Check it out

What little most of us know about mental illness, we probably picked up from watching TV or from the movies. Unfortunately, these impressions are usually pretty ridiculous - the mentally ill are portrayed as dangerous killers or laughable buffoons. Let's face it, few people bone up on the subject until it intrudes into our lives; but intrude it does. Everyone knows someone with a brain disorder. The quiet coworker, the eccentric aunt, the lifelong friend who has suddenly changed in some subtle way - mental illness is a fact of modern life that is kept in the attic away from public discussion. This needs to change.

But where do you start to look for real information? Trust me that a Google search on "mental health" is going to leave anyone pretty overwhelmed. Bipolar? Depression? Anxiety? We who live with brain disorder know that a diagnosis is not usually a simple thing. You may know that something is wrong, but what specifically? Look at NIMH? or NAMI? Heavens, there are a lot of initials and most of it looks pretty technical and confusing and you have to know what you're looking for.

Here is a site for that first search. Refreshingly simple and in human language, not medical-ise, it's aimed at folks 18-25 (most common age of onset) and includes a state by state search engine for mental health services, an overview of common disorders and real life testimonials of people living with these problems. "What a difference a friend makes?" You bet. Check it out...