In our work to help people improve the quality of their lives, Mental Health Services for Clark and Madison Counties provides a variety of informational and educational materials that discuss mental and behavioral health topics. Among those materials are articles of interest developed by our clinical staff. Listed below, these articles are designed to deliver valuable insights into important issues that have a major impact on individual lives, family dynamics and society in general.

Should you wish to further explore any of these or other topics related to the field of mental and behavioral health, please visit our Links page, which will direct you to excellent resources and websites available for your use.

Alcohol in Our Society … How Much is Too Much?
If drinking is your train to happiness, you are bound to derail and careen out of control. When you do, you may very well be counted among the 41% of fatal car crashes that are alcohol related.

The Art of Discipline
When discipline does not produce positive results, parental actions and tone of voice can sometimes be part of the problem. The disciplinary process is intended to be a teaching process that results in the child becoming more self-disciplined.

Bipolar Children: The Realities and Risks
Studies involving children have produced some alarming results about the realities and risks of bipolar illness to our young. If it is ignored or approached as a different illness, the consequences can be devastating.

Coping with Trauma
There are optimal levels of stress that make for an interesting, challenging and rewarding life. Then there is trauma, the extreme form of stress where a person continues to relive a severe experience. That is when help is needed.

Depression and Suicide – It’s Time To Recognize The Link
Suicide has risen in the ranks to become a leading cause of death in our nation. It is time to recognize that suicide is a preventable problem. We have the tools and realistic opportunities to save many lives.

The Devastating Truth About Untreated Mental Illness and Emotional Problems
Untreated mental and emotional illness has come close to reaching a crisis level. Many who are in need of treatment slip through the cracks of the care system, only to emerge as a threat to themselves and sometimes to the community.

Help Your Children Help Themselves
(Adjusting to a New School Year)
This list of tips can help children and parents ease school year stress.

Let’s Get Honest About Mental Health
Too often people do not want to admit that something is wrong when they experience emotional or mental struggles. Yet ignoring it does not make it go away.

Mental Illness Does Not Discriminate
Affecting one out of every five Americans, mental illness is a medical illness. The consequences of ignoring it can be just as detrimental to life as ignoring a chronic physical condition such as diabetes or heart disease.

Parental Depression Severely Impacts Children and Families
Living with a depressed parent, children oftentimes feel unlovable and unloved, thinking they are the cause of a parent’s sadness, anger or seeming lack of interest. This does not have to be the case.

Protect Your Children From Internet Predators!
What children experience as they are growing up becomes a part of their foundation for the future. Stay involved and aware of their activities, especially on the Internet. It’s the perfect forum for predators to reach innocents.

The Reality of Co-occuring Disorders
(Substance Abuse Combined with Mental Illness)
Over 7-10 million people in this country have problems with substance abuse and co-occurring mental illness. Alone, each wreaks havoc on a person’s life. Combined, the result can be debilitating.

Recovery Series (Part 1 of 2)
Mental Health Recovery: Let the Healing Begin!
The diagnosis of a severe mental illness no longer equates to a life sentence of severe anguish and pain. Diagnosis is now the first step in a real recovery process.

Recovery Series (Part 2 of 2)
Addiction Recovery: Recapturing the Freedom to Live
Science and research confirms that addiction is a disease. It has also discovered that addicted lives can be brought back to health before they completely break under the weight of addiction. It is called “recovery”.

Suicide Deaths Have Not Declined in Over 30 Years
For all of the progress we have made following the Kennedy-Johnson Community Mental Health legislation of 1963, we have scarcely made an impact in lowering suicide rates.

The Ugly Side of Anger – A Destructive Family Inheritance
By its very nature, anger is a healthy emotion, built into our body as a warning sign that something is wrong. Ignored and denied, anger can reel out of control to show the violence of its ugly side, known as “rage”.

Youth Engaging in Serious Self-Injury
Self-injury is a growing trend in our nation’s young. Brought on by feelings of desperation, it is most prevalent in teens and young adults. Without proper treatment, this growing “dis-ease” becomes a self-destructive cycle that can escalate to include suicide attempts.

Note: This page and our Links page are intended only to help readers gain an understanding of topics and issues. For professional assistance in addressing mental and behavioral health needs, please contact your local mental health provider.