Mental Health Resources Blog

    A diagnosis of autism can be a harrowing experience for the parents, or loved ones, of the person being diagnosed. Feelings of anger, remorse, concern and fear can plague concerned loved ones and create a sense of desperation. This is complicated by the vast amount of information and misinformation concerning treatments and “cures”. What is the Best Cure for Autism? So what is the best cure for autism? Unfortunately there is currently no cure for autism, despite many websites and advertisements that make claims to the contrary. Treatments [...]

    Asperger’s Syndrome is in the news - and not for very good reasons. The mental disorder is at the center of the firestorm following the revelation that Newtown shooter Adam Lanza may have suffered from the syndrome, causing much consternation among people with Asperger’s and their families. The association with such a violent event definitely does not bode well for better mainstream understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome. Dropped from the DSM-V Worse, the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (better known as DSM-V, as [...]

Our country is facing a national crisis, involving the mental health stigma, that needs to be addressed immediately. When it comes to the health and well being of our population’s mentally ill, you may be surprised to discover that huge portion of these people have served jail time or are currently in prison. Something has gone wrong, but many are failing to acknowledge the problem at hand. What can be done to help our population’s mentally ill before prison becomes the only form of treatment?   The Bold Statistics Are [...]

Despite all the advances in psychiatry and behavioral medicine that have led to the ability of people with significant mental illness to lead rich and full lives as contributing members of society, many people still face the stigma associated with mental illness in the workplace. The history of mental health stigma is overwhelmingly filled with conceptions of misdiagnosis as well as other disturbing facts. Stigma presents itself as employers’ reservations about hiring people with mental illness and employees reluctant to disclose that they have mental health issues. These barriers result [...]

Holiday Partying….The Vegan Way The holiday season is upon us once again, and no matter what you’re celebrating, chances are good there will be some adult bevvies involved. Before you grab a can of your favorite brew or start sipping on the bubbly, be sure you know which ones are ok to have for folks following vegan diets. Vegan Booze 101 While any vegan worth their tempeh knows exactly which foods are free from animal-derived products, when it comes to alcoholic drinks, things can get a little, um, blurry. The [...]

The following is an excerpt from Joan Landino’s published article “Stigma Of Mental Illness Continues To Impede Early Diagnosis And Treatment Of Affective Illness In The United States” written by Landino, Roy and Buckley To read the entire article click here! The World Health Organization defines primary care as “essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound, and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and their families” (54). In North America and Australia, the majority of psychiatrically ill persons who attempt to engage in “essential [...]

In episode 6 of her video series “Joan Landino Says,” Joan discusses the origin of PTSD as well as treatments for those experience symptoms.

The following is an excerpt from…. “Stigma Of Mental Illness Continues To Impede Early Diagnosis And Treatment Of Affective Illness In The United States” written by Landino, Roy and Buckley (Read the entire article here)   The Oxford-Unabridged Dictionary defines “stigma” as a mark of “infamy, disgrace, or reproach”; in Middle English — a “brand”; derived from Latin — “tattoo, indicating slave or criminal status”; originating ultimately from stizein, the Greek word for “a recognizable sign made by burning or cutting a part of the skin of a less valued [...]

In episode 5 of her video series “Joan Landino Says,” Joan discusses the facts and controversy surrounding Attention Deficit Disorder as well as proper forms of treatments.

In Joan Landino’s fourth episode of her series she’s delves into how the food we eat can affect our moods. A healthy diet that includes the necessary foods can decrease our stress and anxiety levels.

In episode 3 of her video series “Joan Landino Says,” Joan brings on two guests to discuss What Else Could be Causing my Depression. Watch as Joan speaks on certain vitamin deficiencies and hormone fluctuations that may be the underlying cause of your depression.

In this episode of “Joan Landino Says” Joan talks about the topic of “Medical Food”. Watch this video to learn about what medical food exactly is, how you can benefit from it, and how to include this food in your diet.

    As a published author in the United States and the United Kingdom, Joan Landino has influenced many with her thoughts on the stigma of mental illness in United States. Here is an excerpt of published article from priory.com, an online psychiatric journal in England. Stigma Of Mental Illness Continues To Impede Early Diagnosis And Treatment Of Affective Illness In The United States Landino, Roy and Buckley 

Abstract Social stigma continues to impede the early diagnosis, specialist care referral, evidence-based treatment, and funding parity of mental illness. 
Health care professionals, including many mental [...]

In Joan Landino’s first episode of her video series “Joan Landino Says” Joan tackles the topic of Metabolizing Medication and DNA Testing. Watch as Joan talks about DNA guided medicine and how we can benefit from DNA testing in the psychiatric field.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is well defined among Military personnel, but I want to preface that traumatic event(s) may also occur among any civilian where the person has been exposed to trauma in which he/she has experienced, witnessed, or is confronted with an event(s) that involved actual or threatened death, serious injury or a threat to the physical integrity of themselves or others. The human response involves intense fear, helplessness or horror. Of note: in children, these emotions may be manifested as disorganized or agitated behavior. PTSD Symptoms and Emotions The [...]

Most people still believe that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disease of childhood affecting only children and adolescents. In the past two decades however, scientists are convinced that ADHD is not “outgrown” with age… instead the symptoms persist but the individual copes with the resultant problems differently as he or she adapts to adulthood. For example a child’s “temper tantrum” or inability to hand in homework may be paralleled by the ADHD adult’s outburst (temper sounds like such a button pusher as we get older) at his/her family and failure or inability [...]

I call myself a Vegan Life Coach. I began “thinking about” becoming a vegetarian in 1989 after reading A Diet for a New America by John Robbins. In that book I learned about the systemic animal cruelty perpetuated by the meat and dairy industries. Although I’ve been a RN since 1984 and have taken courses in health and nutrition, Robbins removed the “blinders of western medicine” and exposed the myth that “humans are supposed to eat meat.” Our bodies are meant to be Herbivores! These comments, among others, got me [...]

Sometimes depression and anxiety have medical causes, so it can be necessary to test for some underlying contributors. These can include Thyroid Functioning tests – not only for T4 ,which you may already be handling with replacement therapy (synthroid), but T3, which is sometimes nicknamed “our happy hormone.” Remember, we have to be very careful when we prescribe T3 (Cytomel), because it can throw one into mania, i.e. too happy. I do laugh when my clients say, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if I’m ever ‘too happy’ Joan, [...]

I started out skeptical regarding the pamphlets that were brought in to our office about medical food (Deplin) as an augmenting treatment for depression. Deplin’s active ingredient is L-methylfolate, which is the most bio-available form of B9 (folic acid). The pamphlets sat for a while, but after looking in a Nursing Herbal Drug Handbook for a client, in order to review his herb to drug interactions, I came across folic acid and its effects on depression, migraines and constipation. Now that caught my attention because that is exactly what he [...]

Wow, it only took about a month to write my 1st blog! First, I had to find out what a blog was from someone under the age of 25! As my clients know, that while I enjoy talking about myself, it’s their session and this blog really is for you. So with that said, I give you my first post. What’s DNA? DNA; It’s one of the most sought after topics since the 1980’s. America’s favorite TV shows all reference it, but exactly what is it? DNA is used to [...]