Coping with Life

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My turn in the tube
2008-02-11 15:26:00
By DARCIE BORDENFeatured BloggerThey say tennis is the perfect metaphor for life. All I know is, I have had my share of 3-hour matches.And after 3 hours, you're hating life.But you also feel stronger, wiser and accomplished. If tennis is like life, then I may be in my twilight years. You see, I recently had my turn in the tube. The MRI, that is.I finally went to a sports medicine doctor to figure out my ongoing pinched nerve problem, and he is afraid I may have arthritis and possibly a degenerative disc in my cervical spine. No wonder I've been in so much pain. Knee problems are more common in tennis, but anyone who knows my build knows that I have a sturdy lower foundation. My large leg muscles and lower center of gravity gave me an edge in the game.Many people don't realize that the power in tennis comes from the lower body, not the arms. But, I think too many topspin serves have caused my recurrent problem. In fact, I think I have delivered my last topspin serve. Now I know wh...
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Postpartum depression legislation is ready to move forward - finally
2008-02-08 16:27:00
Supporters of legislation that will promote postpartum depression treatment are about to get their reward - and it's a Valentine's Day gift.The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act will be marked up in the Senate H.E.L.P. committee on Feb. 14, which also happens to be Valentine's Day.If all goes well, it could be passed by the committee on that day, supporters say. From there, it would go to the Senate and then return to the House of Representatives for final passage."As it originally passed by nearly unanimous bipartisan support in the House, we expect it would do so again," said Susan Dowd Stone, president of Postpartum Support International. "This is very encouraging progress."
More About: Depression , Finally , Move , Legislation , Ready

Britney Spears released from psychiatric ward of Los Angeles hospital
2008-02-07 02:11:00
Britney Spears was released on Wednesday from the Los Angeles hospital where she had been undergoing a mental evaluation since last week, according to Reuters.Spears, 26, slipped out of UCLA Medical Center escorted by a private security detail and was believed headed home before seeking additional treatment, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site.
More About: Britney Spears , Hospital , Britney , Released

Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose
2008-02-06 21:48:00
Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs that included painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, the New York City medical examiner says."Mr. Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine," medical examiner's spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said in a news release that was reported by The Associated Press.The medical examiner's office only provided generic names, so it is unknown whether he took generic or brand-name drugs, according to The Associated Press. Police had said they found six types of prescription drugs, including sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, in Ledger's apartment.Oxycodone is a painkiller marketed as OxyContin and used in other painkillers such as Percodan and Percocet; hydrocodone is used in a number of painkillers, including Vicodin. Diazepam and alprazolam are the generic names for the anti-anxiety drugs Valium...
More About: Heath Ledger , Died , Heath , Overdose

Heath Ledger's autopsy results could be revealed; what will the public lear
2008-02-06 15:52:00
The answer to why Heath Ledger died could be revealed as early as today, according to the Melbourne Daily Sun.But a public that has been clamoring for information regarding the late actor may not get all their questions answered - not right away, at least.The New York Chief Medical Examiner's Office, responsible for Ledger's autopsy and deciphering tests undertaken on his blood and tissue, confirmed today it was close to announcing the cause of the 28-year-old Australian actor's death, the paper reported."We're expecting something in the next two days,'' Ellen Borakove, director of public affairs at the New York Chief Medical Examiner's office, said.But other questions, such as the official estimated time Ledger died, will not be made public, according to the Sun.The Sun reported there has been speculation since Ledger's body was discovered in the bedroom of his rented Manhattan apartment on Jan. 22 that the actor may have been saved if medical help was called earlier.New Yo...
More About: Public , Results

Adults need parents, too
2008-02-04 15:49:00
By DARCIE BORDENFeatured BloggerI want my mommy!That’s how I feel sometimes. Not often, but in times of crisis, for sure. When you’re a grown-up and you fall, sometimes you need more than a Band-Aid. Lately I’ve been wondering, do we ever stop needing our parents?I’ve been a mother for 15 years now, applying Band-Aids to my own kids’ scrapes and cuts and soothing their worries and fears. The ironic thing is that as we get older, we’re supposed to need our parents less, but our cuts are sometimes deeper and our worries get bigger.My son Julian is in middle school, that time when he is no longer a little kid, but not yet a teenager. I feel like I’m in a middle stage too. I have all of the responsibilities of an adult and mother, but sometimes I want my parents to take care of me and tell me everything will be OK.As long as you can still feel like a child, there’s a feeling of security. Thankfully, I haven’t lost a parent yet, but I’ve read that when you do, you rea...
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Hey, Woodstock alumni: The "brown acid" actually may be good for you
2008-02-02 18:18:00
Dude - psychedelic drugs are back. But not in the traditional drop-in, drop-out sense.David Jay Brown wrote in the December issue of Scientific American that LSD and magic mushrooms and other drugs that "blew minds in the 1960s" may soon may be used to treat mental ailments.Scientists say they have "therapeutic potential" because they could ease a variety of difficult-to-treat mental illnesses, such as chronic depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug or alcohol dependency, Brown wrote.Clinical trials are underway - so start lining up, hippies. This time they are being explored in labs for their therapeutic applications rather than being used illegally, Brown wrote."The past 15 years have seen a quiet resurgence of psychedelic drug research as scientists have come to recognize the long-underappreciated potential of these drugs," Brown wrote. "In the past few years, a growing number of studies using human volunteers have begun to explore the possible therapeutic benefits o...
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Faced with loss, Michelle Williams can find hope
2008-01-31 22:10:00
If Heath Ledger's ex-girlfriend, Michelle Williams , is looking for inspiration in the face of her loss, she can look no farther than Mary Jo Codey.Williams (left), an actress, has been out of public view since "The Brokeback Mountain" star's death last week. But she is believed to be very distraught over the loss of the father of her 2-year-old daughter.Codey, meanwhile, is the wife of Richard Codey, who served as New Jersey's acting governor from 2004 to 2006. But she is known mainly for her public disclosure that she suffered from postpartum depression.The illness has dominated much of the last 25 years of Codey's life. But her story has inspired many - and now it's culminated with her winning the Eli Lilly Welcome Back Lifetime Achievement Award.Ten years ago, Eli Lilly and Company, a pharmaceutical promotion company, says it launched the "Welcome Back Awards" to fight the stigma associated with depression and promote the understanding that depression is treatable.Codey is "...
More About: Find , Hope , Loss , Michelle Williams

Our young boys are coming of age - at an early age
2008-01-31 15:21:00
Now that he's 9, my son comes up with questions I have trouble answering."Daddy, why do people smoke pot?""Daddy, why do people get divorced?"More than half-way through fourth grade, he's seeing things happen to his friends that he's never had to face in his own life. Like any smart child, he wants to explore.One family, in particular, has had its share of problems. The 17-year-old son has had legal troubles. The father has had substance-abuse issues. The parents are divorcing. The mother is overwhelmed. The 10-year-old boy — my son's friend — is often confused and sad.We've tried to help, giving the 10-year-old a place to stay for two weeks while the family sorted things out. We signed him up for karate and soccer.But the boy came to resent our help. He wants his mother, his father. He wants no more of us. Now you can add my son to the list of people suffering.My son is a sensitive child who absorbs the pain of others, forcing us to expand our role from supportive parent t...
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Britney Spears hospitalized for "mental health reasons;" but will she get t
2008-01-31 12:08:00
Britney Spears is back in the hospital now that rumors of her alleged drug use are rampant, and her disheveled public appearances and chameleon-like personality have raised suspicions that the former pop star has multiple personality disorder.The question is: Will she finally get treatment? Many don't, unfortunately, because mental health services are woefully inadequate for people who are committed for the first or second time.In most cases, the first or second commitment is a jail commitment. The nation's largest psychiatric facility, professionals say, is the Los Angeles County Jail. Psychiatric problems aren't usually detected unless someone commits a crime, and then they're forced to undergo an evaluation.From The Lost Angeles Times:Los Angeles Police officers physically removed pop star Britney Spears from her home early today, placing the troubled celebrity on a "mental health evaluation hold," authorities said.More than a dozen motorcycle officers and a Los Angeles Fire ...
More About: Britney Spears , Health , Mental , Mental Health , Britney

A crying Britney means a wealthier media
2008-01-30 00:30:00
Now Britney Spears has taken her troubles to the street - literally. The pop star was photographed outside her house Monday night, sobbing and talking to the photographers as though they are her friends.But as her troubles persist, it's clear that the media's adopted role as "shoulders-to-lean-on" is purely business-motivated - as this Associated Press story clearly points out:An Economy Grows Around Britney SpearsBy JEREMY HERRON In the days after the Britney Spears soap opera rode a police-escorted gurney to its apex, celeb-mag sales spiked, traffic jammed gossip Web sites, tabloid TV ratings rose and paparazzi photo prices surged.For a growing number of people and businesses, Britney's saga is about money: Every time she sinks to new lows, cash flows. And these days, no one is above the fray.When a custody dispute devolved into a three-hour standoff at Spears' home Jan. 3, police officers and firefighters were pressed into duty. Television stations sent up helicopters, and ca...
More About: Media , Crying

Are you too emotional?
2008-01-29 00:00:00
By DARCIE BORDENFeatured BloggerHas anyone ever accused you of being too emotional?Well, don't be insulted. That just means you're part of the human race, and maybe it also means you're more highly evolved or would have survived better in early human history.You know those goose bumps you get when you experience extreme emotion? The origin of goose bumps goes back to before we developed language to verbalize our emotions. We were also covered with hair back then. The goose bumps made the hairs stand up, and that showed our clan mates that we were experiencing extreme emotion. It also happened when we were the prey, and the hairs standing up from fear could make us look bigger or scarier to our predator, thus possibly ending the chase.Have you noticed that now that we no longer have all that hair standing up from the goosebumps, we feel the need to tell people when we have goosebumps? Like, "Wow, that gave me goosebumps."Ironic how we have the language to express our emotions now,...
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Britney to undergo mental health treatment; but she's still subject to ridi
2008-01-28 23:30:00
From The Huffington Post:Barbara Walters told her fellow panelists on "The View" that Britney Spears' friend-manager-hanger on Sam Lufti called her over the weekend to say that Britney has mental issues, that they are treatable, that she has seen a psychiatrist, and she is in touch with her mother. Then Whoopi made fun of it.Here is the link to the video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/28/ britney-spears-has-treata_n_83589.html
More About: Health , Mental , Treatment , Mental Health

MaryKate Olsen under the microscope in Heath Ledger death; or is she?
2008-01-25 20:18:00
Mary-Kate Olsen has had a charmed life. But she's never had it easy.The "Full-House"-turned-movie star has recovered from anorexia for 4 years now. Still, she's lived the Britney Spears life of having to dodge paprazzi and live a life behind closed doors.Now the question is how she handles the increased attention she's receiving because of the role she played in the aftermath of the discovery of Heath Ledger 's body.She's never had it easy, actually, because she's been stained by the media since going public with her struggles with eating disorders in 2004. Instead of focusing on her recovery, the media has sought to portray her as a "dirty girl" - like Britney - who plays it on the wild side.Because she's living this kind of "charmed" life, eating disorders can't possibly be the explanation for everything, the media believes - hence the rumors of potential drug abuse and other mischief that she's allegedly engaged in.The New York Post was at it again today (Jan. 25), postin...
More About: Death , Microscope

Heath Ledger was battling drug addiction, depression and paparazzi before h
2008-01-24 15:46:00
Once again, the media vultures are swooping overhead over a fallen Hollywood figure. Unlike Britney Spears, however, this time they've captured their prey: Heath Ledger .Much like Britney, his every moved was captured by a snapping camera or a shouting tabloid journalist who wanted to know about his romances, his break-ups as well as his reported drug abuse and mental illness.Their pursuit came to an end Tuesday, just as the media and paparazzi attention was picking up. Is it any wonder that the intense media pressure could have been the tip of the iceberg that broke this promising young actor?As I wrote earlier in the week - in a post about Britney - mental health professionals such as Debra Wentz, chief executive officer of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, said common sense dictates that media pressure "can certainly stress anyone out, and so that added pressure on someone who is vulnerable can lead to more symptomatic behavior.""I don't envy anyone in that p...
More About: Depression , Paparazzi , Addiction , Drug

Britney may have a mental illness, but she's only human
2008-01-23 15:14:00
It's no wonder that Britney Spears' obituary has already been written. Anyone would struggle to survive with paparazzi preying on their every move, ready to pounce and pop flashbulbs that blind their eyes.With the exception of that self-proclaimed master of mental healing - otherwise known as "Dr. Phil" - well-studied health professionals and advocates say a hostile, chaotic environment can only exacerbate a person's declining mental state.They look at how the media - and not just the so-called illegitimate tabloid kind that fills supermarket shelves - have almost self-created Britney's demise by goading her and baiting her into behaving in a bizarre way so they can be there if - or, quite possibly, when - the end comes.Debra Wentz, chief executive officer of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health Agencies, said common sense dictates that media pressure "can certainly stress anyone out, and so that added pressure on someone who is vulnerable can lead to more symptomatic beh...
More About: Human , Mental Illness , Illness

How do you cope?
2008-01-22 16:59:00
By DARCIE BORDENFeatured BloggerI'm sure you've heard this one before: "I believe everything happens for a reason." You may fall into one of two camps – you either agree with that statement wholeheartedly, or it irritates the hell out of you when someone says that. But, if you fall into the second camp, before you judge too harshly, consider this: we all have our own ways of coping.What's yours?From the beginning of time, people have looked for reasons outside of themselves as to why things happen. Early humans thought nature had emotions. So, if there was thunder and lightning, they thought the spirits were angry. Shamen helped them "cope" through various means. You might say a Shaman was an early combination of priest/therapist/pharmacist.Some people believe in astrology, some believe in religion, some believe in therapy and medication and some just drink or smoke their problems away - only to see their problems return when the mind-altering haze disappears.Whatever the means...
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Does Britney have a mental illness, and is her condition grave?
2008-01-21 21:51:00
Now the talk is that Britney Spears has multiple personality disorder. Or that she's ready to die.But much of that talk comes from wanna-be pop psychologists (as well as Dr. Phil, who fits that category - the only difference being that he has a degree).Many people of this ilk are in the media, each of whom have come up with their own diagnosis for a fallen pop star who has been shadowed and harassed by a band of mosquito-like paparazzi - their media colleagues - for two years now.TMZ and US Weekly are always ready to jump on the Britney-assault bandwagon, swooping overhead like a vulture who's ready to pounce on the dead carcass. Here is the latest news from both publicity mags/websites that appears to over-hype what is a common practice engaged by all respectable news organizations:"Britney Spears hasn't died, but the Associated Press has an obituary already written, should something happen to the "at-risk" former pop star.TMZ spoke to AP Entertainment Editor Jesse Washington wh...
More About: Mental , Mental Illness , Grave , Condition

Those who felt "maladjusted" can be creative, King said
2008-01-21 16:56:00
Mindfreedom International says the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called for "creative maladjustment."MLK said over and over that the world is in dire need for an "International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment."Martin Luther King's dream was not, apparently, ever officially realized. Until last year.MindFreedom International, which works for the human rights of people in the mental health system, intentionally and officially began an "IAACM" as part of its campaign to show "every human being's creative uniqueness and right to be nonviolently different.""We are proud to be mad, to be vulnerable, to be human beings. We are proud to be maladjusted to a world which believes in war and division, a world which does not value uniqueness, creativity, love, insight and harmony," said Mary Maddock, co-founder of MindFreedom Ireland.The mental health organization, which prides itself for pushing for mind improvement without medicine, asks people to consider what action...
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Someday, we will be free at last
2008-01-21 16:31:00
MLK, 1963:I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition....
More About: Free , Free At Last

Football star says he has multiple personality disorder
2008-01-19 12:55:00
From the Associated Press:Georgia football great Herschel Walker has multiple personalities - a revelation in an upcoming book that surprises the man who coached the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner."That's all news to me," former Georgia coach Vince Dooley said in Friday editions of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "All I know is whatever personality he had when he had the football was the one I liked.""Breaking Free" will chronicle Walker's life with multiple personality disorder, according to Shida Carr, a publicist at Simon & Schuster.Carr said the book will be published in August, but gave no other details and declined to provide excerpts.In three seasons at Georgia, Walker led the Bulldogs to a 33-3-1 record, three straight Southeastern Conference championships and the 1980 national title. He won the Heisman as a junior, then left school a year early to sign with the now-defunct U.S. Football League.Walker played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles ...
More About: Star , Personality , Personality Disorder

Maintaining a house can save a person's sanity
2008-01-19 04:17:00
Moving the front door open as I arrive home at night, I often dread what I see on the other side.Candy wrappers lay on the floor. Food crumbs sticking to the carpet, squashed by a 6-year-old boy’s feet. My 2-year-old daughter ripping baby wipes from their container, and throwing them on top of a pile of dirty laundry.What’s worse is that my wife and I often stay up late washing baby bottles, scraping the petrified crumbs off pans and picking up the dried-up baby wipes from the crumb-laden floor — only to have the mess return the next day.Maintaining a house can define a family’s morale, mental health professionals say. Like many others, we’ve found it impossible to keep up with the piling clutter and the shrinking storage space as our family has expanded.And the failure to keep up can create a sense of disorder that can consume and degrade a person’s life and prevent families from having productive time with each other, mental health professionals say.“There is a human...
More About: House , A House , Save

In the cold city streets, Wii can work together
2007-12-19 11:59:00
As the hours passed, our toes went numb. We shook our legs from time to time, just to keep the blood flowing. Some of us wondered who'd be the first to suffer frostbite.For nearly four hours, this New York City street felt like Fargo, N.D. In front of me was a line of 160 shivering people, each of them tired, disgusted and hungry. There was barely any semblance of Christmas spirit. Indeed, with the cold wind hitting my back -- making my coat feel as thin as paper -- I was feeling more of a sense of "I hope they appreciate this."We were waiting for the Wii, the interactive video game system that comes in a white box, with a slender white controller that will make my two boys go "ooh" and "aah" on Christmas Day. Its special effects and other appealing devices have caused a Beatlemania-like frenzy at stores.This crowd of shoppers outside Rockefeller Center's Nintendo World on a crisp, cold December morning consisted of fathers, mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers waiting patiently...
More About: Work , Cold , Streets , The Cold

Drugs may not be the first choice in mental health care, some say
2007-12-17 12:23:00
Not everyone believes that drugs should be the first alternative in managing mental health issues.The organization "MindFreedom International" has sent out an "alert" to tell people they have six more days to e-mail the National Institute of Mental Health about its "Strategic Plan," which outlines the agency's research goals for the next five years.The deadline is this Friday, Dec. 21. E-mail to: strategicplanning2@mail.nih.govWhat's needed? "Voices for Choices in Mental Health !" Mind Freedom has declared.Mind Freedom wants the NIMH to research on more choices in mental health than "drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs, drugs and more drugs."According to Mind Freedom:98 - number of times NIMH draft uses any of words "drug, medication, biological, illness, disease, genetics"38 - number of times NIMH draft uses word "brain"16 - number of times NIMH draft uses word "recovery"2 - number of times NIMH draft refers to the "mind"0 [zero] - number of times NIMH draft uses any of the words "c...
More About: Drugs , Health Care

A hidden agenda behind a veil of independence
2007-12-15 14:09:00
Here's something to keep in mind as the 2008 election nears.As much as he says he's independent, Bill O'Reilly really isn't. Only this time, he's using a mental health stereotype as a weapon in his manipulation.From the liberal blog, News Hounds:Bill O'Reilly Turns "Loony Left" Into Dangerous KillersAs the election grows closer, Bill O'Reilly's attacks grow more ruthless. His "far-left loon" routine has been kicked up a notch and now he claims the left is not only anti-Christian but also out of control,dangerous and sure to hurt or kill someone. [In November] on The Factor, he used three segments to hammer the message home which is exactly what he advised Republicans to do in his weekly column, 9/22, to prevent a Democratic win in 2008.After Newt Gingrich claimed that there was an 80 percent chance that Democrats would be victorious in '08', O'Reilly sounded the alarm in his weekly column. He offered the following campaign advise to Republicans which he has been using dil...
More About: Agenda , Independence , Hidden , Veil

Beware of parents who manipulate, and then alienate
2007-12-14 16:30:00
Ever hear of children who are manipulated by one parent to turn against the other?Some children figure it out and reconcile and with their "lost" parent. Many, however, don't."Pare ntal alienation syndrome occurs when a parent emotionally manipulates a child into turning against his or her other parent, in the absence of abuse or neglect," says Dr. Amy J.L. Baker.That's why Baker has written "Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome: Breaking the Ties that Bind," because it presents what has become a growing problem not only in families that are suffering from divorce, but also those that manage to stay together.The book "describes the 11 different catalysts to having the realization that one was a victim of parental alienation, [and] describes the long-term effects of parental alienation syndrome," she said.The book is based on research interviews with 40 adults who were alienated from a parent as a child, according to Baker's website, http://www.amyjlbaker.com.Baker is a n...
More About: Parents , Beware , Then , Pula

A little organization goes a long way
2007-12-13 03:56:00
The New Jersey Mental Health Institute, Inc. may seem like it has a limited reach because it's specified as a "New Jersey" group.But the NJMHI does so much more in so many places. Just to name a few:* Delivery of keynote presentations and trainings for a total of more than 50,000 individuals. Three statewide conferences focused on cultural competence to improve treatment quality for diverse populations - not only ethnic groups, but also elderly immigrants and gay and lesbian clients. NJMHI also coordinated training for more than 23,000 mental health providers in New Jersey's Children's System of Care.* Establishment of the Tsunami Mental Health Relief Project. More than 100 individuals in Sri Lanka were trained to help nearly 20,000 children and adults cope with the devastating effects of the tsunami in December 2004.* Awarding of scholarships to 20 bilingual, bicultural students pursuing Master's degrees in social work.* Developing and supporting policies that have increased ac...
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Six years later, there's still a place to go for those suffering from Sept.
2007-12-10 17:38:00
Even six years later, there are still places to go if you're a casualty of the Sept . 11, 2001 attacks.And they're not just places that care for those who suffer physically. There are still thousands of people still suffering from the aftershocks of the event, and deal with lingering depression and fatigue.There are still people who live alone, and suffer from the effects of losing a loved one. There are some who were there, and suffer from post-traumatic stress.Anne Marie Baumann is the senior vice president of the FealGood Foundation, and she's been receiving many calls from people who are becoming ill - mentally and physically.Baumann is still shocked herself by the lack of services provided to survivors of the attacks."They are looking for much needed help with not much available," she said. "It really is a shame and a discgrace!!!"Giver her a call at 631-724-3320.
More About: Place , Years , Suffering , Erin

Kids need support, even when they don't deserve it
2007-12-06 14:01:00
When I was a kid, my parents seemed to come to my rescue just at the right time - even when I didn't deserve it.Once, my parents stormed into the principal's office to complain after my seventh-grade music teacher grabbed my hair and dragged me to the hallway.They were defending the indefensible, really. The teacher had grown tired of my wisecracks and other misdeeds, and my parents knew it. But it made me feel good, so that's why they did it.Two months ago, I came full circle. My wife and I tangled with the principal of my 9-year-old son's school over his placement in math.Initially, we thought we were getting the brushoff, and I didn't let it go. I wrote an e-mail to the principal that was full of venom. I got a response - it wasn't nice, but it was a response - that spurred a meeting with the superintendent.In the days leading up to our meeting, debate raged in our household - especially because the school produced evidence that, in some ways, supported the principal's dec...
More About: Kids , Support , Serve

Finally, there's someone who not only cares about mental health, but how it
2007-12-03 14:51:00
Filmmakers often consider their craft a personal statement, but rarely is it to personal to the point of being real life.Sure, “A Beautiful Mind,” was personal. But it was a Ron Howard project, and he grew up in the comforts of Hollywood and an atmosphere that was virtually free of the kind of personal hell that the movie represented so well.Joseph Greco, however, grew up in Florida with a schizophrenic mother who suffered many of the same issues afflicting Marcia Gay Harden’s character in his movie, “CANVAS.”Indeed, “CANVAS,” was so personal that Greco often calls it “a labor of love.” He believes others will feel the same way – particularly those who went through the same kind of personal hell.“We want people to know that this a family like any family,” he told me in a recent interview.“CANVAS” has been in the movie theaters for more than a month, and it’s received a number of decent reviews from The New York Times, Roger Ebert and others. But many cr...
More About: Health , Mental , Mental Health , Finally , Some