DBSAlliance

Ever feel alone? Lacking support from your own parents as you parent a child with a mood disorder? Hear from a mom of two (a 2-year old and a 5-year old) as she tells us how The Balanced Mind Parent Network changed her life for the better. Erica is a volunteer on 'Roberta's Place' Chat Room and the Very Young Support Network.

Your Thoughts?

Do you need support?

Do you have a story similar to Erica's?

It's back to school season! For college freshmen or transfer students, it can be nerve-wrecking. As someone who transferred schools my sophomore year, I've experienced those new student jitters. I outline 3 steps for a smooth transition to college life so you can do well in school and find friends. High school and junior high school students can also use these 3 steps.

Soundtrack featured: Saved by the Bell theme song.

Your Thoughts?

Do you know someone who could use this podcast?

Can you use any of these 3 strategies?

Do you have bipolar disorder and wish your friends and family understood? OR Are you someone who loves someone with bipolar but doesn't know what to say? Either way, you can benefit from this short podcast.

Your Thoughts?

What are the worst (and best things) someone's said to you about your disorder?

Do you know people who could benefit from hearing this podcast? Share it--email, Twitter, Facebook.

I'm re-releasing Flipswitch's most popular podcast ever, 5 Things NOT to say + 5 Things TO SAY to a Depressed Person. The very first month it came out Flipswitch received 7,000 visits. After receiving this heartfelt email from a listener, I decided to re-release the podcast.

"The flipswitch podcast i listened to a few months ago was probably the most important one i will ever hear on how to help someone with depression...This is likely against your policy, but i wonder if you could run this podcast again or if possible, every couple of months. It is the best thing i have seen for me to send to friends, some of whom have been depressed, but have never been on that edge or attempted to take their lives. This is not to say their depression is not hell, just that when they try to "encourage" those of us in depression, it can be the very worst thing to do and even trigger episodes...This podcast succinctly tells people just what they need to know to stop putting salt in the wounds and even to start helping."

Excerpt of email from Listener, "M"

Last week I released the Top 12 Flipswitch podcasts and articles of 2012--the most popular items of the year. This week I toyed with the idea of sharing my thoughts on my most favorite Flipswitch podcast of 2012, which is 5 Things NOT to Say + 5 Things TO SAY to a Person Who's Been Raped or Sexually Assaulted. (This podcast was the fifth most popular Flipswitch item of 2012.) The overwhelming support I got from survivors of rape who wrote in to tell me how this podcast touched them is something I will never forget. Re-releasing this podcast is also timely in light of the stories in the media this week, surrounding the gang rapes in India and Steubenville, Ohio which highlight two things 1) rape culture is a problem that affects everyone everywhere and 2) through social media, you and I have great power to change the world!

Responses from Survivors of Rape and Assault :

When I put together the podcast, I was motivated by the women in my life who have been victims of rape--some of them were abused by a family friend as children while others were assaulted by acquaintances they thought were friends. The fact that I know a handful of women in my life who have been attacked highlights just how common this problem is--1 in 4 women in the US will have been raped or sexually abused in her lifetime; 1 in 6 men will also be victims. In most of these instances, the women I know have rebuilt their lives and are now happily married wives and mothers. In one case, however, a friend's rape and her family's extremely negative reaction, destroyed her. Depression and PTSD are common byproducts of rape, making this problem both a physical and mental health issue. Witnessing this injustice is what moved me when I recorded the podcast. I am thankful to the women who wrote in about the podcast--here is a sample of people's responses:

--Listener 1, "I cried when I heard this podcast because all of the things you're supposed to say to someone who's been raped--nobody ever told me those things I needed to hear."

--Listener 2, "All the things you're not supposed to say--what were you wearing?, etc--those are the things my parents told me after I had been raped. This podcast touched me..."

You and I Can Change the World:

By now, you may have heard about a 23-year old woman who was gang-raped in India. She and her male companion were attacked by a gang while riding a bus in New Delhi. The six attackers assaulted the couple, robbed them of their belongings, and dumped their badly beaten bodies along the side of the road. A few days after the brutal rape, the young woman died in a hospital in Singapore, where her body was airlifted because of the severity of her injuries. (Her male companion survived and was released from the hospital.) But ever since her death, there have been protests all over India--people demanding justice for the victim--people who want an end to rape culture. rape-cultureOver here in the US, you may have heard about the events in the town of Steubenville, Ohio–home to 18,000 people. A 16-year old girl was drugged with "Roofies" (the rape drug) and raped multiple times on August 11 and 12, 2012 during and after a party. Dozens of jokes and pictures of the girl naked and unconscious (taken on at least a dozen partygoers' phone and iPads) were shared on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Despite all of this, Steubenville's police department had taken almost no action until last month when a group of crafty computer hackers called Anonymous started releasing damaging information about the young men involved in the rape that includes videos of them telling graphic jokes about the rape. Because of Anonymous' determination and skilled use of social media, this injustice in Ohio is finally getting the attention it deserves. Two young men have been charged with rape and will apear in court next month. With more information imminent, there is speculation that other parties may also be charged. (Picture...

One of the most essential wellness tools, though often overlooked, is humor. In this podcast, I've interspersed scenes from comedian/playwright/actress/Psychology Today blogger Victoria Maxwell's one-woman show, That's Just Crazy Talk, with our interview. Join us as we laugh despite the heartache that is common to the bipolar experience! We talk about humor's role in breaking stigma and surviving bipolar disorder.

When we get depressed, it's easy to get involved in activities that make the depression worse because we're not thinking rationally. In this short podcast, I list 5 things NOT to do and 5 Things TO DO when you're depressed. What can you do the next time you're feeling depressed?

Halloween is coming and nothing says Halloween quite like a superhero costume. Who's your favorite superhero? Superman, Batman, Spiderman? What can your superhero do? Fly, leap over buildings, web people? My superhero, Winston Churchill, had the power to defeat Hitler. Churchill's bravery precipitated the end of World War II and the Holocaust! Defeating depression prepared him for standing up to Hitler and rallying Britain when she had no allies. This is Pt 1 of the Mental Health Superhero Series, which celebrates people with mental illnesses who changed the world. Also featured in podcast: Superman theme song composed by John Williams, actual audio of Churchill's soaring oratory, and a reading from Anthony Storr's brilliant book, Churchll's Black Dog, Kafka's Mice, and Other Phenomena of the Human Mind.

Your Thoughts?/Suggestions for Comments:

Were you encouraged by Churchill's resilience?

Will you dress up as Winston Churchill for Halloween?

Part 2 https://soundcloud.com/dbsalliance/mental-health-superheroes-pt-2-how-fighting-depression-helped-lincoln-fight-slavery

Part 3 https://soundcloud.com/dbsalliance/mental-health-superheroes-pt-3-bipolar-babe-helps-young-people

According to the World Health Organization, depression is the number one cause of disability. Indeed, depression can be debilitating. But there was a time when a man with chronic depression became America's greatest President. Abraham Lincoln is credited with both preserving the union and ending slavery in the U.S. Hear 2 lessons we can apply from Lincoln. Featured: Superman theme song composed by John Williams for the film franchise starring Christopher Reeves.

Your Thoughts?:

Can you develop 1) profound empathy and 2) rock-hard resilience while fighting depression or bipolar disorder?

Were you encouraged by Lincoln's resilience?

Part 1 here: https://soundcloud.com/dbsalliance/mental-health-superheroes-pt-1-how-defeating-depression-prepared-churchill-to-defeat-hitler

Part 3 https://soundcloud.com/dbsalliance/mental-health-superheroes-pt-3-bipolar-babe-helps-young-people

Hear Andrea Paquette, also known as the Bipolar Babe, as she talks about her journey including her first episode, getting a bipolar diagnosis, and helping others. Andrea is the Executive Director of the Bipolar Disorder Society of British Columbia. She talks about how hard it is to accept help--be it a diagnosis or taking prescribed medication--but why it's worth it. Even superheroes need help sometimes.

Part 1 here: https://soundcloud.com/dbsalliance/mental-health-superheroes-pt-1-how-defeating-depression-prepared-churchill-to-defeat-hitler

Part 2 here: https://soundcloud.com/dbsalliance/mental-health-superheroes-pt-2-how-fighting-depression-helped-lincoln-fight-slavery