Blog

You Big Bully

Families Telling Their Stories: Heartfelt, Inspirational Video

I am very proud and honored to introduce a moving video, produced and donated by Steve and Wendy Sefcik of Sefcik Productions, New Jersey. The Sefciks experienced one of the worst kind of tragedies any parent can imagine. They lost their 16-year-old son, T.J., to depression. The Sefciks discovered The Balanced Mind Foundation after their son’s death, and offered their story to help other parents find the help they need to prevent such tragedies.

They Came To Learn, They Left Empowered

(L to R): Susan Resko, Balanced Mind Executive Director;  Brooke Whitted,
Whitted, Cleary + Takiff LLC; Susan Madian, Balanced Mind Board President;

Balanced Mind's Top Five Blogs of 2012

Whew, it's been a busy year so far! Just now catching up with our blog posts? Check out our five most popular entries of the year to date. Please share your thoughts in the comments, and let us know which *you* like best! We'd love to hear from you. 

1. New Partnership to Help Teens With Depression
by Susan Resko, Executive Director

Confessions of an overprotective parent

I have a confession: I am an overprotective parent.

I have anticipated disaster needlessly, and I have set limits on my children that resulted in frustration and mutiny. This has been exhausting for me, and it has delayed my kids' independence. I am determined to stop. Is there a 12-step program for parents like me?

Time is (not) on my side


Time

Image credit: Photo by Alan Cleaver 

96 days. 
 
That‘s how many days I have left until Tim turns 18. That’s how many days in a row I’ll be freaking out as we try and get things set up for the arbitrary change over from him being considered a child to being considered and adult. I didn’t freak out like this when my oldest, "Wonderboy", turned 18. For a neurotypical kid, what’s the big deal? At 18 they can work full time. They can move out and live on their own if they choose (he hasn’t, not yet).  Wonderboy’s life was exactly the same the day after he turned 18 as it was the day before he turned. (Long story about the nickname, by the way; too long for this post).  
 
But for Tim, everything changes.  

Flipswitch Friday: Racism and Mental Health - Reflections on Trayvon Martin

This is a guest post from Balanced Mind Flipswitch blogger/podcaster Jessica Gimeno.
Like what you're reading?  Check out Flipswitch on thebalancedmind.org or  subscribe to be notified of new posts.

How can we keep our children safe?  How are racism and mental health related?  Read my take on the Trayvon Martin shooting here. 

Book Review: "Perfect Chaos" — It Can Happen to Anyone

In "Perfect Chaos", mother and young adult daughter Cinda and Linea Johnson have teamed up to write a memoir about Linea's journey to survive bipolar disorder, and Cinda's struggle to save Linea from herself. 

Fighting the Good Fight: When Insurance Won't Cover Vital Treatment

I said that once the fight was over I would write about it. It is not quite finished, but, close enough! I was newly invigorated to write this when NBC Nightly News aired a piece recently on eating disorders and boys. The final comments included what parents should take note of and the caveat, “you may have to fight your insurance for coverage”. Well, yes. And fight we did. Here is the short version of a very long story and a two inch file.

You Learn Better By Doing


Social Workers Change Futures - 17 of 19

Last week, Balanced Mind Foundation chat volunteer Julie and I were invited to give a seminar on childhood-onset mental illnesses to a group of 70 Illinois Department of Children and Family Services adoption preservation workers.  We spent six hours describing symptoms from the parent's point of view, and what parents say are the behaviors their children exhibit that should trigger at least a discussion with a doctor about mood disorders in children.  Most of our audience was licensed clinical social workers with Masters degrees and years of experience. Several in our audience had been on the job for more than a decade. But nearly everyone there expressed that they had never heard or seen what it is like to parent a child with a mental illness.