A well-written memoir can have the power to draw society’s awareness, discussion and eventually understanding to sensitive topics. Although a memoir is a story of one, memoirs often highlight experiences that others have shared and have underlying themes to which others can relate.

In recognition of May being Mental Health Month, Argosy University, Online Programs presents the following memoirs written by those who have been affected by mental illness, in the hopes of bringing your attention to the topics of mental health and illness.

Darkness Visible by William Styron

Later in his life, Styron, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning The Confessions of Nat Turner and National Book Award winner Sophie’s Choice, fell into a deep depression and was hospitalized for several weeks. Styron applies his lyrical gifts in narrating his struggle with despair. Darkness Visible is a poetic account of a person overcoming depression.

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

Jamison is a psychologist who suffers from bipolar disorder. As both clinician and patient, Jamison offers a unique perspective, writing on how her manic and depressive episodes wrecked her life and how lithium brought her out of her mania but also dulled her imaginative energy. In addition to Unquiet Mind, Jamison has coauthored the clinical textbook Manic-Depressive Illness and authored Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, exploring the relationship between mental illness and creativity, and Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide.

The Noonday Demon: The Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon

In The Noonday Demon, winner of the National Book Award, Solomon writes about his debilitating depression in which any social encounter, such as a book-signing event, could become terrifying. Solomon writes about his search for the right combination of psychiatric medication to alleviate his depression and the financial costs of the medicine. Solomon also writes of his mother’s terminal illness and her decision to end her own life. The book also explores mental health policy in the United States and policy makers whose lives are affected by psychiatric disorders.

The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn Saks

Saks is a law professor with schizophrenia and is an expert on mental health and law. The Center Cannot Hold not only provides Saks' account of her struggles with her illness but also addresses mental health stigma in society.

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher

Published when Hornbacher was 23, Wasted was short-listed for the Pulitzer Price and gives an account of her struggle with an eating disorder. Her follow-up Madness: A Bipolar Life recounts her years after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

Later made into a popular movie, Girl, Interrupted is about an 18-year-old’s psychiatric hospitalization for depression after a suicide attempt in 1967. Kaysen writes about her diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and her views on the conceptualization of mental health in the United States.

More Information on Mental Health Month

Mental Health Month: 7 Quick Ways to Ease Stress
Mental Health Month: Pathways to Wellness
May is National Health Month

Adjunct faculty member Adam Yerke is embarking on a 545-mile journey this June. But instead of taking a car or a plane, he’ll be traveling on his bike. From June 2 to 8, 2013 he will bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles along with thousands of other cyclists and volunteers to raise awareness and funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Since 2001, AIDS LifeCycle (ALC) has raised more than 60 million dollars and helped to educate thousands of people about HIV/AIDS. Each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $3,000, although many riders raise more. According to the ALC website, 1.7 million Americans have been infected with HIV since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in 1981, and more than 617,025 have died of AIDS-related causes.

Adams says, “This is a disease that transcends all demographics, including age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, race and gender identity. It impacts all of us, even if only indirectly for some. Because of my own personal and professional relationships with those living with HIV/AIDS, I am inspired to raise money and help support people living with HIV/AIDS.”

All money raised at the annual event goes to two of the nation’s largest HIV/AIDS organizations—the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Adam is an adjunct faculty member in the College of Undergraduate Studies at Argosy University, Online Programs.

Learn More or Get Involved

To learn more about the event, visit http://www.aidslifecycle.org/, or read about Adam’s training and fundraising efforts here.

Humans are social animals. Research shows that having a strong network of support or strong community bonds fosters both emotional and physical health and is an important component of adult life. Over the years, there have been a number of studies showcasing the relationship between social support and the quality of physical and psychological health.

The Research

While most studies examining the benefits of social support have focused on the elderly (Steptoe, Dockray, & Wardle, 2009), having a strong social network is crucial for psychological and physical health, regardless of age. For example, a study on incoming college freshmen found that social support was effective in reducing depression in both those who have healthy self-esteem and those with a poor self-image (Cohen, Sherrod, & Clark, 1986). The authors of this study found that belonging to a social network helped ease the stress for people entering university life.

Social involvement is also important as we age. In a study of Europeans over the age of 50, Sirven and Debrand (2008) found that individuals who participated in social or community activities were more likely to report good or very good health. The study was based on data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and included 11 European countries and 22,000 households (31,000 individuals).

What We Think

At Argosy University, Online Programs, we hope that you learn from these studies and continue to build the support networks in your lives. In addition to the psychological and physical benefits of having a support system, having friends and family who know about your academic and professional goals may help you to achieve them.

The support and encouragement from your friends and family will motivate you, and you can ask them to check in regularly on how you are doing in classes. Because they believe in you and because you see them so often, you won’t want to disappoint them. Plus, they’ll be excited to hear about your success!

For the last week of the Student Hero Contest, we hope you continue to network with other students online and also start talking with your family and friends about your online education experiences. If your hero is a family member or a friend you see every day rather than a student, we encourage you to still enter the contest and tell us about why he or she is so important to you!

Sources

Cohen, S., Sherrod, D. R., & Clark, M. S. (1986). Social Skills and the Stress-Protective Role of Social Support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(5), 963-973.

Sirven, N., & Debrand, T. (2008). Social participation and healthy ageing: An international comparison using SHARE data. Social Science & Medicine, 67, 2017-2026.

Steptoe, A., Dockray, S., & Wardle, J. (2009). Positive Affect and Psychobiological Processes Relevant to Health. Journal of Personality, 77(6), 1747-1776.

Walen, H. R., & Lachman, M. E. (2000). Social Support and Strain from Partner, Family, and Friends: Costs and Benefits for Men and Women in Adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 17, 5-30.

With all of the other priorities the online learner needs to juggle, finding time to exercise can be a challenge. You know that staying fit and healthy is important, but you think that the last thing you have time for is exercise. With a little creativity and planning, however, you’ll find that you may have more time than you think. Follow some of our tips below.

• Walk More – Use your lunch break to take a walk with a co-worker. Park farther away when you go shopping. If an errand you need to run is a short distance away, consider walking rather than driving to your destination.
• Get the Family Involved – If one of your reasons for not exercising is that you won’t have time to spend with your family, why not combine the two and get your family involved with your activity? Go on a short hike together, ride bikes, or rent some canoes. You’ll have a great bonding experience while burning calories at the same time.
• Multitask – If you like to unwind in front of the television after a hectic day, consider adding exercise to the mix here too. March or jog in place during the commercial breaks or hop on your treadmill or elliptical machine while you take in your favorite program.
• Use Weekends – Many of us are stretched to the max during the week, which is why weekends can often be a great time to fit in some exercise. It’s also a great time to use the tips we mentioned above.

When you look back over our tips, you might find that exercising can actually be fun and manageable, and you’ll have more energy to go about your day in the long run.

In the academic quest to maintain a high GPA, many do not realize that there are a few things that you can do in addition to studying that can assist you with your goals, such as making sure your nutritional needs are met. There are a few particular foods that people can consume, which science shows may actually help to strengthen your cognitive abilities.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Choline
Both Omega-3 fatty acids and choline are found in fish, so get yourself to a local fish-fry festival! Okay, maybe not, since frying fish completely defeats the nutritional benefit. But it appears as if fish is one of the best brain foods that you can eat, as fish have high levels of both substances, both of which are directly linked to brain functionality.

Omega-3’s help your body to produce chemicals that it naturally needs, in particular, chemicals your brain uses. When you have less of these chemicals, your ability to think and retain information may be lower. With Omega-3's, your body can produce more of these vital chemicals easier, thereby improving your cognitive abilities.

Choline is a B-vitamin which has a positive effect on the hippocampus, your brain’s memory center. In tests where pregnant women were given choline, their children tested higher on IQ tests than those mothers whom did not ingest choline while pregnant. Choline is not only found in fish; it can also be found in eggs, beef, cauliflower, navy beans, almonds, and peanut butter.

Fewer Carbohydrates Mean More Focus
Recent studies have demonstrated that to stay focused for longer periods of time, you need to cut down on your carbohydrate consumption. While carbohydrates give us energy, too many carbohydrates can leave you feeling distracted and sleepy, making it virtually impossible to focus on anything. Foods notorious for bringing on these feelings are dense breads and pastas, “heavy” foods with very high caloric content from carbohydrates. The best way to go would be to eat more fruits and vegetables, which actually provide carbohydrates, but aren’t as dense. This way, you can get the energy that you need with out the sleepy feeling afterward.

Eating some of the foods listed above can help you power through a tough study session or class assignment, providing you with energy and essential nutrition.