Defying Mental Illness is a plain-language guide to recovery from mental illness. Its strengths-based approach makes mental health disorders and treatment understandable. Covers schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, autism, suicide prevention, childhood mental illness and more. "Provides what's needed most: a lucid and more than adequate introduction to mental illness." --NAMI Advocate "An introductory set of strength-based strategies to fight isolation, focus on recovery, and keep families together." -- Dr. Tom Pyle "Encourages doing what one can to answer illness...A useful reference and recommended reading for health and spirituality collections." --Midwest Book Review. “We have too few books on the market that really take the sting out of what can be a frightening situation . . . I like the fact that the book is such an easy read and yet so complete.” --Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein. Suitable for client education and community outreach work.
A compelling and incisive book that questions the overuse of mental health terms to describe universal human emotions Public awareness of mental illness has been transformed in recent years, but our understanding of how to define it has yet to catch up. Too often, psychiatric disorders are confused with the inherent stresses and challenges of human experience. A narrative has taken hold that a mental health crisis has been building among young people. In this profoundly sensitive and constructive book, psychologist Lucy Foulkes argues that the crisis is one of ignorance as much as illness. Have we raised a 'snowflake' generation? Or are today's young people subjected to greater stress, exacerbated by social media, than ever before? Foulkes shows that both perspectives are useful but limited. The real question in need of answering is: how should we distinguish between 'normal' suffering and actual illness? Drawing on her extensive knowledge of the scientific and clinical literature, Foulkes explains what is known about mental health problems—how they arise, why they so often appear during adolescence, the various tools we have to cope with them—but also what remains unclear: distinguishing between normality and disorder is essential if we are to provide the appropriate help, but no clear line between the two exists in nature. Providing necessary clarity and nuance, Losing Our Minds argues that the widespread misunderstanding of this aspect of mental illness might be contributing to its apparent prevalence.
Imagine a book that accomplishes for mental illness what the Big Book did for sober recovery. Defying Mental Illness makes mental health disorders and treatment understandable. It takes the fear and mystery out of mental illness along with the technical jargon. This approach keeps people focused on recovery, which is more about finding a way to move forward than it is about the diagnosis. The book helps people with symptoms and family members collaborate and support each other. Simply written, consensus-based, positive and complete, the book covers schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, childhood mental illness, suicide prevention and more. The book builds recovery with strengths that endure despite the presence of symptoms. It's what a person needs to know to get started with recovery, what family members need to know to support recovery, and what faith-based and community groups need to know to help the people they serve. Revised and updated for 2014. The 2014 edition includes updated material on healthcare system strategies, suicide prevention, violence prevention, as well as expanded coverage of addiction. What others are saying about Defying Mental Illness "Defying Mental Illness provides what's needed most: a lucid and more than adequate introduction to mental illness." -- NAMI E-Advocate "As a practicing psychologist I am very impressed with Defying Mental Illness. We have too few books on the market that really take the sting out of what can be a frightening situation . . . I like the fact that the book is such an easy read and yet so complete. Every resource facility out there, including police stations, schools, doctor's offices, community centers, etc. should have this book in their library or easily accessible in a waiting room, a shelf in an interviewer's office, etc." -- Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein A Top 20 Book for Parents and Teachers of Children with Special Needs "It is easy to understand and complete so it is suitable for people in recovery, caregivers, faith-based, church and community outreach workers who work in mental health. Readers will appreciate the chapters on finding treatment, paying for mental health care, housing, employment and disability, involuntary hospitalization, the criminal justice system, and links to allies and advocacy groups. The case studies describing a few journeys towards recovery bring hope to the readers." -- Lorna D'Entremont, Special Needs Book Review The first section helps people understand what they are facing. It includes brief descriptions of mental illness symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, mood swings and other behavior changes, and describes major mental health disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and borderline personality disorder. The authors use a developmental approach to childhood mental illness, contrasting ordinary childhood patterns with the extreme symptoms that may require intervention. The book suggests using benign, safe parenting techniques that improve structure and reduce stress, and supports a thoughtful approach to initiating treatment. Also covered are developmental disabilities like autism and fetal alcohol syndrome, as well as special education, including individualized education plans (IEPs) and so-called 504 plans. A chapter on treatment discusses therapy and medication, offering brief notes on various categories of medication. The book emphasizes the need to understand risks and benefits when deciding about any course of treatment. Subsequent sections focus on locating allies to promote recovery, finding resources to support recovery, planning both long-term and short-term, and following the recovery plan. The authors discuss planning for safety in advance of a mental health crisis, responding to a person in crisis, assessing risk of violence, and preventing suicide. The book suggests ways to help people who become involved in the criminal justice system, and covers involuntary hospitalization and guardianship. Further chapters discuss ways to locate treatment, find or retain housing, maintain employment or access vocational rehabilitation services. There is coverage of Social Security and SSI disability benefits and claims process, plus information about Medicare and Medicaid.
How I silenced the negative voices in my head to survive and thrive -- Foreword by Johnny Lewis 'Joe Williams has been into the darkest forest and brought back a story to shine a light for us all. He's a leader for today and tomorrow.' -- Stan Grant 'In telling his powerful story, Joe Williams is helping to dismantle the stigma associated with mental illness. His courage and resilience have inspired many, and this book will only add to the great work he's doing.' -- Dr Timothy Sharp, The Happiness Institute 'It is through his struggles that Joe Williams has found direction and purpose. Now Joe gives himself to others who walk the path he has.' -- Linda Burney MP Former NRL player, world boxing title holder and proud Wiradjuri First Nations man Joe Williams was always plagued by negative dialogue in his head, and the pressures of elite sport took their toll. Joe eventually turned to drugs and alcohol to silence the dialogue, before attempting to take his own life in 2012. In the aftermath, determined to rebuild , Joe took up professional boxing and got clean. Defying the Enemy Within is both Joe's story and the steps he took to get well. Williams tells of his struggles with mental illness, later diagnosed as Bipolar Disorder, and the constant dialogue in his head telling him he worthless and should die. In addition to sharing his experiences, Joe shares his wellness plan -- the ordinary steps that helped him achieve the extraordinary. 'In telling his powerful story, Joe Williams is helping to dismantle the stigma associated with mental illness. His courage and resilience have inspired many, and this book will only add to the great work he's doing.' -- Dr Timothy Sharp, The Happiness Institute 'It is through his struggles that Joe Williams has found direction and purpose. Now Joe gives himself to others who walk the path he has.' -- Linda Burney MP
Anxiety is real—but it isn’t the end of your story. Dr. John Delony knows what anxiety feels like. He’s walked that dark road himself, but he found light and hope on the other side of it. Bringing together his own journey and two decades of counseling and research, he walks you through: The four biggest myths about anxiety and the life-changing truth Practical steps you can take today to start getting your life back Long-term strategies for healing to help you move forward John will show you that most of what you’ve heard about anxiety is wrong. Things like: If you have anxiety, you’re broken and need to be fixed Anxiety is a disease that can only be cured with medicine Anxiety is caused by your genetics While mental health is complex, our culture has made anxiety into something it’s not. For the majority of people who face anxiety, the truth is simpler than we think: anxiety is an alarm. It’s a signal—nothing more and nothing less. Anxiety is simply our body’s way of telling us something is wrong. If we stop and listen, we can calm the alarm and move forward into healing and hope.
The Social Construction of Mental Illness and Its Implications for Neuroplasticity examines how the current concept of mental illness in society informs the dialogic skills and perspectives of psychotherapists. The common interpretation of unconventional behavior as a symptom of illness has marginalized the creative class and deterred mental health professionals from developing the skills and perspectives needed to empower their clients. Too often the neuroplasticity of the human brain is ignored in favor of the organizing metaphor of chemical imbalance which often results in the relegation of clients’ needs to the pharmaceutical industry. Michael T. Walker encourages psychotherapists to evolve their practice by considering the new information available in neuroscience, psychotherapy outcome studies, and postmodern psychotherapies.
This story chronicles challenges met and victories realized while living with schizophrenia. Dialogue is included to clearly illustrate the battles faced. Showing that faith in Christ has been the saving grace through it all, is the intention of the authors. Their story can be an inspiration to anyone facing a life challenge.
New York Times best-selling author Caroline Myss draws from her years as a medical intuitive to show that healing is not only physical; it is also a mystical phenomenon that transcends reason. Inspired by ordinary people who overcame a wide array of physical and psychological ailments—from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer—Caroline dove into the works of the great mystics to gain a deeper understanding of healing’s spiritual underpinnings. Based on these studies, she demonstrates how conventional and holistic medicine often fall short in times of need. Both systems rely upon a logical approach to curing illness when there is nothing reasonable about the emotional, psychological, or spiritual influences behind any ailment. Integral to this mystical healing approach is the engagement of the soul, which we experience through exploring our seven shadow passions, building an empowered inner self around our seven inherent graces, and learning how to work with the mystical laws that govern it. This knowledge holds the key to understanding what it means to defy gravity and break through the boundaries of ordinary thought. You can heal any illness. You can channel grace. And you can learn to live fearlessly.
