Attend if you can, May Day for Ray

more info: www.mindfreedom.org/ray

On Friday, 1 May 2009:

Protest to Be Held in Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda to Stop Forced Electroshock of Minnesota Resident.

MindFreedom International announced that it will peacefully protest the ongoing forced electroshock of Ray Sandford, a 55-year-old resident of Columbia Heights, Minnesota.

The protest will take place inside the Rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota on Friday, 1 May 2009, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A NEWS CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT 11 am.

A six-month campaign to stop Sandford’s electroshocks has gained international attention. Sandford has been shocked more than 40 times on an outpatient basis under a court order even though he and his family have clearly stated his desire not to be
shocked. Sandford lives in a residential group home and is under the general guardianship of Lutheran Social Services.

“It’s amazing that a man who is supposedly being protected by Minnesota court-appointed guardians and who has been represented in court hearings by a Minnesota public defender is suffering this kind of human rights violation,” said Al Galves, PhD, a member of the MindFreedom board of directors.

Friday’s protest will feature a number of speakers including David Oaks, Executive Director of MindFreedom from Oregon; Al Galves, a retired psychologist from NewMexico;

Louisa Bouta, a long-time activist for psychiatric rights in Minnesota;

David Culver, a disability advocate;

and Daryl Trones, a mental health advocate.

Galves said that electroshock — also known as electroconvulsive therapy or ECT — subjects the patient to as much as 600 volts of electricity for between one-half and four seconds. “It disables the brain,” Galves said.

MindFreedom International is an independent nonprofit coalition of psychiatric survivors and others who advocate for the increased availability of safe, humane and effective care for people who are experiencing psychiatric emergencies and who oppose involuntary treatment.  MindFreedom can be contacted at office@mindfreedom.org.

For more info on the Ray Campaign see: www.mindfreedom.org/ray.

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Experts to discuss natural keys to better physical, mental health

Congratulations to my blogging friend Sue Westwind.  She is quoted in her local newspaper, the Lawrence Journal World, in a story about using natural ways to get and stay physically and mentally healthy. Sue has a blog named The Nutrient Path. She is also the author of Lunacy Lost.

Here is the story in her local newspaper

Experts to discuss natural keys to better physical, mental health

By Karrey Britt
April 27, 2009

Oskaloosa resident Sue Westwind said she suffered from depression and anxiety most of her life.

She began having migraines when she reached puberty. When she married, she wanted to have children but couldn’t. She adopted two baby girls, Natalya and Starra Zweygardt, who are about 11 months apart in age. By age 3, Natalya was diagnosed with autism.

Meanwhile, Westwind continued to suffer from depression. She had more migraines. She had symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and all-over joint pain.

“I was absolutely stressed out about autism, and my own health was terrible,” Westwind said. “I didn’t know if I was going to be able to take care of my kids and then it just kind of hit me, ‘Why don’t I try some of the nutritional strategies that I am working on with Natty?’”

At age 48, Westwind eliminated dairy and gluten from her diet.

Read the whole story here.

National Children’s mental Health Awareness Day

I received this email….I am not exactly sure where te Bazelon Center for Mental Health stands. I don’t know if they will be pushing for more medication.

Congressional Briefing for National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day Contact your Senators and Representative and ask their staff to attend the breakfast briefing! The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is pleased to announce a legislative briefing held in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day on Thursday, May 7th.

The briefing will focus on Investing in the Educational Future of Youth with Mental Health Needs and the value of effective school-based mental health programs. National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is a day to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. This year we are extremely fortunate to have Academy-Award Winning Actress and Children’s Mental Health Advocate Goldie Hawn at the briefing to talk about the importance of schools better addressing the needs of students with mental health needs. Kathryn Power, Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), will also share newly released data on positive outcomes achieved with school and community-based grant programs administered through CMHS. Howard Muscott, Ed.D., Director of the New Hampshire Center for Effective Behavioral Interventions and Supports, will discuss the positive outcomes they have achieved in New Hampshire with Positive Behavior Supports (PBS) and their work in linking schools with the community mental health system.

Act Now! Contact your House and Senate representatives today and urge them to attend this important breakfast briefing in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. They will receive a U.S. House of Representatives “Dear Colleague” letter about the briefing this week. Your calls, emails, and contact with Congressional offices will greatly impact turnout for the breakfast briefing. Here is the vital information: • Date and Time: Thursday, May 7th at 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. • Location: Room 2168, Rayburn House Office Building

What to Say: “Please attend a legislative briefing on May 7th at 8:30 a.m. in Room 2168 of the Rayburn House Office Building in honor of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. This briefing is especially important for education and health staff in your office. You will hear from children’s mental health advocate Goldie Hawn about the importance of effective school-based mental health programs. You will also learn about recently released data from the Center for Mental Health Services showing positive outcomes with effective school and community-based mental health services and supports. These issues are extremely important to your constituents as we work to improve the academic and functional achievement of youth with mental health needs.” All House and Senate offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Please call or email your Congressional Representatives today! Thanks for all that you do on behalf of children and families.

Using anti-anxiety meds

So, last night at my group, some people were talking about anti-anxiety medication and the relief it gave them. They also talked about sleep meds.

I just listened. I didn’t say anything but I sure thought about it.

It is just that if they are so pro-drug, I just don’t see myself comfortable “coming out” about my experience with the psych issues. Which are behind my fear to move forward.

So what about mercury?

So do any of you know how much mercury possibly is in the fish oil supplements.

What kinds of safeguards are there?

No offense, but you’re a fathead

Hi,

Lot’s of alternative mental health bloggers know that essential fatty acids are important for our mental health. I take usually take 3 capsules of fish oil every night. Currently I am taking Swanson EFA’s Superior Essential Fatty Acids. It is a combination of flax, borage, and fish.

Here is a link to learn more:

DHA and Depression-Studies from the Franklin Institute
Scientists at the National Institutes of Health associated the increase in depression in North America during the last century with the decline in consumption of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) during the same period. They also pointed to lower rates of major depression in societies that consume large amounts of fish, a key dietary source of DHA. North American and European populations showed cumulative rates of depression 10 times greater than a Taiwanese population that consumed a lot of fish. The Japanese, whose diet is rich in fish, have a significantly lower prevalence of depression compared to North America and Europe.

Feelings and Finances

I haven’t been blogging much about good food and supplements.
I have been reading Gianna’s and Mama Dharma’s blogs.  (I wish I could have blogged when I was a young mother. I was fine when I was with people, but anxiety ridden when I was alone.) I like what they both have to say about psych recovery and even using those very words.

I am feeling invalidated by my husband. I know it isn’t good. Social Security is reviewing me. I am searching for ways to make enough money to support myself without SS.

So last night when I saw him again I told him. “I tried to tell you my feelings and how hurt I was. You told me to ‘suck it up.'” He denied saying that I should, “Suck it up.”  He said the he said, “Don’t let it bother you.”  Hmmm….to me that is the same difference.

On Saturday I had imagined myself going over to his place and laying on the bed and having him rub my back saying, “There, there.”

Hey, I know it can get tiresome listening to someone complain about their hurt feelings, but then again I was really, really hurt. He didn’t hear me out.  I feel like I was verbally abused by one person. And then emotionally abused (or negated or ignored) by the person I went to for comfort.

Maybe that should be all I need to make my decision to leave him. Or maybe he meant “Don’t let it bother you it a positive affirming way.”

I looked in the newspaper for jobs. There is only one half page of jobs. It sure would be more economically secure to just stay with him.  I gotta finish paperwork for SS review.  Ug!

What are the rest of you out there doing for a living?

Our water supply

Everyone will be drugged as our waters are tainted.

We humans need to wake up.

Feeling weepy

I am feeling weepy today. I revealed myself to someone and got ridiculed. I thought if I told my husband about it he would “there there” me. I fantasized that he would be the one to understand why I got so hurt. But he didn’t. He basically told me to “suck it up.” Hmmm. In a way I get it. Why should I care about how a jerk treated me. But you know, he didn’t say, that other person is a jerk AND you shouldn’t take it so seriously. He just told me to suck it up.

I know I should just get busy and do other things. But I am feeling very weepy and have curled up in my bed. I bought a “naughty” treat…some soda pop and I am reading the Sunday paper.

Teeth Grinding

Grinding your teeth can ruin them. And you might not even know that you are grinding your teeth.

I now wear a mouth guard at night while I am sleeping. Sometimes I wake up and my mouth is clenched so I know it would be bad news if I didn’t wear the mouth guard.  I purchased mine at a drug store and fashioned if for my own mouth.

You just boil it in water for a few seconds…let it cool a bit, pop it in your mouth and it forms to your needs. My husband also had one made by his dentist. It didn’t fit right, and the dog chewed it up…so that was a waste of over $100.00. Mine cost $22. You might think you can’t afford it, but I had ground my teeth so much that my bite wasn’t correct and one of my front tooth was slanted from the grind. This affects your appearance which affects your self confidence. I just had my teeth “corrected” or a filling on the part that was ground down. It was a tooth right in the center front of my mouth. I also had cracked a molar. I am sure it was from so much teeth-grinding.

A little preventative care can go a long way.  Teeth clenching can cause headaches too.