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Blog Mission Statement

Mental Health Matters Blog Introduction

This is an informational and educational blog about all things related to mental health. I’d like to share my personal experiences, experiences from others, and advice from trained mental health professionals. This is a judgement free zone and all of the advice or stories on this blog are for informational purposes only. I am not a trained professional. I am somebody who has been dealing with mental health issues for many years who would like to help others in similar situations.

I encourage people to comment freely in a respectful way about different blog posts or article links. I have found knowing people have your same struggles can be very beneficial. A main message I want to get out there is that stigma is a part of the problem. I am a proud follower of what is called, “mad pride,” where you speak openly about mental health diagnosis and instead of feeling shame, feel hope.

Depression Resources

I wanted to write a post about depression because most people encounter it at least once in their life. Whether you have minor or major mental health issues, you have probably experienced depression to some degree. Some people deal with chronic depression and it can make it hard to do even the simplest of tasks.

In this post I wanted to share some online resources I found to help people who are currently or know somebody who is experiencing depression. A few helpful websites I found are http://www.about.com, helphorizons.com, and healingwell.com.

Online communities can be a great way to starting the path to recovering from depression but the best course of action is always to talk to a trained mental health professional who can prescribe you medication that might help such as anti-depressants or refer you to a therapist who can help you get to the root of your depression.

Inspiring Ted Talk on Mental Health

Medication and Mental Health

When dealing with my personal mental health diagnosis, I find medication to be very helpful. I have a variety of medications including a mood stabilizer, two anti-anxiety medications, and an anti-depressant. Sometimes people feel shame around taking medication or may have concerns but they are designed to alleviate symptoms and can be very helpful. I think the key is to find the right psychiatrist for you who listens to what you’re saying and takes some time coming up with the right medication combination for you. There is no shame in taking medication.

Inspiring Article

I found an inspiring article that had me questioning how I had been addressing the main issue I wanted to. The article is on a very inspiring website of an amazing non-profit mental health organization named, NAMI, which stands for National Alliance on Mental Illness. The article I’m referencing questions if it’s really, “stigma,” or outright, “discrimination.” It makes some good points and well worth a read whether you and your family are effected by mental illness or not. Awareness and education are vital to help end the mental health crisis that is expanding in modern times.

You can find the article here: Stigma or Discrimination? I love how they emphasize that they advocate for mental health rights whether it’s trying to change laws or help patients or merely get correct information out into the public. Many people who suffer from mental illness face many daily challenges and do not need the extra challenges they may face in public, at school, at work, or even while seeking treatment.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.