David Susman

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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What Are We Teaching Our Children About Mental Health?

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When I was growing up, I was always so excited about the first day of school each year. I looked forward to seeing my friends, learning new things and being involved in my favorite activities (I was a band and chorus geek, if you must know.) I remember my Dad and I would always say “They’ve turned the magnet back on,” because it seemed like a giant magnet was drawing all the children back toward the school after the long …

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How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

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Tired of being tired? If you aren’t getting enough restful sleep, it’s inevitable you will soon feel exhausted and find you aren’t functioning effectively during the day. Plus, an ongoing pattern of inadequate sleep can lead to missed work, irritability and numerous health complications, including diabetes, obesity, depression and difficulties with memory and concentration. Want to sleep better? Take the following quiz to see what you know about good sleep habits and learn some of the research-based “sleep hygiene” tips for how to get …

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Your Mental Health ‘Bill of Rights’

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For centuries, societies have crafted written standards to protect individuals and to promote their basic human rights. Two extraordinary examples were the Magna Carta of 1215 and the US Bill of Rights in 1791. What if we decided to write a ‘bill of rights’ for mental health care? What would it look like? What ideals, protections, and guarantees would need to be included? The many current problems with mental health services are well known, and they include inadequate access to …

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10 Tips to Become a World-Class Listener

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For over 25 years I taught graduate students how to provide counseling and psychotherapy to address a wide array of mental health and emotional conditions. I was always quick to tell the students that one of the most important keys to helping people is to become a great listener. Unless you first really listen to someone and gain a clear understanding of their situation, history, current concerns and future goals, you won’t be a fully effective helper. I’ve become increasingly …

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What Are Your Communication Values?

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When I first jumped into public writing and social media many years ago, I didn’t give much thought to specific values guiding my work. I just knew I wanted to talk about how to help others improve their mental health and wellness, drawing from my many years of experience as a clinical psychologist. But after a short period of time, I stopped to consider what the overall values are which drive my communications. Here’s what I came up with, and …

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