Dave Leon, the co-founder of the mental health nonprofit Painted Brain, is a licensed clinical social worker who is open about living with depression.
He thinks that as someone who has experience with mental illness, he brings humility to his work as a therapist.
“Someone who hasn’t struggled ... and just enters into our field as a clinical professional might literally think they’re sane and everyone else is not,” he said. “And so they’re just trying to help everyone be more like them.”
Leon said that generally he’d rather change the environment around his patients than change his patients.
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“What I’ve seen, especially with my own experience with depression — and with people with anxiety, people with personality disorders — is that a lot of it is a very realistic reaction to the crazy, insane contradictions that we’re expected to make to live in this world,” he said.
The idea that having mental health struggles could be a logical response to trauma is easier for many to understand after a global pandemic. Leon said in some ways, peers — people with lived experience with mental illness and recovery — had an advantage when COVID-19 hit and everyone was suddenly isolated.
“They have to face something about themselves that is hard to face, hard to sit with and makes them an ‘other’ in some ways,” he said. “And having to go through that is transformative. It forces people to grow up and be more aware of what they need and who they are in the world.”
What can we learn from people who have experience managing difficult mental health challenges?
To explore this question, first, we learn about the peer-run organization Painted Brain and how their founders were able to find inspiration from their diagnoses. Then we dig deeper into peer support and the importance of creating community, especially among people struggling with mental health who often feel alone. Next, we get some advice about how to remain resilient in difficult circ*mstances. We then provide information and resources about patients’ rights, if you or a loved one is dealing with serious mental illness. And lastly, we ask artists from the Painted Brain community to tell us what inspired the work that appears in these articles.
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Mental illness as a superpower
There’s some hidden strength in every mental illness, Leon said. He and his Painted Brain co-founders, Rayshell Chambers and David “Eli” Israelian, lead a peer-run nonprofit that inspires people living with mental health challenges to empower themselves. Read the story >>
What is peer support?
Painted Brain started because Leon was looking for a place where his patients with severe mental illness, who usually feel like they don’t fit in anywhere, could find their people. Support from peers has historically been volunteer work, but it’s now being professionalized and valued as an integral part of recovery. Read the story >>
How to be resilient
People who work in peer support have to build a strong foundation in order to be able to stay healthy while helping others overcome trauma. Here’s what everyone with stressful jobs can learn from their resiliency trainings. Read the story >>
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Understanding patients’ rights
As a peer-run organization, Painted Brain advocates for patient autonomy and the right to determine one’s own mental healthcare treatment. Here’s the lowdown on how involuntary holds work, how to protect yourself and where to get that template to start your psychiatric advance directive. Read the story >>
Art by Painted Brain
This selection of artwork by peers in the Painted Brain community includes the first Painted Brain logo and first magazine cover, as well as comic Lawrence Rozner explaining the inspiration behind his Anti-Depressers superhero characters. See the art >>
Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
More resources
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Some people develop post-COVID conditions, also called Long COVID . These symptoms can include neurological symptoms such as difficulty thinking or concentrating, sleep problems, and depression or anxiety.
In surveys, the most common symptoms reported were trouble sleeping and feeling anxiety or nervous. The number of people noting those symptoms went up and down in surveys given over time. Depression and loneliness were less common than nervousness or sleep problems, but more consistent across surveys given over time.
Mental health conditions often has a 'ripple effect' on families, creating tension, uncertainty, stress and sometimes significant changes in how people live their lives. Different family members are likely to be affected in different ways.
Mental health conditions can cause difficulties in all aspects of life, including relationships with family, friends and community. They can result from or lead to problems at school and at work. Globally, mental disorders account for 1 in 6 years lived with disability.
This literature review confirmed a few universal trends, i.e., increased stress, anxiety, and depression, during the pandemic. The rates of insomnia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and suicidal ideation also went up.
Risk factors for a mental health crisis might include: Access to a firearm.Alcohol or substance use.Community risk factors like discrimination, community violence, or lack of access to health care.
Symptoms of anxiety and depression increased during the pandemic and are more pronounced among individuals experiencing household job loss, young adults, and women. Adolescent females have also experienced increased feelings of hopelessness and sadness compared to their male peers.
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) today.
The amount of people with common mental health problems went up by 20% between 1993 to 2014, in both men and women [2]. The percentage of people reporting severe mental health symptoms in any given week rose from 7% in 1993, to over 9% in 2014 [2].
Given that the increase in mental health issues was sharpest after 2011, Twenge believes it's unlikely to be due to genetics or economic woes and more likely to be due to sudden cultural changes, such as shifts in how teens and young adults spend their time outside of work and school.
Unaddressed mental health problems can have a negative influence on homelessness, poverty, employment, safety, and the local economy. They may impact the productivity of local businesses and health care costs, impede the ability of children and youth to succeed in school, and lead to family and community disruption.
Our bodies and minds are not separate, so it's not surprising that mental ill health can affect your body. Depression can come with headaches, fatigue and digestive problems, and anxiety can create an upset stomach, for example. Other symptoms can include insomnia, restlessness and difficulty concentrating.
Financial barriers are among the top challenges in mental health services that hinder people from receiving needed care. People often cite concerns about the cost of care or lack of health insurance coverage when forgoing treatment.
The most common are anxiety disorders major depression and bipolar disorder. Below is more information on these disorders and how ACCESS can help. Remember you are not alone, and medical experts are here to support you.
A psychopathology study by the American Psychology Association reveals that over the past few decades, there's been an increase in demand for care. Economic stressors, the global pandemic, population growth and global warming are all considered contributing factors for the increase in mental health disorders.
Greater fatigue, pain, anxiety and depression were reported in female patients and individuals admitted to intensive care. An overall lower quality of life was seen up to 3 months post-COVID-19. Conclusions: This review highlights the presence of several physical and mental health problems up to 3 months post-COVID-19.
It has been linked to fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other conditions. "Depression is the most prominent symptom we see," said Dr.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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