In honor of Mental Illness Awareness week we interviewed Mental Health Advocate and motivational speaker Emily Wu Truong. Emily shares with us about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and how they led her to the work that she does now. Also in this issue, is the latest mental health column from Christine F. Anderson about fear and bipolar disorder.
May is Mental Health Month so KRL will be posting a few mental health related articles this month. We are starting with an interview with the current board president of the Fresno affiliate of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illiness), Mary Lou Brauti-Minkler.
There is nothing glamorous about being placed in handcuffs under an emergency custody order, led away from your house, from your family, from everything you worked to create in your life up until that moment, to a waiting cop car. Your father on speaker phone over a thousand miles away, listening in on the chaos as it unfolded–helpless and concerned to the point of not being able to talk. Your mother on another phone in the background, rapidly making plans to be by your side as soon as humanly possible.
There are a lot of people who think that seeing a therapist is a waste of time. There are also a lot of people who think it's wrong, or that you're weak, if you take antidepressants. Well I'm here to say that is a big load of crap!
Stigma, although powerful, does not have to be inevitable. Countries around the world are joining forces to combat stigma and its harmful effects. Anti-stigma campaigns, legislation, public education, mobilizing communities in anti-stigma efforts, and personal commitments to end stigma are all underway. Changing the belief systems of those who inflict stigma is only one aspect to producing change, the second of which is to challenge the internalized negative beliefs of the stigmatized.
Webster’s Dictionary defines stigma as “any mark of infamy or disgrace; sign of moral blemish; stain or reproach caused by dishonorable conduct; reproachful characterization.”
As we approach National Suicide Prevention Week September 9-15, and World Suicide Prevention Day September 10, we wanted to share some articles dealing with the issue of suicide and mental health. So we share with you this article by Muffy Walker of the International BiPolar Foundation about stigma of mental illness & how suicide touched her life, and an interview with To Write Love On Her Arms. Learn more about what you can do to make a difference during National Suicide Prevention Week and beyond, check out this website & the website for World Suicide Prevention Day.
