Recently, Centerstone staff members joined the National Council for Behavioral Health in Washington, D.C. to advocate for The Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/ H.R. 1767). The Excellence Act would bring Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) to 11 new states and add two more years for the eight states ...
This month marks the seventieth anniversary of Mental Health Month. In the decades since the first observance, stigma surrounding mental health issues has greatly reduced. However, misconceptions and misinformation still exist. It is vital for the one in five Americans who live with mental health conditions that we debunk mental health myths that persist. I ...
Speakers have been announced and registration is now open for the Trauma Informed System of Care Conference, co-hosted by Centerstone, a national leader in behavioral health care. The conference will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at John A. Logan College’s main conference center in Carterville, IL. Register online ...
Centerstone Peer Support Services staff and clients took part in Behavioral Health Day at Capitol Hill in Nashville on March 20 for a time of fun, fellowship, advocacy and education. Centerstone Peer Support Services provide a safe and supportive environment where individuals with mental illness or addiction gain confidence, build social skills, develop new friendships and ...
The Healing Arts Project, Inc. (HAPI) honored Centerstone with their Community Friend Award at the Phoenix Art Gala held in Nashville. HAPI provides free art classes taught by professional artists, art exhibit and publication opportunities and outreach events. The annual gala features live music, a silent art auction, dinner and awards. The silent auction features ...
On Feb. 26, 170 years ago, residents in Louisville saw a need to serve orphaned children in their community. That need resulted in the merger of two organizations, Bellewood Home for Children and Brooklawn Child & Family Services, which later formed Uspiritus in 2012, who recently joined the Centerstone family. With Uspiritus joining Centerstone, Centerstone’s ...
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a good time to become better informed and empowered to combat the tenth leading—and still rising—cause of death in the United States. In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that suicide rates climbed in almost every state from 1999 to 2016, with increases above 30 ...
Suicide accounted for nearly 45,000 lives lost in 2016, and the numbers are rising in nearly every state across the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies report that one out of two people know someone who has died from suicide. And for every one person who has died from suicide, another ...
Tragedies happen in our world every day, and many of these tragedies can affect us deeply. The startling realities we witness through pervasive news reports on television and the internet can cause “secondary trauma.” Secondary trauma is the negative and sometimes debilitating emotional response we experience when affected by the losses of others. Exposure to ...
Summer break is in full swing and, for some parents, they’ve started the countdown to their child’s first day of school. Without the routine and structure of going to school, summer break might not feel like a break at all and can present stressful moments for both parent and child. Recent studies have found that ...
It’s May, Mental Health Month, and the weather is finally turning nice. It might seem like a good time for spring cleaning – but not for your windows or your closet. You may have cobwebs and dust bunnies hiding in places you don’t even know about and they may be affecting your mental health. Centerstone ...
Centerstone’s Melissa Larkin-Skinner, Regional CEO, Florida, has been appointed to serve on the newly-formed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission. Florida’s legislative body formed the Commission to specifically analyze information from the school shooting and other mass violence incidents in the state and address recommendations and system improvements. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High ...
When we see traumatic events in the news, it is normal to possibly feel vulnerable and upset. Whether someone is directly affected by an event or experiences secondhand exposure, acknowledging feelings about these occurrences is important for one’s mental health. The unpredictable nature of events like these is all the more unsettling. To best prepare ...
May is Mental Health Month, designed to raise awareness of mental health conditions and to improve wellness for all. One in five Americans has a treatable mental illness, and we all experience stress. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports two-thirds of visits to family physicians are due to stress-related symptoms. Clearly, we must consider ...
Leaders on Capitol Hill are, once again, poised to turn their attention to health care reform. While headlines about repeal and replace have garnered the most attention, this discussion goes beyond the fate of the Affordable Care Act. We have a wonderful opportunity ahead of us to strengthen health care for the future and create ...
Navigating our health care system can sometimes feel like being bounced around in a bumper car. You’re bombarded by appointments, tests, suggestions and prescriptions from multiple providers in every direction. A doctor treating you on your right may not know what the one on your left is doing, while some other issue could be barreling toward you from the front. This disjointed environment can be incredibly frustrating. And if no one is taking a broad look at your total wellbeing to understand how all of your conditions, providers, medications and medical advice fit together, it also can compromise your health. ...
The suicide rate in the United States has increased 24 percent since 1999 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report details that the rate has tripled among girls 10 to 14 years old and is up 43 percent among men 45 to 64 years old. To combat these hard numbers, our ...
In many ways our world is more connected than ever before, with social media venues of all kinds providing real-time access around the clock. However, even with all that connection and communication, suicide rates remain at alarming levels, proving that sensitivity to, and awareness of, warning signs is critical in providing lifesaving interventions. It’s not ...
May is Mental Health Month. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 1 in 5 adults in America experiences mental illness each year. Further, a recent Harris Poll showed 90 percent of Americans now value mental and physical health equally. As awareness increases and stigma decreases, in the pursuit of mental wellness we should ...
You can tell if a relationship is toxic when spending time with someone drags you down, belittles you or makes you feel hurt, angry, and miserable. Some people think of a “toxic relationship” as the most dangerous kind of relationship – one that only involves abuse or addictions. These are, in fact, harmful characteristics of ...
Imagine a gift that can increase self esteem, reduce stress, and can be given to anybody. Imagine a gift that can lift spirits, enliven inspiration, and even ignite passions. This ideal gift is not found by shopping online, or at the mall, or within the catalogues mounting in your mailbox. It is not something that ...
Addiction is a complicated problem. It is diverse in its causes and its costs. If describing a person with an addiction was to be simplified, it might be “the intense desire and action of continuing certain behaviors despite the negative consequences.” An addiction controls your life, your thoughts and your choices. It is a compulsion that robs you of healthy options for coping with life challenges. ...
We all know how the guilt we carry in our lives can feel like a weight around our neck, slowing us down and keeping us from moving forward. Guilt causes stress and stress causes all kinds of physical illness. But imagine a gift that can increase self-esteem, reduce stress and can be given to anybody. ...
Loss is a part of all our lives. At some time we will likely experience the death of a loved one, a shattered relationship or the debilitating effects of illness. How we cope with these significant tragedies is crucial in determining how we will survive, grow and eventually recover. As the table below reveals, there ...
Anger is a normal human emotion that can range from slight irritation to strong rage. With all the stress, pressures and worries of today, there are many things and many people out there to set you off, drive you crazy or push your buttons. How anger is expressed is key to maintaining healthy relationships and ...
Are your moods unpredictable, uncontrollable or consistently disproportionate to a situation? You may be experiencing excessive emotional distress due to unmanaged moods. The many challenges of today’s society seem to provoke mood swings for many people, which can debilitate relationships, careers and even physical health. Mood swings are characterized by a drastic change in emotion ...
Do you notice ANTs every time you go in your kitchen? Or do you seem to have more ANTs in your car or at the office? I’m not talking about the tiny social insects that tend to show up at every picnic or can be found in your teenager’s bedroom. I am referring to the ...
With over 36 million Americans older than 65, and the first of the 77 million baby boomers turning 60 this year, a surge of healthcare problems may soon face older adults. According to APA’s Resolution on the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, 20-25 percent of older adults suffer from some form of mental disorder, ...
These days everyone is really busy, but always remember there is more to life than the daily grind. You may have responsibilities to your family, your work, your children’s activities or your community. All these are competing for your valuable attention. Sometimes we let our schedule run our lives and railroad our priorities, as opposed ...
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurrent, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and/or repetitive behaviors (compulsions). For individuals with OCD, worries, doubts and superstitious beliefs are common in everyday life. Some people can be methodical, precise and value order and cleanliness, but not have OCD. People with OCD suffer from intrusive and unwanted thoughts ...
Every year, 1.7 million violent incidents occur against individuals while they are at work or on duty. With professional stress on the rise and employees dealing with issues like less pay, less job security, more work and more worry, work-related stress can take a toll. But when does a stressful work environment turn dangerous? Here ...
Do you lead a life of constant anxiety, fear of failure and obsess over every little bitty mistake? If so, you may be a perfectionist. Perfectionism is a very unhealthy way of living, masked as the pursuit of being a great achiever and always wishing to reach the ideal. Let’s look at some signs of ...
What are you thinking of putting off until tomorrow? What projects have you started but can’t seem to finish? What task on your to-do list keeps rolling over from week to week? Procrastination may be one of your biggest energy drainers, yet we think it somehow serves a purpose to make life a little more ...
“Thought disorder” is a term used to describe any of several illnesses or diseases that commonly manifest in language (speech or writing) that is difficult to make sense of. The most common thought disorder is schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects more than two million Americans. Below are four common symptoms of thought ...
This time of year when the weather is cold, wet and dreary, there are many days when we’d like to pull the covers back over our heads and stay in bed, rather than get out and face the day. We often loosely blame the winter months for sapping our energy, leaving us tired, irritable and ...
If you’re ready to get rid of your gloomy mood and pessimism, this article is for you! It’s time to let go of misery and reduce your stress. Here are five ways to stress less, not more: Don’t track your faults Keeping a full inventory of all your faults keeps your stress level high. Don’t ...
Depression is a common illness that we often hear about, yet ironically usually have difficulty recognizing, particularly in ourselves. Therefore, oftentimes too many people living with depression don’t seek proper treatment. However, by arming ourselves with the facts about the illness, we can learn to distinguish it from a simple case of the “blues,” understand ...
Do you constantly worry? In today’s dismal economic climate, your anxiety may be at an all-time high. Whether you’re watching your retirement savings shrink, fretting about how to pay for college, worrying about a possible layoff or happily employed but nervously following the news, these are anxiety-provoking times. Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful ...
Self-care is the process of nurturing yourself. But in a fast-paced and often chaotic society, many women tend to put their own needs on the back burner. So many women constantly put everyone else first, allowing their own needs to suffer. Some women may even become resentful because their personal needs have been neglected. Self-care ...
Challenge and change are a fact of life. How do you deal with unexpected or stressful times? Resiliency is the emotional strength that helps you recover quickly and thoroughly from change and bounce back after any adversity. It is a skill that can be applied to any area of life. The following are seven main ...
