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Even on her worst days, Tracy Young goes to her appointments at the San Fernando Mental Health Center. The counseling and medication, she says, keep her depression and schizophrenia at bay. “I come here faithfully,” said Young, 50. “I have to come here or I be feeling I just want to give up.” Young isn’t nearly as religious about her physical health, despite painful arthritis, a persistent backache, and a family history of cancer. Until this month, she hadn’t seen a medical doctor in more...

Like most mental health writers, I have compared depression to illnesses like diabetes in the past, and stressed the biochemical aspect of mood disorders in my efforts to reduce stigma. Somehow talking about the gene G72/G30 located on chromosome 13q (that may predispose individuals to depression and bipolar disorder) makes it more legitimate, as if the gene proves we aren’t making it up. However, the more I read about how abuse, trauma, and chronic stress –unresolved issues of all kinds —...

I chuckle when I hear this phrase: “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” The quote is attributed to Mark Twain. It has a lot of meaning to the brain. It applies to those who are engaged in the battle against childhood trauma as well. Once we gain knowledge about ACEs, and start our advocacy to help by promoting ACEs, the world starts to look like it is consumed by trauma. But that’s not the case. Our brain goes to work, and all of a sudden we are consumed by the knowledge...

Being a victim of violence may increase a woman's risk of blood vessel disease and possibly stroke, a new study suggests. "Both society and the health care sector need to be aware of the importance of exposure to violence and its impact, not only on social well-being, but also on women's long-term health," said study author Dr. Mario Flores. He is a research assistant at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico City. The study included 634 healthy women, average age 49, in Mexico...

Medium, the online writing platform, is hosting a series of Digital Town Hall Meetings focused on criminal justice reform. This will be Medium’s first attempt at this type of event. “Imagine a live-blogging event, but instead of hearing from only a couple journalists, anyone on the platform can ask questions and share their own expertise." The first meeting, discussing why people of color are disproportionately represented in the federal prison system and why some police officers abuse their...

More than half of Americans support closing youth prisons and redirecting the savings to community-based programs, data that gives momentum to efforts to close facilities around the country, advocates say. The Youth First Initiative , a national campaign to close youth prisons, released today polling data that delves into Americans’ attitudes about incarceration, punishment and rehabilitation. “We’re very encouraged by the results and we think this matches with the political will we’re...

Today, Health Leadership Fellows met and discussed Policy Briefing on Trauma Informed Care. Speakers were; Commissioner Vicki Grant, MSW Allegany County Department of Social Services. Her agency started TIC in 2006. Her county is a population of 48,000. She stated before TIC was initiated, her agency had difficulty attracting staff. As TIC was implemented within her organization, people seek out her agency for employment. Because of TIC, Social Services integrate their efforts in order to...

Some days at work are better than others. Yesterday was one of the best days I've had in awhile! I had the chance to speak to a small group of youth leaders from Cherokee Point Elementary School in San Diego, CA, on Wednesday. As a representative of the Chadwick Center for Children & Families, I came to talk with them about Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) month, which is coming up in April. We are collaborating with Cherokee Point in an effort to bring awareness to the community about CAP...

Chip and Gail Angell would have paid any price to save their son. They weren’t given the chance. Their 39-year-old son Chris, who suffered from schizophrenia, refused to allow his doctors to talk to his parents, even though they were his primary caregivers. So the Angells weren’t able to correct their son’s medical chart, which incorrectly listed the young man as uninsured. They weren’t able to plead with doctors not to base their son’s treatment on cost. “Whenever we tried to get Chris into...

A large majority of women with breast cancer develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the first few months after diagnosis, according to a new study led by researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich, Germany. The findings reveal that receiving a breast cancer diagnosis often has a stronger psychological impact than experiencing other types of severe trauma, such as a serious accident or a violent assault. Over half of the breast cancer patients in...

T he Psychology of Women once again welcomes Lauren Bittner to the Giveaway Girl project. Lauren is an award-winning freelance writer who focuses on women’s issues. She is a self-titled Giveaway Girl. Today, Lauren offers insights about how to handle #workprobs — workplace bullies. A Tale of Two Entirely Different Workplace Bullies Dealing with workplace bullies leaves me feeling completely disempowered at times. That’s not surprising for a Giveaway Girl. #workprobs: I know from the stories...

Toddlers may be ever so adorable but they can also be frustratingly poor at listening and respecting other people's feelings. So how are they able to grow into social butterflies a decade or two later, often capable of extraordinary friendship, loyalty and perceptiveness? While social development is a long process that lasts into our teens, our earliest experiences of forming social bonds are a lot more important than it may seem. In fact, studies have suggested that they have repercussions...