Policy and Advocacy Articles

Listed by most recent articles first.

• What is Depression if not a Mental Illness?
  Sometimes you might hear a person talking about mental disorders like depression or bipolar disorder without really understanding what they mean. What is depression? What is bipolar disorder? Why do we refer to ...
• Financial Help with Medications
  Low-income patients may be able to get their medications for free by providing documentation to charitable programs run by pharmaceutical companies. In the US, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association publishes a directory of medication assistance programs. ...
• Alternatives to Health Insurance
  No matter where you live, there are alternatives to expensive medical care. Those who don't have insurance, or whose insurance is inadequate, will want to investigate these resources. In some cases, creative private-pay arrangements may be ...
• Happiness and Government Around the World
  Happiness might be determined by geography. Adrian White and colleagues at Leicester University's School of Psychology analyzed data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other databases to create a global perspective of well-being. The "happiest ...
• Reaching Out to Our Les-Bi-Gay Teens and Young Adults
  The vast majority of mental health professionals, backed by nearly 40 years of research, have come to believe that it is possible to develop a happy and productive life in the context of a lesbian, ...
• Too Many Cats: A Call for Compassion
  From my files: When the Board of Health went into the home, they discovered 38 cats and three dogs living in squalor with an elderly brother and sister. Feces and urine covered the floor. Most of ...
• Mental Illness in the Workplace, Part 4
  In the last issue, I discussed the rights and responsibilities of both you, as an employee, and your employer. Now, besides deciding whether to talk to your employer, your colleagues need to be taken into consideration ...
• Is There Hope for the Mentally Ill?
  In my previous two articles, I mentioned how to be physically ill is seen as normal. Someone could have an illness, and recover from it, and no one really cares, as long ...
• Mentally Ill All Around and Not a Person to Tell
  In the past article, I discussed how there are those people around who have at least some degree of mental illness and very few people are aware of that person or any person even ...
• Hiding Behind a Secret: The Stigma of the Mentally Ill
  Many people are often physically ill and seek medical attention if they feel it is necessary, without hesitation. Doctors prescribe medications for everything from a common cold to yeast infections, and while the illness ...