December 10, 2012

Hope heals. Thousand of years of experience and, more recently, numerous hope studies, prove this to be true. Yet hope is still a 4-letter word in many mental health settings. How can we build a bridge to hope from hope-stealing physical and emotional pain, hopeless diagnoses and prognoses, and hope-numbing side effects?
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs, Community, Featured Blogs, Recovery/Empowerment, Trauma/Distress, Uncategorized | Tagged as: emotional distress, Empowerment, family support, hope, mental health, mental health recovery, Mother Bear, psychiatric labels, Recovery

October 16, 2012

Is “recovery” a useful concept or is it overused, co-opted or simply not an accurate way to describe the process of learning to work with and through madness and life’s challenges. Mother Bear Community Action Network explores these arguments and makes a case for recovery.
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs, Featured Blogs | Tagged as: complete mental health recovery, distress model, emotional distress, Empowerment, family support, hope, mental health recovery, Mother Bear, Recovery, Robert Whitaker

May 17, 2012

I am honored to share the story of one family that has learned about the power of language, hope and letting go with love so that every family member can grab on to a life worth living.
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs | Tagged as: emotional distress, Empowerment, family support, hope, Mad in America, mental health, mental health recovery, Mother Bear, Psychosis, Recovery, Robert Whitaker, zyprexa

May 16, 2012

Last night I had the privilege of attending my first Family Den with other Mother Bears like myself—parents, spouses, siblings and adult children. All of us have family members who have experienced mental health challenges. All of us had a story to tell.
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs, Uncategorized | Tagged as: children, emotional distress, family support, hope, Mad in America, mental health recovery, Mother Bear, Recovery

March 16, 2012

The stories we tell ourselves and others have the power to heal or to harm. This is a story about how we define mental health, the challenges we face in pursuit of it, and the power of transforming our stories.
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs | Tagged as: Depression, family support, Mad in America, mental health, Mental health care, Mother Bear, Recovery, Robert Whitaker

February 21, 2012

In my last blog, invited readers to consider sharing their families’ recovery stories and to open to the possibility of the healing that is available when we connect with each other through this sharing. I would like to share one of these stories with all of you.
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs | Tagged as: Empowerment, family support, Mad in America, mental health, Mother Bear, Recovery, Robert Whitaker

February 1, 2012

Over the years, I have heard many powerful recovery stories. I’ve also had many opportunities to share our family’s struggle with mental health challenges and our recovery journey.
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs | Tagged as: Bob Whitaker, family support, Mad in America, Mental health care, Mother Bear, Recovery

January 11, 2012

In the last year of high school, my daughter’s personality suddenly changed, almost overnight it seemed. Initially, I chalked it up to adolescence. What had happened to my shining star? My bright, loving and outgoing daughter who was looking forward …
Full Article →

Categorized in: Blogs | Tagged as: family support, healing, mental health, Mother Bear, Psychosis, Recovery