I have been involved with the “mental health” system since the 1960’s. Things from my earliest past life up until now have always had to have something to deal with the mental sense of who I am as a person and individual: I’ve been depressed and suicidal all of my life since childhood, with the [...]
Chances are that you might wake up with a mental illness tomorrow; that’s 1 in 5. I didn’t choose the illness, it picked me. I really didn’t want it; maybe you’d like to have it instead… I have bi-polar – there, I said it, like it was a dirty word or something. Well, it’s not! [...]
“Beyond the Shadows of Stigma” highlights works from a gallery showing produced by participants in the Photovoice course, “Taking off the Blinders: A Project to Combat Stigma and Discrimination.” The 8-minute online video poignantly captures the essence of the Photovoice experience through interviews with participants and the works they created. Similarly to Northern Lakes CMH’s [...]
April 22, 2009 – 12:58 pm
Welcome to the first issue of Northern Lakes CMH Recovery Newsletter! This newsletter will be published quarterly for people interested in Recovery from a mental illness. Each issue will contain tips, inspirational stories, information about different learning opportunities, conferences and classes, personal expressions, and progress reports about improvements to the Northern Lakes CMH system as [...]
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. – Dr. Seuss I remember being different as a kid; growing up I never fit anywhere. Even at a young age I heard voices and my emotions were all over the place. The voices [...]
February 27, 2009 – 9:11 am
The new Michigan Recovery Center for Excellence website includes lots of resources for adults with mental illness on the path to recovery, including some compelling and inspiring video recovery stories. People active in our recovery transformation process may recognize some of the participants. They include Ike Powell and Larry Fricks of the Appalachian Consulting Group, [...]
February 27, 2009 – 8:18 am
Mental Health America‘s “realLives” online community of recovery stories that we announced here on Feb 23 includes a story by Ernie Reynolds, one of our good friends and an extraordinary advocate. Here’s the direct link to Ernie’s Story. Congratulations, Ernie, on your latest endeavor!
February 23, 2009 – 4:33 pm
Mental Health America launched realLives this week, a unique online community where mental health consumers can share their stories of living with mental health conditions. This one-of-a-kind anthology of original writings, artwork and poetry connects people facing similar struggles and helps break the silence that shrouds mental illness in America. Almost 200 stories have been [...]
December 29, 2008 – 1:33 pm
As a young child and teenager I had everything I could ask for – two wonderful parents, three brothers, the best schools, and all the sports and activities a person could want. I played just about all the sports that were available all throughout grade school, junior high and high school, including track, field hockey, [...]
December 15, 2008 – 5:06 am
On a day in May I was born with hazel eyes and a button nose with all of my fingers and all of my toes. I was a happy little girl but I always knew there was a secret that had me blue. About how I came to be, I always knew I had another [...]
