David Susman

Psychiatric Advance Directives: A “Living Will” for Mental Health Treatment

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It’s likely you’ve heard of a “living will,” a legal document that outlines one’s preferences for their medical treatment in the event of a serious or terminal illness which renders them unable to express their wishes. But did you know there’s something like a “living will” for mental health care? It’s usually called a “psychiatric advance directive” or a “mental health advance directive.” It’s an important tool to know about, especially if you or someone you care about may be …

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Finding Hope and Healing

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Julie Kraft This is the first of a series of articles featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked advocate and author Julie Kraft about the challenges she has faced with her mental health and how her journey of recovery is continuing to unfold. 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 affect you and …

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How to Talk With Your Kids About Mental Illness

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If you’re a parent and you or another family member has experienced mental health concerns, you probably have felt unsure about how to talk with your children about this issue. Should you discuss it at all? If you do, what should you say? Your first reaction may be to avoid talking with your children about mental illness, because you might be afraid it will scare or upset them. However, when you talk openly about these issues, it can reassure your …

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12 Takeaways from a Revealing Survey About Mental Health and Treatment

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In a recent post, we reviewed the findings from the Harris Poll’s online survey of 2,020 adults regarding their attitudes about suicide. Now, let’s cover the results from the same survey about attitudes and experiences related to mental health issues and mental health treatment. The survey findings were eye-opening and provide several key takeaways. Let’s review 12 of these and I’ll give each of them my personal rating of either “No surprise,” “Somewhat surprising” or “Wow, that’s surprising!” 1) Almost two-thirds …

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What’s In Your ‘Hope Box’?

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A common approach used to treat people who are depressed and thinking about suicide is to help them identify and remember several reasons for hope and to keep living. One specific intervention often used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to cultivate hope is to create a “hope box” (also known as a “crisis kit”), a collection of various items that remind the depressed person that their life is meaningful and worth living. A hope box is made by getting a box, envelope, …

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How to Support Someone During a Psychiatric Hospitalization

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If someone you care about has been hospitalized related to a mental health condition, you may have found this situation confusing and overwhelming, and you may have felt you weren’t well-equipped to handle it. This can be even more stressful if it’s the first time you’ve ever faced this challenge. I worked for many years with patients and their families in psychiatric hospitals and I’ve found several tips and strategies that can make this difficult time perhaps just a little …

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Raising Awareness to Prevent Suicide: Results from a National Survey

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The month of September includes National Suicide Prevention Month, National Suicide Prevention Week, and World Suicide Prevention Day. So it’s timely and of interest to review the findings from a Harris Poll organization online survey of 2,020 US adults (age 18 and over) regarding attitudes and experiences related to suicide awareness. The survey was prepared for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Alliance for Suicide Prevention. The survey findings are quite …

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Learn ‘QPR’: Ask a Question and Prevent a Suicide

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Chances are you’re familiar with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), a well-established emergency procedure used to save lives when a person is in cardiac arrest. But have you ever heard of QPR? QPR stands for “Question, Persuade, Refer” and it’s used to intervene to prevent suicide. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a comprehensive training program to learn about QPR. What’s really interesting about this approach is that you don’t have to be a mental health professional to use …

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