“I’m Good” Campaign Celebrates Those Who Have Overcome and Those Who Are Trying!

In celebration of Mental Health Month, PeersNet has launched the “I’m Good” blog campaign, which “encourages people to take care of their emotional and mental health, as well as their wellness. It’s also a celebration of those who are working to, or have, overcome obstacles to wellness through support from family, friends, peers, loved ones and the community.” 

Combatting the stigma that can be associated with a mental health condition, the campaign says, “There is nothing to be ashamed of. Know why? Well, because no matter where you’re at, you’re good…” For more information, click here, http://www.peersnet.org/blog/2014-04/im-good-blog-campaign-and-kickoff-event

Twitter Chat to Explore Support for Suicide Survivors, Invited to Share Their Stories in Book

Josh Rivedal, an activist and author, will host a one-hour Twitter chat for WEGO Health on May 6 at 3 p.m. ET about how society can best support suicide attempt survivors/persons with lived experience. The hashtag to participate is #hachat. The topics will include what helps and what hurts when someone is feeling suicidal, what kinds of resources exist for attempt survivors, and what kinds of resources they would like to see. In addition, Rivedal is inviting individuals who have survived suicide attempts to share their stories for his book project, on #suicide attempt survivors. For more information, click here, http://attemptsurvivors.com/2014/04/28/a-way-for-us-to-share-our-stories/

This will be the second volume of Rivedal’s “The Good News Project”; the first volume will be published in October. “The concept [of the first book] is similar to ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ but grittier, covering topics that aren’t typically brought to light in the mainstream,” writes Rivedal. The second volume, to be released in February 2015, will include only the stories of suicide attempt survivors. “It’s a way for us to share our stories, create a community, help other people and show the world that we don’t just struggle — we can survive and thrive as well,” he writes. For more information, contact him at joshuarivedal@gmail.com.

Through May 8, SAMHSA Invites Young Adults to Share Stories of Peer Support

To celebrate National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2014, SAMHSA is highlighting the importance of peer support, “which is critical in making the transition to adulthood easier for young adults with mental health and substance use challenges.” Through May 8, SAMHSA is hosting a “hashtag showcase,” during which the federal mental health authority is inviting “young adults across the country who have faced mental and/or substance use disorders to share their personal stories of resilience and peer support. Using the hashtag #IGetSupportFrom, please share photos, videos, tweets, and status updates showing how peer support has helped you tackle challenges related to: housing, education, employment, and health care. You can post messages on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr.” To learn more about how to participate,  http://www.samhsa.gov/children/hashtag_showcase.asp

AAS Creates Landmark Division Representing Suicide Attempt Survivors

As a result of determined advocacy by suicide attempt survivors, the American Association of Suicidology recently announced the creation of “a new division to represent people with lived experience and suicide attempt survivors and the people who love and care about them.” 

Another breakthrough was a recent story about suicide attempt survivors in The New York Times; for the story, click here. For a Boston Globe story on the same subject, click here. For more information about suicide attempt survivors’ organizing efforts, click here. For the AAS blog “Life after Suicidal Thinking,” click here. 

For a blog by attempt survivor and activist Cara Anna, click here. For Dese’rae Stage’s Live Through This website, click here. 

At the same time, a recent blog post in The New Yorker noted that, “between 1999 and 2010, the number of Americans between the ages of thirty-five and sixty-four who took their own lives rose by almost thirty per cent. Among young people in the U.S., suicide is the third most common cause of death; among all Americans, suicide claims more lives than car accidents, which were previously the leading cause of injury-related death.”

Lived Experience Research Network (LERN) Creates Dropbox for Research Access

The Lived Experience Research Network (LERN) team has created a shareable “dropbox” folder of journal articles and measures of potential use to activists, service users, survivors, students and researchers. “Our primary goal is to provide full-text access to individuals without an academic affiliation or other means of getting past journal pay-walls,” they write. “For additional open access measures, please visit the University of Adelaide's Psychiatric Scales and Measures collection (which also includes a page dedicated to Recovery and Rehabilitation measures),” LERN adds. To connect with the dropbox, click here. If you already have a password, you can go to the dropbox directly if you click here. 

In addition, the Boston University Disability Research Right to Know website has information on several subjects of interest to advocates, including peer-delivered services as well as supported education and supported housing.