http://www.samhsa.gov/recoverytopracticeThe latest headlines from RTP.SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities..My story is one of recovery from childhood. Born in poverty in Texas—very far south, near the Mexican border—I was the first of my mom’s six children between her two marriages. My father also remarried and had four other children. Life was difficult.http://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/WH%202010/Weekly%20Highlight%20August%206.pdf9/5/2012I myself was first hospitalized and put on medication when I was 18, in 1997. I struggled to graduate from college and have a normal life. I would say that the latest area of recovery for me took place in 2007. That was when I started working full tihttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/WH%202010/Weekly%20Highlight%20August%206.pdf9/5/2012So this is the story of how I got here, from the violence to sadness and silence to fear. And then how it shifted and finally changed, how life got re‐centered and then re‐arranged.http://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/WH%202010/Weekly%20Highlight%20August%2020.pdf9/5/2012I am a 54‐year‐old woman living in the Pacific Northwest. I began experiencing symptoms of bipolar disorder as a young child. While still in kindergarten, I began attempting to harm myself. In my teens, I began to drink heavily to self‐medicate. Befohttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/WH%202010/Weekly%20Highlight%20October%2022.pdf9/5/2012My name is Jason Abijah Zimmerman, but most folks just call me “Jay.” I am a certified peer support counselor/technician for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), located in Mountain Home, Tenn. I was born and raised in this area of Appalachhttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/WH%202010/Weekly%20Highlight%20November%205.pdf9/5/2012I do not believe it is possible to fully recover from mental illness. I do think that one can halt its progression, and I do believe that one can unlearn the associated learned behaviors. I believe that one can manage the illness to significantly imphttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/WH%202011/Weekly%20Highlight%20February%2018.pdf9/5/2012When I was thinking about recovery and how it has impacted my nursing practice, I came across a definition attributed to William Anthony (1993) from the Boston Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. There is a line in that definition that really spokhttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/weekly.2011.05.05/WH.2011.05.05.html9/5/2012 Can you hear voices and be healthy? Can people who hear overwhelming and distressing voices be helped to find ways to live successfully with their voices? Over the past 20 years, research and practice originating in Europe and developed in partnershhttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/2011.weekly/2011.06.30/WH.2011.06.30.html9/5/2012Working to Recovery (WTR) was established in 2002 by Ron Coleman and Karen Taylor. Based in Scotland, WTR offers training and consultancy around the world to many different kinds of agencies and organizations specializing in mental health practice. Ihttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/2011.weekly/2011.07.21/WH.2011.07.21.html9/5/2012The Turn-A-Frown Around Foundation (TAFA) is an organization whose sole mission is to end loneliness. We have been around for 10 years. I humbly share that we’ve won nine awards, including the Governor's Ambassador Award for the State of New Jersey, http://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/2011.weekly/2011.08.04/WH.2011.08.04.html9/5/2012Life is tough, even without a mental illness. In my opinion, everyone is recovering and on the road to what we call wellness. We all have our own definition of wellness and it may change from time to time. As a person with a mental illness, I am nohttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/2011.weekly/2011.09.29/WH.2011.09.29.html9/5/2012I had every advantage. I came from a home where everything was provided. I was on track to achieving a successful career and life. Then something happened. I became mentally ill. At age 10, I was getting good grades in school and developing sociallhttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/2011.weekly/2011.10.20/WH.2011.10.20.html9/5/2012Growing up, I enjoyed many of the same advantages as others. From a very young age—thanks to my mother and father—I had everything necessary for a decent life. I always had a roof over my head, food on the table, and someone to take care of my needs.http://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/2011.weekly/2011.12.01/WH.2011.12.01.html9/5/2012My name is Keith Jamison and I am a registered nurse. I have 20 years of experience in health care, which began in Home Health and transitioned to psychiatric nursing for several years. Currently, I work as a nurse educator at the Julian F. Keith Alchttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/wh/2012/2012.01.05/WH.2012.01.05.html9/5/2012I started drinking at the age of 11 because it was the only way to quiet the voices I'd been hearing all my life. It was the 60s and little was known about chemical imbalances and mental illness. By age 14 I was an alcoholic and spent the next 33 yeahttp://www.dsgonline.com/rtp/wh/2012/2012.01.12/WH.2012.01.12.html9/5/2012Although the validity and safety of antipsychotic polypharmacy remains unclear, it is commonplace in the treatment of schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate the degree that antipsychotic polypharmacy contributed to metabolic syndrome in outpahttp://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-244X-11-118.pdf9/27/2011Equips treatment teams at mental health agencies with a systematic plan to ensure they tap the latest scientific evidence coupled with patient input in making medication management decisions for people with mental illnesses. Modules cover getting stahttp://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA10-45499/23/2011Patients should be involved in making decisions about their health care. The ethical imperative of autonomy is reflected in legal trends that require a high standard of disclosure for informed consent, amounting to a principle of informed choice. Outhttp://www.bmj.com/content/319/7212/766.full9/23/2011Dale Edgin believes getting arrested for robbery may have been the best thing that ever happened to him, according to a story by Karen Auge in the Denver Post. That’s because Edgin has severe mental illness, and getting arrested got him what he needhttp://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/about-us/our-blog/86-colrado/1730-the-benefits-of-getting-arrested9/23/2011MedlinePlus is the National Institute of Health's Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can undershttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/9/23/2011