New Directions Support Group
Abington, PA 19001 - Suburban Philadelphia Area
Montgomery County, PA
A Support Group For People with: Depression, Bipolar
Disorder, Their Families & Friends in the Philadelphia areaInterested in joining New Directions? Click here to find out how to.
Welcome to New Directions!
Your premier support group in the Philadelphia
area for people with Depression, Bipolar Disorder and their Loved Ones
Today is Friday, September 3rd, 2010
New Directions - a support group for people w/depression, bipolar disorder and
their loved ones - at their July 30, 2009 meeting. Team Leaders include:
Ada Moss Fleisher, Bob Peters, Ron Abrams, Randy Irion,
Helen Kirschner, Mandy Jesse, Greg Hodges.
Photo by Greg Hodges, lower left. Ruth Z Deming, MGPGP, director.
For other famous people
w/mood disorders
click here.
SCROLL DOWN FOR OUR SCHEDULE. Call us at
215-659-2366.
PLEASE MAKE YOUR DONATION TODAY! Thank you
for your donations in memory of
Justin R Hawkes, a casualty of our faulty
mental health system that we are striving to change, in Justin's name.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
& rely on your generous contributions to serve you.
To make a secure, tax-deductible donation click below OR make check payable to
"New Directions," Box 181, Hatboro, PA 19040.
To contact us call 215-659-2366, ext. 1 or
email us.
We meet at Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road (Route 611) at Susquehanna, Abington,
PA 19001 on the FIRST, THIRD & FIFTH TUESDAY of the month from 7:30 to 9:45 pm. SEE BELOW for schedule & direx.
Accessible via
public transportion. We also meet in the
Coffeeshop at the Willow Grove Giant Supermarket per below schedule.
A HEALTHIER YOU! Nutrition initiative!
Overweight or tired from your meds? Make an appt w/Mary Ann Moylan, RD, LDN, CDE
of
Willow Grove Giant Supermarket by calling
215-784-1960.
Start your day w/a healthy breakfast. Did
you know
Exercise Fights Aging?
Incorporate Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Your Diet
ESSENTIAL READING
Newly Diagnosed with Bipolar or Depression?
Ruth Deming's Keys to Recovery from Bipolar Disorder. READ
How a Therapist Should Help a Depressed Patient.
READ
Supporter's Checklist and WorryList by Laurel
Hoffmann. NEW!
New Directions' Guide to Job-Hunting in the Internet Age
N E W
Letter to Eric: Your Choice Whether to Take Meds
S E P T E M B E R E V E N T S
IMPORTANT:
Health insurance available for uninsured Pennsylvanians
N E W ! ! ! Charlie
Rose Show on Mental Illness: The Best! and
Depression, the Misunderstood Epidemic
Consumer Reports Magazine: Survey on Depression and
Anxiety
Growing concern over use of
psychiatric drugs. Do they really help? Read Robt Whitaker's new book Anatomy of
an Epidemic.
Tuesday, September 1 -
7:30 to 9:45 pm
- General Meeting Abington Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road
(Route 611) at
Susquehanna, Abington 19001.
Click here for directions. Park and walk thru
red door. Meeting is downstairs, end of hallway on Left.
- ND recommends - Friday, Sept. 3 and every Friday of the month - 10-11 a.m. Watch Chef Dan
cook, then eat a healthy meal. FREE at the Willow Grove Giant Supermarket,
315 York Road, Willow Grove PA 19090.
Map. Arrive early as seating is Ltd.
NEW! Mike's Hike -Sunday, Sept 5 at
11 am. We'll hike at Lorimer Park. Carpool at 11 am from Abington Free
Library on York Road, next door to Abington Presbyterian Church. Or meet at
Lorimer at 11:20 am. Followed by lunch at a local restaurant. For info,
email him.
Learn to recognize poison ivy, oak, and sumac.
Nature walks boost our immune system.
Read this Times article.
Thursday, Sept 9 -
Helen's Talk n Walk at the Willow Grove Giant
Supermarket, from
10 am till 11:30. Giant is at 315 York Road,
Willow Grove PA 19090.
Down the street from Bally's Fitness. Map.
Accessible via
public transportation. Enter doors on Right. Coffeeshop is on your right. Call Helen at 215-646-0266
- or
email her - &
she'll call to remind you. Teenagers
welcome!
- Tuesday, Sept 21 SPEAKER Meeting. 7:30 to 9:45 pm - Abington
Presbyterian Church, 1082 Old York Road (Route 611) at Susquehanna,
Abington PA 19001.
Click here for directions. Park and walk thru
red door. Speaker is David
Machek of
Disability Law Center, Jenkintown, will discuss how to get disability
benefits for your mood disorder.
- Wednesday, Sept 22- Ada's Outing.
TBA.
Carpool at 10 am from Abington Presbyterian Church. No cost thanks to Ada and Rich! RSVP
to Ada at 215-947-2427 or
email her.
Thursday, Sept 23 -
Helen's Talk n Walk at the Willow Grove Giant
Supermarket, from
10 am till 11:30. Giant is at 315 York Road,
Willow Grove PA 19090.
Down the street from Bally's Fitness. Map.
Accessible via
public transportation. Enter doors on Right. Coffeeshop is on your right. Call Helen at 215-646-0266
- or
email her - &
she'll call to remind you. Teenagers
welcome!
- ND recommends! Sat. afternoon, September 25, 1 to 3:30 pm - Writers Group. Held at the
Coffeeshop
at Weinrich's Bakery, 55 Easton Road, Willow Grove, PA
19090, 215-659-7062. Located in strip mall next to Burger King. Accessible
via
public transportation. For info email
Ruth Deming
or call her at 215-659-2142. (Note: For Poetry submissions
to the yearly Transcendent Visions, ed. by
David Kime, call him at 215-378-6729.
David's publication is not affiliated with New Directions or the Writers Group.)
NOTE: Ruth Z. Deming, MGPGP,
the bipolar therapist & director of New Directions, is available for individual fee-for-service
consultations, home interventions & therapy. Email
her or call her at 215-659-2142.
Read her blog here. New Directions will
also go out to YOUR HOME or OURS with a team of two to help a newly diagnosed
patient get off to a good start!
N E W ! Psychiatrist
Daniel Carlat writes about Necessity of Meds WITH Psychotherapy, April 2010.
C O M I N G E V E N T S
Saturday, October 9, 11-12:30 pm - Nutrition Seminar
at Willow Grove Giant Supermarket with Mary Ann Moylen, RD, LDN, CDE. "How to
Feel Full while Eating Less: Challenges of being on psych meds."
Giant,
the former Home Depot, is at 315 York Road, Willow Grove PA 19090.
Located near Bally's Fitness. Map. Enter doors on Right.
Turn Right and proceed to upstairs Classrooms via Elevator or Stairs.
Saturday, October 30, 1 to 2:30 pm - Hope for Hard-to-Treat Depression by
Terrence A Boyadjis, MD,
of
PsychFirst,
held at the Willow Grove Giant. Giant,
formerly Home Depot, is at 315 York Road, Willow Grove PA 19090.
Located near Bally's Fitness. Map. Enter doors on Right.
Turn Right and proceed to upstairs Classrooms via Elevator or Stairs.
O U R M E E T I N G S
Prepare for a great experience.
Our mission is to make you feel comfortable & to answer your concerns on the
same day you attend our meeting. We ask $5 per person and $8 per family. Our
large meeting consists of between 40-50 people. After our announcements, we
break into our small groups - Bipolar Groups, Depression groups, and a Family
Member Group, all led by trained leaders.
Attention Family Members! No meeting is complete without Family
Members. Greg Hodges runs our Family Member Group. His
bipolar daughter is working and is in grad school. Share
your story, get practical advice and find resources to help you and your
family member. Also, two area groups provide superb
information on the difficult situation of living with a family member with a
mental illness. Check out Edie Mannion and her
TEC Family Service Program and
NAMI's Family to Family Program.
New Directions Checklist for LOVED ONES and also WorryList
Profound changes in brain from exercise - keep
it up!
We maintain a Top Doc/Top Therapist List recommended by our members.
SEE HEALTH TIPS - SCROLL DOWN
Work with your Doctor to Find the Right Antidepressant
When
depression is unremitting Chronic
Pain Gone Forever with EMF
VNS Success Stories for Treatment-Resistant
Depression
Time Mag report on preventing mental illness
Read
Ruth's latest newspaper article.
Watch Ruth Z Deming, MGPGP, director of New Directions, on
YouTube for her Comcast CN8 interview.
She mentions she is cured from manic depression, as are
many others later in life.
Ruth is available as a psychotherapist.
Call her at 215-659-2142. Read her
BIPOLAR BLOG here.
Extra extra! Ruth Deming featured in NY Times.
2008: Raising Rates w/o Losing Clients.
2009: Revisiting Entrepreneurs who Ride the Economic Waves.
For valuable info, read the entire homepage plus QuikBooks on Left.
D I V E R S I F Y
Yes, yes, we've got a mental illness but let's not forget to get on with
our lives. Follow your interests & hobbies and develop new healthy neurons in
your brain. Who knows? Some day maybe the healthy neurons will free you from
your illness. Find interesting events to stimulate your mind in The Philadelphia
Inquirer -
Bucks County Alive -
Doylestown Alive.
K N O W Y O U R I L L N E S S
N E W ! ! ! Charlie
Rose Show on Mental Illness: The Best!
Click for slide show on Bipolar Disorder from Web MD.
Click for info re
Depression.
Meds for Depression.
Click for info re
Bipolar Disorder.
Meds for Bipolar.
Click for info re
Anxiety Disorders.
Click for info re Borderline Personality Disorder.
Click for new NIMH guidelines on
Mental Illness in Children.
Click for all-important info about
psychotherapy. New Directions offers a Top
Doc and Top Therapist List available when you attend our meeting. We advise
you to see someone highly recommended.
MOST OF THE ABOVE INFO is provided by NIMH, the Natl Institute of Mental Health,
and offers the best definitions and info for brain disorders. You can also order
FREE brochures on bipolar, depression, anxiety, OCD, schizophrenia from NIMH by
calling tollfree 866-615-6464 or
ordering online.
BE A SAFETY WATCHDOG and
report SIDE EFFECTS to the FDA.
And, please, do not say "I'm bipolar." Instead say, "I have bipolar disorder."
We are NOT our illness & have so much to offer.
Borderline Personality Support Group run by
Talya Lewis. (pronounced Tuh-LEE-uh).
Here's
Talya's website.
Click on Tami's site for
Borderline Personality Disorder.
Read about BPD in this Time mag report.
Resource Guide for Domestic Abuse
HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH
New
Healthcare Website - Healthcare.gov
SMOKING
CESSATION classes at Abington Memorial Hospital.
At Doylestown Hospital.
Mediterranean Diet linked to Lower Depression Rates
- eat more olive oil, whole grains, nuts, fresh fruits & vegetables.
More of the same.
Brown rice diet helps combat diabetes
Incorporate Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Your Healthy Diet:
Joseph Hibbeln, MD, original researcher
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Diet helps fight depression
EXERCISE improves mental health! You know it, now do it!
FREE OR LO-COST CLINICS:
FREE HEALTHCARE FOR THE WORKING UNINSURED:
HealthLink of Southampton, PA
Other
great resources for healthcare
M O R E LO-COST CLINICS: Bucks Co Health Improvement
Project Free Adult Clinic, 2560 Knights Road, Bensalem PA. Call 215-633-8397
Ann Silverman Comm
Health Clinic
of Doylestown Hospital, 595 W
State St., Doylestown, PA. Call 215-345-2260.
Abington Ambulatory Clinic at Abington Memorial Hospital. Call 215-481-2180.
Quakertown - Volunteer Doctors Care Upper Bucks Clinic, Government Services
Center, 261 California Road, Q-town, call 215-538-4774
Children's Dental Care, Bucks Co Health Improvement Partnership, call
800-347-6880. (BCHIP)
D E N T A L C A R E: For clinics in
Montgomery County.
For
clinics in Bucks.
For Philadelphia, call
Einstein dental clinic at 215-438-3313.
K N O W Y O U R M E D S
Growing concern about long-term use of meds. Read this
revolutionary new book Anatomy of a Epidemic by Robt Whitaker.
Psychotherapy should be tried first before going on medication. By the time
people get to a support group, they are already on the medication
merry-go-round.
THE first medication you should try is something that works for your family
member.
Atypical antipsychotics serve several purposes: They can act as mood
stabilizers -- helpful with both depression and mania -- and they can also
stop psychosis and mania. Here are a few med tips from knowledgeable sources. As
always, check with your own psychiatrist for med questions. Also, use the
Internet and your support group for further info. We also like this informative
blog by local psychiatrist
Dr Dan Hartman.
Zyprexa is probably the most effective of all atypicals
notwithstanding its considerable side effect profile. Consider the excellent
Clozaril as a last resort for schizophrenia, again due to its side effect
profile.
Activating atypicals: Abilify and Geodon.
Sedating atypicals: Seroquel (very) and Risperdal. In the next couple
yrs, watch for a new atypical that may be the best one ever due to its efficacy
and low side effect profile.
Effective antidepressant combos are
Lexapro and Wellbutrin.
Remeron alone or Remeron and Effexor.
Cymbalta is a powerful activating antidepressant.
H E L P P A Y I N G F O R Y O U R
M E D S
Drug companies offer a PATIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM to help
with the high cost of meds. Your psychiatrist will send the drug company a
letter to get you drugs for free or at a reduced cost.
Here's the page for Lilly, makers of Zyprexa, Cymbalta,
Prozac. And the page for
Abbott Labs, makers of Depakote.
Click
here for help with drug costs, courtesy of
Philly Health Info.
FREE Drug Program for eligible Americans.
Click.
FREE for all
eligible Pennsylvanians.
Click.
Paul Bright writes
How to get Bipolar Meds for free.
Citizens of PA can apply for help paying for your
MEDS if you have a diagnosis of schizoaffective or schizophrenia. Go to
this website, go to Mental Health; click
More; select Special Pharm. Benefits Program, Mental Health. For info,
call 877-356-5355.
NeedyMeds.org
Abington Pharmacy is open till midnite every day of the
year except Xmas & Turkey Day. Find them at 1460 Old York Road
across from Target, Abington, PA 19001. Call 215-884-2767
W O R K
New Directions' Guide to Finding a Job in the Internet Age
Goodwill Industries of Fort Washington, PA, offer 2 employment programs -
one for seniors 55 and older, the other for people w/disabilities.
Click here. Call 215-653-7095.
Office of Vocational-Rehab will help you find a career!
(but, slowly)
If you're on disability, you can still work! Click on
this
helpful website, courtesy of our friend
Fran Hazam.
N E W! US government unveils new site on
Disability.
V O L U N T E E R - A Stepping-stone to Employment
ARE YOU A PEACENIK? Get involved with
fun-lovin' activists. Attend their events
to put meaning in your life.
VOLUNTEER & JOB OPPRS for the over-fifty set.
Coming of Age.
OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPs include the Undeniable Challenge of Our
Time, the Saving of our Planet from Pollution. Click on PBS show
NOVA: The Dimming of the Sun. Read
Times article on
Energy Efficiency.
IF YOU ENJOY working with seniors you can stop
in at the Abington
Meals on Wheels. Call them at
215-886-2206.
Resources from NAMI Main Line
C R I S I S
Montgomery County Emergency Service - 610-279-6100.
Excellent crisis workers, such as TONY SALVATORE, take calls from patients
and family members 24 hours a day.
HORSHAM CLINIC CRISIS 24 hours a day. Call 800- 237- 4447.
For a list of Crisis Centers in the tri-county area click
here.
SUICIDE HOTLINES:
Natl Suicide Prevention - 800-273-TALK (8255) - 800-SUICIDE
(2433)
HARD-TO-TREAT DEPRESSION? Contact
psychiatrist Jay D Amsterdam, MD, at
University of PA. Phone 215- 662-3462.
Or email him.
To see Dr A, you must participate in a study.
OR see
John P O'Reardon, MD, of Penn. Call
866-301-4724 who will see you for a consult.
Have you thought about ECT - electroconvulsive therapy - for severe
unremitting depression? Read this
Mayo Clinic report. Psychiatrist John
Worthington spoke to us about ECT plus other somatic treatments you should
consider such as
Vagus Nerve Stimulation.
Read Kitty Dukakis' account of her life-saving ECT.
ANNOUNCEMENTS INCLUDING READING MATERIAL
Panic Attacks? Breathing exercises by Buteyko may help
Compass Summer/Fall '09, The
compass is a 10mb PDF file and may take several minutes to download.
Click to
Download.
Dr Martin Seligman's Positive Psychology, Inquirer May
2010
BECOME AN ADVOCATE!
Ruth's latest newspaper article.
Facing Bipolar: The Young Adult’s Guide to
Dealing with Bipolar Disorder by Russ Federman, Ph.D. and J. Anderson Thomson,
Jr., MD, New Harbinger Publications, 2010, 160 pages
For
books on Bipolar, Depression & Anxiety click here.
New Mood Disorders Center opens at University of TX
Houston
Study shows Young Adults may Outgrow Bipolar Disorder
Be cool. Do not smoke pot. More hazardous to the health of
The Teen Brain than previously thought.
SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER is a serious form
of depression. Brighten your home w/ incandescent light bulbs, 100 watts,
daylight, full spectrum. Stay in well-lit rooms or near windows during daylite
hours. Sleep in total darkness at nite to stimulate the brain chemical melatonin
to help you sleep. Don't forget the importance of walking - and exercise - to
tire you out before bedtime. Avoid caffeine after 3 pm.
MED QUESTIONS? Call retired pharmacist Larry DiBello at 610-543-2966.
EAT RIGHT, LIVE LONGER! Click on
Jane Brody's article in the Times
focusing on cardiac health. Home-cooked meals are best as they avoid sodium,
processed foods, artery-clogging fats. Eat fish, whole grains, nuts, fresh fruit
& veggies.
New study reveals heavy meat-eaters die sooner.
ARE YOU WASTING YOUR MONEY on vitamins? Read
latest research on their health benefits.
IDEA! In the dimming light of fall and winter, cheer
up your home with Flowers such as
cyclamen. They bloom indoors. Place them
prominently in your living room near a window. Get them at Produce Junction
which sells many flowers at great prices. Would you believe $2.50 per plant? Buy
4 and give one as a gift.
TAKE YOUR MEDS with water, not juice. Click on
NY Times article.
AH-CHOO! If you have an allergy or the common cold, make sure your psych
meds are not affected by your allergy or cold medicine. Research this
before swallowing!
ASK WHAT YOUR COUNTY CAN DO FOR YOU:
Montgomery County website. Scroll down to
Dept. of Behavioral Health in left column.
WE LOVE HELPING YOU & NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP. If you enjoy reading this
website &
The Blog & Poetry of Ruth Deming, send in your tax-deductible
donation NOW. Mail to: New Directions Support Group, Inc. - PO Box
181, Hatboro, PA 19040
P R I V A T E T R E A T M E N T
C E N T E R S I N C L U D E
Psychological Services & Human Development, Ft Washington -
215-540-5860
Collaborative Care of Abington,
215-884-1776
Southampton Psychiatric Associates, Call
215-355-2011
Beck Institute on Cognitive Therapy, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 610-664-3020
Growth Opportunity Center, Huntingdon Valley, PA, 215-947-8654
Philmont Guidance Center - Huntingdon Valley, Flourtown &
Doylestown PA
Council for Relationships, 14 locations,
215-382-6680
SRI Psychological Services, Jenkintown & Philadelphia,
215-885-3337
Ron
Lewis Associates, Fort Washington, PA, 215-643-0200
Life Counseling Services, J'town, Lansdale, Northeast,
Downtown,
800-882-2799
Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia,
800-879-2467, World renowned care for kids
Holy Redeemer Counseling Center,
adjustable fees, also take a free screening test to see if you have a mood
disorder, 521 Moredon Rd, Hunt Valley, PA 19006, Call 215-938-1130.
Crystal Group Associates, Wyndmoor, PA, 215-233-3999
Take this self-diagnosis test by Allen Frances, MD, chair
of the DSM-IV
C O M M U N I T Y M E N T A L H E A L T H C E N T
E R S (Public)
Bucks County Dept. of Mental Health
215-442-0760, ext. 0-
scroll down for listings on:
Penn Foundation in Sellersville, 215-257-6551
Lenape
Foundation in Doylestown, 215-345-5300
Penndel MH Center in Penndel, 215-752-1541
Montgomery County Dept. of Behavioral Health
610-278-3642 -
Creekwood (serves Willow Grove and Eastern Montco), call 215 830 8966
Central (serves Norristown & Central Montco inc. Plymouth Mtg, Bryn Mawr)
call 610 277 9420
Creative Health Services
(Pottstown and Western Montco), call 610 326 2767 - Penn Foundation of Sellersville,
call 215 257 6551
NHS of Lansdale, call 215 368 2022 -
Lower Merion Counseling Center
of Bryn Mawr call 610 649 6512
Philadelphia Dept of Behavioral Health -
Office of Mental Health, call 215-685-5400.
Great City resources at
Network of Care.
For MH Centers in Philly, click here.
P S Y C H H O S P I T A L
S IN B U C K S & M O N T C O
Brooke Glen Beh'l Health Hospital, Fort
Washington, PA, 215-641-5300
Friends Hospital, Northeast Philadelphia,
215-831-4600
Horsham Clinic, Ambler, PA, 215-643-7800
Belmont Center, Philadelphia, 1-800-EINSTEIN
Lower Bucks Hospital, Bristol, PA 215-785-9521
Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, PA 484-337-3000
H O U S I N G
NOTE: The Community Mental Health Center in your
area -- see above -- is a good starting point for info about Group Housing.
CareLink offers services in Montgomery, Delaware and
Chester Counties.
Project Transition. Call 215-997-9959
Want a PRIVATE APT or a ROOM? Check this Bucks County site
Greystone residential housing on grounds of Friends Hospital for
severely ill.
Vika Home in Ambler, PA. Superb care for the severely ill. 215-646-3853.
Parents!
For help with your mentally ill loved one after you are gone, check out PLAN of
PA. They help w/case mgmt, trust fund mgmt.
Residential Living Options, Chester & Delaware counties
Temp. care - Griswold Special Care, Erdenheim, PA
Gheel House, Spring City, PA 19475
Homeless shelters
in the Philadelphia area & suburbs.
Click here.
S O , W H A T ' S N U?
Essay by Glenn Close on Stigma, Her sister has BP
NAMI, Main Line of PA, published
an extensive resource guide.
HELP MANAGING YOUR MONEY:
Consumer Credit Counseling.
N E W !
Bipolar
Foundation, international, hosted in the UK
D I G T H I S !
Et tu, Freddie?
Read this NY Times
crash course on the influence of drug companies on cool dudes such as co-author of
Manic-Depressive Illness.
Letters! We write letters!
Become an advocate!
Ruth's
Guest Column in the Doylestown, PA-based
Intelligencer, Aug. 31, 2008.
Letter to the Editor,
Philly Inquirer Aug. 8, 2008.
Philly Inquirer Jan. 4, 2009. Ruth's
Letter to the Editor on the importance of
mandatory outpatient treatment for some people w/mental illness. Ruth herself
was 302'd in 1984 and thanked her mother for doing so. Would you believe she got
one in the
Cape Cod Times?
Advocates like us finally pushed thru the
Mental Health Parity Bill.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT resurrected in Congress on Sept. 18, 2008
after Supreme Court had interpreted the 1990 bill as narrowly as possible
denying its benefits to many disabled. Click on
Times article.
C L A S S E S for self-improvement at Belmont Center in
Philadelphia near Bala Cynwyd.
Click here.
C L I C K
Ruth's blog of Jan. 17, 2008: Why I'm Cured.
C L I C K here for Ruth's Blog entry:
Bipolar Meds.
C L I C K Ruth's
Guest Editorial in the
Doylestown, PA Intelligencer, 1-18-08.
I N F O PACKET written by 4 of our members. Click our
Quik Books
on Left.
C L I C K Excellent videos of famous
people w/mood disorders:
Mike Wallace and
Jane
Pauley, sponsored by the smart people
at
NARSAD. And DO NOT MISS this video of a law professor
w/schizophrenia.
Go Elyn Saks go!
C L I C K Resources galore for folks
with mood disorders & their families from Philly's Own
College of Physicians.
The Bipolar Foundation: Equilibrium,
an int'l nonprofit HQ'd in the UK, hosted its biennial conference in Pittsburgh
in June 09. Online conferences can be
heard here.
O U
R F A V O R I T E W E B S I T E S I N C L U
D E
PA Peer Support Coalition
The Mood Gym, interactive cognitive behavioral therapy
from Australia
Depression Forums
International Bipolar Foundation HQ in San Diego, CA
Bazelon Mental Health Legislation - get on their E list
HealthyPlace.com, all-purpose MH site
Jane Alexander cured herself from bipolar w/voices
Read her amazing website
Disability
Rights Network of PA, advocating for rights of disabled
John McManamy,
award-winning
infomaniac.
Yes, people can ENTIRELY RECOVER from mental illness and be off meds for
good! Consider these
Recovery Stories from Power2U. Use caution
even when thinking about it.
Tom Wootton's Bipolar Advantage
UltraWellness by Mark Hyman, MD - Healthy Ways of Eating
You
name it, Counselor.Org Helps with it
Compendium of Bipolar Blogs from BipolarPorch
Bipolar College Professor's Blog - Yay! Mark Grimsley
Gianna Kali's Alternatives Website
Mad Pride:
Will Hall, unmedicated advocate whose voices howl
Natl Alliance to End Homelessness
The
Icarus Project, balancing Madness and Creativity
Our
favorite Med Site, Just the facts - always check em out
Souful Sepulcher, Stephany's award-winning MH blog
e-x-p-o-s e
Dr. Dan Carlat Psychiatry Blog promoting
Honesty in Psychiatry
Face to Face: Health Blog on Anything that ails you
BNET: Mental Health Articles including Meds
Get daily updates on mental health: Behavioral Healthcare Journal
Superb VIDEOS on all subjects mental by NARSAD and & PBS
New York
BipolarHappens written by a bipolar woman
Dr. John Grohol's Psych Central
Psych Central Meds
BipolarAbout.com
DepressionAbout.com
Crazy Meds: Informative quirky website
Help for Bipolar Loved Ones....by Paul Bright
Tardive Dyskinesia Center - when meds, sadly, go awry
Treatment Advocacy Center, speaking out for
the most vulnerable among us
Active Minds for Suicide Prevention with chapters on college campuses
DBSA group in Atlanta, GA - great info!
Furious Seasons, award-winning site by Philip Dawdy
The Sidewalk Psychiatrist, Dan Hartman MD.
bp
magazine.
HealthyPlace.
PMHCA.
Bazelon
Law.
The DBSA of Chicago
Job Opportunities from The Government thru OVR
Job Opps thru The Private Sector - Hello John & Chris!
Washington Post story Healing a Troubled
Mind
Mary Ellen Copeland. Vermont-based healing
Bipolar Advantage Newsletter -
solution-oriented!
Gianna's Cautionary Tale of Going Off Meds
Ask the Therapist at PsychCentral
NYC Support Group Here We Come!
Model Support Group in New Jersey
Model support group in Delaware with a Great Name!
Gracelyn Guyol healed her bipolar disorder sans
drugs.
Kay Jamison interview w/bp Magazine
NY Times videos of 9 men & women with
bipolar disorder, July 16, 2008.
ERIC WILSON ACCEPTS & EXTOLS HIS MELANCHOLIA.
Click here.
ANDREW WEIL, MD, loves healthy foods for a
healthy
mind & body.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Atypical antipsychotics serve several purposes: They can act as mood stabilizers and they can also stop psychosis and mania. ND is fortunate to have among our members a researcher from a drug company who advises the following:
Zyprexa is probably the most effective of all atypicals
notwithstanding its considerably unhealthy side effect profile.
Activating atypicals: Abilify and Geodon.
Sedating atypicals: Seroquel (very) and Risperdal. In the next couple
yrs, watch for a new atypical that may be the best one ever due to its efficacy
and low side effect profile.
Seniors Helping Seniors, a nonprofit in
Bucks County, call 610-858-2556.
Work 16 hours at
St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne and get
benefit pkg
Work 20 hrs at
Starbucks and get full healthcare pkg
EXCELLENT INFO
B E S T B U Y D R U G S.
Photos from our
Abington Library Display Case for April is
Poetry Month. Did you know that many of us with mood disorders have The
Artist's Condition?
A D V A N C E S IN MEDICINE: Barking Up the
New Tree of Glutamate. Click here for
info &
foods with
glutamate.
W H Y W A T C H Y O U R D I E T ? Read this NY Times article of Feb. 5, 2008 on the life-threatening Metabolic
Syndrome.
Click here. And don't forget your
all-important aerobic exercise. Park far away & w-a-l-k. Take the
s-t-a-i-r-s.
F O R G E T F U L L L L ? Read this
Times article of 12-4-07.
M O O D C H A R T S: Is your Mood off the charts? Find
out by downloading a FREE mood chart, invented by Gary Sachs, MD.
Click here & scroll down. For a comment by
originator Gary Sachs,
click here. Thanks to Our Jessica for
reminding us of the importance of mood charting!
S I G N U P for FREE email
alerts on Advocacy Issues affecting those of us with Mental Illness or
our Loved Ones. Click on
Mental Health America. Click on
NAMI.
F I R S T G E N O M E S T U D Y O N B
I P O L A R from National Institute of Mental Health.
Click here to learn about the combined,
small effects of variations in many different genes in the brain, none of
which is powerful enough to cause the disease by itself. Study published in
Molecular Psychiatry, May 8, 2007.
OUR INFORMATION PACKET, written by 4 of our members,
appears on wikiHow, part of
Wikipedia visited by millions of people per
day.
Purchase HEALTH INSURANCE from this Award-winning Website.
Click here. Uninsured & between the ages
of 19 - 64 w/pre-existing conditions? Contact Uninsured Hotline for
Pennsylvanians at 800-234-1317 or
click here.
We encourage our members
to remain in the workforce. However, if you are unable
to work, here's a website on How to Get Disability. Written by an attorney near
Lansing, Michigan, she says your best bet is to have your psychiatrist vouch for
you.
Click here on her excellent website.
Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania
(a merge of PA Protection & Advocacy and the Disabilities Law Project) in
Harrisburg hosts helpful info about disability.
Click here.
Patronize our talented people & family members:
For many people in Our Crowd, such as Nick Breslin, below, owning one's own
business is both pleasurable & profitable.
*
Tom Banner, Personal Trainer
* Landscaping by Ginny. Call 215-438-3313.
* Ron Abrams is an attorney whose concentration is on helping
people get back on their feet again after being injured in an accident. Feel
free to email him at RBAbrams427@msn.com or call him at 215-627-1012.
* David Bernstein, Reverse Mortgage Specialist: "Keep Our Older Adults in
Their Own Homes." Call David for info at 215-379-5001, ext. 103.
* Nick Breslin Builds a Better Deck
Breslin Decks & Awning
*
Stephen Views the News
His witty insightful political blog will inspire you to volunteer your services
to make this a better planet
* Our Robert B. Cuddy
ComforTan, Inc. of
Warrington, PA
*
Our Bob's Blog: Brilliance on the Rampage
- our first webmaster & the man who
told us, "Privacy no longer exists."
The Bendesky
Family Website
Great interview with the late writer William Styron (1925-2006)
who discusses his depression, as does his wife, Rose. Styron didn't suffer his
first depression until the age of 60, and his second episode 20 years later. His
best-selling memoir "Darkness Visible" chronicles his illness while describing
the importance of a loving family, particularly his wife Rose; fellowship with
others who understand the illness; and hospitalization as a safe haven.
Click here to read.
Reading material, courtesy of:
Families for Depression
Awareness: Click on their A+ Website, then read their list on:
General books on Mood Disorders
Books for Family Members
What's the Best Therapy? W-O-R-K !!!!! Read below.
Click here for
Jobs in Pennsylvania. Click here for
Jobs for People with
Disabilities. Also
Your Ticket to Work.
Housing problems? Contact
Fair Housing Rights in Jenkintown, PA.
N E W ! Mood
disorders are an illness of the Emotional Processing System of Our Brains. We
don't process emotions correctly. Medicine helps restore the chemical balance in
our brains, as does talk therapy. Q:
Angry? Worried? Fearful? Joyful? Need Reassurance?
A: Talk to someone about your f-e-e-l-i-n-g-s. Make
it a
Habit.
Denial of One's Illness is one thing, but
Anosognosia
is Another.
Click on Xavier Amador's
Informative Website
Aaron Beck's Cognitive Therapy: Read the story of how this once
Freudian-oriented psychiatrist
changed his tune.
AUDIO INFO: Excellent, didactic information by an expert. Concentrate & remember
the whole thing (it's not that difficult) & you can be the new leader of New
Directions.
Bipolar Updates
One of the Very First Info Sources on Manic Depression before the Internet was
in General Use -
University of Wisconsin at Madison
HealthLink of
Southampton, PA -
Free medical & limited dental care for the working uninsured of Bucks &
Montgomery County, PA. Call (215) 364-4247. Also a great place to
volunteer!
Nature: Our Greatest Teacher: Why Geese Flock Together - Turn up Your Speakers!
There is no mental illness in animals. Only in homo sapiens.
http://www.cuttyhunkroseinspirations.com/geese.html
Find comfort in the Lord: The 23rd Psalm by poet King David.
Click here.
20 percent of all Americans take
antidepressants, according to the June 25, 2006 Wall Street Journal.
Baby it's cold outside:
Tips on help paying your heating bills and also
winterizing your home.
C O O L T I P S F O R H O T W
E A T H E R:
Before leaving home, drink a glass of cold water. Bring a water bottle with you.
People on psych meds (esp. Lithium, Lamictal, and
antipsychotics) must be careful about being in extreme heat. If you don't have
A/C, cool off periodically at the library, bookstore, or a loved one's home. If on lithium, there's a chance your body can become toxic
(confusion, dizziness, slurred speech, abnormal gait). If so, go to the ER
immediately!
Click for more weather tips.
NEW DIRECTIONS' MISSION STATEMENT:
New Directions is a support &
education group in the Greater Philadelphia area that helps individuals with
depression & bipolar disorder - and their families - better manage their illness
so they can participate in society to the fullest with good jobs, successful
relationships and a sense of belonging in the community.
We are also committed to educating the public about the treatability of
depression and bipolar disorder to help dispel prejudice, and let society know
that “for every terrible story about someone with a mood disorder, there are a
thousand success stories.”
TAKE ACTION NOW! Both houses of Congress will vote BY xx on xx To
help enact this legislation, click
this NAMI site. You can also call your Federal
legislators direct. Keep their phone numbers handy. Find them on
Congress.org, lower left.
Story about Ruth Z Deming in Jewish Exponent
9-15-05.
Content © 2009 New Directions ¤ Web design by
Joey Moore
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