Tag: mental illness

The Practice That Improved My Mental Health When Nothing Else Did

I thought that when I was accepted to the university of my dreams, it would put me on the path to freedom—that I’d land a great job and live out a successful career. But so much changed over the five years that followed, and my journey didn’t go quite as planned.

When I transitioned from my suburban all-girls high school to a large Ivy League university in the city, I felt a major change in social and academic pressure. As an engineering student, I spent long hours in rigorous classes and studying—not to mention, the dorm I lived in was crowded and always, always loud. The image-focused culture made me question my health choices, and the full-force academic pressure put me in a mode of constant anxiety and stress. During my first year, I became pretty sick, a mental kind of sick that was manifesting physically as an eating disorder. That’s when I found yoga.  more

Avicii’s family launches mental health foundation

In the wake of his death last year, the family of superstar DJ-producer Avicii has launched a new foundation.

The Tim Bergling Foundation will raise money for a variety of causes including mental health and suicide prevention, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Tim Bergling was the Swedish superstar’s real name.

Avicii, 28, was found dead last year in Muscat, Oman. He was 28.
The Swedish star had been open about his struggles and took a break from touring in 2016.  more

KATE MIDDLETON DEVOTES HER DAY TO MENTAL HEALTH – WEEKS AFTER BROTHER’S DEPRESSION REVELATION

Kate Middleton devoted her recent day out to a cause that is personal to her. The Duchess of Cambridge spent Wednesday, February 13, at engagements geared towards mental health and wellness. The 37-year-old’s day of mental health consisted of two engagements that pushed an open dialogue, advocated and championed mental health for youth. Kate’s first stop was a visit to the Mental Health in Education conference. The royal met with various educators who spoke about the importance of mental health training in schools.

The Duchess, who wore a tweed suit by Dolce & Gabbana for the occasion, spoke about the importance of mental health awareness in children. “It is clear that positive development of our children is directly linked to those who care for them, teachers, carers and parents,” she said during her speech. She continued: “The evidence is clear the first few years of a child’s life are more pivotal for development and for future health and happiness than any other single moment in our lifetime.”  more

10 of the most important things we learned about mental health this year

Approximately one in five adults in the US — 43.8 million — experiences mental illness in a given year, according to The National Alliance on Mental Illness. That being said, it’s no surprise that each and every year researchers put time and enormous amounts of money into tackling the growing mental health crisis.

It seems in 2018, much of their hard work paid off — around the world researchers crumbled myths and opened new doors as they aimed to better comprehend the complicated world of invisible illnesses.

Here are 10 of the most important things we learned about mental health in 2018.  more

Research Is Shedding New Light on Hearing Voices

What are we to think of someone who says that God has spoken to them?  Often the expression “speaks to me” is used figuratively, not literally.  When something really speaks to you, you mean that it is meaningful and emotionally relevant to you.  Mental messages that a person voluntarily generates are simply inner speech, that is, verbal thinking.  Most of our conscious thoughts are verbal.  Although most people can think in non-verbal formats, such as visual imagery, verbal thinking dominates people’s conscious mental processing.

When someone reports hearing a message “in their mind,” usually they don’t mean that they have had a hallucination.  A hallucination is a sensory experience in the absence of an external stimulus to cause the sensory input.  Often, hallucinations are auditory, but hallucinations can also be experienced in the visual or other sense modalities.   Auditory hallucinations are perceived as having the same qualities of sounds generated by external stimuli, and the person is often convinced of the objective reality of the experience.  more

How to tell if someone is having mental health issues

I recently noticed my colleague’s change in behaviour over the past year. For the last nine years that I have known her, she was a happy and well-adjusted person whom the other team members looked up to as ‘big sister’. People went to her for advice. But this year, she has been having bizarre and erratic behaviour swings. What is strange is that when she is unhappy, she will tell you that she is sad, but she will be wearing a happy smile. I find this very odd, especially when she has never been like this in the past.

There are many causes for a sudden or gradual change in behaviour in a person you know well.  more

San Antonio Man Working To Erase Stigma Of Schizophrenia

A San Antonio researcher seeks new treatments for schizophrenia while a San Antonio man strives to live a life of purpose with the disease.

Thirty-year-old Fonda White was a football standout at Marshall High School on the North Side of San Antonio. He dreamed of becoming a professional football player. But that dream was shattered in his 20s when he began hearing voices.

“A lot of voices. A lot of seeing things. Paranoia. Those kinds of symptoms coming up, fully blown, when I was age 25,” White said.

White didn’t understand what was happening to him, and it scared him; so, he tried to ignore it. He tried to keep playing minor league professional football. He kept trying to go to school, but the symptoms interfered with his life and activities. He started missing practice. He started missing school.  more

Six subtle warning signs of suicide

Every year, approximately 800,000 people commit suicide worldwide — that’s one person every 40 seconds. By 2020, the World Health Organization predicts this number will increase to one person every 20 seconds.

Although talking about mental health once seemed taboo, the global spike in suicide has shed light on how men and women of all ages and backgrounds suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, substance use and mood disorders. Preventing a loved one from taking their life starts with identifying the warning signs—especially those which are more discreet than others.  more

Irishman launches Christmas mental health campaign after seven men commit suicide over 10 days in one county

A DAD-OF-TWO has launched a Christmas campaign on social media to encourage people to take mental health seriously after seven men committed suicide in Co. Meath over the past fornight.

Gary Costello, from Kilmessan in the eastern county, felt compelled to do something after becoming concerned for the future of his own boys, aged one and three, in the wake of the deaths.

In less than two weeks, seven men took their own lives in areas including Athboy, Duleek, Kells, Kildalkey and Trim.  more