The best of news and research articles from publications nationwide, as selected by the The Balanced Mind Foundation, updated weekly.

The Balanced Mind Foundation 2010 Form 990

The Balanced Mind Foundation's partner, Bring Change 2 Mind, a non-profit organization working to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, has exciting news to share with you.

This article was funded though a generous grant from the Charles E. Kubly Foundation.

"Mommy, Am I Really Bipolar?", Letter to the Editor, Newsweek, June 29, 2011, by Susan Resko, The Balanced Mind Foundation Executive Director

June 29, 2011

THE OPPORTUNITY: Volunteering with The Balanced Mind Foundation's Family Response Team is a great way to make a difference for families impacted by mood disorders.  At the same time you can sharpen existing skills, learn new ones and expand your knowledge about mood disorders, treatments and interventions. Our mission is to help parents find the information, resources and support that they need to make the best decisions for their child’s care and treatment.

The FDA (Food & Drug Administration) approved use of Abilify for maintenance of bipolar disorder in 2005.  But a recent article published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine (Tsai, et al) looks critically at the science behind the decision to approve Abilify.  The results were one blind, randomized trial sponsored by the pharmaceutical company that makes Abilify, Bristol Meyers Squibb.  Article exposes flaws in trial to show we currently do not have enough evidence to know whether or not Abilify is effective in the maintenance of bipolar disorder.  Article also features step-by-step advice for people currently taking Abilify.

The Balanced Mind Foundation is an national partner with the NIMH Outreach Partnership Program and attends their annual conference each spring to learn about the latest research and program development supported by NIMH funding.  We are pleased to share the pPresentation slides from the National Institute of Mental Health Outreach Conference held in Houston, TX March 24 - 27, 2011.

Article written by Debbie Rohr, Social Worker discussing parenting strategies.

Education, Medication, and More

Harvard Student Shares Struggles with Depression (and Hope For Recovery)

Source: The Harvard Crimson

Harvard isn’t always the glossy ivy-covered utopia that many conceive it to be. "Brochure Harvard" does exist. But it is not always a place where conversations about mental health are necessarily encouraged. On a campus where the need for assistance is too often perceived as a flaw, the student body has a tendency to rely on variations of “I’m fine.”
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