It’s late August. Interstate 95 in the Northeast is actually moving during morning and evening rush hours as workers ditch the daily commute for one last vacation of summer. Meanwhile, the stores are full of parents and their children shopping for new clothes and school supplies. Labor Day is late this year, but in […]
Our Latest Blogs
Vacations are supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation in the company of those we love. So why does “vacation” appear as a stress-inducing event on the Life Change Index Scale, otherwise known as “The Stress Test?” As much as we cherish the memories of family vacations past, the actual experience of going […]
22
Jun
Jun
Less than twenty-four hours after the horrific racially-motivated murders at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, armchair psychiatrists on the Internet were speculating whether the alleged killer has a mental illness. Among the first responses to an online article in the Wall Street Journal announcing the arrest of a suspect, 21-year […]
21
May
May
There are many mental health websites for families. So why did we at www.rtor.org create a new one? The answer is our Directory of Family-Endorsed Providers. The Directory is a listing of mental health providers that have been recommended by a family member of someone who has used their services and vetted by rtor.org’s Advisory Board of […]
03
May
May
Last night, about 175 Laurel House supporters gathered at the Woodway Country Club in Darien, CT to watch the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby, bid on items to benefit the Stamford-based non-profit, and honor this year’s “Champion for Recovery” Dr. Alan Barry, Commissioner of Social Services for the Town of Greenwich. They also watched […]
01
May
May
Twenty-seven years ago in May, I began a career in mental health. This did not happen by design or training. I had just left the Peace Corps after more than five years of volunteer service working with the street children of Tela, Honduras in Central America. I returned to the US with my idealism […]
02
Apr
Apr
A few weeks ago, I asked someone I know if she was getting the help she needed filling out forms that would allow her to continue receiving her state disability benefits. This was an older person who is legally blind and has lived with a disabling mental illness her entire adult life. She told me […]
20
Feb
Feb
Twenty years ago, when I spoke of recovery in mental health, many people thought me misinformed. “There’s no cure for mental illness,” one educated colleague told me. Now it seems that every community-based mental health provider in the nation offers “Recovery-Oriented” services. The federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has this to […]
12
Feb
Feb
Has anyone else been wondering what’s up with the extreme winter weather we’ve been experiencing in the northeast lately? I’m seriously wondering if Disney ice princess Elsa isn’t up to her tricks again… The following article is the first in a three-part series on the movie Frozen as an illustration […]
27
Jan
Jan
“To be a person is to have a story to tell.” – Isak Dinesen Storytelling is one of the oldest art forms practiced by humans. Stories entertain and teach. They reflect on experience and create community. Stories about recovery also have the power to heal. What is a Story of Hope and Recovery? Recovery in […]
07
Jan
Jan
A few weeks ago I received a call from a distraught mother, concerned about her 43-year-old son with bipolar disorder. He was in the manic phase of his bipolar disorder and displaying worrisome behavior. The last time she called emergency services, the police tasered him in her home, arrested him and dragged him away in handcuffs. […]
08
Dec
Dec
As the holidays approach and cold weather sets in, my mind drifts back to an amazing gift my wife and I received from a friend in the middle of last summer. I’ll call it the gift of parenting support. That may not sound like much, but to my wife and me, struggling to raise a […]
04
Nov
Nov
Last Thursday, families, friends and agency staff met at Laurel House to hear Licensed Clinical Social Worker Stephanie Raia speak on Family Coping Strategies in the fourth and final installment of the Family Seminar Series. Stephanie opened her talk with two great quotes: the Serenity Prayer, which many of us associate with Alcoholics Anonymous, and […]
28
Oct
Oct
Last week I was speaking with a colleague in mental health about a recent psychiatric crisis with a member of my family. We both agreed that in such situations, it’s important for families to have a trusted professional (or team of professionals) to turn to for help. My colleague stated that the crisis clinician’s job […]
17
Oct
Oct
Two weeks ago my wife and I attended a talk by Dr. Eli Lebowitz of the Yale Child Study Center, as part of Laurel House’s Family Seminar Series. Dr. Lebowitz is an expert on childhood and adolescent anxiety, and co-founder of the Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) program. One of the most powerful […]
23
Sep
Sep
Building on last week’s post for National Recovery Month, I would like to draw your attention to an important yet frequently overlooked and under-appreciated aspect of mental health care: rehabilitation services. Of the three basic components of public mental health systems – prevention, treatment and rehabilitation – rehabilitation is the one most closely linked to […]
09
Sep
Sep
What does the term “recovery” mean for a young person diagnosed with a serious mental illness? This website is intended as a resource to help families support the recovery of their loved ones with mental health conditions. But is recovery a meaningful concept for someone diagnosed with schizophrenia? For many people, schizophrenia and other serious […]
28
Aug
Aug
For the most part, the medications people take for schizophrenia treat only one symptom of the illness: the psychosis associated with delusions and hallucinations. Some of the most harmful effects of schizophrenia are the “negative symptoms” of flat affect, inability to take interest or pleasure in everyday life, lack of ability to begin and sustain […]
25
Aug
Aug
A new study at Arizona State University shows that parents of children with anxiety disorders often fall into a “protection trap” that can perpetuate the problem: Parents of Anxious Children Can Avoid the ‘Protection Trap’ Parents may fall into the protection trap in three ways: responding to a scared child’s fears and worries with positive attention […]
18
Aug
Aug
It’s mid-August and that time of year again. Having just dropped off my first-born at college a mere ten days ago, the off-to-school drill for first-year students is fresh in mind: Tuition paid, insurance waiver and other paperwork filed New clothes, laptop, mini fridge, school supplies, etc Figure out transportation options while away at school […]
13
Aug
Aug
Update: Much has changed since Robin Williams’ death in 2014. New information has been released regarding the circumstances of his reported suicide. There have also been changes in the family situation Jay describes in the post from August 13, 2014. For a happier, more positive continuation of this story, read Jay’s most recent post […]
12
Aug
Aug
It’s encouraging to see that someone has written about an important mental health treatment called “cognitive remediation” from the perspective of a family member: The Consequences of Mental Illness That Nobody Talks About As this opinion piece makes clear, there is a growing body of scientific evidence pointing to the benefits of cognitive remediation, a […]
05
Aug
Aug
Yesterday, a reader of my blog, asked a question in the comments section about environmental triggers in schizophrenia. The short answer I wrote in reply was “Trauma, stress, use of marijuana and other psychoactive substances are thought to be common triggers of psychotic symptoms.” I did a little poking around today and found this story […]
01
Aug
Aug
The American musician and comedian Oscar Levant may have been onto something when he said “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.” Levant, who wrote the humorously titled Memoirs of an Amnesiac, may have been playing on an old cliché about madness and creativity, but he was not entirely joking […]
13
Jun
Jun
Someone you love needs help. Following the recommendation of a trusted friend, or website such as rtor.org, you have identified a qualified mental health professional and made a first appointment. By all accounts, this person has the experience and skills to do the job. But how do you know he will be a good fit […]
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