Weekly Roundup – Staff Picks on Mental Health Blogs, News Articles, and More!

//Weekly Roundup – Staff Picks on Mental Health Blogs, News Articles, and More!

Weekly Roundup – Staff Picks on Mental Health Blogs, News Articles, and More!

Check out NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania’s Weekly Roundup, a list of interesting blog posts and online content relating to mental illness and mental health, picked by our staff.

The articles and blogs included on this list do not necessarily represent the views of NAMI.


 

Local Features

“Students Speak Out About Mental Health” by Amanda Finney for The Pitt News (Link)

Pitt students are working to address mental health awareness in more interactive and participatory ways on their campus. A recent event, Stay Spoke, invited students to hear others open up about mental illness through poetry and spoken word. As one student said, allowing students to get involved in mental health awareness events, rather than just attend, makes a much greater impact. – Alyssa

 

“Getting help faster: A database to help psychiatric patients in crisis” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board (Link)

State Sen. Camera Bartolotta and Rep. Dan Miller are once again pushing legislation for an electronic database that would help doctors find psychiatric inpatient beds for patients in a crisis situation. Currently, it is extremely difficult and time consuming for doctors to find inpatient beds that meet all of a patient’s demographic, psychiatric, and insurance needs, especially in a crisis situation.  – Alyssa

 

“Chatham is finishing its self-injury policy review. What you need to know about the task force and student concerns” by Atiya Irvin-Mitchell for Public Source (Link)

Recently, Public Source’s article on Chatham’s self-injury policy blew up on social media, inspiring alumni and Pittsburgh residents alike to call on Chatham to revise its policy. While the task force has not made an official announcement on any actions, Public Source is keeping the community updated on the progress so far. – Alyssa

 

“WorkZone: Removing the stigma of talking about mental health at work” by Kris Mamula for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Link)

Ernst & Young has started a new program, called “r u ok,” which is meant to help employees identify when a coworker may be having a mental health problem and may need help. The four-step educational program – notice, ask, listen, act – hopes to increase mental health in the workplace. – Alyssa

 

Around the Internet

“Why Being Disabled is a Full Time Job for Many People” by Kate Golden for The Mighty (Link)

This tongue-in-cheek job description for a “Chief Medical Officer of Personal Health Affairs (AKA Social Security Disability Beneficiary)” illustrates the difficulties many disabled people have, from navigating social security benefits, to juggling countless medical, legal, and social responsibilities. – Alyssa

 

“People with Disabilities Drive Innovation” by Haben Girma on LinkedIn (Link)

Viewing disability barriers as a design challenge, rather than a problem or burden? I’m definitely interested in hearing more! – Alyssa

 

“Educators Employ Strategies To Help Kids With Anxiety Return To School” by Samantha Raphelson for NPR (Link)

This is a great article about how some schools and mental health professionals have accommodated students who frequently miss school due to anxiety. They’re trying to decrease “school refusal” due anxiety by figuring out the root of the problem and taking the time to understand the children affected by this. As someone who has had Generalized Anxiety Disorder since I was young and struggled with getting to school, it’s great to see kids living with anxiety being supported and validated in this way! – Nicole

 

NAMI Blog Spotlight: “Stigma Affects Everyone, Even Doctors” by Erin Stair, M.D. (Link)

Many doctors struggle with mental health problems in silence due to stigma and fear of professional retribution. This week’s NAMI spotlight asks, “How can we reduce that stigma for good?” – Alyssa

 

“Glenn Close regrets how ‘Fatal Attraction’ portrayed mental illness” by Martha Ross for Mercury News (Link)

Alex Forrest’s character in Fatal Attraction becoming synonymous with Borderline Personality Disorder has done an immense amount of harm to those living with BPD, so hearing Glenn Close (who happens to be a mental health advocate) speak out about the portrayal is a step in the right direction. From now on, can we as a society stop diagnosing fictional characters as having real-life disorders? – Alyssa

 

Art Features

FrizzKid’s Tumblr (Link)

FrizzKid is one of my favorite artists (I have a print of her famous “Healing is not linear” piece hanging in my office and at home) and her inspirational artwork is popular on social media for a reason. Her approach to affirmations is more about self-care and resiliency than thinking happy thoughts or faking a smile. If you need a little pick me up, check her out on Tumblr or Instagram for art that feels like a warm, validating hug. – Nicole

 

“Hannah Daisy Illustrates #BoringSelfCare on Instagram” by Jordan Davidson for The Mighty (Link)

This is an older article, but the idea behind it is important – self-care isn’t always exciting, glamorous, and expensive, like getting a massage or going on a tropical vacation (I wish). Most of the time, self-care is mundane and “boring,” but it keeps us together all the same. – Alyssa

By | 2017-12-13T13:20:38+00:00 October 20th, 2017|NAMI Blog|Comments Off on Weekly Roundup – Staff Picks on Mental Health Blogs, News Articles, and More!

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