On a gloomy Connecticut morning in December, I sat down with Ginny Levy to discuss her most recent project, Parts Unbound: Narratives of Mental Illness and Health which is published by LimeHawk Books. The book contains 18 essays detailing different experiences of mental illness. The majority of the writers speak about their own experiences of […]
Our Latest Blogs
10
Dec
Dec
Depression is a common mental health disorder that tends to be cyclical in nature. Some people experience a single episode after a difficult event or period in their lives, while others struggle with it over the course of a lifetime. The following is a list of notable people who have experienced major depression or a […]
08
Dec
Dec
The following story is written by Chris who is a Brooklyn, NY resident living with a mental health disorder. She shares her unique outlook on recovery as well as her hopeful message with us today. We are grateful that Chris is sharing her story on rtor.org. —Veronique Hoebeke, Associate Editor Before I give the details of my recovery, I […]
01
Dec
Dec
It seems like a no-brainer that spending time outside in the fresh air while doing physical activities is good for us. Thankfully, there are many research findings which indicate that spending time in nature, especially while exercising, has many mental health benefits. From a boost in self-esteem and attention span to decreased feelings of depression […]
24
Nov
Nov
Your purchase of any items on this list from amazon.com help support the costs of running rtor.org, a free service of Laurel House, Inc., 501 (C)(3), non-profit organization. Another Holiday Season is fast approaching and many of us are struggling to come up with gifts to give our family members. This year, give the gift […]
18
Nov
Nov
The holidays are supposed to be a time of relaxation, good food and family fun, right? Well that isn’t always the case. Google searches for “family fights” and related search terms always increase right around Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays. Expectations and stress can be high around the holidays and if you or a loved […]
17
Nov
Nov
If stories have the power to heal, then stories about mental illness have the potential to heal at the most fundamental level, touching on our sense of self and how we experience our lives. We often think of illness in terms of its impact on the body. But illness also affects the mind, and […]
12
Nov
Nov
Your purchases of any items listed in this article on Amazon.com will help support the costs of running rtor.org, a free service of Laurel House, Inc., 501 (C)(3), non-profit organization This is the first installment in rtor.org’s “Living Well” series on notable people who have been recognized for their achievements in politics, science, and the […]
03
Nov
Nov
Let me give you an idea of who I am, what type of OCD I have and what exactly I’m doing about it. I have an annoying OCD enemy situated at the forefront of my brain. We have been together for about 8 years on and off, we disagree on everything and I have been […]
29
Oct
Oct
Does the term “mental illness” bother anyone else as much as it bothers me? As a treatment provider helping people to determine if they would like to discuss their “disability” with an employer, I have been in the uncomfortable situation of informing someone that their anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD or some other DSM diagnosis […]
27
Oct
Oct
This article is co-written by Jay Boll, RtoR’s Editor-in-Chief and Veronique Hoebeke, RtoR’s Associate Editor. Both of them have used their combined knowledge of mental illness, psychology and love of film to come up with 6 of the most popular movies that get both the science and the realities of mental illness wrong. Warning: This article contains spoilers. […]
22
Oct
Oct
This article contains spoilers for The Visit, The Village, The Happening and The Sixth Sense. If you don’t want the details of these films ruined for you, watch them first and meet me back here. Dear Mr. Shyamalan, I want to discuss your latest work, The Visit with you. I went to see this […]
20
Oct
Oct
Welcome to another RtoR Scavenger Hunt Quiz where you have to look around our site to find the answer to each question. Don’t worry, we give you hints along the way. This quiz’s theme is Pop Culture and Mental Health. Good Luck! Thanks for playing! Tell us how you […]
15
Oct
Oct
The University of New Hampshire has identified three areas that are the most important for your social wellness. Having lots of friends and acquaintances isn’t the pinnacle of being socially well. You have to take into account how you communicate, how healthy each relationship is and how you can manage your stress. Check out […]
13
Oct
Oct
Rarely does a movie get beneath my skin the way that the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy did. As a child growing up in the 60s I preferred the American pop sound of the Beach Boys to the anglicized rock and roll of the Beatles. So I silently cheered when Paul Dano playing […]
09
Oct
Oct
On Thursday October 15, Attorney Patrick Poeschl of the law firm Nemchek & Poeschl will speak on the topic of “Disability Estate Planning and Conservatorship.” This informative talk is a part of Laurel House’s Family Seminar Series which is offered free of charge. Family trust and estate planning can help build a better future for your […]
08
Oct
Oct
Wellness is a concept that affects all parts of our lives and certainly something that we should bring into the workplace. It’s estimated that the average American worker spends 9 hours a day doing work-related duties so it makes sense to incorporate elements of wellness in such a major area of our lives. Before […]
02
Oct
Oct
In May of 2013 a Canadian comic named Kevin Breel gave an 11-minute TEDx Talk that went instantly viral with more than 3 million views to date. Two big things about the speech “Confessions of a Depressed Comic” account for its success: the speaker’s age and the message he delivered. Kevin might downplay the […]
01
Oct
Oct
In late summer 2007, my teenager self got the devastating news that my favorite band, The White Stripes had cancelled their tour. I was not going to be able to attend their concert that was only a few weeks way in my local area. Like any teen with a music obsession, I was crushed. […]
29
Sep
Sep
The following story is written by 19 year old Salman, a Kenyan refugee who now lives in Omaha, Nebraska. We all know childhood trauma can have a very negative effect on one’s mental health yet Salman has not let the difficulties of his past stop him. Due to Salman’s persistence, positive attitude and desire […]
24
Sep
Sep
In a previous post, our Associate Editor Veronique Hoebeke wrote about the Benefits of Practicing Financial Wellness for people with mental health conditions. Veronique’s post describes how people with mental health issues can improve their overall wellbeing by following basic practices of financial wellness, such as setting financial goals, budgeting and saving money. But […]
18
Sep
Sep
Rtor.org’s sponsor, Laurel House, is proud to announce they will be hosting a speaking event for mental health activist and comedian, Kevin Breel. At the ripe age of 19, Kevin bravely took the stage for a TEDx Talk to speak out about his personal […]
18
Sep
Sep
I love the month of September. Here in the Northeast we tend to get a long run of warm and sunny days, low humidity, and cool nights. Young people are back in school, many of them with a sense of hope and fresh beginnings. Parents are glad to have the kids out of the […]
17
Sep
Sep
You are in a crowded room at a party you don’t really want to be attending. But you decide to try and make the best of it. A few minutes go by and you start to feel a knotting in your stomach then, a pain in your chest. A few more seconds pass and […]
15
Sep
Sep
Environmental wellness focuses on what is around you on a daily basis and how your surrounding can affect you both positively and negatively. It’s easy to get so used to who and what you see everyday that you become blind to what can be emotionally and physically harmful in your surroundings. Here are 3 questions to ask yourself […]
08
Sep
Sep
Remember how you learned to ride a bike? What if you had to unlearn everything you knew about this basic task you probably learned in childhood? This video illustrates how hard it is to re-train the brain to think differently. The narrator of this video speaks about his experiment riding a backwards-handled bike. During […]
01
Sep
Sep
The world is becoming more and more tech-savvy so it makes sense that the field of mental health is starting to go digital. But with new mental health software and smartphone apps released almost everyday, people need a trusted source to review these products. That is where Psyberguide.org comes in. Psyberguide is a website that […]
26
Aug
Aug
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 […]
25
Aug
Aug
This is the first of many RtoR Scavenger Hunt Quizzes where you can search our site and/or the Web for answers to each question. This quiz’s theme is about being a caregiver for a loved one with a mental illness or mental health disorder. Good Luck! Thanks for playing! Tell us how […]
18
Aug
Aug
The following post is written by Drew Osbahr who uses his love of music as a way to recover from anxiety and depression. We are thankful that Drew has let us share his recovery story on rtor.org -Veronique Hoebeke, Associate Editor Hi, my name is Drew and I have been recovering one step at a time from […]
11
Aug
Aug
“One of the secrets of life is to keep our intellectual curiosity acute” – William Lyon Phelps In our modern lives, there are so many things to keep track of: making healthy meals, being physically active, staying on top of things at work, making sure the kids are doing well in school and about a million other […]
04
Aug
Aug
When most people think of wellness they conjure up images of some bohemian looking woman telling you why you should start practicing yoga or eating kale. But wellness is actually about maintaining health and balance in each aspect of a person’s life. Much like emotional or physical health, financial well-being can have an enormous […]
30
Jul
Jul
Treatment of a mental health disorder begins with an assessment and a diagnosis. Unfortunately, there are no foolproof tests for mental illness. A CAT scan might alert doctors to a neurological problem that allows them to rule out schizophrenia. But schizophrenia itself will not turn up in a CAT scan, blood test, x-ray, or […]
28
Jul
Jul
Maybe you have noticed that the free and open style of the Internet has encouraged many bloggers and social media users to open up about their experience with bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder. While many of these people may have a confirmed mental health disorder, some give the impression of being self-diagnosed or […]
21
Jul
Jul
The following post is written by Bing Devine, a Connecticut resident who lives with mental illness. We are grateful to Bing for allowing us to share her story on rtor.org. -Veronique Hoebeke, Associate Editor Who Am I? I have been excited all day, for today I am going to meet all the tenants in my unit. We will assemble in […]
16
Jul
Jul
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 […]
14
Jul
Jul
As you can see from our last post on the topic, our Editor in Chief, Jay Boll has some strong opinions about the new video game Hellblade. In short, the game features the Celtic warrior, Senua who battles a variety of mental illnesses after a Viking attack on her village. I understand my coworker’s point of […]
09
Jul
Jul
“A wise man ought to realize that health is his most valuable possession” – Hippocrates It’s no mystery that taking care of your physical well-being is extremely important to your health and happiness. Yet, the average American leads a busy stressed-out life which puts health and wellness on the back burner. There is a lot of complicated information […]
07
Jul
Jul
Everyone knows Franklin Roosevelt’s famous quote “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” but for much of Michelle Poler’s life, she had precisely 100 things to fear. From big dogs to roller coasters, from wearing patterned clothing to dancing in public, Michelle was afraid of mostly everything. Yet, when this 26 year old art […]
30
Jun
Jun
Keeping your emotional well-being balanced is no easy task. Feelings can be hard to figure out and they might appear to be out of your control. Being able to manage your emotions and have healthy relationships with others is vital to your emotional wellness. Keeping these five tips in mind can help you achieve emotional […]
25
Jun
Jun
Pacifica is a free smartphone app that is designed to use the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Mindfulness to help with daily stress, anxiety and depression. With anxiety and depression being the most common mental health disorders, I’m glad that app developers are addressing this issue. There are six major aspects to Pacifica and each one has […]
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 […]
18
Jun
Jun
An RtoR SmackDown of the Generations – Millennial vs. Baby Boomer! The metaphor of mental illness as a kind of living hell within the mind is nothing new. But Hellblade, the Game? When I first read that gaming company Ninja Theory wants to provide an “accurate and sensitive” portrayal of mental illness in its combat-based […]
16
Jun
Jun
Video gaming gets a bad rap. It’s either being blamed for causing violent behavior in children or being called out for perpetuating negative stereotypes of women. Game developers at Ninja Theory plan to change all that by releasing Hellblade in 2016 for PS4 and Windows PC. The game focuses on the female warrior, Senua […]
11
Jun
Jun
The following untitled poem was written by Betsi, a 54-year old participant in Laurel House’s Thinking Well program. Thinking Well is a group activity that helps people with serious mental health conditions practice and improve their thinking skills for better functioning at home, work, school and the community. During her time in Thinking Well, Betsi […]
02
Jun
Jun
It’s common knowledge that smoking is harmful for your health yet it’s not as well-known that up to 70% of those who use tobacco products also have a mental health diagnosis. There is an on-going debate about whether or not hospitals should forbid those with mental illnesses from smoking. Some claim that limiting access to […]
31
May
May
At last! The end of May is here and I can write the final post of the day for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Month. It isn’t easy posting on a new mental health topic every day and now I have a much better appreciation for what it is like to be in the […]
30
May
May
This Thinking Well activity is designed for program participants to practice communication skills in either social or professional settings. It is designed for use in a group setting with a clear leader for the activity: Participants in the Thinking Well program who near completion of their cognitive training classes regularly express the desire to find employment. The computer-based exercises of cognitive […]
29
May
May
How common is mental illness? The answer depends on what you mean by “mental illness.” The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that 18.6% of adult Americans experienced mental illness in the last year (call this the “1-in-5 definition”). The rate for children is slightly higher, although the childhood statistics from NIMH refer to […]
28
May
May
Volunteers make a great contribution to many people’s lives. Here in the mental health field, we understand the impact just one caring individual can make. Laurel House, the non-profit mental health organization that brings you Rtor.org, publicly honors one special volunteer each year with its “Power of One” award. The past three award winners were […]
27
May
May
On Saturday, May 23, mathematician and subject of the book and film “A Beautiful Mind” John Nash, Jr. died with his wife Alicia in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. He was 86 years old and had just received the prestigious Abel Prize from the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, when […]
26
May
May
In the last few months, I’ve noticed that the women’s clothing departments in several mainstream clothing’s stores selling T-shirts with a slogan that decrees a certain activity is “cheaper than therapy”. I’ve personally seen yoga, running, gardening and wine all being advertising as a therapy substitute. It’s not only in the stores; as I […]
25
May
May
Robert Graves in his poem “Recalling War” reflects on the experience of war in human memory. The poem was written twenty years after the end of World War I, in which Graves served as an officer in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. In the opening lines, he could be describing a typical Memorial Day as most […]
24
May
May
The sound of their child’s voice is something most parents love to hear. No doubt will the sudden cessation of that voice cause most parents to feel fear and confusion. Selective mutism is a form of anxiety which 7 out of every 1,000 children experience. There is no difference in the rate of prevalence by sex or […]
23
May
May
The term “toxic perfectionism” is a bit of a misnomer because all perfectionism is toxic. “Why?” you might ask, “There is nothing wrong with wanting to be your best”. True, pursuing your best self is a noble task but perfectionism rarely helps people achieve their goals. The pursuit of perfection places the sole value […]
22
May
May
A few years ago, I consulted with a colleague about a man I worked with who was having a hard time accepting that he might have schizophrenia. He was a deep thinker with a very rich and interesting past. His life had become increasingly restricted due to symptoms of his illness which he would not […]
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 […]
20
May
May
This Thinking Well activity is designed to promote positive thinking in the daily lives of program participants. While the activity is designed for use in a group setting, individuals can also benefit: Many of us have heard the term neuroplasticity, which is the idea that the adult brain is adaptable at any age and […]
19
May
May
A few months ago, I wrote about recovery as it relates to mental health (Time to Start Walking the Walk). In that piece, I described a scientific approach to recovery that is based on two measurable conditions: human agency – the ability to exert control over oneself and one’s environment – and self-efficacy – a […]
18
May
May
Mental health is a topic no one in the workplace wants to talk about but no one can afford not to. Many companies lose revenue and productivity by not addressing mental health but the fear and shame surrounding the topic leads both employers and employees from speaking out about this very important issue. Mental […]
17
May
May
Some of you may be wondering why I use that funny word for the title of my blog… Eunoia. Here’s my very first blog post from May 2, 2014, with the answer. Eunoia: Thoughts on Healthy Thinking EUNOIA [yoo-noy-uh]. This little known word comes from the Greek εὔνοια, meaning “well mind” or “beautiful thinking.” It is also […]
16
May
May
There are few things worse than watching a loved one’s mental health steadily decline because he is too sick to recognize he has a problem. The feeling is even worse when the loved one lives halfway across the country: you know he’s in trouble, but can’t be there to help and have no idea of […]
15
May
May
Although RtoR’s Directory of Family-Endorsed Providers focuses on the northeastern states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, our Resource Specialists receive calls from people across the nation looking for help for a loved one with a mental health concern. A website’s reach does not stop at the state line. At rtor.org we try […]
14
May
May
For Mental Health Awareness Month, Resources to Recover kicks off its new Family Resource Collection with the one book that is indispensable to any family facing serious mental health concerns. Dr. Lloyd I. Sederer’s The Family Guide to Mental Health Care is a comprehensive guide to the identification, care and treatment of mental illness. There may […]
13
May
May
In the most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Franchise, Avengers: Age of Ultron, the superheroes encounter a superhuman who has the power of mind control. She uses her abilities to make the heroes hallucinate their worst fear which is either an incident from their past or the worst outcome in the future. When we see […]
12
May
May
Adolescents who identify as LGBTQ are known to face discrimination. Not only do they experience stigmatization and alienation from their peers but also can face similar attitudes at home. It is believed that experiences of discrimination may contribute to mental health issues in LGBTQ people. Research has found that those who identify as homosexual […]
11
May
May
Last Month, the National Council for Behavioral Health presented the winners of its annual Awards of Excellence at the 2015 NATCON Conference in Orlando. This year’s winner of the Inspiring Hope award for Reintegration Lifetime Achievement was Alice Medalia, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Columbia University Medical Center, and Director of […]
10
May
May
Being the primary caregiver for a family member with a mental health disorder is hard. People in caregiver roles often experience burnout symptoms like extreme sadness, guilt, worry and disinterest in previously enjoyable activities. Taking care of your own mental health can keep the stress of care-giving manageable. Remember this is not your […]
09
May
May
Those involved in Mental Health Awareness Month have done a lot to break the stigma that exists about people living with mental health disorders. Yet, one disorder is the target of extensive social shaming and victim blaming: Postpartum Depression. The cause of Postpartum Depression is not entirely clear; the research points to a combination of […]
08
May
May
The story of the Judgement of Solomon from the Biblical Book of Kings is one of the first recorded cases of legal jurisprudence. You have probably heard of King Solomon’s famous ruling to literally split a child in half to share him between the two women claiming to be his mother. The wisdom of […]
