MSI Press Blog

  A HERO'S SUICIDE   b y Joanna J. Charnas   This following essay was written in 2017 but has not been previously published.   Earlier this week I learned that one of my former patients killed himself. I’m devastated and can’t stop thinking about him. His name was Ryan Larkin.   Ryan was a Navy SEAL. He completed four tours of duty, two in Iraq and two in Afghanistan as a corpsman. Ryan arrived at the inpatient psychiatry ward of the hospital that employs me four weeks prior to discharging from the Navy, and he remained with us for a month.   While he was in our care, I became concerned about Ryan’s treatment. His attending psychiatrist was a skilled and caring provider, but the other players in the larger mental health system seemed mostly fearful of Ryan. Fear is not an optimal state in which to deliver care. My colleagues repeatedly expressed concern about his opioid use and labeled him “drug seeking.” In 2016 the country had a new awareness of the burgeoning opioid abuse epidem

    www.lyrahealth.com Here are some recommended, 5-star readings that focus on mental health awareness -  From Deep Within Susan Lewis Heart to Heart Resuscitation Victor Montgomery III Literary Titan Gold Award How to Stay Calm in Chaos Julie Gentile Book Excellence Award Mental Health Mayday Gegg Bagdade Literary Titan gold award Noah's New Puppy Richard Rice, Victor Rice, Geri Henderson and by  Dr. Dennis Ortman : Anger Anonymous Book of the Year Award finalist    Anxiety Anonymous American Book Fest Best Books Award Depression Anonymous Book of the Year Award finalist Read current information about the state of mental health in 2024:  2024 Workforce Mental Health Trends Forecast . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date) Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on 

  Well, we goofed...we missed sharing this back when it came out quite some time ago, but it is never too late to share a good interview on Mental Health News Radio of authors of an award-winning book that is currently the book jewel of the month during Mental Health Awareness Month . Geri Henderson and Seanne Emerton, co-authors of Healing from Incest: Intimate Conversations with My Therapist , are interviewed HERE . Finalist, Book of the Year Award Book Excellence Award For more posts about Geri and Seanne and their book, click  HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date) Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Planning on self-publishing and don't know where to start? Our  author au pair  services will mentor you through the process.

  Excerpt from Creative Aging (Vassiliadis & Romer) - Creative Aging’s Impact on Health Recently, one of my dance students, Sandra O’Brien, age 75, pulled me aside after class. She told me, "You know, Cheryl, a few years ago I didn't like getting older because it meant there would be so many things that I wouldn't be able to do, but since I've started these dance classes, I don't feel that way anymore. I found something I like and feel good doing no matter how old I am.”   When Sandra went in for her annual checkup, the doctor was excited by all the positive changes in her health profile. She’d lost weight, her blood pressure was lower, her balance had improved substantially and most of all, Sandra’s outlook on life had shifted. She no longer dreaded the aging process and all the negative connotations that it had presented.   Sandra has learned to embrace the years ahead and rediscover the things that made her feel good about herself years ago. She pushed me t

  From Julie Gentile -  May Is the Month for Moms to Begin Prioritizing Self-Care May is an important month for moms. In honor of Mother's Day, Mental Health Awareness Month and National Women's Health Week, May 14 to May 20, there are many reasons to start an exercise routine you've been thinking about to help you energize, or to spend an afternoon at your local bookstore to restore and reset.  As a yoga teacher, author and full-time working mom, I've learned over and over again that there is no such thing as a perfect schedule. Juggling multiple responsibilities is all about the art of prioritizing what needs your attention now. I structure my day by prioritizing what matters most, and self-care is at the top of my list.  I wrote my first book,  108 Yoga and Self-Care Practices for Busy Mamas ,  during the evenings when my youngest child was a baby. When my second book,  How to Stay Calm in Chaos: An Everyday Self-Care Guide , was published a year and a half later, we

            Gregg lives on the Northwest side of Chicago with his wife and children and his black Labrador, Apollo. He is a firefighter/paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department working on the West side of the city. When he is not on shift, Gregg runs his private counseling practice, seeing first responders exclusively. As an active member of the CFD Pipes and Drums corps, Gregg has been playing bagpipes for over 15 years. Among his interests are vacationing with his family, tending to his houseplants, listening to The Beatles, and bringing Apollo to the forest preserve to play catch. His goal is to fight the stigma that first responders have concerning mental health, and to bring awareness, as well as solutions, to those in need. (And, yes, he is the brother of MSI Press author, Franki Bagdade .) Gregg's book, Mental Health Mayday , is enjoying a good run of popularity.  To read more posts about Gregg and his book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI

    Today's book excerpt comes from  Weekly Soul: Fifty-two Meditations on Meaningful, Joyful, and Peaceful Living   by Frederic Craigie . INTRODUCTION   In August, 2004, my friend and psychologist colleague Peter Flournoy, Ph.D., died of cancer at the age of 45. Peter was a remarkable person, an energetic professional, and a gentle soul. He experienced his cancer as a blessing that taught him more about life than he otherwise would have understood. He packed a lot into the last couple of years of his life, ice climbing several times and sea kayaking to Monhegan Island (ten miles off the Maine coast—not for the faint of heart) a month before his death. Peter was also excited about his spiritual life, which was informed particularly by Buddhist philosophy and practice in his last years. His memorial service took place on a glorious summer day. We who attended all received a card with a favorite meditative image of Peter’s and his words:   Life has taught me not to grasp and hold but