Month: March 2017

A Dozen Tips for the Safe Use of Psychiatric Medications

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Many individuals receiving care for mental illness or addiction are prescribed psychiatric medications as an important part of an overall treatment plan which often includes psychotherapy, other therapies and suggested lifestyle changes. In the treatment settings where I’ve worked, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with many highly experienced prescribers, including psychiatrists and nurse practitioners. I’ve also benefited from the wisdom of several terrific pharmacists. From these professional experiences, I learned first-hand just how important it is to take psychiatric medications …

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Finding a Sense of Peace

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Suzy Favor Hamilton This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked Suzy Favor Hamilton, former Olympic athlete, best-selling author of “Fast Girl: A Life Spent Running from Madness,” and mental health advocate to share a little about her journey and how she’s doing today. Here’s our interview: DS: As we know, mental health issues don’t just emerge overnight. Tell us about when you first started becoming aware …

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‘First Aid’ for Mental Health Concerns

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Most of us are familiar with basic first aid approaches to manage medical situations, or perhaps you’ve even had a first aid course at school or work. But did you know you can now take a special type of first aid course to learn how to better handle mental health concerns and crises? I had heard about “Mental Health First Aid” some time ago, so I was very excited when recently I was able to attend a one-day class in my community. I’d like to …

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Learning About Mindfulness

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A Conversation with Dr. Ruth Baer, Ph.D. I recently had the opportunity to talk with my colleague Dr. Ruth Baer, a clinical psychology professor and internationally recognized expert on mindfulness. I asked her a few questions to help us better understand what mindfulness is and how it can help with a variety of mental health issues. Here’s our conversation: DS: Mindfulness is certainly very popular these days. For those who aren’t very familiar with the topic, what’s a simple way …

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