Mental Health Month. The purpose of the observance is to bring about awareness and spread the word that mental health is something everyone should care about. Awareness to other groups within that community has since grown with the first Thursday in May designated as National Children’s Mental Health Day.
I’m bipolar and I suffer from paranoia. They should be synonyms. It almost seems as if, if you’re bipolar, you’re automatically going to suffer from paranoia.
I know from experience; my level of paranoia runs the gamut. I have had episodes where I have thought that people were being sent to my house, that my house was bugged, that people or the feds were watching me, or that I was being followed. I got to the point where I wouldn’t drive.
