Mental Health Blog
Sharing optimistic news about serious mental health concerns such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, and OCD.
Mental health treatment programs that gather satisfaction data will improve program services and out
The mental health field is undergoing a paradigm shift in which the voice of the consumer is being sought out as the focus shifts to empowerment and two-way communication and away from one-way communication. Introduction Collecting critical feedback from customers can...
After the suicide of your son, how do you restore your sense of hope?
I have known a few thousand individuals with serious mental illness, and their families. Sometimes I have met these families after the chaos of a near-death experience of a loved one. Living next to or with mental disorder is like living next to a fire… it can blaze...
Shining a light on mental health treatment success in New York City.
Embedded within today's New York Times article about the struggles to find hospital beds in New York City, I also saw a wonderful success story. Several years ago I met Steve Coe, who leads Community Access. At that time, I was the volunteer board chairman of a new...
Catching up with Dr. Jeffrey Geller and Carrie Sacco, RN of the Worcester Recovery Center
Dr. Geller and Virgil, both making excellent points! On a beautiful Sunday afternoon at my home in Monterey, MA, I enjoyed hosting Jeffrey Geller, MD, MPH and Carrie Sacco, RN and learning about their new endeavors to improve mental health care in Massachusetts....
Are the brain and mind two sides of the same coin?
In the face of complexity, some seek simplicity, believing that the brain and the mind are two sides of one coin. Furthermore, some believe that by young adulthood, the brain-mind identity is more static than changeable. Some may see a ‘mental illness’ diagnosis as...
Understanding and accessing the continuum of mental health care
Introduction In the summer of 2017, I completed a chapter as the founding Executive Director of CooperRiis Healing Community in Asheville, North Carolina. I have had similar chapters in the healing communities of Gould Farm in Monterey, Massachusetts, Gateway Homes in...