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Mental Health America
of Greater Houston
2211 Norfolk, Suite 810
Houston, TX 77098
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T. 713-523-8963
F. 713-522-0698
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Information & Referral Line
713-522-5161
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EVENTS |
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MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH: GET CONNECTED
More than 50 years ago, May was designated Mental Health Month in an effort to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all. This year, the theme is focused on maintaining and protecting mental health and wellness through social connectedness. The tagline for this year’s observance is “Get Connected.” There are many ways of creating connections that support mental health:
- Get connected to family and friends to feel close and supported.
- Get connected to your community to feel a sense of belonging and purpose.
- Get connected to professional help to feel better when you’re stressed and having trouble coping.
Below you will find materials and tools to help you learn more about the importance of social connectedness in promoting and protecting your mental health.
22ND ANNUAL POSTPARTUM SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
CO-SPONSORED BY MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF GREATER HOUSTON
The conference will be held in Houston June 4-7, 2008 at the Hilton Americas Hotel. The 22nd Postpartum Support International annual conference will deliver timely information from highly qualified sources from across the U.S. and Canada. The goal of the conference is to examine the topic of maternal mental health in context of the various systems involved, thus providing a more complete perspective. Such systems include the biomedical, psychological, familial, cultural, legal, governmental, and academic. The conference is designed as an educational activity for: professional care providers such as obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, counselors and therapists, childbirth educators, support and resource providers, laypersons, consumers; and others interested in the topic of maternal mental health.
Postpartum Support International’s 2 Day Certificate of Completion program, Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care, will be offered prior to the conference on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 and Thursday, June 5, 2008 at the Hilton Americas. Two advanced tracks of the preconference will be offered on Thursday, June 5, 2008 for clinicians and social support providers, respectively.
Featured conference speakers include:
Valerie Plame Wilson, former CIA agent and author of “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House” will speak about her experience with postpartum depression.
Ann Dunnewold, Ph.D., psychologist and author of “Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box: Cut Yourself Some Slack and Still Raise Great Kids in the Age of Extreme Parenting”
Margaret Howard, Ph.D., psychologist and Director of Postpartum Disorders Day Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Providence, RI.
Lucy Puryear, M.D., psychiatrist and author of “Understanding Your Moods When Expecting”
George Parnham, J.D., criminal defense attorney and lead counsel for the defense in the case of the State of Texas vs. Andrea Pia Yates
Diana Barnes, Ph.D., psychologist and author of “The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters”
Margaret Spinelli, M.D., psychiatrist and author of “Infanticide: Psychosocial and Legal Perspectives on Mothers who Kill”
Thomas. W. Hale, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University. Author of "Medications and Mother's Milk"
The PSI Conference is co-sponsored by The Women’s Mental Health Initiative of Mental Health America of Greater Houston. The Menninger Clinic will provide continuing education credits.
Please check back as more information will be posted as it becomes available.
TEXANS WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES NOT RECEIVING THE TREATMENT THEY NEED
National Report Details Where Texas, Other States Are Falling Short
HOUSTON (November 29, 2007) – According to Ranking America’s Mental Health: An Analysis of Depression Across the States, a first-of-its-kind report by Mental Health America, Texans who live with depression and other mental illnesses are not receiving the treatment they need and deserve.
The study showed that 7.04 percent of Texas’ adult population experienced a major depressive episode in the past year and 11.43 percent experienced serious psychological distress. In addition, 8.76 percent of Texas’ adolescents reported experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year. On average, Texans reported 3.02 poor mental health days per month. In addition, in 2004, 2,300 Texans died by suicide, which is most often the tragic consequence of untreated depression.
While Texas ranked tenth in the report’s overall index of states’ ‘depression status,’ several findings revealed that the state is not serving its citizens with mental illnesses very well. For more information about this report, click here. |
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 | Throughout the year, issues related to mental health subjects may occur at the federal, state, and local governmental levels which require contacts from constituents to their elected officials. To find out about current issues which may need your assistance through contacts to your elected representatives, visit our Action Center by clicking on the “ACT NOW! ACTION CENTER” logo at left. |
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