David Susman

You Are Beautiful Inside and Out

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Krystian Leonard This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked advocate, author and college student Krystian Leonard about her journey and her current activities. Here’s our interview: DS: Tell us a little about your story and the physical and emotional challenges you faced when you were younger. How did these issues continue to affect you and those around you as you were …

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Teaching Mental Health Awareness to Scouts and Other Youth Groups

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I think it’s always great when we can bring positive, accurate information and increased awareness about mental health into mainstream groups, communities, and organizations. So I was excited to learn of a recent initiative to teach mental health awareness to youth groups. Through an initiative led by the International Bipolar Foundation, whose tag line is “a world of hope, resources, and support,” there is now a packet of resources and a structured plan for Girl Scouts and other similar scouting …

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Recovery is Completely Different for Everyone

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Stephanie Palmer This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked Stephanie Palmer about her mental health journey and her 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? SP: I suffered with poor mental health for a …

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When Your New Year’s Resolution Falters

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If you’re like most of us, you’ll struggle with maintaining those well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions. In fact, one study shows that less than half of us (about 46%) will maintain our New Year’s resolutions for six months. So what can you do when your resolution starts to falter? Here are 10 quick steps you can take to assess what’s going wrong and to get back on track. 1) Think “goals” instead of “resolutions.” The term “resolution” has more to do …

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Be Kind to Yourself

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Brandy Higgins This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked writer and registered nurse Brandy Higgins about her mental health journey and her 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? BH: At the age of 10, …

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10 Things To Consider When Selecting Mental Health Apps

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There are a gazillion apps for just about everything. There are an estimated 165,000 health-related apps and more than 10,000 are focused on mental health issues. Let’s explore 10 questions you may want to consider as you think about selecting and trying out mental health apps.   1. Will mental health apps help everyone who uses them? No. But then nothing helps everyone. Responses vary to apps just as they do to other options for mental health care, including therapy, medication, and …

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You Deserve to Be Happy

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with “L” This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked blogger and advocate “L” (who prefers to remain anonymous) about her mental health journey and her 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? L: Looking back, I …

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Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Bridget Croteau This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked author and advocate Bridget Croteau about her mental health journey and her 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? BC: I think soon after the birth of my …

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