Crowdsourced Care

iPrevail is a revolutionary new approach that rewards Users for helping each other overcome their challenges.  Earn rewards while helping others through their path to recovery.  Get started at:  www.iprevail.com/become_a_peer If you need someone to talk to: www.iprevail.com/chat_landing

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8 Things You Should Do to Take Care of Your Mental Health

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, roughly one out of five Americans are battling a mental health condition. In a world that is increasingly focused on health, it is often times hard to start discussing the different elements related to our mental health. Whenever someone has a cold, broken leg, or another physical ailment, it seems much easier.

This is slowly but surely changing as people start to realize that there is no health without mental health. A Cosmo Happy hour podcast by Elisa Benson is doing a lot to break down this stigma even further. Here are some of the strategies to battle mental health conditions:

 1.       Each of us is different and we can each have different strategies for battling them. For some people, breathing in and out has a profound impact on their anxiety levels as well as their overall mental health. Often times what we think is actually what manifests into our life. The more positive thoughts we are having the more positive things will likely take place in our lives. Perception is reality.

2.       If you are battling a mental health condition, you are not an outcast. This is something very normal, and knowing that others are also battling similar issues makes it a little easier. There are roughly one out of five people battling them in a given year, and life is all about the ups and the downs. This ability to recognize that it is not a unique situation just to you helps to provide additional courage to fight harder to persevere.

3.       If you think you might have a condition, try to get some help. Taking that first step is often very difficult and challenging. The first step obviously is admitting that you are battling an issue. Even if you are not comfortable enough to admit this to friends, families, or loved, ones, there are anonymous opportunities where you can release your feelings and emotions that allow you to let them out. Just like with all problems, the sooner that you remedy it, the better. If you let some things go on too long, they will manifest into something much larger and greater than you could possibly have imagined.

4.       There is a difference between having a bad day and battling a mental health condition. Sure, we all experience good or bad days at work or with relationships, but battling a mental health condition is likely something much more extenuating and/or debilitating. As society changes and mental health becomes more widely accepted, it is becoming something more closely aligned to going to the gym—of course we can all go to the gym more, similarly, we can all better understand the connection between our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions.

5.       Finding accessible care is challenging, but this is changing. Traditionally, the only spot to go to find out more about your situation was to a doctor. In places like America, there is an extreme shortage of psychiatrists and psychologists, making it even harder to go and receive traditional methods of care. Thankfully, there are waves of cutting edge technologies that have translated proven methods of care online in an accessible as well as affordable manner. Thanks to technology, care is now able to be provided on the palm of your hand anywhere you go and anywhere you need it. No longer are people required to wait in times of need weeks before they are able to see a doctor.

6.       Once you are able to battle through some of your own conditions, it helps a lot to help other relations who might also be battling an issue. This ultimately is creating a much stronger, more supportive community of people watching out for each other and being there in times of need. There is a lot of evidence highlighting the fact that the more you give back to others who are in need, it actually has a lot of benefit for you as well.

7.       Sometimes there is a way out of panic. These can come and go for us depending on our severity, but when experiencing a panic attack one of the best things to do is to try and take deep breaths. This can help to calm or relax you.

8.       Meditation can help! Ending on lucky 8, there is a lot of evidence showing that even small amounts of mindful practice can help you in a variety of areas. There are programs that are able to take the practice of meditation “off the cushion” so to speak and provide you with applicable as well as practical solutions that you can use on a daily basic. One such example of these is the burgeoning community at iPrevail.

Interested to learn more? Click here to join the community today!

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Early Intervention in Mental Health

There is a growing shift to put more emphasis on mental health in schools. Brains are forming some of the forming elements during the early years of life, and it is imperative that proper care and support is given to them to ensure a healthy life.

Without providing the proper care or support, increased rates of unemployment, prison, and school dropout take place. Schools present a pivotal piece of the puzzle to provide care to those in need during this important time of their lives.

Dropout rates are estimated at 40% for students who do not receive proper mental health support, according to the 2016 Child Mind Institute Children’s Mental Health Report. Many students who experience troubled emotions or behaviors are now quickly expelled, which only puts more of a barrier to a successful educational journey.

The key is to provide some level of easily accessible support on a medium that people are already on. Technology invented in partnership with the National Science Foundation by Chicago-based Prevail Health Solutions, is just that. Novel technology known as Anywhere Based Care provides on-demand support on any phone, tablet, or computer. The programs have been validated through the rigorous Veterans Health Administration path to market that include multiple published clinical trials to show their efficacy as well as national pilots to show people would engage in this sort of care.

Failure to provide the care poses enormous costs. Those in high school who drop out are 63 times more likely to go to jail. This creates tremendous costs for society with the average one-year cost of incarceration above $30,000 per person. Estimates show that roughly 68 percent of state prison inmates have not completed high school. This vicious cycle only spurs more costs and burden for society with over 70 percent of youth in juvenile justice system meet criteria needing some sort of mental health treatment.

Reaching people early on while they are in school is a perfect opportunity to mitigate down the road problems or costs. Prevail’s solution has been proven effective in touching thousands of people, and has over three years delivering nationally to the Veterans Administration. Starting with a simple assessment that could be done early on in the school year, students can build a profile on their unique needs, and Prevail tailors a solution exactly to the individual.

Interested in building mental resilience and seeing how this solution could be applied to other populations? Check out iPrevail.com today.  

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Changing an American Statistic

It is quite possibly one of America’s most disgraceful statistics. On any single day, an average of 22 Veterans who served commit suicide. These Veterans are coming back to their own country and facing an entirely new battle- often times seemingly with little to no support, or nowhere to turn.

The experiences that the Veterans experience some of the most traumatic events one could imagine. Just some of the things impacting Veterans are “Panic attacks, insomnia, sleeplessness, restlessness,” said army veteran Dan Jabs.

This poses an enormous challenge to the Veterans returning, making integration into the daily lives they were accustomed to in the past quite difficult. “You’re always tense,” said Navy veteran Samantha Michelle Reeves. When someone is always tense it poses great risk to their overall health and wellbeing.

Many of the Veterans are quite stoic, and not always realizing that their situation is something that is being experienced by other Veterans as well. This is changing due to the invention of an online behavioral health program founded by former Navy F-18 pilot, Richard Gengler, called Vets Prevail.

“There is a lot of power in a model like this,” said Gengler.

The free and anonymous platform allows Veterans to go on and chat with other peers in a stigma-free way, allowing them to receive some level of support. For those who want to receive even more care, there are robust clinically proven programs that were developed in collaboration with the National Science Foundation.

By giving back to the next cohort of people battling issues provides hope for both sides. For those who have now reached the other side, such as Jabs, he says that it helps because he recognizes some of the issues and notes that “you can get through this.”

For more information on this free mental health program, visit vetsprevail.org or for the general civilian version of the program click here

Here is the recent news report video

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Users help other Users Overcome their Mental Health Challenges!

A new crowdsourced strategy for stemming the tide of Mental Health issues is gaining steam.  It’s called crowdsourcing.  Welcomed in many other areas such as Wikipedia, Couchsurfing, and project campaign pages like Kickstarter, these techniques are now being applied to solve one of the most pressing problems of our times- Mental Health issues that are spiraling out of control and causing extreme cost and problems on society You can give it a try yourself if you don’t believe me- you simply start HERE.

In recent years, technology has enabled numerous new models to take hold to provide novel ways to improve and increase care.  Nowhere is this more needed than in the area of Mental Health!  Unlike physical health, which has seen vast improvements in recent decades, Mental Health continues to have incredible challenges.  While the incidence of issues continues to increase and is on the verge of spiraling out of control, the effectiveness of treatment has seen no improvement.  In fact, more people commit suicide this year then did 30 years ago, according to  New York Times Piece!  There are numerous efforts, both public and private, designed to stem this tide including the Five Point Plan, improving mental health in schools, and overall promotion of mental health. Prevail has been covered widely in the news for its innovative efforts. ?.  One very interesting one is Peer to Peer support.  Breaking down the wall of stigma, while offering extremely high levels of empathy, peers create a paradigm shift in the world of mental health. Peers enable the first, and often times the hardest, step just a little easier. According to Mental Health America, Peers are an increasingly important part of the solution to  dramatically improving the mental health picture.

In iPrevail’s particular model, Users actually earn points redeemable for valuable rewards for helping each other out.  After a quick online training syllabus, Users can become Peers and begin to help other Users with their mental health challenges through instant message chats.  All of the chats are rated for quality and approved for adherence to adequate Peer support, and Peers are rewarded points based on the quality of the care they are offering other Users.  These points can then be redeemed for various gift cards and other things.

Anyone can qualify to start the Peer training, and start helping others on their path to recovery.  Through this truly disruptive model, the power of the crowd is helping to overcome a seemingly intractable problem!

 Apply to start helping others www.iprevail.com/become_a_peer.

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Shocking New Way to Help Others

Now there is a shocking way to help others and receive payment in many different ways. The latest, most cutting edge health technology developed by Prevail Health Solutions, a Chicago-based health technology company, is now touching thousands of people with numbers only growing.  

Prevail enables a free, anonymous chat with Trained Peer Specialists 24/7 on any phone, tablet, or computer.

Users are able to go through a training program that has been developed by the Veterans Health Administration along with another leading national organization to ensure the highest level of quality in the interactions. There are many different roles as well as levels of being a peer starting with the most basic level of a User Peer, all the way to the highest level of becoming certified.

Here are three main ways that you are able to receive goodness by helping others:

1.       Go through the training program and become a Trained Peer Specialist. The mere fact of helping others is extremely gratifying and helps to allow you have a better day.

2.       As you help people in need, you are rewarded with points. The points can be redeemed for gift cards in real life. It truly pays to help!

3.       Being a part of a burgeoning community of people helping each other allows you to feel as though you are helping to create a supportive community.

Now is the time to utilize your empathetic skills to give back, and receive gratification in many different ways.  Interested to learn more about the program and start earning goodness? Check out iPrevail here.

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Facebook Taking New Steps to Prevent Suicide

Social Media is a fully-integrated part of online communities, and people tend to share every single occurrence of their lives on it. It’s a great tool to share mundane details, as well as large announcements, such as engagements, babies, divorces, etc. But what happens when someone shares a troubling status? 

Recently, Facebook partnered with a few suicide prevention organizations, in an effort to roll out a new feature that would allow users to take action when they see a friend in need. Now, if you view a troubling status or post, where you fear that a friend may harm themselves or others, you can click the arrow by the post and click “report post.” Upon reporting the post, you will be given the option to contact the person, Facebook, or the suicide hotline. Regardless of what option you choose, Facebook will view the post and contact the person if they feel that the content is problematic. 

Upon contacting the friend, Facebook will offer them a few different options for help. The friend will be able to reach out to the user who reported the content, or speak to a professional at a hotline. Facebook personalizes and empathizes with the friend, by sharing videos of people who are also struggling with suicidal thoughts. Facebook takes the options one step farther, by showing the friend a list of relaxation and self-care techniques, such as baking, exercising, or going to the library. 

It’s truly great to see Facebook using their platform to help people who are suffering from suicidal thoughts. Building this level of support into their posts makes it easier for anyone to reach out to a friend and stop a tragedy from occurring. Here at Prevail, we are always interested in seeing how digital health is growing and changing and how our product can make a positive impact. Prevail’s online chat counseling platform would fit perfectly into this scenario, as offering clinically validated peer-chat program would offer a person an unprecedented amount of support. If you, or someone you know is suffering from suicidal thoughts, have a free chat with a peer counselor here: https://www.iprevail.com/chat_landing

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Study Shows Online Therapy Eases Depression in Doctors

The process of becoming a doctor is a painstaking journey that lasts years, and can transform more than just a person’s career. Medical students and residents face extremely long hours, high-stress situations, and witness trauma on a regular basis. The amount of trauma and stress they feel and witness often leads to a signifiant level of depression and anxiety, but many are often lacking the time it takes to actually seek mental health help, or feel like they need to “tough it out.” 

Dr. Guille of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston conducted a research study involving about 200 Medical residents who were in their first year. The first year of residency is said to be the most intense period of training, where the shifts are long, and often overnight. Stress levels are often said to increase four-fold during this difficult time. 

The study involved interns from two different schools, and both were given the same free, online treatment program that was developed through the National Institute for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. Half of the interns were given the online therapy, and half of them were given four, weekly emails on depression and where they could seek help. At the end of the trial period, Dr. Guille discovered that only 12% of the residents who received online treatment reported back with suicidal/depressive thoughts, whereas 21% of the residents who simply received emails, reported back with suicidal/depressive thoughts. 

After weighing other external factors in the way that the residents may or may not have reacted towards the program, Dr. Guille and her team determined that the residents who used the online program were 60% less likely to have suicidal or depressive thoughts, than the other group. 

It is no secret that online mental health programs work, and it’s great to see them being used in digital healthcare, even in the realm of health professionals. The type of program that was being used by these residents mostly aided with managing thoughts and helping to put them into perspective. Because this particular type of depression is specific to thoughts that occur from the grueling work of the first year of residency, this type of counseling and training is especially valuable. 

Online mental health counseling is easy, accessible, and works for everyone. Try ours for free, here: https://www.iprevail.com/chat_landing

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Separation Anxiety in Children

Separation anxiety refers to the anxiety that a child may feel when either threatened by, or revealed the information that someone they are attached to, is leaving for a short or extended period of time. Separation anxiety in children is natural for many instances, but at what point does the behavior become problematic? 

Adaptability is what Dr. Tall Shenfield describes to be the determining factor. In most cases, children will feel discomfort when being separated from a loved one or an object, but will be able to adjust to the changes. Those who are experiencing separation anxiety, or are susceptible to it, will show symptoms that last past 4 weeks. They will exhibit large amounts of emotional distress, and obsess about the person that left and their whereabouts. 

The child in question will exhibit many symptoms of trauma, as well, having nightmares, fits, and may even physically harm themselves. This disorder is very common in children who have experienced abuse, particularly when the abuse happened when the separated person was away. 

Treatment is an option, for separation anxiety, but it requires time and attention. It may be completed at home, and requires patience from the parent; to understand what their child is going through, and to commit to a long-term plan. A parent who is trying to help their child suffering from separation anxiety, must be empathetic and open to helping the child gain insight into some of their fears. Positive reinforcement is also helpful for these situations; when a child is able to demonstrate independence in a situation, acknowledging their strength will lead to a long-term growing desire for independence. 

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Talk Therapy Proven Effective for Schizophrenia Patients

Recently, John Kane, chairman of the psychiatry department at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, led a study on the treatment of Schizophrenia, which led to some groundbreaking results. 

Over 2 million people suffer from Schizophrenia symptoms, in the U.S., and of those sufferers, the ones that are treated are generally given strong doses of antipsychotic drugs. These drugs are intended to reduce the impact of the visions and hallucinations that Schizophrenia sufferers face. However, these drugs often have unreasonable side effects, like tremors, anxiety, more depression, and severe weight gain. 

Schizophrenia is one of the most misunderstood, debilitating mental illnesses that exists. It consists of hallucinations that can be positive or negative. These hallucinations can cause a person to act negatively and erratically, and often this leads to isolation. The symptoms associated with this illness make it extremely difficult for a patient to work, socialize, and thrive in this society. 

The 2-year trial that was conducted by John Kane, consisted of decreasing medicinal dosages, and increasing talk therapy with family, counselors, therapists, and groups. The control group was a group that took their regular dosages of medicine as they always had. Miraculously, Kane found out that the group which had decreased dosages, and increased talk therapy made greater strides in their recovery. 

While these findings are great for people in all stages of Schizophrenia, they are especially useful to those enduring the first stages. The study found that people who were in earlier stages, experienced more recovery. Early intervention is key for most illnesses, but here it is shown to be extremely effective and game-changing. 

The way that Schizophrenia patients receive care is going to change, and we’re excited to see higher rates of recovery. 

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Study Shows Shy Children become Anxious Adults

15 years ago, Developmental Psychologist Koraly Perez-Edgar sat in a lab and watched a group of 4 year old girls play together. A typical scene in any household with kids, but Perez-Edgar was observing this for very specific reasons. As children, temperaments can be very obvious, and just as easily as an uninhibited child can be noticed, an inhibited child can also be observed. Perez-Edgar noticed that there was a sort of “alpha” of the group, who would tell the other girls what to do, and there was one who was very shy. In her own words, Perez-Edgar described that “The inhibited child will sit and watch, but she doesn’t play alone or with others. The idea of being included seems to terrify her.” 

Extreme shyness in children is more common than one may think, and Perez-Edgar’s research over the years shows a clear link between early childhood shyness, and adult anxiety. She acknowledges that the behavior of shy children may evolve as they get older, but they will likely still feel uncomfortable in social situations. 

Perez-Edgar mentions signs of this anxiety and shyness that are shown even in babies. For example, some babies will cry when they are given a sensory overload, like a jack-in-the-box. Some may laugh. The interaction with the jack-in-the-box can either impose danger, or humor to a child, and this is relevant to how behaviorally inhibited the child may be, on a intrinsic level. 

Studies show that the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain, is overactive in people who show these behavioral cues. However, the question that Perez-Edgar is looking to answer now is, “is it because you’re temperamentally reactive, that your amygdala is overactive, or vice versa?” She has not answered this question yet, but is hoping that her current and future research will provide cues into what the answer may be. 

One way that Perez-Edgar proposes that adult anxiety can be prevented in shy children, is through behavioral therapy, focusing the child’s attention elsewhere and making positive associations with the things that give them anxiety. Overall, we are excited to see where this research will take the topic of anxiety and mental illness in the field of neurobiology. 

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Mental Health Awareness Week Events

“Stigma” is the theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, and it’s a long overdue subject. Stigma is one of the greatest barriers that mental illness sufferers face when it comes to finding treatment and compassion for their conditions, and the goal of this week is to address the stigmas that people face, and try to reduce it. The first thing that you can do is take the Stigma free pledge. The mental health community is growing constantly, and we are thrilled to be a part of the mental health world in this day and age. Check out some of the great things you can do this week, to create a productive environment for dialogue surrounding mental illness! 

Involve Friends/Family/Community

One great way to acknowledge this week is to do something with your friends and family that has to do with bonding and ending stigma over mental illnesses. Hosting a movie night, going on a walk together, etc, are all activities that can foster a sense of community and companionship. Feeling less alone and realizing that your friends and family care for you and understand you, is a great way to reduce stigma. Additionally, talking about mental illnesses in a comfortable and fun environment with the people we care about, can also help them understand us and clear their ideas of stigma. 

Show Your Spirit

The theme color of mental illness awareness week is the color green. Wear green at least once this week; whether it may be a green ribbon, or head-to-toe green. Arrange a day within your community or school, where everyone will wear green on that day. Wearing green is a great way to raise awareness; if anybody asks you why you’re wearing green, you can tell them why! If you spot someone wearing green, you can feel a sense of camaraderie with that person. 

You Can Give Back

Fundraising is an obvious way to give back to the cause, as it will create more resources for people suffering from mental illness. However, another way of giving back to the Mental Health and Awareness community is to share your story. Whether it may be in the midst of recovery, or post-healing, sharing our stories helps us connect with each other and reduce stigma. 

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Top 5 Mental Health Centers in the U.S. 

Mental Health Centers often are the subject of horror movies and mainstream fear. This fear was developed as a result of the stigma surrounding people who suffer from mental health issues. However, many hospitals and specialized centers are making great efforts to combat this stigma, by making their facilities inviting and effective. Let’s take a look at 5 great ones! 

Timberline Knolls

Timberline Knolls is a residential treatment center in Lemont, IL that is specific to female-identifying patients. The center is commended for the way that it integrates medical knowledge with a treatment philosophy that is focused on 5 core aspects of recovery: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social. Their team consists of physicians, nurses, psychiatrists and therapists who have many, steady years of experience in the field. The health professionals at Timberline Knolls strongly believe in getting to the roots of the problems, instead of just treating the symptoms. Ultimately, the center aims to empower their patients to make choices and changes to live their lives to the best and strongest of their abilities. It’s no wonder that this place is well-renowned! 

The Refuge

The Refuge, a Healing Place is an addiction and trauma-specific center for adults, in Ocklawaha, Florida. Their philosophy surrounds the concept of Person-Centered care. Trauma and addiction can be very difficult to come out of, and The Refuge helps in a very necessary way; their focus is on assisting the patient figure out their own needs, desires, and preferences, and plan their treatment and therapy around the patient-desired outcome. This is clever and effective, because addiction and trauma can remove the sense of control that a patient has over their life. By allowing them to make decisions about their treatment, and their goals post-treatment, they are beginning the healing. 

Hensley Behavioral Health Center

The Hensley Behavioral Health Center is located within the Baxter Regional Health Center, in Mountain Home, Arkansas. This center is different from most facilities, in that it is specifically for people who are aged 50+, and people who are aged 18-25. These are age groups that are frequently at risk; the 50+ group being the most neglected. Hensley specializes in more high-risk mental illnesses that often have other medical issues tied to them. They focus on serious emotional disturbances for their youth, and Dementia and Alzheimers for the 50+ group. The focus of care at Hensley is renewing a person’s social, physical and mental skills. These are all things specific to behavioral health, and treatment that is not easily given to senior citizens. 

The Bridge Health Recovery Center

The Bridge is a Mental Health facility located in Hurricane, Utah. It is a 3-week environment that aims to create a “bridge” between a breakdown and recovery. It specializes in substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. despite the program being so short, it has great reviews and is ideal for the patient that has a small amount of time to walk this “bridge.” Because this center is located in Utah, a lot of their treatment involves recreational activities in nature; all things that are clinically proven to help with mental illness. 

North Star Behavioral Health Center

North Star is located in Alaska, and is a program for children and adolescents, and they have recently opened up a Chris Kyle branch that serves active duty service members, and veterans. The facility is geared towards young people who are suffering from, or have suffered from childhood trauma. North Star recognizes the spectrum of behavioral challenges that can occur from instances of abuse, neglect, and witnessing trauma. Their treatments are all nature and group-based, which are an ideal climate for young people who are suffering. The focus revolves around self-discovery, building resilience, and building a stronger foundation for a future where they are in control.

If you, or someone you know is suffering from a mental health illness, today is a great day to get help. Our peer-chat is an option, no matter where you are located. Check it out and get the help you need today. https://www.iprevail.com/chat_landing

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Stanford MedX Conference - Palos Altos, California

Bridging the Disconnect in Behavioral Health:

Solutions for the 21st Century Patient

Sunday, September 27th, 2015

Prevail Health Solution’s CEO, Richard Gengler, served on a panel last week at Stanford’s MedX conference. The conference was focused on technology’s role in transforming the future of behavioral health. Panelists also included Chris Stout, Ph.D, from University of Illinois-Chicago. The health industry is continuing to recognize the importance of behavioral health in the evolution of healthcare’s digital age. The 2015 MedX conference was a testament to the efforts that healthcare professionals and innovators are making in the field. Major topics of discussion included: 

How to Engage with the Behavioral Health Population

The Collection and Analysis of Behavioral Healthcare Data

Using Digital Healthcare Solutions to Integrate Behavioral Health into Primary Care

The panel was an excellent opportunity for Prevail’s CEO to discuss behavioral healthcare for other leaders in the industry. “Bridging the Disconnect in Behavioral Health” further defined the current focus on using web-based intervention within the mental healthcare spectrum. More interestingly, digital healthcare trends were discussed in terms of their success in the community, and their relevance to research. Because digital healthcare has become so readily available, there is now a disconnect between providers, administrators, and patients. 

Despite these disconnects, there are a number of successful examples of integration of such tools into a provider workflow, and Prevail is one of them. The panel demonstrated that while there may be barriers that prevent the congruency in behavioral healthcare, there are ways to overcome these barriers. 

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Top 5 Mental Health Influencers

Joseph Brugo, PhD

@AfterPsy4 is the twitter handle for this well-known mental health influencer. Afterpsychotherapy.com is Dr. Brugo’s blog, which has information about his books, and knowledge in the field of Psychotherapy. The blog is categorized with very specific mental illnesses, and each category contains several blog posts which detail Brugo’s advice and experience on the topic. Brugo’s books are also very well-received, and he has many wonderful reviews posted on the blog that demonstrate this. His site writing addresses stigma and social situations in a very unique way, and is definitely worth the read! 

Dr. Keely Kolmes

@drkkolmes is the twitter handle for this mental health influencer. Dr. Keely Kolmes impressively has over 18 years of experience providing psychotherapy. She teaches, writes, and consults on sexual diversity, clinical, and ethical issues related to psychotherapy. These are not limited to Depression, but also include gender/identity issues. Check out her website here http://drkkolmes.com/ for more details! 

John M Grohol

@Mentalhealthsoc is the twitter handle for this well-known mental health influencer, and the corresponding website is http://www.mentalhealthsocial.com/index.php?ref=index.html.var (Recently changed to PsychCentral). The site contains everything from quizzes that can help you determine what you should aim to treat, to information about medications, to blogs. The site and the crew are all great resources and a must-see for anyone who is interested in keeping up with mental health. 

Tom Doub

@tomdoub is the twitter handle for this Chief Executive Officer at the Centerstone Research Institute. Doub has dedicated his leadership to blending research and technology together to create better patient outcomes and decrease costs. Check out his website here: http://centerstoneresearch.org/about/the-cri-team/tom-doub/

Katie Cadigan

@whenmedicine is the twitter handle for Katie Cadigan, who is the director of the film “When Medicine Got it Wrong.” The film generated waves in the health industry, leading to important discussions and considerations. She continues to open important and relevant discussion on the topic of mental health, through her twitter account. Check her out! 

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National Depression Screening Day is October 8th

The first week of October is Mental Illness Week, and is filled with events and opportunities to address stigma, resources, and treatments of mental health disorders. National Depression Screening Day is the biggest day of this awareness week, as it is an opportunity for many people to get screened for depression. 

National Depression Screening Day began as an effort to bring awareness to the issues of mental illness, and it was done so in a very effective way. National Depression Screening Day not only brings awareness to the prevalence of depression, but it also offers sufferers an opportunity to connect with others who are facing the same issues. The first National Depression Screening Day was held in 1990. 

National Depression Screening Day is an event that is supported and followed by college campuses, community organizations, social networks, and military installations. The prevalence of the day being celebrated has expanded greatly, in the past few years, and we are excited to see more communities, campuses, and institutions participate in this. 

If you are suffering from depression, or think you may be, chat with a peer counselor here:  https://www.iprevail.com/pre_assessment2/landing/home?rsc=organic

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Suicide at Kaiser Clinic Calls for an Important Discussion 

A regular appointment at a mental health clinic can take up to a few weeks to process, and this means that a patient must wait to get the treatment that they may desperately require. Kaiser Clinic is a mental health clinic in Northern California, and in the past two years has faced many accusations of not providing early enough appointments. However, it is important to remember that this isn’t the only clinic that faces this problem, and the clinic is not intentionally denying patients. The fact of the matter is that the demand for mental healthcare is high, and the resources available to provide these services are minimal. 

Recently, a Kaiser patient committed suicide by jumping from a Kaiser garage/ The 83-year-old Kaiser patient found that her prescribed medications weren’t effective enough. Before her suicide, she expressed to her family that she was distraught, and unable to wait for her appointment. The fact that she chose Kaiser’s garage makes the husband believe that she was making a direct statement to the mental health clinic. The husband said, “She could have jumped anywhere, but she went right to Kaiser. It’s like sending a message right to them: ‘You couldn’t take care of me, so here I am.’”

What is a person to do in this situation? If the clinic is understaffed, then they can’t realistically accept patients at times when there is no help. There are phone numbers that sufferers can call, but anxieties can make that step difficult as well. iPrevail’s peer Counseling program aims to resolve this issue of availability of resources. Often, clinics will lack availability and organization. Our web/app-based platform allows a user to speak to someone who can help them--in whatever setting they choose, whenever they choose, and it doesn’t require an appointment. 

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Top Ten Mental and Digital Healthcare Blogs

Dr. Deborah Serani 

Dr. Deborah Serani is an adjunct professor at Adelphi University who created this blog dedicated to helping others with depression. As a teenager, Serani experienced debilitating depression and had her first suicide attempt at age 19. Shortly after this experience, Serani left school to receive Psychotherapy. Today, Dr. Serani is a licensed Psychotherapist and uses her blog as a medium to share detailed topics related to depression. Her blog is supplemental, however, to her two published and widely-acclaimed books. Her posts are thoughtful and insightful, drawing from her experience both as a patient and as a Psychotherapist. 

Post Partum Progress

Post Partum Progress is a blog that was started by founder Katherine Stone, and later grew into a nonprofit organization. Post Partum Progress offers information and support for pregnant and new moms who are suffering from mental health illnesses that are related to new motherhood. The blog covers all relevant topics, from childbirth-associated mental illnesses, to adoption anxiety. Post Partum Progress has frequent contributors, and aims to address the idiosyncrasies of each individual’s experience with Post Partum issues. 

Healthy Place

HealthyPlace identifies as the “largest consumer mental health site on the net.” It is a collection of advice and information on psychological disorders and medication/treatment. Their mental health social network is also great, as it grants access and community to their readers. Healthy Place TV is another component to this blog, and it provides faces and voices  to the words in an easy to digest manner. Their team consists of professional journalists and a medical doctor, Dr. Harry Croft, who is able to verify medical information. Overall, HealthyPlace is a great place to read legitimate blog posts and articles about mental illness, as well as connect with a social network. 

Chipur

Chipur was founded by Bill White, a mental health professional with a unique history of mental illnesses and struggle. White was particularly plagued by mood and anxiety disorders. Chipur has plenty of blog posts and articles, just like other mental illness blogs. However, Chipur has the added advantage of providing consultation, coaching and mentoring services. The site boasts a large level of user interaction and testimonials, as well. 

Kevin Md

KevinMD.com is a very reputable blog in the digital health industry. Dr. Kevin Pho shares insights on lesser-known interactions in the healthcare system, specifically relating to those who are rarely heard from. Kevin MD boasts over 2,000 different contributors. These can include Physicians, Surgeons, Nurses, Medical Students, and experts in policy. Dr. Pho offers a double insight; that of a practicing physician, as well as a health care social media leader. These insights are relevant to the general public who would like to be optimally informed of healthcare policy, as well as the actual healthcare interactions. 

Christina’s Considerations

Christina’s Considerations is a blog owned by a hospital administrator and consultant with a deep passion for improving the healthcare community and its interactions. Her blog has gained so much traction in the healthcare administration field, that it was added to the National Library of Medicine’s Archive Collection of Public Health and Medicine Blogs in 2013. She began the blog in 2005. Her writing is clever, engaging, relevant, and many users have gained knowledge about a field to which they may otherwise not have had access. 

Healthcare Guy

Healthcare Guy is founded by Shahid Shah, an individual who has a vast amount of experience and success in Health IT, Bio IT, Engineering, and other realms of  healthcare. Shah covers topics as relevant as Healthcare during travel, to as constant as data in the healthcare realm. The Healthcare Guy also takes guest articles, so this opens up the community to engage and help each other find answers and clarity. The Healthcare Guy is essentially a blog that captures every aspect of healthcare technology, and also includes lifestyle articles that are for the ordinary patient. 

Pick the Brain 

Pick the Brain is a website that is for the ordinary person who would like to focus on self-improvement. Pick the Brain narrows their information to some very relevant and broad topics. Personal Productivity, Motivation, Self-Education, Psychology, and Philosophy are these broad topics. The Editor-in-Chief for Pick the Brain is Erin Falconer, who selects various guest bloggers to write on these main topics. Pick the Brain is read in over 35 different countries, daily, as their articles are relevant and relatable to the general consumer. Pick the Brain values the significance of self-improvement, and creates a safe environment in which guests and readers can interact. 

Storied Mind

Storied Mind is a very popular depression-based mental health blog. The articles range from being in a relationship with a person suffering from depression, to recovery and renewal. The site was created by John Folk-Williams, who suffered his own battle with depression, and was able to face recovery and renewal for himself. Mindfulness is a very important factor in the way that recovery is phrased in Storied Mind, and this has resonated with many users. 

It’s My Crisis and I’ll Cry if I Need to 

It’s My Crisis and I’ll Cry if I Need to is a blog that is very personal and has the look and feel of a diary. It is founded by Yocheved Golani, a former health Information Management professional. Golani is also certified in Spiritual Chaplaincy, which adds a unique level of interest to the content. The goal of Golani’s blog is to “empower terrified, confused, and unhappy people who have been faced with dire diagnoses.” He is very cognizant of patient dignity, and aims to provide the resources and answers to questions that patients may not even know they have.