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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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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