Mental Health Awareness & Mental Health Stigma

The world was sick, and the ills from which it was suffering were mainly due to the perversion of man, his inability to live at peace with himself. – George Brock Chisholm

STRESS MANAGEMENT GUIDE (from EduMed):https://www.edumed.org/resources/medical-health-student-guide-to-stress/ 2020
Stress is a normal part of the college experience, but for some students, and especially those in demanding healthcare and medical fields, it can get to the point of becoming debilitating. And if it’s not dealt with in a healthy manner, stress could lead to more serious mental health issues.

Our guide shows why you’re likely to feel more stressed as a healthcare or medical student, provides a collection of helpful stress management tips and apps, and helps students recognize when it may be time to seek professional help (and where they can get it on and off campus).

Although designed for students in medical field, this useful guide that includes a lot of stress management tips and apps will help anyone to conquer stress overload! Enjoy!
https://www.edumed.org/resources/medical-health-student-guide-to-stress/

College Resources for Students with Mental Health Problems, 2020

https://uk.edubirdie.com/blog/college-resources-for-students-with-mental-health-problems

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN COLLEGE:
https://www.healthadministrationdegrees.com/articles-and-resources/substance-abuse/

This guide addresses substance abuse in college, with the goal of helping students, faculty, and staff understand how to recognize signs and what to do.

NIMH Hosted Twitter Chat on Teen Depression – on May 3, 2018. NIMH experts were available to answer questions live. More information is HERE:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/news/science-news/2018/nimh-to-host-twitter-chat-on-teen-depression.shtml

April 2018 was Autism Awareness month at NIMH. More info here:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/messages/2018/autism-awareness-month.shtml

The WORLD FEDERATION for MENTAL HEALTH (WFMH) is an international, multi-professional non-governmental organization (NGO), including citizen volunteers and former patients. It was founded in 1948 in the same era as the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO). For many years, led mainly by psychiatrists focused on social, peace-related and human rights issues, it was the only international mental health NGO consulting with UN agencies. Since the late 1990s, as a global alliance of national mental health associations focused mainly on traditional mental health issues and on prevention and promotion, it has continued its long-time collaboration with WHO. Its policy concerns and those of international professional associations such as the WPA could be mutually advanced through partnerships aimed at achieving common goals.

Read more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414666/ and http://www.wfmh.global/wfmh/history/

RESOURCES from www.AffordableCollegesOnline.org:

A Student’s Guide to Recognizing Disorders, Seeking Help and Promoting Wellness: https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/college-student-mental-health/

Depression Guidebook for Students: https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/college-student-depression/

Substance Abuse in College – https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/college-resource-center/substance-abuse-in-college/

Balancing Student Stress – https://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/balancing-student-stress/

RESOURCES from www.DrugRehab.com:

Co-occuring Disorders – https://www.drugrehab.com/co-occurring-disorder/

Addiction – https://www.drugrehab.com/addiction/

Guides and Articles: https://www.drugrehab.com/guides/

A Mind That Found Itself: An Autobiography, by C.W. Beers

Am J Public Health, 2010 December; 100(12): 2354–2356. Excerpted from: Clifford Whittingham Beers, A Mind That Found Itself: An Autobiography (New York, NY: Longmans, Green, 1908). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2978200/

LEXICON: INTERNATIONAL MEDIA GUIDE FOR MENTAL HEALTH

By some estimates, mental illness affects one in four individuals at some point during life. However, even though mental illness is a common occurrence, stigma attached to it is still rampant. American and European societies have developed a great amount of sensitivity to a variety of issues surrounding discrimination; considering this “great sensitivity,” why is it that such great stigma is still attached to mental illness? This stigma not only affects an individual’s self-esteem but can prevent one from the basic functions needed to succeed in life. For instance, many employers ask questions regarding past mental health issues during the hiring process and, according to one advocacy group, fewer than 20 percent of those with serious mental illness are able to hold down a job.

Many of the improper ideas that the public has about mental illness are created by literary fiction, TV drama and film, even television news-reporting and news publications. For this reason, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) has begun a publications program to target media leaders. “The Lexicon: International Media Guide for Mental Health” is a guide to be placed in the hands of senior journalists across the world that gives both information on different types of mental illness as well as examples of appropriate language for discussion. The Lexicon is one of many initiatives by WFMH to end the stigma associated with mental illness, stigma that, according to a recent survey conducted by AstraZeneca, a pharmaceutical company, is felt by 88 percent of individuals with bipolar disorder. The following is an excerpt of an article from Medical News Today that discusses the WFMH initiative more:

The WFMH and six other patient advocacy groups recently collaborated on a publishing initiative for journalists titled “The Lexicon: International Media guide for Mental Health” with the help of an educational grant from AstraZeneca. “The Lexicon” has been designed in consultation with people with first-hand experience of mental illness as well as senior journalists, to help journalists promote responsible and accurate coverage of mental health issues and to give a balanced perspective. Journalists can consult “The Lexicon” when writing news stories involving a mentally disturbed person to select appropriate terminology and to write with sensitivity instead of opting for pejorative labels. It includes expert contact details, facts and statistics about mental illness, the correct definition of much misused terms like “schizophrenic” and “split personality”, and gives examples of good and bad reporting.

Discussing “The Lexicon” at a recent AstraZeneca media event, WFMH immediate past president Dr Patt Franciosi said: “It shows journalists how to replace words that hurt with words that could help”. Instead of terms no better than playground insults such as “nutter”, “psycho”, “schizo” and “sicko”, The Lexicon suggests instead using the person’s correct diagnosis or a term such as “disturbed” which does not carry condemnation. Before publishing a story involving a mentally ill person, Dr Franciosi suggests journalists should ask themselves if mentioning a diagnostic label is relevant. She advises. “Read it through and ask yourself – is this offensive? If it involved a relative of yours, would you want someone to say that about them?” The Lexicon is available from the website www.forum4mentalhealth.com/lexicon.

Click here to read the rest of this article from Medical News Today

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