DBSA President Sue Bergeson's Mental Health Blog

I don't know about you, but I'm always bothered by the many stories this time of year talking about the holiday blues. At DBSA, it seems to be the season for a lot of media calls. It's like, all of a sudden, depression and bipolar disorder are popular and acceptable topics. And it alw...

The issue of routine mental health screening-especially of teens-is a controversial one within the mental health consumer community. I was reminded of this once again through my participation in the Campaign for Mental Health Reform, a coalition of the country's largest mental health organiza...

A week or so ago, I attended the 23rd Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy in Atlanta. It may well be that the Carter Center meeting is the one place each year where the various camps of mental health "players" actually meet face to face: research scientists, service...

Sometimes I wonder if what we do at DBSA makes enough of a difference. It's a hard job. The pain our peers experience is great, and our resources are limited. It's easy sometimes to become discouraged.   But the other day Donald (not his real name) told me his story, and it's something I'm...

A friend of mine went to a training seminar and made some new friends while there. A recent e-mail from this friend got me thinking. It reads like this:   I think another of my Vet friends from the training is coming to my Halloween party-Tony. I am so thrilled. I wish Dona could come fro...