Shared Links (weekly) Nov. 26, 2023

Shared Links (weekly) Nov. 26, 2023

ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute
Mental Health Knows No Group Identity, but Our Stressors are Not All The Same

Mental Health Knows No Group Identity, but Our Stressors are Not All The Same

ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

Mental health issues can strike anyone, anywhere. We wouldn’t see the numbers of people dealing with depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc. if mental health issues were only a result of group identity. They aren’t. People you know are included in those numbers, whether they’ve told you or not. While that fact should remind us that mental…

Insights from While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence.

Insights from While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence.

ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

As I read the rest of her insights, I realized this is where it all starts. We don’t have a mental health care system. If we had some semblance of a system the other four insights would go without saying. We’d see mental health patients as human beings, we would listen to them about their lived experiences, we’d have support systems for families, and we’d understand that despite all the effort and love put in, some people would still lose the battle, just like we do with cancer and every other illness.

Shared Links (weekly) Sept. 24, 2023

Shared Links (weekly) Sept. 24, 2023

ByMikeM Reading Time: 1 minute
When Mental Health Struggles Spread Through the Family

When Mental Health Struggles Spread Through the Family

ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

The parents trying to navigate the maze of mental healthcare while also trying to work to help pay for the care that winds up not being covered and be there for their other children as well. It’s a lot. All of that stress isn’t good for anyone’s health, mental and physical. Imagine trying to support a child with getting mental healthcare while also needing your own care, or dealing with illnesses.

It’s a mess. I don’t envy parents who find themselves in this position. If you know any parents in this boat, maybe see what they need. Find some way to take a little stress off. Provide a meal or two, run some errands for them, etc. They need it more than they will probably ever admit.

Sharing – Peer-on-Peer Abuse: What can be done when kids hurt kids?

Sharing – Peer-on-Peer Abuse: What can be done when kids hurt kids?

ByMikeM Reading Time: 2 minutes

There’s no real difference. I should know. I was sexually abused by an older minor. There was no creepy old man, only an older and bigger kid who threatened me. Someone in my own family. Mall parking lots, school, and our neighborhood park weren’t the places where I was not safe, my family was.

And I had no way to tell anyone, because I wasn’t taught about that being child abuse. Only strange men in white vans giving out candy abused children. Whatever was happening in my family wasn’t to be discussed with anyone. It wasn’t, and it went on for years.

Maybe we should do better with understanding the ways kids abuse other kids, and talking openly about it. The link below can help.