During the last week, I was fortunate to attend the Collaborative Support Program of New Jersey's Annual Conference.  There were many interesting and wonderful workshops, however, the one that was most relevant and important to talk about on this site, was called "Youth Voice" and was conducted by Patrice Swarbrick, MSW.  The workshop discussed how the youth are an integral part of the consumer movement.  They are the voice of the next generation, and in the next generation, they will be the ones fighting to decrease stigma. 

So how do their "voices" sound?  Well, youth seem to give voice to their problems and concerns through the hip hop culture in rap music and poetry slams.  They also are very much into other forms of music.  Some youth have community theater groups in which they perform and try to erradicate stigma. 

The message here was- give a youth a creative outlet to let out their emotions and thoughts, and you give them a voice. 

For more information of Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey, click here. 

Please do not hesitate to check out the SAMHSA website.  It has a wonderful list of resources for children's mental health.  It gives statistics, signs that a child is suffering from a mood disorder, and resources for parents.  They have several programs that help children to improve their mental health. 

Be Well!

~ Emily

One of the big issues that often comes up when we mental health providers all get into a room is, how do we keep those who struggle out of hospitals/ treatment centers?  It seems to be that unless one is a danger to him/herself or others, hospitals are not the right place for treatment.  The best kind of treatment occurs in the community and in school.  Why?  Because this is where we want a person with a mental illness to be able to function. 

Yet, there are few programs that actually effectively bridge the gap between a hospital/ treatment facility and school or the community.  Yes, there are day programs, which are simply hospital-like settings where the child attends during the day but lives at home.  And, there are residential treatment programs for children.

I am not advocating against these treatment modalities entirely.  There are special cases where there is simply no other option.  However, for the majority of children with mind disorders, I believe that the best way of treating them is to have the child in the world with all of the other children unless they are a danger to themselves or others.  I am a big proponent of inclusion of these children in a regular classroom setting, with the proper supports in place.  By this, I mean, SPECIALLY TRAINED teacher's aids with a background in mental health that can work with the students one-on-one until they do not need that anymore. 

When a child lives in a treatment facility/ residential program, they do not assimilate as easily back into the community and their schools because there is not continuity of care.  This term means that the child needs the proper supports in place in their school so that they can succeed in a traditional school setting. 

If we could train more teachers aids who are specialists in mental illness and the treatment of it, I believe that less children would be in hospitals/ treatment settings, and would instead be able to be in traditional schools with much success. 

Be Well.
~Emily

One of my readers and friends emailed me today with a wonderful question.  She wanted to know about the average age that children tend to experience mental illness or mood disorders.   Although there is no easy answer to this question, I was able to locate some very important statistics regarding children and mental illness.  For these stats, please click here. 

Among the most notable statistic is that one in five American children has a mental illness.  That's 20% of our young population!  This is why I'm hoping that this blog will become widely read.  There's information here that is so needed for parents to help their children, and for children to read as well. 

Be Well!
~Emily

I am a big believer in support groups, however, I really feel that they must be the right kind of group.  The groups that I believe are supportive are ones that are more solution-oriented.  What do I mean by this?  Well, if a support group is structured in such a way that all its members do is complain without any resolution, it can become a very toxic environment very quickly.  If, however, the support group is more focused on giving the participants tools to solve their problems, these groups can be very effective. 

I have participated in some groups that I love, and some that I do not find very good.  For example, Recovery International  is a great group.  In this group, members present their problem to a panel of other Consumers who help the member to change his or her interpretation in his mind about the troubling situation.  It is highly effective, and very Cognitive Behavioral Therapy based. 

Another group that helped me a great deal was Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.  Developed by a wonderful woman named Dr. Marsha Linehan, this is another highly structured group that is solution-oriented.  In this group, clients are given coping skills that help them to maintain emotional equillibrium even durning the hardest of times. 

I recommend that you or anyone who is struggling with a mind disorder look into these invaluable groups. 
Be Well.
~Emily

Have you ever heard a positive story about someone with mental illness on the news?  If you have, you are in a minority.  The news seems to target those with mental illness by choosing to publish/ air stories of the people with mental illness who have committed crimes, rather than targeting positive stories about those with mental illness.  Does this mean that more people with mental illness commit crimes?  Absolutely not. 

It is a proven fact that people with mental illness are more likely to be victims than perpitrators of crime.   So, why does our media insist on going for the stories that are about mentally ill people committing crimes?  Well, it would seem, that public interest has something to do with it.  Many people love to read a crime story like that just like they like to look at a car wreck on the road. 

How can we make the change?  Well, let's boycott!  If enough people stop buying magazines/ newspapers, etc where these things are written, that should help.  If we do not read about mentally ill people who commit crimes on blogs/ other internet sites, they will publish something different.  If we ignore newscasts of this kind, we will no longer see them on television. 

Do you really want skewed media that targets certain less fortunate populations and makes them look bad?  By making some simple changes in the type of media that you read/ watch, you can do your part to end mental illness stigma, and help those of us who have a mental illness but are contributing positively to the world to be heard!

Be Well.
~Emily

There and Back Again, my new book on mental illness recovery is now ready for purchase.  To check it out, or to order, please click here.  Also, my first book signing will be at Columbia Teachers College, Russell Hall Room 305 on Monday, April 19th @ 4pm.  Would love to see all of my readers there. 


Thanks, and Be Well!

~ Emily

Hi everyone!  So, my new book is just about to be coming out, and I am very excited.  The book is largely self-help, oriented around helping those with mental health disorders to get better.  I do get autobiographical in some parts, however, mostly it is about recovery.  The book will be available on Amazon shortly for purchase.  Please click here to see where it will be selling. 

In other news, I am so pleased to inform you that my first book signing event and book chat will be at Teachers College, Columbia University.  They were so kind as to allow me to do an alumni book talk.  More details on this will follow. 

Thank you to all for your continued support!
Be Well
~Emily