David Susman

A Great Resource for Serious Mental Illness

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Perhaps you’ve heard the term “serious mental illness” before and wondered what it means. Aren’t all mental illnesses potentially “serious”? A “serious mental illness” or “SMI” is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities,” according to the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The three diagnoses most commonly associated with SMI are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. The NIMH …

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It’s Possible to Conquer Whatever You Are Facing

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Jordan Smelley This is part of of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked peer support specialist Jordan Smelley about his journey and his current activities. First, I’ll have Jordan introduce himself, and then you will find our interview. I am currently 30 years old, and I am a Peer Recovery Support Specialist with Transitional Age Youth Endorsement in Texas. Growing up was very different for …

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How to Start a Mental Health Advocacy Group

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It’s very gratifying to me that so many people are interested in mental health advocacy. I’m often asked about ways to get more involved in advocacy, which I’ve addressed to some degree in several previous posts. Another fun and rewarding way to get more involved in mental health advocacy is to start an advocacy group. Several years ago, I started an advocacy group for graduate students in our clinical psychology training program and it’s been a great experience. Here are …

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You Have All the Answers Within You

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Craig Lewis This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked peer specialist Craig Lewis about his journey and his current activities. Here’s our interview: DS: Tell us about when you first started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health. How did these issues continue to affect you before you sought treatment? CL: When I was 7 years old, I was …

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r is for Recovery

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Each September, SAMHSA, the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors “National Recovery Month” to increase awareness of mental health and substance use issues.  2019 marks the 30th anniversary of National Recovery Month. The theme for 2019 is “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Are Stronger.” This theme “emphasizes the need to share resources and build networks across the country to support the many paths to recovery. It reminds us that mental and substance use disorders affect …

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10 Things You May Not Know About AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)

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Almost everyone has heard of Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA. Millions of people with drinking problems have benefitted from AA’s “Twelve Steps” approach to achieving sobriety since its founding in 1935. Many different spinoff groups (Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, etc.) use the same basic model. Al-Anon and Alateen provide resources for families of AA members. I picked up some useful information about AA at a recent conference I attended. From this material, I found several interesting tidbits and …

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How to Develop a Safety Plan to Manage a Suicidal Crisis

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One commonly used and effective tool to help prevent suicide is a safety plan, also sometimes referred to as a crisis response plan. A safety plan is a written list of coping strategies and sources of support than can be used before or during a mental health crisis in which there may be suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors. Safety plans have been used in clinical practice for some time. Although there are some minor variations in their content and format, a …

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Psychology Responds to Gun Violence

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We are all overwhelmed by each new report of another mass shooting. Time after time, more innocent lives are senselessly lost. As a nation we grieve but no solutions seem to be forthcoming. There are obviously many political issues related to this issue but I want to focus on how my profession of psychology is attempting to contribute to the conversation in a way to facilitate a path toward solutions and healing. In response to the recent shootings in El …

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