DBSA President Peter Ashenden's Mental Health Blog

Loneliness...I've been pondering this particular problem that those of us labeled with a mental illness so often face. Everyone who has been diagnosed will agree that, getting a formal diagnosis brings with it a lot of losses. Some of those losses are, in part, due to the stigma and discriminatio...

Last spring, after touring a mental health center at Fort Bliss, Texas, Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted that awarding Purple Hearts to service members dealing with illnesses like PTSD was "clearly something that needs to be looked at." Recently, however, the Pentagon decided against it. The ...

Over the past several years, there has been more and more attention given to the idea of evidence-based care in the mental health field. This is the notion that the types of treatment selected and provided should be grounded in science and based upon the best evidence and outcomes. This is an imp...

Recently, I had an experience that illustrates the naïve misunderstanding of what it's like to live with a mental illness or disability. I travel fairly often, and it's important to mention I do so with a service dog, Bella. She provides comfort during the at-times stressful and difficult tr...

The American poet Carl Sandberg said that "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."   Time's an important concept in our lives. We don't have enough time, so we talk...