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  • Sharing – The ACEs Questionnaire Is Missing These Types of Trauma

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    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. 

    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. 

  • Sharing – When You Say Nothing At All

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    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…

  • Link – Caitlin’s Story

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    A big problem people with mental health conditions face now is the stigma surrounding it. Especially with all the technology today, we often see and hear everyone’s opinions on major issues, including mental health. Knowing that so many people have different standpoints on the battles you face can make you feel ashamed of what you’re…

  • Sharing – Why Most Efforts to Address Mental Health Stigma Miss the Mark

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    We’ve done a lot of work to eliminate stigma over the years. It’s nearly impossible to argue that there is a significant number of people in the US who don’t know about mental health, or understand that it’s not uncommon. And yet, we still have a stigma problem:

  • Sharing – How To Help De-Escalate Bad Situations When You’re In Public

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    I think we can agree that having a manic episode in public shouldn’t mean you can be killed. We’d like to think we would be better than that but faced with an uncomfortable situation that is exactly what happened. Probably because no one on that subway expected that the possibility existed and hadn’t considered how they would act and how it might help until it was too late. The article linked below offers some good advice for how to both keep yourself safe and also de-escalate the situation. Which is what should happen if at all possible. Escalating the situation rarely ends well. Someone died in this case. Let’s do what we can to prevent escalation so that no one has to get hurt.

  • Sharing – How I Take Care: Therapist and Mental Wellness Advocate Jor-El Caraballo

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    It’s easy to think of self-care as something fun or relaxing that we take the time to do, just for ourselves. But, living a healthy life is so much more than that. Yes, we need the activities that fill our cups so that we have the energy to give in other areas of our lives. But, true self-care is also about doing the things that are hard, because they are better for us.

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