David Susman

Why Your Glass Should Be Half Full: The Benefits of Optimism

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Is your glass ‘half empty’ or ‘half full’? In other words, are you more optimistic or more pessimistic? Do you see the future as hopeful or bleak? Let’s explore these and other related questions about optimism and pessimism. I hope (notice the optimistic tone there?) I can convince you of the many benefits from becoming more optimistic. And yes, you can become more optimistic and we’ll talk about how to do just that. What is optimism (and pessimism)? Optimism is …

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I’ve Lost My Mind: How I Found It Again

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Tillie Bright This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked mental health advocate and author Tillie Bright about her history of mental health challenges and her recent book. Here’s our interview: DS: Tell us about when you started becoming aware of concerns related to your mental health and when did you first get help? TB: I knew something was truly wrong long before I actually got …

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‘A Roadmap to Behavioral Health’: A Review

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Navigating the mental health system to obtain appropriate care for mental illness and addictions often seems akin to trying to pilot a small airplane through a turbulent thunderstorm in the dark. It’s challenging, uncomfortable, scary and hard to safely reach your destination. In an effort to provide better guidance to find mental health and substance use services, SAMHSA (the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and CMS (the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) have developed “A …

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Bipolar Disorder Is My Biggest Competitor

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Amy Gamble This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked mental health advocate and author Amy Gamble about her history of mental health challenges, her advocacy activities and her recent memoir. 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? AG: Well…this is …

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Coping with Disaster: Mental Health Resources

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It seems like far too often we hear stories of destruction and its aftermath from natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes and hurricanes. Perhaps you or a loved one have been directly impacted by one of these terrifying events and you may be looking for tips and strategies to manage the emotional distress you’re now going through. I’m providing several resources from the American Psychological Association (APA) that may be helpful during this difficult time or as a reference for …

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Giving Mental Illness A Voice

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Sam Edwards This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked mental health advocate and psychotherapist Samantha Edwards about her history of mental health challenges and about some of her current advocacy efforts. Trigger warning: thoughts and behaviors related to suicide are discussed. 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 …

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“I Want to Share Your Stories of Hope”

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Have you been personally affected by mental illness or a mental health concern? Would you like to share your story of your experiences, challenges, treatments and successes? If so, I would love to help you share your unique and personal story. I’ve been sharing such first-person accounts for some time now in my “Stories of Hope” series here on this blog. You will find dozens of true and inspiring stories of men and women from all over the world who …

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A Dozen Self-Care Strategies for Helpers & Caregivers

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Chances are good that you’ve served in a helping or caregiving role for someone else at some point in your life. My definition of “helper or caregiver” is pretty broad. It includes not only those who work professionally in a helping role (health care workers, counselors, therapists, teachers, clergy, first responders), but also family and friends who provide care for loved ones with health issues, disabilities and other limitations or challenges. We’re learning more and more how stressful these helping …

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