This blog got started as an assignment for my New Media Storytelling class at Medill.
Now the quarter’s almost over and it’s time to do my final project.
But I need your help!
Please take a few minutes to fill out this survey so I can get some ideas on how to improve things and who exactly is […]

continue reading.....

As you’ve probably noticed by now, I have a lot of opinions about mental illness.
But I don’t always have the facts to back them up.
That’s why I’m so happy about a story I came across today: Testosterone may prevent eating disorders.
It helps support what I wrote yesterday about biology being a likely reason why women […]

continue reading.....

In recognition of Women’s History Month in March, here’s a gender-specific look at mental illness.
According to the federal government’s Office on Women’s Health, many women are in a bad place psychologically:
Women suffer twice as often as men by most forms of depression and anxiety disorders, and nine times as often by eating disorders.
Some of that […]

continue reading.....

Here in Chicago, the kids have off from school today to honor the great Polish Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski.
For me, it’s a good excuse to listen to one of my favorite Sufjan Stevens songs.
And of course, I get to share the latest batch of mental-health news with you.
- The always-reliable World of Psychology has […]

continue reading.....

Got a bad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Watch and learn:

continue reading.....

I love dogs.
My family has two — a pug/Boston terrier mix named Rosie and a fluffy mutt named Pixie.
They can get annoying sometimes, like when they follow you all around the house or constantly bark to be let outside. But they’re also great faithful friends, showing appreciation just for scratching or petting them.
Various studies have […]

continue reading.....

If you haven’t heard of Larry Norman, who died Sunday at age 60, don’t worry.
In fact, I’d be surprised if you HAD heard of him and were a) born after 1980 or b) not raised in the evangelical Christian subculture, like I was (although my parents were way more relaxed and cool than a lot […]

continue reading.....

Depression can be a tough nut to crack when it comes to treatment.
Many people don’t respond well to the first antidepressant they try, or they can’t handle the side effects. So they give up.
But a new government study says that for depressed teenagers who aren’t getting better, trying a different medicine along with cognitive behavioral […]

continue reading.....

Class was back in session at Northern Illinois University on Monday, 11 days after a former graduate student opened fire on a lecture hall, killing five students and then himself.
Grief counselors attended class along with students and faculty, speaking for five minutes and offering help to anyone who wanted it.
But Micky Sharma, director of NIU’s […]

continue reading.....

In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 24-March 1), here’s some off-the-beaten-path looks at these serious (sometimes fatal) mental illnesses.
At World of Psychology, Sandra Kiume points out that disorders such as anorexia and bulimia occur in middle-aged and elderly women, as well as men of all ages. Girls and boys who fought a […]

continue reading.....