David Susman

Double Trouble in Recovery: 12-Step Support for Mental Illness and Substance Misuse

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If you ask anyone dealing with a substance use problem what “AA” means, they will immediately say “Alcoholics Anonymous.” Established in the 1930’s, AA is a well-known, effective peer-run approach used to help people in recovery from alcoholism. Several dozen offshoots of AA have been developed over the years which use the same “12-step model,” including NA (Narcotics Anonymous), OA (Overeaters Anonymous), Cocaine Anonymous (CA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), Emotions Anonymous (EA) and Workaholics Anonymous (WA), just to name a few. …

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Life Can Be So Beautiful

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Natalie Harris This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked former paramedic and mental health advocate Natalie Harris about the challenges she has faced and how her journey of recovery continues to unfold. Here’s our interview: DS: When did you first started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health. How did these issues affect you  before you sought treatment? NH: When …

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The ‘ABC’s of Recovery’

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Quite a while ago, I came across a terrific blog called “Romancing the Road to Recovery” by Jo Baltodano. In her blog, Jo says she suffered from an eating disorder since the 4th grade, but she didn’t seek help until age 25 when she was near death. She decided to engage in treatment and chose to fight to live. Jo’s blog is an amazing account of her ongoing journey of recovery. In one of her posts, Jo outlines the ‘ABC’s of …

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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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