David Susman

How Workplaces Can Support People in Recovery

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One of the many challenges faced by people who struggle with mental illness or addiction is that these conditions often interfere with their ability to sustain a job. Symptoms can often be impairing or even disabling, forcing the person to quit work. Many times, it is only after the person engages in treatment and begins on the road to recovery that they can re-enter the workforce. Another roadblock to employment is that lingering symptoms can affect energy, mood, stamina, and …

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Fight Another Day

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Sharon Blady This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked mental health advocate Sharon Blady about her 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? SB: After my son Zach was born in the summer …

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Helpful Mental Health Resources for College Students

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As a former college professor, I’m quite aware that the stresses that college students face are very real. These challenges include being away from the support of family, academic pressure, limited money, lack of sleep and rest, frequent exposure to alcohol and drugs, and striving for independence as young adults. Recent data show that as many as 36% of US college students in 2017 had been diagnosed at some point with a mental health condition. This reflects a sizeable increase …

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Someone Out There Cares About You

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Abbie Williams This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked advocate Abbie Williams about her 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? AW: I was always a shy child, but I noticed …

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We Can All Be Advocates

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If you’ve dropped by here before, you probably know that the topic of advocacy pops up quite often. While my focus has primarily been on mental health advocacy, I think we should take a somewhat broader view of advocacy and who can be an effective advocate. You can find lots of definitions of advocacy but my simple one is that advocacy involves getting informed and getting involved to make a difference. By that definition, I think just about everyone can …

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Hang On to Your Dreams

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Cassie Brown This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked clinical social worker Cassie Brown about her 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? CB: I first became aware that something just …

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We Cannot Continue to Fail These Heroes

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Shawn Ramey This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked Army veteran Shawn Ramey 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 you before you sought treatment? SR: I was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress …

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10 Tips to De-stress Your Holidays

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The holidays can be joyful, but as we also know all too well, they can be tremendously stressful. Several factors contribute to holiday stress, including disruptions in our routines, lack of rest and sleep, financial challenges, difficult relationships and feelings of loss, loneliness and depression. Here are 10 tips that can help you manage some of the holiday-related stresses we all are likely to experience: 1) Consider your needs Take some time well in advance of the holidays to first …

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