SPace's PsychoHealth Blog

  How is Your Mental Health? May is National Mental Health Awareness Month .  Beginning in 1949, Mental Health Month has put a spotlight on the importance of mental health and wellness.  There is such a stigma attached to mental illness or mental health in general, that over 70 years of advocacy and education have yet to overcome.  While 1 in 5 people will experience mental illness at some point in their lifetimes, everyone has faced or will face struggles and challenges that affect their mental health.  You don't have to be diagnosed by a doctor or therapist to know if you're mental health is compromised.   Anxiety:   Intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Some symptoms include: Fast heart rate, rapid breathing, sweating, and feeling tired. Stress:    Any type of change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. Stress is your body's response to anything that requires attention or ac...

Jaws is a classic horror film released in 1975.  It tells the story of a homicidal, Great White Shark, (a Carcharodon Carcharias if you please) who terrorizes Amity Island.  For the first half of the movie the shark was not seen, he was practically invisible.  If it wasn't for the music we wouldn't even know he was on the prowl.  The town council was in denial about the danger of this man-eater, it was a boating accident, a swimmer just got tired and drowned, whatever, they never had a problem with sharks in these waters...Chief Brody knew better, Hooper declared this was no boating accident, that it was, in fact, a shark, and it will continue to kill people unless the beaches are closed and they do something about this shark.   But Mayor Vaughn said Amity is a summer town and they need summer dollars. To further deflect the situation, he implored Brody to go after the vandal who painted a shark fin on their billboard, THAT was the real prob...

During a time of crisis, any crisis, but specifically one of such magnitude as the coronavirus, people need simple straightforward facts from experts, or those who understand the information presented by the experts. And we need them to tell us when they legitmately don't know the answer to the question but assure the public they will get an answer as soon as possible. We can accept those parameters. The general public is already experiencing unmatched fears and anxiety, with a lot of unknowns. While we need hope and optimism to get us through these challenging times, we do not need false hope, inaccurate information, or one's "feeling" about what certain outcomes will be, especially when they have no expertise or evidence to support it. When someone does give misinformation it is their responsibility to own it and correct it. Mistakes happen, but willful ignorance, selfishness, and ineptitude are inexcusable and indefensible. This is not about an individu...