Recovery Michigan

There are a lot of tenuous connections between your gut flora, your body's immune system, your brain, your brain's immune system, and your brain's immune system control over your reactions to drugs. None of it is terribly clear, but it is very interesting. Here's one possible piece.

http://goo.gl/vEOwZR

Alterations in central GABA receptor expression are implicated in the pathogenesis of anxiety and depression, which are highly comorbid with functional bowel disorders.

L. rhamnosus (JB-1) reduced stress-induced corticosterone and anxiety- and depression-related behavior. Moreover, the neurochemical and behavioral effects were not found in vagotomized mice, identifying the vagus as a major modulatory constitutive communication pathway between the bacteria exposed to the gut and the brain. Together, these findings highlight the important role of bacteria in the bidirectional communication of the gut–brain axis and suggest that certain organisms may prove to be useful therapeutic adjuncts in stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression.

http://goo.gl/6Ln7PA

The Department of Justice estimatedin 2006 that over half of all U.S. inmates suffer from a mental health problem.

http://goo.gl/V6gTE7

(t)he increased suicides were not concentrated among the combat veterans (who make up less than 15 percent of those in the military) but more evenly distributed among all service personnel. For example, 77 percent of suicides were among troops who had never gone overseas.

These revelations were not well received by the mass media in the United States, which makes much of the rising suicide rate in military (but pays less attention to rising suicide rates among civilians of the same age and education). It was 9 per 100,000 in 2001 and 17.5 last year. This was declared to be a health emergency, and to a certain degree it was. What was missed in all the discussion was the higher suicide rate in the army was far below the rate for civilians of military age (17-60), which was 25 per 100,000 but was catching up.

This allocation of experience to identity isn't just true for symptoms of PTSD. As symptoms faded, it  became clearer to me how much of my  personal identity was shaped by combat.

http://goo.gl/4SKaVN

Before 2001, the suicide rate among soldiers was lower than among civilians. Those totals both increased during the war years, but the gap became smaller. In 2012, 350 active-duty troops committed suicide. 

Cook's distress never brought him to that level, but instead sent him back to war. 

"When we came home, you're looking for something to kind of fill that void and there's nothing in normal civilian life where you can find that satisfaction," he said.

Cook said he surprised himself with how quickly spending time away from the war let it slip from his mind even though it was a life-changing experience he didn't want to forget.

Probably not many will use these anti-malaria pills, but you should know this before you do.

http://goo.gl/3M9Enp

The cause of this incident was drugs. And these drugs had been recommended to me by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I had been prescribed mefloquine hydrochloride, brand name Lariam, to protect myself frommalaria while I was in India on a Fulbright fellowship.

Since Lariam was approved in 1989, it has been clear that a small number of people who take it develop psychiatric symptoms like amnesia, hallucinations, aggression and paranoia, or neurological problems like the loss of balance, dizziness or ringing in the ears. F. Hoffmann LaRoche, the pharmaceutical company that marketed the drug, said only about 1 in 10,000 people were estimated to experience the worst side effects. But in 2001, a randomized double-blind study done in the Netherlands was published, showing that 67 percent of people who took the drug experienced one or more adverse effects, and 6 percent had side effects so severe they required medical attention.

http://goo.gl/D77f6a

Nearly one in three post-9/11 veterans – 30 percent – has considered suicide. Forty-five percent of those who served Iraq and Afghanistan know a veteran who has thought about taking his or her own life. And 37 percent know a veteran who has committed suicide.

Those grim statistics are among the results of a new survey released Wednesday conducted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA.) The study, which IAVA does annually, also found deep unhappiness at how lawmakers in Washington treats those who put their lives on the line in combat.

http://goo.gl/a49V3Y

Aimed at people who are interacting with persons thinking about suicide and who work in a recovery oriented system.

http://goo.gl/UnKyMa

Pillbox enables rapid identification of unknown solid-dosage medications (tablets/capsules) based on physical characteristics and high-resolution images.

Nice summary of easy to use techniques

http://goo.gl/4q3hJ

When your motivation wanes, you rely more on willpower. But no one has an endless supply of willpower. It's a resource that gets "used up." Every time you will yourself to do something that you don't really want to do, you use up some willpower. It's as if every temptation you pass up depletes your willpower reserve. By evening, you may find you have no willpower left. That's why most people blow their diet in the evening after eating healthy all day. If motivation and willpower aren't working for you, there's another way!

95% of our life is dictated by the subconscious mind, the part of our brain that runs our lives on autopilot. This is why you can do everything from brushing your teeth to driving a car without thinking about it. By consciously deciding to create a new habit, you can harness the power of your unconscious to create a new neural pathway. Once a new habit is established it becomes easy to do—motivation and willpower are no longer required.

Mother of the Recovery Movement: Thanks and a hat tip to MindFreedom

http://goo.gl/ABJuEu

Following her discharge, Chamberlin became involved in the nascent psychiatric patients' rights movement.^[1] In 1971 she joined the Boston based Mental Patients Liberation Front (MPLF),^[5] and she also became associated with the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University .^[4] Her affiliation with this center facilitated her role in co-founding the Ruby Rogers Advocacy and Drop-in-Centers,^[4] which are self-help institutions staffed by former psychiatric patients.^[5] and was also a founder and later a Director of Education of the National Empowerment Center.^[2] The latter is also an ex-patient run organization that provides information, technical assistance, and support to users and survivors of the psychiatric system.^[5] Its mission statement declares its intent is to "carry a message of recovery, empowerment, hope and healing to people who have been labeled with mental illness".^[7]