Archive for the 'Mental Health' Category
The Good Deed Fellow
It’s remarkable when you feel more down on your luck than ever before and there is a simple stranger who, with a small thoughtful gesture, can make you realize that things are pretty great.
We (my family) have been through what is usually referred to as the ringer these last few years. Typical young-married-couple-with-two-kids stuff — money, job changes, money, job losses, trying to prove to our families that we aren’t crazy for sticking to our passions, money, our daughter having half of her lung taken out. Alright, mostly typical stuff — we have had some things that I’m not quite sure we will ever emotionally recover from (my husband and I can’t really talk about our daughter, two weeks old at the time, almost dying in his arms simply because it was so stressful that I am certain we have blocked most of it out). But back to my point: by all accounts of the stress of the last two years, we could be really angry and mean people. I think anyone that has struggled can relate — you tend to start to lose the better qualities of yourself when things get lower than you ever thought possible. And today I was reminded why we came out of it happy and with an even more stellar outlook on everything.
I’m going to sound like the cheesiest feel-good motivational speaker in the world but, here goes. This man, a mechanic, who could have taken all my money and been an opportunist about the fact that I had to have some work done on my car to pass my emissions test to renew my registration. Instead, I explained to him the situation and made a note that we really didn’t have the billions of dollars to fix the part and so, he looked at the car and pushed a simple button and said “there ya go — you should pass your test now”. There is something that needs to be fixed but it would have cost me lots and lots of money that knew I didn’t have. He could have just told me to go away but, no, he bought me some time. He saved me from a week’s worth of being pulled over by every bored cop who notices that I have expired tags. A simple thing that made my life easier and gave me a chance to get things taken care of. He referred me to a local mechanic who is cheap and respectable and made me promise to go see him soon. As I drove away I realized (here comes the cheese) that this exact type of thing was why my husband and I aren’t angry and miserable people. Because we have been cared about, on a very human level, by others who have been, or still are, there. We’ll always look back on those years with great wonder at how we survived — and then we will have to remind ourselves that we survived because of the strangers who wouldn’t let us fall.
Posted in Cars, Daily Living, Home Budget, Mental Health | No Comments »
Schizophrenia, Aging and Art
Cornell University has an intriguing section of their website that looks at schizophrenia, aging and art. The site captures the art of William Kurelek during his early onset of schizophrenia.
It also highlights Louis Wain, who experienced late onset of schizophrenia. One of the key features of Louis’ experience with schizophrenia involved the abstraction of his “cat” paintings. Over time, his depiction of cats became abstract — almost fractal — until they barely resembled cats at all.
More art examples, references, and information on schizophrenia and art can be found at their Schizophrenia, Aging and Art website.
Posted in Arts and Crafts, Lifestyles, Mental Health | 1 Comment »
Being Sleepy During The Day May Indicate Depression
Everyone knows that lack of sleep can contribute to long tiring days. However, what happens when a person is getting plenty of sleep, but they still feel excessively tired all day? New research suggests that there’s a good chance it might be depression.
After crunching the numbers, depression was the No. 1 risk factor for excessive daytime sleepiness. BMI (body mass index) came second. Typical sleep duration was third, followed by diabetes, smoking, and, finally, sleep apnea.
The researchers suggest that doctors start to consider depression as a factor for excessive sleepiness, and that they do a thorough assessment for depression and obesity/diabetes.
Posted in Mental Health | No Comments »
Coalition Group Outlines 28-Point Road Map For Better Mental Health In The U.S.
Mental health in the United States has consistently experienced budget cuts, and rising costs. As a consequence, many people have been adversely affected by the inability to afford treatment, and the unavailability of treatment options. A 16 group organization, called the Campaign for Mental Health Reform, has put together a 28-point road map for improving mental health in the U.S.
Families should be allowed to buy into Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance plan for the poor, to get access to treatment for their children.
“Medicare unfortunately discriminates against people with mental illness by requiring higher co-payments for mental health outpatient care. That could be fixed,” Konigsberg added.
The groups, including several national mental health advocacy organizations, said they were acting on President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Report, released in 2003.
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FDA Warns About Antidepressants, Suicide
CNN reports:
The Food and Drug Administration issued a second public warning Friday that adults who use antidepressants should be closely monitored for warning signs of suicide, especially when they first start the pills or change a dose.
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FDA Issues Strong Antidepressant Warnings
Salon.com reports:
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday ordered that all antidepressants carry “black box” warnings that they “increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior” in children who take them.
“Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior … in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders,” the warning begins. Those risks must be balanced against clinical need, the label indicates in a warning surrounded by a black box, hence the “black box” designation.
Posted in Health, Mental Health | No Comments »
