Helping A Loved One With a Mental Illness

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Helping A Loved One or Friend with a Mental Illness
• Mental Health Experiences
• Job Opening at HealthyPlace for Guest Booker
• Your Thoughts: From the HealthyPlace Forums and Chat
• "The Responsibility of Raising A Child with Austism" on HealthyPlace TV
• "Addicted to Pornography" on HealthyPlace Radio
• From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

"Helping A Loved One or Friend with a Mental Illness"

How do you help someone with a mental illness? At HealthyPlace, we get variations of that question all the time. Breaking Bipolar blog author, Natasha Tracy, wrote a wonderful article on supporting someone with a mental illness a few days ago.

When I respond to that question, I say it takes two things: compassion and understanding. I emphasize how important it is to get as much information about the illness as possible. With that, you can provide appropriate help as well as gain some insight into what the person is dealing with. You will also find it helpful to ask the person what they want from you. Without knowing the answer to that question, you may find yourself facing a lot of anger, resentment and frustration -- despite your best intentions.

Articles on How to Support Someone with a Mental Illness

• Helping A Family Member With An Anxiety Disorder
• Supporting Someone with Bipolar Disorder
• How Family and Friends Can Help the Depressed Person
• Supporting Someone Who Has Been Raped or Sexually Assaulted
• Support for Alzheimer's Caregivers

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Mental Health Experiences

Share your thoughts/experiences on offering or needing support or any mental health subject, or respond to other people's audio posts, by calling our toll-free number (1-888-883-8045).

You can listen to what other people are saying by clicking on the gray title bars inside the widgets located on the "Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences" homepage, the HealthyPlace homepage, and the HealthyPlace Support Network homepage.

If you have any questions, write us at: info AT healthyplace.com

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Job Opening at HealthyPlace for Guest Booker

We are looking for a dedicated person to books guests for our online tv and radio shows. Average 10-15 hours/wk.

The job entails finding potential guests. Contacting them via email to see if they are interested and then by phone to get details of who they are and see if they will make a good guest. Once the guest confirms, it's a matter of coordinating details with the rest of the HealthyPlace staff via email/skype/phone.

We are looking for a person who is dedicated, self-motivated, a good communicator, has good computer skills, pays attention to details and understands deadlines. The job is off-site, meaning you can work out of your home. If you're interested, email us at INFO at HealthyPlace.com (subject line - "Guest Booker Job") and tell us about yourself, a bit about your work experience, your availability and what you possess that would make you the person for the job.

Your Thoughts: From the HealthyPlace Forums and Chat

On our Bipolar forum, Storkette says "Today I am crying. My 3 year old asks 'Mummy why are you sad?' I don't even know why! I have said to my 6 year old that just like when you get a tummy bug you feel sick in the tummy, I feel sick and it can make me cry. I'm trying so hard to not let them feel the effects of this, but my 3 year old is with me at home. I'm trying to just make the motions through the day, fighting the urge to sleep through it. Sigh and cry. Any advice?" Sign into the forums and share your thoughts and comments.

Join us on the HealthyPlace Mental Health Forums and Chat

You must be a registered HealthyPlace member. If you aren't already, it's free and takes less than 30 seconds. Just click the "register button" at the top of the page.

At the bottom of the forums page, you'll notice a chat bar (similar to facebook). You can chat with any registered member on the forums site.

We hope you'll be a frequent participant and share our support link with others who may benefit.

"The Responsibility of Raising A Child with Austism" on HealthyPlace TV

This week, the huge autism awareness campaign "Light It Up Blue," being spearheaded by Austism Speaks, takes place. In conjunction with that, we interviewed Ginger Taylor, who has a young son with autism and she shares the special challenges she faces every minute of every day. That's on this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show. (TV Show blog)

Coming in April on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show

• Men - Unemployed and Depressed
• The Worst Anxiety in Indiana
• By Helping Others, You Can Help Yourself

If you would like to be a guest on the show or share your personal story in writing or via video, please write us at: producer AT healthyplace.com

For all previous HealthyPlace Mental Health TV archived shows.

"Addicted to Pornography" on HealthyPlace Radio

There's no formal diagnosis called "pornography addiction." However, there are people who feel they can't escape the grasp porn has on them. One such person is Ed Chavez. Listen to his story on this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health Radio Show. (Take our Sexual Addiction Screening Test)

From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

Your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Signs of Abuse at Work (Verbal Abuse and Relationships Blog)
• Professional Diagnosis Critical in Mental Illness - Video (Breaking Bipolar Blog)
• I Don't Need False Hope or Fantasy: Mental Health Recovery (Treating Anxiety Blog)
• Family Survival Roles (Life with Bob: A Parenting Blog)
• Dissociative Identity Disorder: I'm Not Multiple (Dissociative Living Blog)
• When Policy Is Harmful: Should Psychiatric Patients Be Handcuffed When Transported? (More Than Borderline Blog)
• Productivity Habits for the Bipolar or Depressed Individual (Part 2) (Work and Bipolar/Depression Blog)
• People Don't Have 'Best Before' Dates (The Unlocked Life Blog)
• Diet and Bipolar Disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder and the Search for Hope
• Do I Dare Dream? Nightmares, Panic and PTSD
• Dissociative Identity Disorder: I'm Not a Broken Vase

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or digg) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week,

• follow HealthyPlace on Twitter or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index