Maintain Open Communication About Mental Illness

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Maintain Open Communication About Mental Illness
• Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans
• From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs
• Stand Up for Mental Health
• Latest Mental Health News

Maintain Open Communication About Mental Illness

Open communication about mental illness is important, but it's often difficult (Talking to Others About Your Mental Illness). When someone in your life, whether it's you or someone you care about, is newly diagnosed with a mental illness, life can be stressful. Behaviors can seem irrational, and it can feel like everyone is on an endless, wild roller coaster. Physical and emotional exhaustion are common. An effective way to reduce stress and create calm is to communicate openly.

The chance to talk and to feel heard are basic needs we all have. Use these tips to encourage open communication:

• Use words intentionally. What you say has a big impact on others, so consider your words carefully before you utter them.
• Watch how you say things. If you're frustrated, take a few moments to breathe deeply, gather your thoughts, and think about your tone before you speak.
• Avoid asking "why" ("Why did you do that?" or "Why don't you get off the couch and take a walk?"). Wanting understand each other is good; however, asking "why" questions can sound hostile and accusatory. Instead, try phrases such as, "Help me understand..." or "I hear you saying...."

Open communication increases understanding, empathy, and cooperation. While tricky, it's possible and worth the effort.

Related Articles Dealing with Open Communication About Mental Illness

• Communication Guidelines
• Healthy Communication
• Talk About Depression, Tell Somebody
• Opening up to Loved Ones About Self Harm
• How to Talk to Your Family About Your Mental Illness
• How to Help Someone with a Mental Illness

Your Thoughts

Today's Question: How do you successfully communicate with people about mental illness, whether your own or a loved one’s? We invite you to participate by commenting and sharing your feelings, experiences and knowledge on the HealthyPlace Facebook page and on the HealthyPlace Google+ page.

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Share our Stories

At the top and bottom of all our stories, you'll find social share buttons for Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and other social sites. If you find a particular story, video, psychological test or other HealthyPlace feature helpful, there's a good chance others in need will too. Please share.

We also get many inquiries about our linking policy. If you have a website or blog, you can link to any page on the HealthyPlace website without asking us beforehand.

Most Popular HealthyPlace Articles Shared by Facebook Fans

Here are the top 3 mental health articles HealthyPlace Facebook fans are recommending you read:

1. Functionality as the Measure of Quality of Life in Bipolar
2. PTSD and Fatigue: Is It Normal to Feel So Tired?
3. Depression – I’d Rather Be Sleeping

If you're not already, I hope you'll join us/like us on Facebook too. There are a lot of wonderful, supportive people there.

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From the HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Three Lessons Vital to Rape Survivors
• Get Over It Is Not Helpful Advice for Mental Illnesses
• Binge Eating Disorder, Anxiety, and Coping
• What Causes Anxiety, and Does It Matter?
• What is Other Specified Dissociative Disorder?
• A Relaxed Mind Is a Happy Mind
• The Stress of PMS and the Impact on Women’s Mental Health
• Taking Care of Mentally Ill Mom During Back-to-School
• Some Days It’s Hard to Be a Positive Person
• Does the Addictive Personality Exist?
• Functionality as the Measure of Quality of Life in Bipolar
• Recognize Progress in PTSD Recovery to Promote Further Healing
• Going on Vacation With Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder
• Parents Affected by Mental Health Stigma
• Depression Self-Care in Relationships Requires Communication
• Borderline Personality Disorder, Manipulation vs. Honesty

On all our blogs, your comments and observations are welcomed.

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

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Stand Up for Mental Health

Thousands Have Joined the Stand Up for Mental Health Campaign

But we still need you. Let others know there's no shame in having depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, trichotillomania, OCD, ADHD, schizophrenia or any other mental illness.

Join the Stand Up for Mental Health campaign. Put a button on your website or blog (buttons for family members, parents, mental health professionals and organizations too). We also have covers for Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

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Latest Mental Health News

• Childbirth Pain Linked To Risk Of Postpartum Depression
• Parents' Psychiatric Disease Linked To Kids' Risk Of Suicide Attempt, Violent Offending
• New Study Links Mental Health And Slow Heart Failure Recovery
• Antibody Reduces Harmful Brain Amyloid Plaques In Alzheimer's Patients
• Language Learning Boosts Brain Plasticity And Ability To Code New Information
• Activating Dopamine Neurons Could Turn Off Binge-Like Eating Behavior
• ADHD Associated With Unhealthy Diet In Pregnancy
• Study Finds Heart Infections Increasing Among Younger Injection Drug Users

These stories and more are featured on our mental health news page:

That's it for now. If you know of anyone who can benefit from this newsletter or the HealthyPlace.com site, I hope you'll pass this onto them. You can also share the newsletter on any social network (like facebook, stumbleupon, or digg) you belong to by clicking the links below. For updates throughout the week:

• circle HealthyPlace on Google+,
• follow HealthyPlace on Twitter
• follow HealthyPlace on Pinterest
• or become a fan of HealthyPlace on Facebook.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index