The Burden – Casa do Menor

This video is very powerful!

Kathleen Young, Psy. D. recommends – If you are a survivor of childhood sexual abuse you may find viewing this video triggering, so exercise good self-care. You may also resonate.

“Sexual abuse can be a heavy burden for a child.”

The advert titled The Burden was done by McCann-Erickson Milan advertising agency for CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AWARENESS (Casa do Menor company) in Italy. It was released in the November 2009. Casa do Menor is an organization that works in Brasil and Africa to guarantee minors’ rights.

ROBERT PATTINSON + EMS CHARITY KISS = DEPRESSION AWARENESS & 1ST KISS

One in five people are significantly affected by mental illness and EmsCharityKiss, (The Crazy Idea!) is one woman’s effort to raise money and awa reness.  Megan Jackson is a 28 year old who has suffered for the past ten years and along the way, her depression and anxiety caused her to miss out on many of the milestones of life that most young girls experience, inc luding a first kiss.  Jackson’s “crazy idea” is to attract the attention of the hottest young actor around, Robert Pattinson, in the hopes that he will grant her wish of a first kiss and ensure worldwide awareness of the cause.

Jackson is a painfully awkward, painfully shy and painfully normal young woman who took the brave step to open up and be honest about her illness. Then had the idea to form EmsCharityKiss to raise awareness for the cause of Depression and Mental Illness, particularly among young adults.  Choosing the Australian charity One In Five, Jackson has already raised over $1,000 and has received online and media attention with her story.

Pattinson’s fame started with a part in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and grew to idol level frenzy after his casting as Edward Cullen, a vampire in the best selling Twilight Saga. “There is something melancholy about him,” says Jackson, “I am drawn to the fact that more often than not, he seems to be as uncomfortable with his life as I am with mine.”  For those critical of her choice she says “I didn’t pick him for some nefarious purpose. I don’t believe he’ll save me, or he’ll fall in love with me! Far from it, I would be extremely flattered if he even heard about this!”

Jackson is tired of being silent and wants to raise awareness, “this is a whole journey – it’s about opening up and not being ashamed that you are different, or that your experiences are different to others because you have been sick.”

For a girl who once hid from the world, to aim for someone who is currently on top of it is no mean feat, and will no doubt bring attention to the affects of depression on young adults, as well as the affects of seeking to break free from its restraints.  It’s estimated that one in five will suffer some form of mental illness during their lifetime, and this escalation in numbers is a worldwide phenomenon. Not to mention that depression and mental illness are still extremely misunderstood, and sufferers remain silent about their ordeals.

Official Website

YouTube

How to donate: To support EmsCharityKiss and OneInFive, visit http://www.everydayhero.com.au/

100 % of proceeds raised go to OneInFive Australia. The current tally for how much raised http://www.everydayhero.com.au/emscharitykiss

 

One In Five is a group of friends whose lives have been significantly affected by an affliction affecting one in five Australians – mental illness.  On New Year’s Day, 2001, a wonderful, creative, hilarious, intelligent soul named Matt Wardlaw – Mouse to his friends – decided he could no longer bear the pain of mental illness. Tragically, he took the only road he knew to escape. Matt was our son, brother, mate, fiancé, cousin, colleague, and is missed by all that knew him.

Matt’s story is not uncommon. Suicide is one of the greatest killers of our young men with rates for males aged 15 to 24 having more than tripled over the past 40 years. Up to 90% of young people who commit suicide have been experiencing depression or mental health problems.

Following Matt’s death, One In Five was established. One in Five is a not-for-profit organization that relies on financial sponsorship from organizations and individuals. It is staffed wholly by volunteers dedicated to:  • generating greater awareness of mental illness; • raising funds for research on the prevention and treatment of mental illness. http://www.oneinfive.com.au/

Howie Mandel Here’s The Deal, Don’t Touch Me

Howie Mandel tweeted he will be in Toronto at Indigo Books (Eaton Center) on Dec. 4th to sign copies of his book, Here’s The Deal, Don’t Touch Me

Dec 4th 7pm, Indigo Books in Eaton Center, Toronto Howie Mandel

Signing/Reading/Interview

Join us for a book signing with Howie Mandel as he signs copies of his new book. Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me is a frank, funny, no-holds-barred memoir that reveals the Deal or No Deal host’s ongoing struggle with OCD and ADHD-and how it has shaped his life and career.

A good Canadian introduction is included in the one for amazon.ca

It’s sure to please Howie Mandel’s legion of fans–and provide hope to the millions who strive to succeed in spite of OCD and ADHD.

Be sure to watch the 20/20 interview

Then follow it with the greatest comic relief

I didn’t know what ADHD was so I looked it up – Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder characterized by distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsive behaviors, and the inability to remain focused on tasks or activities.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a type of anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder is the experience of prolonged, excessive worry about circumstances in one’s life. OCD is characterized by distressing repetitive thoughts, impulses or images that are intense, frightening, absurd, or unusual. These thoughts are followed by ritualized actions that are usually bizarre and irrational. These ritual actions, known as compulsions, help reduce anxiety caused by the individual’s obsessive thoughts. Often described as the “disease of doubt, ” the sufferer usually knows the obsessive thoughts and compulsions are irrational but, on another level, fears they may be true.

MacKenzie Phillips High On Arrival

We all know Mackenzie Phillips first told her story of incest sexual abuse from her father on Oprah as her book High On Arrival was about to be released.  Following that appearance she appeared on other shows and also returned to Oprah called Shattering the Secrecy of Incest // Mackenzie Phillips’ Follow-Up.  Here are some interviews in case you missed them.

First Oprah Appearance:

Mackenzie Phillips Oprah follow up:

Larry King Live:

Showbiz Tonight Response:

Mackenzie takes back the word “consensual” & a viewers similar story

Janet Jackson & Depression

During the two years prior to the release of The Velvet Rope, Janet Jackson struggled with a long-term case of depression. As a result, she frequently took time off during the recording of the album or abruptly left the studio during recording sessions. The Velvet Rope became a concept album about her struggles.

She talks about the Velvet Rope and her battle with depression in this Washington Post article

People Magazine  October 07 – Jackson releases her most introspective album to date, The Velvet Rope, citing depression as a factor in the recording process. “That was a tough album to make for her,” producer Jimmy Jam says to EW. “You feel like the walls are closing in on you, and you can’t escape,” Jackson says to the magazine. “That was happening to me during Velvet Rope, and I just felt like there was no way out.”

Janet Jackson’s powerful performance on the VH1 Fashion Awards in 1998 of “What About” showcased domestic violence

Precious

I saw Precious today, I  was actually scared to see it, I assumed from the interviews and promos that it was an intense, depressing, yet important film.  I prepared myself to leave the theater depressed and heavy hearted.  It was all that, however, I was pleasantly surprised at how amazingly the subject matter was presented.  I smiled and laughed often during the film in addition to the few jumps of shock and tears.  The film showed perfectly how some deal with intense abuse or trauma, a calm and sometimes happy reality that most can’t even imagine.  A trauma so intense that you escape into a fantasy world whenever reality shows up.  The actors performances are extraordinary, even the few who had only a few minutes of screen time like Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz managed to make a huge impact in the film.  Mariah showed she can put the Diva in the closet, dig deep, allow the director to make her physically look bad and portray a character so opposite from herself.  Lenny was a little ray of sunshine in the film as the lone positive male character, he saw the heart of Precious not the appearance.  Both  Mo’Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe are without question headed for Oscar.  Precious is an important film showing an intense abuse reality in a way that oddly leaves you feeling ok.

The Toronto Star understood the film and reviews it perfectly

Janet Jackson ABC Interview

“I tend to, I have this thing where I tend to smile when things get a little … painful, that is just my, a protective shield I guess”  – Janet Jackson

Rainy Day Photos

Colorful Mess

Colorful Mess 2

Scary Unknown

Confined

Focus On Health

Touched By Fire

Mood Disorders Association of Ontario announced the third year of the Touched By Fire art show and sale November 26th 2009 at the ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM.

Touched By Fire is a great art show celebrating the works of talented artists with mood disorders.  All of the proceeds from the sale of the art go directly to the artists.

It is said that artists with mood disorders are “touched by fire” enabling them to create amazing works of art.

Some of the greatest artists in history were “touched by fire” such as Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keefe and there are many talented artists in our community today who are also “touched by fire”.

November 26th at the Royal Ontario Museum 7-11pm   RSVP to Carlin at: carlinb@mooddisorders.on.ca

Take a look at the online gallery of art

Facebook invite

Miss America By Day

In her book, Miss America By Day – Lessons Learned from Ultimate Betrayals and Unconditional Love, Marilyn Van Derbur, a former Miss America, tells the story of how she was sexually violated by her prominent, millionaire father from age 5 to age 18. She was 53 years old before she was able to speak the words in public, “I am an incest survivor.” She opened the door for tens of thousands of sexual abuse survivors to also speak the words, many for the first time, within their own families and communities.

Marilyn describes, in detail, what specific “work” she did on her journey from victim to survivor. After learning of a woman’s rape, Marilyn heard a close friend say, “It was a bad 20 minutes.” In the hope that rape and sexual abuse will no longer be as easily dismissed or minimized, Marilyn writes for the first time about what her father did to her and what the impact has been on her adult life.

Using her story as the scaffolding, she shares knowledge and insights she has gained through speaking personally with adult survivors of sexual abuse across the country. Marilyn has been in personal contact with more survivors than anyone in America. She has personally answered over 8,000 letters and spoken in 225 cities. Survivors line up for two to three hours to tell her their stories.

Marilyn’s major motivation in writing the book came as a result of hearing these words literally thousands of times: “When I was 7 and my brother was 13…” Only the ages changed.

The most frequently reported age when sexual abuse begins is between 5 and 6 years old and common offenders are older brothers and teenage baby-sitters (both male and female). Suprisingly, 14 -year-olds comprise the largest number of sex offenders of any age group.

With her extensive research on the long-term impact of trauma and her belief that sexual abuse prevention is the best weapon for keeping our children safe, Marilyn urges parents to talk with children, as young as five, and provides suggested guidelines for important conversations that will, hopefully, evolve into continuous dialogues.

Knowing that vulnerable children are targets, she gives unique ways of building children’s self esteem.

Read how she responds to: “This happened decades ago.” “How could you forget?” “Are there really ‘false memories’?” “Can ‘just fondling’ cause as much trauma as rape?” “Did you forgive?” “How did you develop a satisfying sexual relationship?” The major theme that ties the book together is how her marriage continued to thrive during her darkest years of recovery.  Long list of Resources on her website

Two important videos to watch from former Miss America Marilyn Van Derbur

(Just a note – I have not read this book, only came across the story & thought I needed to make the video interview  heard)