If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Family mental health covers a wide range of topics from domestic abuse to preventing drug abuse in teens. Depending upon the topic you are searching, this article will cover a few of the places where you can find help.

The first place you can get help with family mental health is your local school or your clergyman. These two groups are often the first help in connecting with the resources you need. Your clergyman is trained specifically to offer help to families. The school also offers counselors who are skilled in dealing with the needs and problems of teens. If they are unable to offer the proper help necessary, they will be able to provide appropriate referrals to therapists who can.

The next option to maintain family mental health is to check with your local county’s Department of Social Services. Here you can find the resources to deal with issues such as domestic violence, the prevention and treatment of drug abuse in young people, and preventing of teen suicides. These can provide referrals to trained counselors and community-based programs to help families in distress. You can check with your local Medical Association or County Medical Board to find the location and availability of certified Family Counselors or Therapists. They also have information on local clinics and programs that offer free or low-cost family and marriage counseling which can address such family concerns as the effects of divorce on children, marriage counseling, family counseling, especially that created by blending families, providing consistent discipline, parenting skills for teens, and dealing with substance abuse or other addictive behavior such as chronic gambling. This resource can give you referrals to peer and support groups like AA, Al-Anon, Ala-Teen or Gamblers Anonymous. These give an important local network of support for anyone having to deal with the effects of problems such addictions in their life and to their well being.

Read more »

MayoClinic.com provides an overview of how health care providers distinguish and diagnose mental health issues and mental illness.

Rochester, MN (PRWEB) June 14, 2007 — When a student writes dark, violent stories, when a harried adult yells at a store clerk, when a neighbor stops doing household chores — are these symptoms of mental illness?

MayoClinic.com provides an overview of how health care providers distinguish and diagnose mental health issues and mental illness. Sometimes, it’s fairly clear-cut, such as when people with schizophrenia report hearing voices, or when someone suffers from an addiction.

Other times, what’s “normal” is less clear. When a child or young adult carries out school violence, for example, is it simply a normal person committing a horrific crime, or the actions of a person suffering from mental illness?
Read more »