This week’s focus: Child Abuse Issues

I am honored to have my Twitter feed included in this list of 50 Best Twitter Feeds for Psychology Majors! Go check out the other 49, broken out into these categories: News; Organizations; Patients; and Professionals.

Best Tweets for Trauma and PTSD Survivors is a weekly Friday feature. My selections are entirely subjective, and I know it will never be possible to include every great resource tweeted. But I can try! I’ve personally read all tweeted links, and believe them to be of great value.

Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for content found on any other website. Stay safe, and don’t follow links if you believe you might be triggered by them. Also, I will not be re-checking links from older Best Tweets posts, and if the site’s archived URL is different from the one I’ve provided here, you may need to do a search on their site.

Please Share My Stuff! You can now “like” and “share” this post everywhere with the touch of a button or two at the end of the linked tweets! Feel free to do any or all of that! (And thanks.)

Photo Credit

@LillyAnn “Enlightenment is not a peak experience.
It’s a permanent shift in paradigm
that deepens day by day.” ~ Shinzen Young

Some Tweets to Ponder

@DrAthenaStaik “It takes courage to liberate your mind from old stories — and stand instead in the truth of your highest aspirations of who you yearn to be.”

@PemaQuotes “What you do for yourself — any gesture of kindness, any gesture of gentleness, any gesture of honesty … will affect how you experience your world.”

@CarePathways “The ability to achieve acceptance of what is known within us, is the substance of the things and of the knowledge we search & hope for.”

@zebraspolkadots “When I believed I couldn’t — I couldn’t hope or do anything to change myself or my life. When I believed I could is when I did.”

Linked Tweets

In the News

‏@VA_PTSD_Info May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Follow @VA_PTSD_info to get info for veterans, milfam and providers.
[SEO: This is the start page for the National Center for PTSD, and it’s not just for veterans. (See also link in child abuse issues section below.) Choose the “Public” link, and you’ll see all kinds of great resources for anyone dealing with PTSD. While the “Professional” link is geared toward further educating mental health professionals, you don’t have to be a professional to access those resources. If nothing else, you can point your own therapist to this site for the latest in research.]

@natasha_tracy Approval for generic olanzapine (Zyprexa)
[SEO: Just a short press release: “USFDA has granted an approval for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for generic version of Zyprexa, Olanzapine Tablets USP, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg and 20 mg. Olanzapine tablets are indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder (manic or mixed episodes).”

If you take Zyprexa, a cheaper alternative is on its way. Keep in mind that generics are not made exactly as the original (different mixes of inactive ingredients), so may change effectiveness for you.]

Child Abuse Issues

@VA_PTSD_Info In the US, a sexual assault occurs every 2 minutes. Find resources for men, women, and child sexual trauma survivors.
[SEO: “This section provides information about the effects of child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault.” The same page has links to resources for trauma caused by war, terrorism, or disaster.]

@SIAOrganization Creating a National Commission on Child Abuse Deaths would streamline reporting among states
[SEO: “A new report from the Children’s Advocacy Institute and University of San Diego (PDF) says there is a ‘culture of secrecy’ in states’ disclosure laws, which hides information about child abuse deaths and near-deaths.” The report contains a new state-by-state study of public disclosure laws.

From the PDF: “The advocacy groups also appealed to Congress to pass bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-MA), to establish a special commission charged with developing a national strategy for reducing the number of child abuse and neglect deaths and near-deaths (S 1984, HR 3653).”]

‏@shrinkgurl Childhood abuse raises adult suicide risk
[SEO: This isn’t news for any child abuse survivor I know, but it truly needs to be understood by anyone who treats abused children directly, or later when they have become adults. “A strong association between childhood physical abuse and subsequent suicidal behaviors remained even after taking into account other known risk factors, such as adverse childhood conditions, health behaviors, and psycho-social stressors.”]

@patriciasinglet Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse April 2012 Edition
[SEO: Includes blog posts in the following categories: Advocacy and Awareness; Aftermath; Art Therapy; Healing and Therapy; Survivor Stories; and Poetry.]

The Rest of the Best

@healthyplace Who Is Therapy For and When Is It NOT Suitable?
[SEO: Post discusses how the majority of therapists’ backgrounds are middle class and white, resulting in under-served and under-represented populations. Nevertheless, “[g]ood psychotherapists and counselors listen and learn from their clients, and don’t try and impose their values on them.” Post also discusses reasons why talking therapy may not be of benefit in particular circumstances.]

‏@PsychCentral Insurance Parity: So Close and Yet, So Far
[SEO: Describes upcoming hearings on Parity Implementation (from the 2008 law that has yet to receive regs to implement it), and provides links by which you can contact the committee holding the hearings. Otherwise…

“I actually believed that with parity, the clouds would part, stigma would evaporate and society would accept mental illnesses- especially alcoholism and addiction – for what they are – an illnesses. Boy, was I wrong. Those pesky insurance companies created new loopholes and found clever ways to dodge the new parity rules. Which is why we really, really need to support these parity field hearings. Share your experience – or lack of.”

@healthyplace Difference Between Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence. (New Building Self-Esteem blog)
[SEO: “The terms self-esteem and self-confidence are often used interchangeably when referring to how one feels about themselves. Although they are very similar, they are two different concepts. It is important to understand their roles when looking to improve your overall sense of self.” This is a new blog at HealthyPlace.com written by Emily Roberts, MA, LPC.]

@PsychCentral PsychSplash: The National Association for Males with Eating Disorders (NAMED)
[SEO: A brief blurb about resources available at NAMED. For more comprehensive info go directly to The National Association for Males with Eating Disorders website.]