Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Mental Health Month

The Month of May is...

Mental Health Month

Mental Health America
P.O. Box 16810Alexandria,
VA 22302-0810
(800) 969-6642
www.nmha.org
The Mental Health Bell

"Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness."
—Inscription on Mental Health Bell

During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.

In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Md., Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell.

Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses.

Over the years, national mental health leaders and other prominent individuals have rung the Bell to mark the continued progress in the fight for victory over mental illnesses.


Warning Signs and Symptoms

The following are signs that your loved one may want to speak to a medical or mental health professional. To learn more about symptoms that are specific to a particular mental illness, refer to the NMHA.

In adults:
  • confused thinking
  • prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)
  • feelings of extreme highs and lows
  • excessive fears, worries and anxieties
  • social withdrawal
  • dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits
  • strong feelings of anger
  • delusions or hallucinations
  • growing inability to cope with daily problems and activities
  • suicidal thoughts
  • denial of obvious problems
  • numerous unexplained physical ailments
  • substance abuse

In older children and pre-adolescents:

  • substance abuse
  • inability to cope with problems and daily activities
  • change in sleeping and/or eating habits
  • excessive complaints of physical ailments
  • defiance of authority, truancy, theft, and/or vandalism
  • intense fear of weight gain
  • prolonged negative mood, often accompanied by poor appetite or thoughts of death
  • frequent outbursts of anger

In younger children:

  • changes in school performance
  • poor grades despite strong efforts
  • excessive worry or anxiety (i.e. refusing to go to bed or school)
  • hyperactivity
  • persistent nightmares
  • persistent disobedience or aggression
  • frequent temper tantrums

Want to know more? Please visit;

Mental Health America

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

National Alliance on Mental Illness

National Institute of Mental Health

~~~~~~~~~~~


Yesterday, my father and I went to court under the impression that Rusty's trial would begin only to have it continued until mid May. ARGGGH! The wheels of justice are turning very slowly in my sons case. Some people (like my Dad) may think this is a good turn of events because doing county time is easier than federal hard time.


I was home one hour when the doorbell rang and standing at the door was a young man who was trying to serve a warrant for Rusty's arrest concerning my sons DUI. You can read all about here. Every time I turn around it is something new and I swear the boy is trying to kill me! Sigh.


I want to thank all of you that sent emails and left comments on my last post. I feel your love and I want you to know that I appreciate all of you. **smooches**













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N Posted by Rain at 5/01/2007 09:36:00 AM

4 Comments

  • Anonymous Anonymous posted at 3:21 PM  
    thank you for this.
    It's especially timely for me.
  • Blogger jules posted at 10:31 PM  
    I'm so glad we have a whole month to get the mental health thing right, cuz right now I'm getting a D minus.
  • Anonymous Anonymous posted at 6:26 AM  
    Now they just let me run around free!! Just trying to stay light...great post..good info!
  • Anonymous Anonymous posted at 1:44 PM  
    Good to see a blog talking about mental illness.
    More awareness will go a long way to breaking the stigma.
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