By Susan Tofford I was riding my bike on a hilly road the other day, thinking about all the ups and downs of my route. When I was going uphill on my bike, it was really hard, just like it’s really hard when my daughter has any type of relapse, be it mental health orContinue reading Reflection
Nick’s Story I’m originally from California and am now a junior at the University of Michigan (U of M) studying Psychology and Neuroscience. Outside of school, I love to go on runs, spend time with my friends, and try out new coffee shops! Currently, I am on the executive board for Wolverine Support Network andContinue reading Young Adult Personal Stories Series
Letting Go I had a lovely conversation with my daughter as I drove her to the Speedway gas station to get a vape refill, then to a friend’s house where she had left her bike the night before, because we didn’t want her riding it at night, especially stoned, which happens often these days. ThisContinue reading A NAMI Parent’s Essay
By William Polkowski “All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits,” William James wrote. “Ninety-nine percent of human activity is done out of mere habit.” Charles Duhigg, a graduate of Yale University and the Harvard Business School and winner of numerous awards among them, awards fromContinue reading Book Review – The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
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
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
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
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
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
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
