It's been confirmed: Matthew Lewis is indeed involved with Action for Children, has been since it was better known as the National Children's Home, and is currently one of the coolest people on the ...

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Attention Parents: If you have a child of the ...

This post is the final part of the “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” series here at Celebrity Psychings. Learn more about how Joaquin Phoenix prompted this weeklong series and find a complete list of all the posts. Thus far in the “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” series we’ve talked about the importance of knowing the symptoms of mental illness and how to talk to someone you think might be struggling with mental illness, as well as knowing both how the person might react and how you can react. Up until this point, I've offered the suggestions I have based on the idea - the concern or possibility - that someone you love might be struggling with mental illness. You should know, though, that not every situation merely calls for you letting the person know you love and care about them and then waiting for the person to make the next move. Crisis situations - situations in which you fear for the person's safety and the safety of others - do happen, and everyone should be prepared for taking action during these extreme circumstances. After all, we all know how to get to the emergency room when someone's broken a leg or had a heart attack, don't we? Shouldn't we also know what to do when it's someone's mental health - and maybe even life - that's at stake?

After several months of hinting at Major Owen Hunt's ...

This “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” post was inspired by PTSD survivor and awareness advocate Michele Rosenthal. Michele runs the PTSD blog Parasites of the Mind, and recently contributed “What I Wish My Family Had Known” to CarrotOfHope.org, an article that takes a look at the PTSD perspective and how family and friends can interpret behavior and continue to interact. Learn more about how Joaquin Phoenix prompted this weeklong series, find out what we talked about yesterday, and don’t forget to stop back by – it’s running until Friday, March 27! Yesterday I gave you some ideas about what you could expect after bringing up the subject of mental illness with someone you suspect might be struggling with mental health problems - namely anger, apathy, and avoidance and how so many other negative states like fear, panic, confusion, and shame go into them. Now that you know what to expect, how are you supposed to handle it?

This “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” post was inspired by PTSD survivor and awareness advocate Michele Rosenthal. Michele runs the PTSD blog Parasites of the Mind, and recently contributed “What I Wish My Family Had Known” to CarrotOfHope.org, an article that takes a look at the PTSD perspective and how family and friends can interpret behavior and continue to interact. Learn more about how Joaquin Phoenix prompted this weeklong series, find out what we talked about yesterday, and don’t forget to stop back by – it’s running until Friday, March 27! Yesterday I gave you some tips on how to address the issue of mental illness with a loved one you think might be dealing with mental health problems and left you with the warning that your concerns might not be….warmly received. Even if, deep down, a person really believes he might be struggling with a mental illness, the chances that he’ll react negatively to any suggestion you make are pretty high. Thanks to stigma and this innate drive so many of us have to be “normal,” few people react positively to the suggestion of mental illness (unless, of course, the possibility of mental illness finally answers questions they’ve been asking about themselves for so long – which, indeed, does happen). As far as negative reactions go, you can expect, and in no particular order, what I’ve dubbed “The Three A’s” – Anger, Apathy, and Avoidance.

This post is part of the “Don’t Avert Your Eyes” series here at Celebrity Psychings. Learn more about how Joaquin Phoenix prompted this weeklong series, check out the first post, and don’t forget to stop back by – it’s running until Friday, March 27! One of the biggest mistakes people make when they suspect someone they care about has a mental health problem is to avoid the issue. Maybe they think if they ignore it long enough, it’ll go away – the person will work it out on his own or find someone more qualified to help. The truth is, while the majority of you aren’t psychiatrists, as loved ones you are – to a point – very “qualified to help” through awareness, education, and support. The first step toward helping is addressing the issue. Below are eight general “dos and don’ts” to help you do just that.

This post is part of the "Don’t Avert Your Eyes" series here at Celebrity Psychings. Learn more about how Joaquin Phoenix prompted this weeklong series, and don’t forget to stop back by – it’s running until Friday, March 27! Remember when I told you about my therapist friend who says she always pays attention to what her clients’ family members and friends say about them? There’s a reason for that: These people – these family members and friends and sometimes even coworkers – spends way more time with clients than therapists spend with clients; therefore, it’s usually pretty easy for these people to notice when someone close to them starts exhibiting signs of potential mental health problems. It's easier for these people to see how the person acts when the person is in his or her normal environment and not being scrutinized by a professional, and sometimes they even notice the signs before the person in question notices them. But what exactly are the "signs of potential mental health problems"?

Earlier this week, I watched ...