When Recovery Hurts

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I’ve written a lot about recovery from mental illness and addiction on this blog and in many other forums. I’ve described what recovery is and what it isn’t, and how to develop your own personal recovery plan to achieve your goals. It’s also worth repeating that one of my favorite definitions of recovery is “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” (SAMHSA) I’ve featured dozens …

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I Won’t Be Limited By My Mental Illness

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Anja Burcak  This is part of a series featuring individuals who share their life experiences with mental health issues. Recently, I asked mental health advocate and student Anja Burcak about her history of mental health challenges 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? AB: In June, 2014, following my sophomore year …

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Great Mental Health Awareness Events to Put on Your Calendar

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It’s likely that you’re familiar with some of the annual events which raise awareness for health conditions such as breast cancer, heart disease or diabetes. But how much do you know about the many great programs which recognize a variety of issues related to mental and emotional health each year? The following list covers selected annual observances which strive to increase awareness, provide information and offer resources for various mental health issues and conditions, as well as a few which …

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No Longer ‘Running In Silence’

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Stories of Hope: An Interview with Rachael Steil 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 Rachael Steil about her history of mental health challenges and her self-help 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? RS: I first started to sense something was …

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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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