On Friday, the White House announced that legendary women’s basketball coach Patricia “Pat” Summitt will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of America’s highest civilian honors.

Summitt, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2011, launched The Pat Summit Foundation Fund to provide grants for nonprofit organizations that provide Alzheimer’s education, support, and research.

Last week, Summitt stepped own from her role as the head coach for the Tennessee Lady Vols last week with 38 seasons and 1,098 wins under her belt. She is now head coach emeritus.

President Obama praised Summitt for her hard work and success, both as a basketball coach and an advocate for curing Alzheimer’s:

Coach Summitt is an inspiration, both as the all-time winningest NCAA coach, and as someone who is willing to speak so openly and courageously about her battle with Alzheimer’s.

Learn more about The Pat Summitt Foundation Fund.

Image Credit | CC

She doesn’t get naked, but U.S. Senator John McCain’s daughter definitely bares a little more than a smile for her recent Playboy interview.

Meghan McCain, an MSNBC contributor and Daily Beast columnist, is fairly well known for her no holds barred attitude toward, well, most things.

McCain isn’t quiet about feeling there’s room for everyone in the GOP, and she speaks out often on women’s issues, marriage equality, and social issues.

So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that she frankly lets Playboy‘s David Hochman know how she feels about homosexuality, love, and being oneself.

Earlier this week, the most extreme, devastating consequences of bullying hit close to home: A 12-year-old sixth grader* in my community committed suicide as a result of being bullied.

His funeral is tomorrow.

Earlier this week, his older sister gave an interview to our local news channel. She discussed not only the serious bullying her brother endured (so serious, in fact, the family had plans to move and enroll him in a new school next week), but also how prevalent bullying is at that particular school. She spoke of students crying in class, fearing for their safety, and even missing school to avoid their bullies.

According to the news, the school district has yet to recognize a link between bullying at the school and the boy’s suicide.

It’s difficult for me to wrap my brain around the fact that this 12-year-old child, who had his whole life ahead of him, is now gone. My heart aches for his family and friends, and for him, who could still be here today if only the bullying were stopped in time.

Or didn’t happen at all.

As of February 14, 2012, the Associated Press reports we still don’t know an exact cause of death for Whitney Houston; thus, I am not claiming Houston’s death was an overdose or drug related. However, Houston battled addiction for years, was found underwater in the bathtub, and there was evidence of alcohol and prescription drug use (including Xanax, Valium, and Lorazepam).

So, while I’m not claiming she overdosed or died due to some other drug-related cause, I am saying making that assumption wouldn’t be too far a stretch.

With that being said, I admit, the death of Whitney Houston shocked me. Truly. I thought the “R.I.P Whitney Houston” hashtag was just another Twitter scam.

I have an idea. Let’s not assume every single person who overdoses on drugs is trying to kill himself.

We can even take it a step further and, oh, I don’t know, avoid reporting such suicide attempts as news, too.

Late last month, the ridiculously hot (sorry) Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors, From Paris With Love) was rushed to Central London hospital after being found slumped over on his floor. Paramedics were called, but it took police backup to escort the uncooperative Meyers to the hospital. Apparently, the 33-year-old actor (who’s had substance abuse problems and completed rehabs in the past) had overdosed.

Immediately, The Sun ran a story about the “suspected suicide attempt.”

Tim Robbins and Mark Ruffalo have signed on to star in Thanks For Sharing, a “film about sex addicts participating in a 12-step recovery program” (slick title). Thanks For Sharing is currently in pre-production mode, is slated to hit theaters in 2012 and, according to IMDB, will be a comedy.

I’m sure the film’s writer, Stuart Blumberg, who is also making his directorial debut with Thanks For Sharing, will be able to pull off some humor. I mean, he co-wrote The Kids Are All Right, and even though that story had the makings for some serious drama, it produced its fair share of warmhearted laughter, too.

Likewise, I’m sure (or at least, I hope) any humor the film delivers will be backed up by reality. Here in the real world, sex addiction is one mighty touchy subject. Some claim they have it, others claim they don’t. Some say it’s just an excuse for bad behavior, others claim it’s a real problem. Hearts are broken, families are torn apart, lives are put on hold – you get the idea.

But, all a lot of us have to go on is what we read in the media. We think about the turmoil Tiger Woods caused Elin, or the humiliation Arnold Schwarzenegger’s exploits have brought Maria.

For this week’s “Weekend Reading,” I thought I’d gather up some sex addiction information from the experts.

There’s been some speculation that one of Hogwarts’ finest is leaving school due to bullying.

And not Hogwarts, mind you, but Rhode Island’s Brown University.

21-year-old Emma Watson, who has played Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movie series since the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, has attended Brown University for the past two years (Granger would be so proud). However, when the starlet’s spokeswoman announced she wouldn’t be spending her third year at Brown, rumors began flying that Watson had chose to leave because her classmates were bullying her.

Most notably, they would chant “Ten points for Gryffindor!” when Watson correctly answered a question in class.

(Really?)

Still, the bullying – as well as the Gryffindor comments – apparently never happened.

Friday before last, I suggested you all check out NAMI’s interview piece with Jodi Foster. NAMI got a sneak peek at The Beaver, Foster’s new film with Mel Gibson about a man – and his family – struggling with depression, and Katrina Gay, NAMI’s Communications Director, talked with Foster about the film.

At that time, I didn’t have any information about a release date for The Beaver, but it seems the film premiered at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival in Austin, Texas last Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

Oddly enough, that’s the same day Foster’s co-star, Mel Gibson, reported to the El Segundo Police Department and was booked, fingerprinted, mug-shotted, and released as part of a plea deal that:

[...] resulted in him being on probation for three years and attending a year of domestic violence counseling. (Yahoo! News / Associated Press)

Apparently, this isn’t new trouble for Gibson: It stems from a 2010 misdemeanor battery charge that alleges Gibson struck Oksana Grigorieva, his girlfriend at the time and mother of the daughter over whom the two are currently engaged in a custody battle.

Still, it’s…interesting press given its timing with The Beaver‘s premiere, nonetheless. I wonder what impact, if any, it will have on the film’s success.

(Special thanks to Chato B. Stewart, author of Psych Central’s Mental Health Humor, for the story heads up!)

Image Source: Released by the El Segundo Police Department

Let’s get this out of the way upfront: This is not a post about Charlie Sheen.

Okay, maybe it is – in a way.

But more than a post about Charlie Sheen, it’s a post about Americans. Or, maybe, the human race as a whole (as I’m not sure how far the aftershocks of this Sheen Quake are being felt.)

And more than a post, it’s a question:

Just what exactly is Charlie Sheen winning at?

Life? Popularity? Who can gain the most Twitter followers the fastest? (Sheen, by the way, he holds the record for reaching 1 million followers faster than any other Twitter user – a feat that prompted Ad.ly to sign a deal with him.)

Certainly not who can get the most blonde live-in girlfriends. I mean, Heff kind of won that a long time ago.

So what’s the deal?

Just a few more days, folks, and 2010 will be officially behind us.

Many people relish this time because, to them, the start of a new year represents a new beginning. Another chance to do what they didn’t get around to doing the previous year, or accomplish goals they put off or didn’t quite reach the year before.

Before we break out the champagne and confetti, though, we should pause and look back at all the good that was accomplished in 2010.

For the purposes of this blog, specifically, all the mental health “good” we saw from celebrities.

After the jump, vote for your favorite celebrity mental health moment of 2010!