Ok, It's Been A While...

Ok, so apparently I haven't written anything on here since last May...Like I've said before, though, it's tough to put yourself back into the mind-set of focusing on depression.

And yet here I am...But not for why you think.

Actually, in the last few days (I actually wrote this section back in January...oops), I've stumbled on 3 depression stories that have hit the news.  So in case you missed it, here they are:

On January 9, 2013, Israeli company Brainsway received FDA approval in the United States for its Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation system.  This link here was where I first saw it.  The system is already approved for use in Europe.  This is the first I've heard of it, so I haven't read a whole lot about it yet  Hopefully I'll have more for you in the near future.

Another story that broke on the 9th was the release of a study suggesting that drinking sweetened beverages (especially diet pop) is associated with an increased risk of depression.  For what it's worth, my immediate reaction was "Oh shit!" because my one vice in life is Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola Classic, not diet).  That wasn't the only part of the study - another portion supported other research I've come across that suggests drinking coffee lowers the risk of depression.  Again, haven't done much research into this new study, but definitely something to ponder....

On January 15, Canada AM ran this story about mental health risks associated with different careers.  Interestingly enough, restuarant/food services topped out the list.  This is what actually got me to thinking about writing another blog entry - the other stories were just bonus.

And, if you live in Canada, you may have noticed this little program called Let's Talk that ran on February 12....

If you're not in Canada, here's the deal.  Bell is a major media & telecommunications conglomerate and for the past few years they've been sponsoring a program wherein Bell donates $0.05 for every text, tweet, long distance call or Facebook share to mental health initiatives throughout the country.  I've written about the Let's Talk campaign before: here and here.

The main goal of the Let's Talk campaign, however, has been to reduce the stigma that those of us that have a mental illness face. 

Here's how we did this year:

 

Not too shabby, eh?  Hopefully those totals can be beaten again next year, and more understanding can be shared.

And just an aside that kinda pissed me off - reading some of the tweets #BellLetsTalk, I feel bad for the (for lack of a better term) assholes, who complained about the so-called corporate branding of this program by Bell.  I've got no problem with corporate social responsibility, and if this is what Bell wants to do, well good on them.  I doubt this program alone will cause people to switch to Bell, so I don't see what the problem could possibly be....(And an FYI for any non-Canadian readers, Bell is not considered an industry leader in customer service, but they do sponsor Let's Talk, so I'll cut them some slack)