NOVEMBER 2019 BY SPENCER WALZ Editor’s note: This story was first published by the U-M School of Public Health in August 2018. Spencer Walz has now completed his BS in Public Health Sciences. While studying at U-M, he was a recipient of the Vivian Craig Hagberg and John Hagberg Jr. Scholarship. To paraphrase Dr. AmitContinue reading Engaging the Communities We Inhabit
Learned Optimism Improves Health and Resilience
NOVEMBER 2019 BY WILLIAM POLKOWSKI Martin E. P. Seligman has been a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania for many years and is the director of the Positive Psychology Center there. He is past president of the American Psychological Association and the author of several books. “Learned Optimism” (originally published in 1990) isContinue reading Learned Optimism Improves Health and Resilience
Searching for Answers to Suicide
NOVEMBER 2019 BY SUSAN TODOROFF My dear friend Sue had a wonderful life by almost anyone’s standards. She was married to her mutually proclaimed soul mate, lived in a beautiful natural setting in a truly lovely house, and she and her husband had both recently retired with plans of traveling the U.S. with their littleContinue reading Searching for Answers to Suicide
Diagnosis and Therapy Bring Relief and Hope
July 2019 By Bekah Cone When I was a child, my anxiety and depression was labeled as shyness. When I was a teenager, it was labeled as hormonal changes and when I left for college, it was the “normal” reaction to such a big life transition. Suddenly, I ran out of explanations for the symptomsContinue reading Diagnosis and Therapy Bring Relief and Hope
Therapeutic Writing: Using the Power of Storytelling to Practice Mindfulness, Heal, and Recover Our Dreams
July 2019 By Madeline Strong Diehl Editor’s note: Madeline Strong Diehl is an award-winning poet and playwright who lives in Ann Arbor with her husband. Her therapeutic writing programs are designed as peer-to-peer workshops, integrating her knowledge and skills from more than three decades as an essayist and professional magazine writer and editor, along withContinue reading Therapeutic Writing: Using the Power of Storytelling to Practice Mindfulness, Heal, and Recover Our Dreams
A Mother’s Story of Schizophrenia
July 2019 By Cheryl Wiker Editor’s note: This story is an excerpt from the author’s book, “Uncommon Courage.” The day my daughter, Kim, began hearing voices, started out as normal as any other day. As a single parent, I was managing fairly well, fortified by my faith and generally optimistic view of life. We wereContinue reading A Mother’s Story of Schizophrenia
Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide for Families
July 2019 By Susan Todoroff While looking for library books on borderline personality disorder (BPD) I saw the choices were scarce. Before going online to look for more, I decided to check out “The Essential Family Guide to Borderline Personality Disorder” by Randi Kreger. The book helps family members understand and communicate better with theirContinue reading Borderline Personality Disorder: A Guide for Families
Understanding Suicide From the Inside Out
APRIL 2019 BY WILLIAM POLKOWSKI Kay Redfield Jamison — author of the autobiography “An Unquiet Mind” and “Touched With Fire,” a study of the connection between creativity and bipolar disorder (or manic depression) — wrote “Night Falls Fast” in an attempt to understand suicide more deeply. Dr. Jamison, who lives with bipolar disorder, once attemptedContinue reading Understanding Suicide From the Inside Out
Return to U-M Helps NAMI Volunteer Find New Career Path
FEBRUARY 2019 BY SPENCER WALZ Note: This story was originally published online under a different headline on March 15, 2018, by the U-M School of Public Health. Both the School of Public Health and the author, who leads a NAMI Washtenaw support group, granted NAMI Washtenaw permission to republish it. I started at the UniversityContinue reading Return to U-M Helps NAMI Volunteer Find New Career Path
Is Romance in the Offing? NAMI Offers Advice
FEBRUARY 2019 Note: Our thanks to NAMI for allowing us to republish this article from the NAMI website: nami.org/find-support/living-with-a-mental-health-condition/romantic-relationships. When you’re living with a mental health condition, you may wonder whether or not to talk about it with your significant other. And if you’re single, you may wonder if having a mental health condition rulesContinue reading Is Romance in the Offing? NAMI Offers Advice