27 Ways to Be an Ally for someone with PMDD or other mental health concerns.
How do you cope with your PMDD?
If you're doing Mental Health Week 2015 about PMDD then comment below and link your channel/playlist. If you don't know what Mental Health Week is then check out the video below (and its description). Would anyone be interested in a Facebook support group for either teens with PMDD or their parents/caregivers? It would be a secret group so you don't have to be "out" about you or your loved one's PMDD to take part -- but that does mean you have to ask us to add you. Comment or private message our Facebook page if you're interested.
The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) is an organization dedicated to educating people about mental illness and helping people with mental illness and their families. It's a great organization and their site has lots of information and resources. They even mention PMDD a little -- just a little. And while you're at it, ask them to add more information and resources specific to PMDD Anxiety In Teens is kind of like Lunar not Loony except for teens with all types of mental illnesses and mental health challenges. They don't have any resources specifically about PMDD, but they have lots about depression, anxiety and self harm. Ask them to cover PMDD here. Below, you can also watch their founder's TED Talk on her experience with anxiety and why she created the site. Journaling as a way to cope with and recover from difficulties such as mental illness isn't exactly new. People have been journaling to cope with their struggles for centuries. As the internet sprung up, a new medium was created, blogging. Blogging can have the same introspective benefits of journaling, but the whole world can see and comment. So is blogging about your mental health experience a good way to cope and recover?
Many mental health professionals recommend blogging, but others are hesitant. Blogs have the advantage of connecting users to other people going through the same thing. With a blog, you can reach out to others and others can reach out to you -- this sense of community and common struggle can be really powerful. Not all online connections can be beneficial though, some commenters can be negative or encourage unhealthy behaviors. In addition, for teens with mental illness blogging also holds all the dangers any teen would have with a blog. Do you blog or vlog about your PMDD? Do you follow any mental health blogs? Would you let your teen blog about their experience with PMDD? Read more: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/06/blogging.aspx
For some people, PMDD comes with thoughts of suicide. Suicide is never the answer. If you are thinking about suicide right now call:
U.S. & Canada - 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Australia - 13 11 14 UK - 08457 90 90 90 ROI - 116 123 Remember that with PMDD you'll be feeling a lot better in a couple hours, days or weeks. Hold on and get help! If you're worried that someone you know may be thinking about suicide then ask and check out our list of warning signs. Asking isn't putting an idea in someone's head, it's making sure they are safe. For more on how you can help check out The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's list of Five Ways You Can Help. If your country isn't covered in the list of hotline numbers or we got the number wrong please let us know in a comment and we'll fix it as soon as we can. |