As a caregiver and mental health advocate, I keep my eyes and ears open for news and discussions related to mental illness and stigma. There seems to be an influx of news stories recently, and the good news is that these stories are not being circulated on the heels of a tragic event or situation where mental illness is getting painted in a negative hue.
While you may or may not agree with some of these articles, the fact that there are more people in the media writing about this topic makes me feel good about the work that advocates and others are doing to bring education and awareness to the foreground. This level of attention and open dialog is critical to begin to change the negative mental illness stereotypes that are still largely at play in our society.
Here is this week’s round-up:
Princess Kate records video for Children’s Mental Health Week in the UK, which begins next Monday – Via Hello! Magazine
http://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2015021623454/kate-middleton-place2be-charity-video/
About 96 million Americans live in areas with shortages of mental health providers –
Via @WSJ (Wall Street Journal)
http://www.wsj.com/articles/where-are-the-mental-health-providers-1424145646
One in four people experience a mental health crisis at some point. So why aren’t we talking about it?
Via @TedTalks
http://ht.ly/IWkIZ
10 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/10-ways-to-look-after-your-mental-health/
10 Worst Things to Say to Someone with Mental Illness
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/caregivers/2015/02/10-worst-things-to-ever-say-to-someone-with-mental-illness/
Creativity and Mental Illness
http://www.brainpickings.org/2014/07/21/creativity-and-mental-illness/
**If you come across a news article or post that you’d like to see featured in a future round-up, please send them to me at farfromparadiseblog@gmail.com
Thank you Amy for posting the websites. Mental illness should spoken about like erectile dysfunction is.
I just read the article, “The Ten Worst Things to Say to Someone with Mental Illness.” It’s too bad that “You aren’t trying,” “You are lazy,” and “You are a brat” are some of the things mentioned. Thank you for spreading the knowledge and understanding that we all need to broaden our thoughts about mental illness.