• If the US Lacks Resources, What Does Mental Health Care in Nigeria Look Like?

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    In the article there’s even a story of a man who was chained up in a room with no windows for 30 years, who suffered from psychosis. Which is terrible.

    But, isn’t this just the same stigma we have here too? Is it any “better” that we have people living on the streets or in prison when they suffer from psychosis or delusions? Aren’t we just locking them away in a different way, because we understand that we don’t actually have any way to help them, so we just want to ignore the issue?

    In Nigeria, there is less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 people. 0.15, in fact. There is no rational way that someone suffering with psychosis in Nigeria is going to get professional help with those kinds of numbers, yet rather than coming together to support the families involved, they feel so much shame about having a “sick” family member that they try and hide them away for years, or completely abandon them to the streets.

  • Sharing – 5 Powerful Self-Care Tips for Abuse and Trauma Survivors

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute

    This was written on the website for the Domestic Violence hotline, but the tips are relevant to anyone who has been abused or gone through trauma. This, for example, is similar to many things I’ve written about child abuse too:

    “Throughout this journey of healing from trauma and abuse, make sure that you are being compassionate towards yourself. A great deal of trauma survivors suffer from toxic shame and self-blame. It’s important that we are gentle towards ourselves during this journey, that we acknowledge that we are doing our very best, and that we ask ourselves every day, “What would be the most loving thing I can do for myself in this moment?” in any circumstance. There is no time limit to learning and healing, there is only the power of transforming our adversity into victory, one small step at a time.”

    Check out the article below to read more about how, exactly, to be gentle towards ourselves while still taking those small steps.

  • Sharing – Why We Can’t Ignore Lies, Even When We Know They’re Lies

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 3 minutes

    We think we can be rational, when we find out something isn’t true, we ignore it and it has no affect on our decisions, right? Maybe not. ” When we see outlandish information, even when we know it is untrue, it sways our judgment. This is especially true if the information appeals to us on an emotional…

  • What is the Justice System For, Anyway?

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    I found myself reading this interview with Dr. Mary Koss recently, and while I’m not 100% sure about the prospect of “Restorative Justice”, as she refers to it, I think that often, when we think about child sexual abuse, we fall into the same misconceptions about the legal system that she refers to when talking more broadly about sexual assault.

    Namely, that the legal system is not really designed to assist with the healing of a victim.

  • Sharing – How to support a friend facing depression

    ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

    We ask people during times like Suicide Prevention Month to talk, to reach out, to check on their friends, and start conversations, etc. But do we model those behaviors in our day-to-day lives? Do you create an environment, at work, school, home, or in our own communities where talking about mental health issues is just something that we all do, and not a shocking thing to talk about? Because I can guarantee you, someone who is dealing with depression isn’t going to see a social media post about reaching out and do just that without having someone they know will actually help to reach out to. 

    The only way people will know that is if they see that behavior and hear these stories in their own community. Can you be part of creating that?