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The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016

November 29, 2016 in Educate Yourself

The Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 is a bill recently created by United States Senate that makes great strides to strengthen the mental health system. The bill has not yet been voted on by Senate, but will hopefully get the chance to go to vote in fall 2016.

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (PRNewsFoto/National Alliance on Mental Illness)

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (PRNewsFoto/National Alliance on Mental Illness)

Here are some of the key changes the bill would make to benefit the mental health field:

  1. The bill helps combat suicide in schools and communities by authorizing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program and extending the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act that provides suicide prevention for all ages and creates a national suicide technical assistance center.
  2. The bill increases the mental health workforce so more trained professionals are available.
  3. The bill strengthens community crisis response systems so that individuals going through a psychiatric crisis can get help before their situation worsens.

Because the bill is sitting in Senate awaiting vote, many mental health organizations are making a push to get people to contact their Senators to ask them to bring the bill to Senate floor and to vote in favor of the bill. If you’re interested in taking action, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has created a page on their website that breaks down how to email, tweet, and call your Senator to express support in the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016.

For more information on this bill, NAMI also has more available on their website.

Do you think the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 would benefit you? If so, in what ways?

 

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For What It’s Worth

November 28, 2016 in Be Positive

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Tips for Dealing with Depression

November 25, 2016 in LINKS

Recently, we introduced Dr. Erika Forbes, a professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Now that you know a little bit more about her and the studies she conducts, we wanted to share some of the pointers she had for adolescents and young adults coping with depression.

Here are some tips to help deal with depression from Dr. Erika Forbes, Ph.D: Read the rest of this entry →

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Discuss Amongst Yourselves

November 23, 2016 in Educate Yourself

Coffee Talk Lady!

Did you know we have a forum? We are working hard to build a community that is safe and moderated but where you can discuss your questions, advice, and share positive or negative stories. Currently the forum we have is ‘What is a stressful situation that made you learn something new? What advice do you have for others based on what you went through?’

But if you have other suggestions for forum topics, please just message the moderator (when you’re logged in, go to your profile and hit message) or comment below! 

 

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Situational Depression

November 22, 2016 in Educate Yourself

16224073802_d4ebd5eeaf_oSituational depression is a type of depression brought on by a stressful event or change. When this event is hard to cope with or when change is really hard to get used to, one might develop situational depression. While situational depression is a type of depression, there are differences between situational depression and clinical depression.

 

Clinical depression is also known as major depression or major depressive disorder . Clinical depression often lasts over a longer period of time than situational depression, but the symptoms are very similar (SOVA post describing symptoms of depression). Even though there are differences between situational and clinical depression, it’s important to consider that sometimes one might have underlying clinical depression that is brought on by a difficult situation or change. Whether one is experiencing situational or clinical depression, it is important to seek treatment before things become overwhelming. Depression might be temporary or it may be long-lasting, but the benefits of treatment go a long way, whichever the case may be.

 

For more information on situational depression, visit elements behavioral health website.

Have you experienced situational depression? We’d love to hear your story in the comments below.

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Happiness in the Moment

November 21, 2016 in Be Positive

Photo Credit: blavandmaster Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: blavandmaster Flickr via Compfight cc

“Happy people know that regardless of what happened yesterday, last month, years ago—or what might happen later today, tomorrow, or next year—now is the only place where happiness can actually be found and experienced.”

-Dr. Richard Carlson

 

How do you find ways to be present and happy in the moment?

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Current Studies by Dr. Forbes

November 18, 2016 in LINKS

Photo Credit: steeljam Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: steeljam Flickr via Compfight cc

Recently, we did a spotlight on Dr. Erika Forbes, a Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Now that you know a little bit about her, we want to tell you about some of the awesome studies Dr. Forbes and her team are conducting!

Dr. Forbes is running one study titled Depression and Cytokines. The goal of this study is to answer an important question about mental health: do inflammatory processes lead to anhedonia and depression in young people? Anhedonia is a lack of interest or pleasure in daily life and activities. Anhedonia is a symptom of depression, although Dr. Forbes emphasized that people can experience anhedonia without being depressed and not all people with depression have this symptom. If you’re interested in learning more about this study, please visit the site.

A second study Dr. Forbes directs is titled Cognitive Inflexibility in Eating Disorders. This study aims to better understand if cognitive inflexibility is related to differences in eating disorder presentation. The two aspects of cognitive inflexibility Dr. Forbes is investigating are attentional set-shifting and reversal learning. In other words, Dr. Forbes is observing the flexibility of learning and thinking for people with and without eating disorders. To learn more about the study and the other studies Dr. Forbes is conducting, please visit the study site.
Do you have any thoughts or questions for Dr. Forbes or the SOVA team about these studies? Please comment below!

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How to Block on Social Media

November 17, 2016 in Social Media Guide

When people are spreading negativity online, sometimes the only solution is to block them. By blocking people, on most sites you will no longer be able to see their content and they won’t be able to see yours. In most cases, they also won’t be able to contact you on your feed or through direct message on the site. If someone is bothering you or saying things that make you feel bad, it might be time to remove them from your social media feed. The following links are guides to blocking people:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/168009843260943?helpref=faq_content

Twitter: https://support.twitter.com/articles/117063

Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/426700567389543

iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201229

Photo Credit: Visual Content Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: Visual Content Flickr via Compfight cc

 

Did we miss any sites? Let us know if you need help navigating the blocking process!

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Professional Spotlight: Dr. Erika Forbes

November 16, 2016 in Educate Yourself

Photo Credit: mghresearchinstitute Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: mghresearchinstitute Flickr via Compfight cc

Three team members of the SOVA Project recently sat down to interview Dr. Erika Forbes.  Dr. Forbes is a Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Forbes is also the Principal Investigator for the University of Pittsburgh’s Affective Neuroscience and Development Psychopathology Laboratory (ADNP Lab).  The purpose of the ADNP Lab is to investigate neural, behavioral, and subjective aspects of reward function in order to explain the development and the physiological processes of adolescent depression and substance use.

Dr. Forbes received her undergraduate degree in humanities, but she has always had an interest in people.  After receiving her undergraduate degree, Dr. Forbes volunteered with a children’s hotline in the Washington DC area.  It was during this volunteer work, that Dr. Forbes became interested in children and their mental health.  Dr. Forbes is mainly interested in emotion research and trying to understand how emotional processes are different based on age.  Adolescence is an important age, and if emotions can be understood from a biological perspective then this information can be used to inform interactions with adolescents.

To find out more about Dr. Erika Forbes visit: http://www.psychiatry.pitt.edu/node/7827 or http://www.andp.pitt.edu/.

Why do you think it’s important to understand the neuroscience of emotion? Please let us know by commenting below!

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Seasonal Affective Disorder

November 15, 2016 in Educate Yourself

As the days get shorter this time of year, some have trouble maintaining a positive mood. One type of depression is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD typically sets in at the beginning of late fall and early winter and lasts through the beginning of spring and summer. Many often experience decreased mood from the fall through the winter, and then an elevated, more positive mood in the spring and summer.  This type of depression usually effects individuals more as the days become shorter, meaning there’s less sunlight. Because SAD is a category of depression, the symptoms are the same. The thing that makes SAD a specific type of depression is the way the disorder matches with the changing seasons.

Photo Credit: EJP Photo Flickr via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: EJP Photo Flickr via Compfight cc

Some great forms of treatment exist to help those with symptoms of SAD. These treatments are outlined by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). One example NIMH mentions is light therapy, which recommends individuals experiencing SAD sit in front of a light box for 20-60 minutes for extra exposure to light during the seasons with shorter days.

 

Any thoughts to add about Seasonal Affective Disorder? Comment below!

 

References: National Institute of Mental health

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