MHA's Blog: Chiming In

I want to give Harvey star Jimmy Stewart a hug (not actually, though then I could cross “hug a zombie” off of my bucket list). I watched Harvey this week after accepting that Safe wasn’t going to happen, and he is the best. My DVD had an interview with him as an introduction to the movie, and his insights into how people deal with his character, Elwood P. Dowd, and his imaginary friend Harvey, were delightful. Between this and It’s a Wonderful Life, his contributions to reducing the stigma around mental health conditions should get him a prize (on top of the Oscar nomination he got for both roles). On top of that, Harvey is a wonderful movie.

Read more...

I know I was supposed to review Safe, the Todd Haynes-Julianne Moore movie about hypochondria and allergies, but due to a number of unforeseen circumstances (mostly of my own making), I wasn’t able to get a copy of it. Instead, I did what I always do when things aren’t going my way; I went to the movies. At the suggestion of a colleague, I saw Iron Man 3. It turned out to be a great movie on a lot of levels, especially in its discussion of mental health.

Read more...

As you may have heard, sequestration resulted in the cancellation of funding of consumer scholarships to Mental Health America’s 2013 Annual Conference, Why Welllness Works: Breakthroughs and Pathways to Whole Health, June 5-8, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland

In the past, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided funding for people with mental health and substance use conditions to attend Mental Health America's Annual Conference. Our conferences have educated, informed and empowered those consumer attendees, who learn and disseminate critical information to statewide consumer groups.

Read more...

A few weeks back, in my blog about Maria Bamford’s Special Special Special, I mentioned a podcast called the Mental Illness Happy Hour as being one of the new places where comedy is openly discussing mental health issues. I wanted to talk about the podcast in depth a little more because it’s doing something truly unique in the worlds of podcasting and self-help.

Read more...

A few weeks back, in my blog about Maria Bamford’s Special Special Special, I mentioned a podcast called the Mental Illness Happy Hour as being one of the new places where comedy is openly discussing mental health issues. I wanted to talk about the podcast in depth a little more because it’s doing something truly unique in the worlds of podcasting and self-help.

Read more...