WISCONSIN UNITED
for MENTAL HEALTH

MONTHLY FEATURE JULY 2008 - Coping with Natural Disasters

Flooding in the Midwest
Earthquakes in China
Fires in the West

Natural disasters happen everyday, although some touch us more than others.  Whether your home has been destroyed or you are watching the television news with dismay from the safety of your home, natural disaster can affect us all.  The following are some resources that can help you cope if you think someone you know is suffering from anxiety that is beyond what you consider normal.

Mental Health Resources for Coping with Disasters - American Psychiatric Association: Healthy Minds

Resources for people with Disabilities - Wisconsin Disability Navigators Program

Coping with Disaster - FEMA

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MONTHLY FEATURE MAY 2008 - May is Mental Health Month

For more than fifty years, our country has celebrated Mental Health Month to raise awareness about mental illnesses and the importance of mental wellness for all.
 
Mental Health Month (May 1 – 30)

• Get Connected - Learn how social support can help create good mental health and reduce stress; 2008 Theme for Mental Health Month from Mental Health America
• National Mental Health Information Center - numerous online brochure and information about Mental Health Month, children's mental health and Anxiety Disorders
• Be sure to check our Calendar of Events to find out about what's going on across Wisconsin

Children’s Mental Health Week (May 4 – 10)

• Childhood and Adolescence (internal WUMH Web site section)
• Children's Mental Health Awareness Week Web site sponsored by the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health

National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day (May 7)

• Anxiety Disorders (internal WUMH Web site section)
• Free screenings available from Freedom from Fear
  

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (May 8)

• The goal of Awareness Day is to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families.
• The 2008 theme: Thriving in the Community, with a special emphasis on high school youth who receive the services they need are more likely to have positive outcomes such as better grades and higher rates of education and less likely to have negative outcomes such as involvement with the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
  
• Official Web site from SAMHSA

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MONTHLY FEATURE MARCH 2008 - The Brain

The brain is the organ that controls feelings, behaviors, and thoughts, and changes in the brain’s activity result in long- or short-term changes to these. Mental illnesses such as depression are diseases of the brain.  - National Institute of Health

Mental Illnesses are diseases of the brain.  The brain is an incredibly complex organ that controls everything we do.  Learning about the brain and what can go wrong within it can help us understand how mental illnesses are real and treatable.  The following resources can help you learn more.

Brain Research
Brain Chemistry Ties Anxiety and Alcoholism
PET's Targeted Imaging May Lead To Earlier Diagnosis Of Dementia And Alzheimer's Disease
Children Of Alcoholics: Different Brain Regions Effect Who May Or May Not Develop Alcohol Problems
Adolescents At Risk Of Developing A Substance-use Disorder Have Deficits In Frontal Brain Activation

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month
Brain Injury Association of America
Traumatic Brain Injury - basic information and resources for additional information from the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill
Traumatic Brain Injury: Cognitive and Communication Disorders - National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

More about the Brain
The Dana Foundation - a private philanthropic foundation with principal interests in brain science, immunology, and arts education.
    Brain Awareness Week  (March 10-16)
    Sleep Disorders (March 3-9 is Sleep Awareness Week)