Dealing with Winter Blues

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The last few weeks of the winter holidays are upon us, as are the shortest days of the year.  What can we do to boost our mood and keep things merry and bright?

The article "Lighten up!  How to beat back winter blues" provides suggestions for deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is described as periods of depression that correspond with the seasons of the year, usually occurring in fall or winter.  The article advises exercise, healthy eating and sunlight exposure for dealing with symptoms commonly associated with SAD (depressed mood, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, carbohydrate-craving and weight gain or loss).

For more information about mental health issues related to the winter season, read our recently posted holiday tips provided by the American Psychological Association (APA) and look over our post featuring a Mental Health America article about stress and depression during the holiday season. As always, visit our website for more information about mental health and wellness!

Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Maintaining Holiday Cheer: Tips from the APA

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We're right in the middle of the winter holiday season!  While this is the season "to be jolly," the winter holidays can also be a time when family and economic pressures increase and dim our holiday cheer. 

The American Psychological Association (APA) has a variety of online publications to help manage stress while navigating the holiday season.  Articles such as "Making the Most of the Holiday Season" and "How to Stay Calm During the Holidays" give tips for dealing with common as well as unique stresses during the holidays (family tension, breakups, time pressures and tragedies.)  Articles like "Tips for Parents on Managing Holiday Stress" and "Dollars and Sense: Talking to Your Children about the Economy" deal with helping children understand financial pressures in age-appropriate ways.  For more general information about building emotional resilience, read the APA's brochure, "The Road to Resilience."

For more information about mental health, visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Beets for Brains!

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New research from Wake Forest University indicates that a daily serving of beet juice boosts blood flow to your brain, which can keep your mind sharp and can help protect against dementia and poor cognition as you age.  

Summarizing the research findings, an article on Medical News today discusses how nitrate-rich beets work to boost blood flow in areas of the brain that need it.  As nitrate is processed by the body, it is turned into nitrite, and this opens up blood vessels and thus improves blood flow.  Previous research has looked at how eating beets can lower blood pressure and improve exercise performance, but this is the first study that has examined how this super-food impacts the brain.

For more information about mental health and wellness,  be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Service Dogs Used to Treat PTSD

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According to the Time Magazine online article "Bringing Dogs to Heal: Care for Veterans with PTSD" by Mark Thompson, some 40,000 troops have been physically wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq, but 10 times as many exhibit symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Amid many high-tech treatments that are emerging to treat PTSD (such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers and virtual-reality exposure therapy), the use of service dogs may be a promising alternative treatment, providing friendly, healing support.   

Interested in learning more?  Read the full online article and watch the related video, "How Dogs Help Veterans Cope with PTSD".   

For more information about mental health be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

Living With: WDUQ Interviews

In the month of November, WDUQ's Behavioral Health Reporter Erica Beras is presenting a new series, "Living With."  The series looks at the lives of individuals living with mental illness and behavioral health disorders.  

To hear their stories in their own words, visit WDUQ's "Living With" webpage.  To listen to Erica Beras discuss the series, click here.  For more information about mental health in southwestern Pa. be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Available

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the results of their 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) this past Thursday.  Some of the findings from the survey include:

- In 2009, 19.9 percent of American adults in the United States (45.1 million) experienced mental illness.  Nearly 20 percent (8.9 million) of these adults also had a substance use disorder.

- 11 million adults (4.8 percent) in the U.S. suffered serious mental illness in the past year (with serious mental illness defined as a diagnosable mental disorder that has substantially interfered with, or limited one or more major life activities).  25.7 percent of these adults had a substance use disorder, which is approximately four times the level experienced by people not suffering from serious mental illness (6.5 percent).

- In 2009, less than four in ten (37.9 percent) adults in the U.S. with mental illness received mental health services. Service use was higher for adults with serious mental illness (60.2 percent); however, 4.4 million adults with serious mental illness in the past year did not receive mental health services.

A copy of the full report is accessible here.  For more information about mental health be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!


Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary

12th Annual National Survivors of Suicide Day: Saturday, November 20th

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According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) website,  National Survivors of Suicide Day is a day of healing for those who have lost someone to suicide. It was created by U.S. Senate resolution in 1999 through the efforts of Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, who lost his father to suicide. Every year, AFSP sponsors an event to provide an opportunity for the survivor community to come together for support, healing, information and empowerment.

This year, the Pittsburgh Chapter of AFSP is sponsoring a National Survivor of Suicide Video Conference.  The broadcast will feature Dr. Chip Reynolds, and will discuss suicide bereavement and complicated grief. There is no charge to attend.

Video Conference Details:

When: Saturday, Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Where: University of Pittsburgh, Scaife Hall, 3350 Terrace St., Oakland, PA 15213

(parking is available in UPMC Presbyterian parking lots)

Room: 11th Floor Scaife Hall, The Conference Center is on the 11th floor of Scaife, (close to UPMC Presbyterian Cafeteria)

Who: Survivors after suicide, friends, families, others

To RSVP, call 412-624-9005 or email afsppgh@gmail.com

For more information about mental health in southwestern Pa. be sure to visit NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania online and keep up with our blog with a subscription to our RSS feed!

Contributed by Lora M. Dziemiela, Program Secretary