Weekly Roundup (For The Week of February 4th)

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 Feature

@SteelSmilingPGH – 90 Days of Street Therapy

Steel Smiling, a local organization that bridges the gap between community members and mental health support, has started a daily social media campaign called 90 Days of Street Therapy. The campaign features quotes and stories from community members, local mental health advocates, and professionals.

“Going to therapy is nothing to be ashamed of; in fact, it’s sometimes a matter of life and death for us as Black women. We don’t have to walk around carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders alone. The resources are available if you take that first step, and you’ll find that more people are rooting for you than you can even imagine!” 📝 by @allycepinchback | 📸 by @keshasilver | #SteelSmiling #MentalHealth #Pittsburgh #OurStoriesMatter ✌

A post shared by Steel Smiling (@steelsmilingpgh) on Feb 2, 2018 at 4:42am PST

Around the Web

“Major mental illnesses unexpectedly share brain gene activity, raising hope for better diagnostics and therapies” by Roni Dengler for Science (Link)

Researchers have found correlations between five mental illnesses and a particular pattern of gene activity, suggesting a potential breakthrough in identifying and diagnosing individuals with psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric healthcare professionals say this is a major step in providing evidence regarding mental health disorders as a biological disease, ultimately mitigating the stigma surrounding the topic. – Molly

“Will Social Prescribing Be the Next Wellness Phenomenon?” by Christopher Bergland for Psychology Today (Link)

A new holistic approach to treating depression and anxiety suggests an alternative or complement to prescription medication. An increase in pain caused by long-term conditions like cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, and osteoporosis could now be treated with social activities including walking groups, fitness classes, and volunteering. Patients are partnered with a link worker, or personal sponsor who tailors these activities, to create an individualized list of activities to address the well-being of the individual. – Molly

Podcast Feature

“Episode 95: Moving on from Trauma at 66” from The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast by Duff the Psych (Link)

This week on The Hardcore Self-Help Podcast, Duff the Psych answers a question from a 66-year-old listener about how to move on from his father’s untimely death – a traumatic event that happened during the listener’s childhood. Duff makes an excellent point that 66 is still relatively young and gives advice on how to create a new life narrative to move past trauma. – Alyssa