I am maintaining a list of the top ten “secrets” in the mental health field. Here is Part II, items five up to the big number one (items six to ten are can be found in Part I):

1. Cognitive problems

Cognitive disabilities can have a tremendous effect on people who appear to be fairly high functioning. This problem is not assessed enough and it is not treated enough. This abdication of responsibility is causing many people to lose their livelihoods, to have disrupted lives, to become homeless, and to suicide. Read more →

The February 1st edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that suffering a concussion in Iraq after a bomb attack was strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read more →

Welcome to the nineteenth edition of Brain Blogging — a semi-monthly blog carnival that aims to review posts “related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective.” Read more →

A new study presented by the World Health Organization points to the international community’s efforts to curb interpersonal violence and its mental and physical consequences. This past week nearly 200 experts on violence prevention assembled in Scotland for “Milestones 2007,” a gathering intended to critically examine advances made since the WHO release of the “World Report on Violence and Health,” in 2002. At the time of its original publication, a portion of this landmark report highlighted the psychological impact of interpersonal violence, supporting emerging research on the long-term, medically-related consequences of violence. This on-going study acts to solidify the link between violent behavior and consequently, mental distress. Read more →

Until a few days ago, I’d never heard of the Center for Gender Equity and National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. That’s when I viewed the program “Anxiety Disorders: More Than a Case of Nerves”. The keynote speaker was Ellen Haller, M.D., Professor Director of the WomenCare Mental Health Program in the UCSF’s Department of Psychiatry. Read more →

Interviewee: Nicole, age 26-30, from Washington was diagnosed with “Bipolar 2 Disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”.

I became depressed many years ago when I was 21 years old. It started after I had flashbacks to my childhood where it began to show me I was molested by someone. For a couple of years I ignored it all. I began sleeping all day and felt very bad about myself. Now I have so much build up in me I xlpode into a crying rage and I cant concentrate on anything. Everything I see makes me cry then i am ok for a few hours then it starts all over again. I have been diagnosed now as if yestarday and I am having a hard time understanding any of this. I am seeing a Psychologist.

… Read more →