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Links I’m Sharing (weekly)
Facing Mental Health Stigma What Is It Really Like to Stay at a Psychiatric Hospital?t American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Invests $6.2M in Scientific Research to Prevent Tenth Leading Cause of Death How to Manage Your Mental Illness at Work Why Healthy Friendships are Important for Mental Health What Everyone Gets Wrong About Suicide Why…

Want to Share Your Story for Mental Health Month? Check This First
Choosing to tell your story for the first time or to a more public audience is not a decision you want to take lightly. Many of us who have done it and are “public” about our past or current issues can tell you that while there are great things that can come from sharing, there are also things you should be prepared for.
I’ll be the first to admit that I was not prepared for things. As much as I have never regretted starting this site and sharing my story, there have been times when it’s been a bit awkward. Times I did not think enough about ahead of time and might have handled differently if I had thought more about it.
So, with that in mind, let me share this resource from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:

Sharing – The ACEs Questionnaire Is Missing These Types of Trauma
When I think about Monika’s point, and my own look at the numbers, I repeat what I said back then, when looking at one individual, the ACE survey is never the whole story. There are lots of childhood experiences that go unaccounted for, there are individual levels of resilience that are not accounted for, and there are early interventions that are not considered. One traumatic experience equals one traumatic experience in the final number, regardless of whether that experience was immediately followed up with support and maybe even therapy, or if it was ignored and maybe even repeated. There are numerous factors beyond simply answering more than 4 questions yes and assuming you’re an addict, or not answering enough questions yes and assuming you aren’t. It is much more complicated than that.Â
The ACE information is important though because it points us back to that childhood trauma and says “what happened to you?” when treating an individual for depression, or addiction, so that we can include that in our healing. What we want to be careful with is turning it into a blunt instrument when there is still so much not being accounted for within it.Â
Male CSA Survivors Interview Show On Youtube
Continuing our general catchup, the founder of the National Association of People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) and the author of Cry Silent Tears and Cry Myself to Sleep were two of the three male survivors of Child Sexual Abuse interviewed on The Moore Show at the start of the month. The full programme is up…
One Voice for the Kids Rally – UK
Sam Edwards, Chief Executive to the campaign one voice for the kids, sent me an email sharing the details of a rally they have planned for Aug 11, in Aberdeen, Scotland. If you’re a survivor in the UK, I thought I would pass along the information for you: Onevoice for the kids was launched in…

Sharing – When You Say Nothing At All
Dr. Strait reminds us that while it’s normal to want to “fix” the pain of people we care about, it’s much more important to simply be there, without fixing it. Then offers up this advice: “How do we make our presence known, particularly from afar? If circumstances warrant at least a few words, make the…