Recovery Michigan

Peer support offers promise as an effective, low-cost tool for fighting depression, a new study by the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and University of Michigan Health System finds.

Programs in which patients and volunteers share information were found to reduce symptoms of depression better than traditional care alone and were about as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy, researchers found after analyzing 10 randomized trials of peer support interventions for depression dating from 1987 to 2009.

Note the location of the study.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS uncovered 38 reported tasings in more than a dozen state hospitals between 2006 and 2010.

The investigation found the state has violated federal guidelines when police are called in to handle unruly patients at Community Behavioral Health Hospitals. Federal guidelines call for potential severe injuries to patient or hospital staff or the commission of a crime before police are called into the hospital.

Thanks and a hat tip to Stop Guardianship Abuse

Getting a mental health recovery that is solid, durable and long-lasting in a way that is holistic (or whole person) is tough when one has to deal with the stigma of having a mental illness.

Someone thinks you might be acting a little weird and six or seven policemen can walk up to your door with 5 point restraint fetters dripping off their forearms. Tasers are often already drawn.

At any time a psychiatrist can call and say, "I think you need to go in the hospital. We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way." I got the meaning,  if I don't go an sign myself into the locked psych ward, he will send the policemen with the five point restraints dripping and clanging out in plain view for all the world to see, after me.

I can quickly be tasered or shackled in front of my church, my family and/or my friends.

Great new blog from Marty. You think you've seen it all......

Hear survivors of forced outpatient electroshock, Elizabeth Ellis and Ray Sandford. Plus hear from activists who testified at last months' FDA hearings on the device: Shock survivors Dorothy Dundas and Loretta Wilson, plus psychologist John Breeding. Special host: Celia Brown, MindFreedom board president. Plus your live calls! This Saturday, 12 February 2011.

The change in the levels of inflammatory substances in the blood of patients suffering from a mental illness as previously noted may have been caused by inflammation-related genes affecting the risk of mental illness, rather than the illness itself leading to a change in levels, as is traditionally believed.

"It could well be that some variants of the genes play a role in the development of mental illness by controlling how the brain is formed, perhaps during the embryonic stage, or by affecting the transfer of signal substances," says Suchankova.

More on inflammation

There are several objectives we hope to address and achieve through The Surviving Spirit:

To promote Hope, Healing and Help for those impacted by trauma, abuse or mental health concerns through the use of the creative arts, a speakers’ bureau, newsletter, website, brochure, retail gallery, coffeehouse, media center and more.

Please note that we refer to trauma, abuse and mental health concerns throughout our website, literature & events, etc.

Thanks and a hat tip to Tom.

I consciously choose to focus on the Benefits of having this mental condition called Bipolar. I like this new focus!   It screams Recovery!    Why?    Because an untold number of individuals with a mental condition are amazing people!!!    Amazing because they are some of the most: Compassionate, Non-judgmental, Creative, Artistic, Musical, Intelligent, Intuitive, Powerful Leaders, Loyal, Innovative, Courageous, Honest, Gifted and more, individuals on the planet.   In order to constructively use these gifts, we must choose and continuously move toward Recovery.   A solid daily routine, exercise, adequate sleep, soul time, healthy food, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, time with family and friends, medication, nutritional supplements, work and play are some of the key components in Recovery and leading a joyful and rewarding life.

The book starts out with a very good explanation of trauma and dissociation. She describes dissociation so well and eloquently that I have never read a better description (and I have read a lot!). After that she writes about different treatment options which I found very interesting. As a social worker to be, I was struck by the sheer number of options that you could use depending on your particular client's strengths, interests, issues, etc. It blew my mind! As a survivor myself, it opened my eyes to various options and which ones I find have been most helpful for me, least helpful, and ones which I might want to try. The other thing that struck me, as an MSW student is that I had done a paper on EMDR, and many of the other therapies that were described had aspects in common with EMDR such as bilateral stimulation, titrated exposure, CBT elements similar to those used in EMDR, etc. Each mode of therapy is also followed up with a list of resources, so if you have interest in a particular one, you can find more to read on it through her resources. Excellent, excellent, excellent!!!

Thanks and a hat tip to Malkia

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.