today please visit over at brainblogger, where i talk about research on how some psychologists view people with mental health issues, especially those with schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. interesting points that are being discussed in the comments are the place of diagnosis and the importance, or limits of, of objectivity.
the CMHA (vancouver-burnaby branch) will be holding a depression and anxiety screening the evening of monday, january 18th 2010, which they call ‘blue monday.’ blue monday is traditionally the third monday in january, a date chosen because it occurs after the holidays but when the days are still dark and dreary, new year’s resolutions may have already been abandoned, post-holiday bills are coming in, and it will be a few more months until another holiday occurs. as a result, people may be feeling sad and overwhelmed. blue monday is therefore an excellent opportunity to take stock of one’s mental health, to acknowledge when things are tough, and take steps to improve it.
participants fill out a depression or anxiety questionnaire, which is then scored anonymously by volunteers. the participant then discusses the results with a clinician, who will make suggestions based on the results. this is not meant to be a counselling session, but an opportunity to have participants think about their mental health, and see their own medical doctor if there is reason to believe s/he should.
the blue monday depression and anxiety screening will take place between 5 and 8 p.m. on january 18th, 2010. space is limited, so interested individuals are asked to register in advance by calling 604-872-4902 or contacting info.vb@cmha.bc.ca.
the CMHA will also have information and resources on mental wellness, and will be showing a series of films by award-winning film-maker, gary ledbetter.
today, let me point you to an article i wrote at counselling resource, with the title psychotherapy clients as … humans?
here is the excerpt:
is psychotherapy about “cases” to be explained, or about individual persons who need and benefit from understanding? in this review of an article by psychotherapist janet l. etzi, we look at therapy and counselling as a complex interaction based on understanding the client as a human phenomenon, an interaction that is informed by both the client’s and the therapist’s emotions and thought processes.
etzi’s article is very interesting; it’s one of those situations where i feel it’s a shame that blog posts need to be so short; one could write a whole paper about her article. i’m looking forward to reading more material written by her.
if you find concepts such as “diagnosis” and “symptoms” interesting to think about, please come on over and join the discussion! (btw, you’ll also see that my blogging friend evan, a frequent commenter here, also writes for them).