The Mid-Autumn Festival is still three weeks away, but news related to mooncakes — the Chinese traditional delicacy associated with the festivities — is already making the rounds on social media.

In Shanghai, snacks from one of the city’s mental health hospitals have gone viral, despite being unavailable to the general public. Locals have nevertheless shared photos of the festival favorite made by Shanghai Mental Health Center on various social media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, and Little Red Book — with many in favor of mooncakes with a message.

Previously, the city’s residents spoke of the hospital and even its main location on Wanping South Road in hushed tones due to stigma associated with mental health. However, the fact that people are sharing mooncakes with the center’s logo engraved on them seems to signify a shift in public attitude.

“The popularity of the mooncakes may look like an accident, but it’s an inevitable trend,” Qiao Ying, a deputy chief physician at the hospital, told Sixth Tone. “People of all ages have (mental health) needs, and we are fulfilling those needs. The importance of mental health awareness has risen in particular due to COVID-19.”

Different flavored mooncakes from Shanghai Mental Health Center. From @sasa0828 on Little Red Book

Song Yuanming, a young librarian who lives on the same street as the hospital, said the address was often not seen in good light. However, she said times have changed, adding that she also posted photos of the exclusive mooncakes on WeChat.

“There used to be a heavy stigma around the address; people find it mysterious and ominous at the same time,” Song told Sixth Tone. “The awareness of mental health illnesses among young people has grown, and as a result, prejudice about the address is gradually lifting.”

Though employees can buy the delicacy, the hospital doesn’t plan to sell them to the public — even though they’ve gone viral.

In recent years, mooncakes have evolved from their humble homemade roots to become a more commercial venture, leading people to even profit from fake mooncakes. Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival — Sept. 21 this year — businesses offer exclusive and often unique versions of the snack.

Xue Guanhua, a Shanghai-based food blogger, said mooncake flavors are an important aspect in how they are received, and the ones from Shanghai Mental Health Center have already emerged as a winner. She said she has tried all six flavors: purple yam, taro, milk and cheese, green apple and plum, peach and oolong tea, and coffee and chocolate.

“Taking into consideration the looks, fillings, and price, they can be listed as among the top three mooncakes I have ever reviewed,” Xue, who received them from a friend, told Sixth Tone. “The fillings ooze out as soon as you cut them, and the texture is soft and gooey.”

Editor: Bibek Bhandari.

(Header image: Different flavored mooncakes from Shanghai Mental Health Center. From @sasa0828 on Little Red Book)

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By Devon Haskins, KGW News

Global apparel and shoe company Nike is putting some of its employees’ mental health ahead of productivity. It has closed its corporate offices for the week so employees can “enjoy additional time off to rest and recover,” according to a statement.

The move is celebrated by those who work at the company, which has its headquarters near Beaverton.

Matt Marrazzo, a senior manager at Nike, posted on his LinkedIn page “It’s not just a ‘week off’ for the team … It’s an acknowledgment that we can prioritize mental health and still get work done.”

Another employee, who wanted to remain anonymous, told KGW, “It’s not only a chance to recharge and keep us together, but also a thank you for an impressive year.”

Liz Tippett, an associate professor at the University of Oregon School of Law whose work emphasizes employment law and practices, said it is a good move by companies.

“I like raising the focus of mental health as a basis for people to take their time off, not just when they’re physically ill,” Tippett said. “I think it’s important to recognize the role mental health plays for workers and worker well-being.”

While those in the corporate offices are getting the paid week off, others aren’t getting it at all. Nike’s retail stores are still open.

When KGW called a Nike retail store, the person who answered the phone said this was the first they were hearing about the paid time off for corporate employees.

“If it is the case that part-time workers in a retail store are expected to come to work, whereas headquarter offices are not, that also sends a message about which kind of workers they care about and are willing to invest in,” Tippett said.

In 2019, the World Health Organization recognized workplace burnout as an ‘occupational phenomenon.’ It was the first time the global health agency directly linked burnout in its classifications of diseases as a work hazard. It also meant workers could seek medical help for something other than an illness or health condition.

In 2020 and 2021, companies began placing more of an emphasis on an employee’s mental health by giving them more time off.

At Intel, Oregon’s largest private sector employer, employees can either take a four-week sabbatical after four years or wait and take an eight-week sabbatical after seven years. The company also began offering an additional 12 hours off for each half of 2021.

In an email to KGW, a company official wrote the extra time off is “intended for employees to refresh and recharge during the ongoing pandemic.”

Microsoft said its added five “wellbeing days” to its paid time-off benefits globally to help employees prioritize their health.

— KGW News

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As chaos unfolds in Afghanistan, American veterans are struggling with renewed post-traumatic stress.

Thirteen U.S. service members were killed Thursday in a suicide bombing at an airport in Kabul. The next day, the U.S. military said it used a drone strike to kill two “high-profile ISIS targets,” Maj. Gen. William “Hank” Taylor said Saturday.

Thomas Saadi, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, said the deaths of service members have heavily impacted the entire military community, and even opened some wounds for veterans.

“This is a serious concern,” said Saadi, a Danbury city councilman who is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

The loss has “really hit home” for the veteran community. “It is emotional to think about,” he added.

Officials have noticed a spike in veterans seeking mental health services.

Jack Mordente, coordinator of Southern Connecticut State University’s Veterans and Military Affairs office, said he was devastated Saturday thinking of America’s latest military loss.

“I’m very angry,” Mordente said. “Most of them were just babies when 9/11 happened,” he said.

“It’s our politicians that bring us to war, our soldiers do their job,” he added.

Mordente served in the U.S. Army from 1970-74 in the Vietnam War. He doesn’t want to see what happened to his generation happen to veterans who served in Afghanistan.

“Our veterans were blamed and were the scapegoats for that war,” Mordente said.

While being a veterans coordinator at the university, Mordente has known two U.S. Marine Corps veterans who have died by suicide in recent years.

In 2018, nearly 18 veterans died by suicide each day, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said veterans “rarely ask for help, especially when they’re going through a tough time emotionally.”

Mordente and others are offering support to Iraq or Afghanistan veterans. Even a simple phone call can help former soldiers process their emotions, he said.

Blumenthal and state Sen. Jorge Cabrera, R-Hamden, are also concerned about veterans’ mental health. The “humanitarian nightmare” in Afghanistan is dominating news headlines, reviving memories of war and causing renewed post traumatic stress, Blumenthal said.

American troops are set to leave the war-torn country by Tuesday. With the Taliban taking control of the country so quickly, troops are feeling disappointed like the mission was a hopeless effort, Cabrera said.

“They went there to do their jobs. A lot of them participating in the building of the country. … And now it seems to be destroyed and lost,” Cabrera said. “Like it was worthless.”

But Cabrera, Blumenthal and Mordente wanted to assure troops and veterans their work wasn’t for nothing.

“Even though things are messy right now and difficult, they served their country and they served the folks of Afghanistan well,” Cabrera said. “And their efforts were not in vain.”

As of Saturday, 117,000 people have evacuated from Afghanistan, 5,400 of those being American citizens, according to Taylor.

Blumenthal said about 350 American citizens are left in the country and thousands of Afghan allies, including interpreters, guards, drivers and intelligence contractors who “put their lives on the line for us.”

Blumenthal said he and other members of Congress met with the administration in April and May “pleading” to start a mass evacuation effort.

“I hope that our military will remain as long as possible to enable as many as possible Afghan allies to escape torture and murder that the Taliban may impose on them or their families,” Blumenthal said Saturday.

Blumenthal, who was in the Marine Corps Reserve, has two sons who served in the military. Matthew Blumenthal, a state representative for Stamford and Darien, served in Afghanistan as a Marine combat infantry officer and managed to help an interpreter escape the country before the turmoil. Michael Blumenthal served as a Navy SEAL.

Veterans in crisis or those concerned about a veteran can call the Veterans Crisis Line at 800-273-8255, text 838255 or chat online at www.VeteransCrisisLine.net. Other resources for veterans can be found by going to the Connecticut Veterans Affairs Facebook page.

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Originally Appeared Here

Zenyatta Sanchez is celebrating her eighth birthday at T-Y Park in Hollywood.

The third grader is thankful to be back in school full-time.

“She’s very excited. She was missing school and her friends. One year at home was terrible,” her father, Ronald Sanchez said.

He also says being home made her tired, and unexpectedly angry.

“She was very worried that her family could get the virus and die, the kind of stuff she doesn’t have to worry about it, but she was worried,” Sanchez said.

Pediatric psychologists say she’s not alone.

The number of patients admitted to the pediatric mental health floor at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital was up 150 percent this summer and often, the need goes up when the school year starts.

“Now as we’ve started going back to school, there has been increased anxiety about change and going back to a ‘new normal’ people are speaking of. Back to socialization and back to academic settings that look different,” pediatric psychologist Ximena Flanders said. 

She says parents should give children about a month to adjust to returning to school and then watch out for certain behaviors that signal a child needs support.

Things like mood swings, increased irritability, hopelessness, trouble focusing or lack of motivation.

If you notice those, talk to them and speak to their pediatrician.

“Certainly start the convo, be the parent they want to talk to, offer open conversation and validation and reassurance. Be warm and compassionate, try not to say things that are judgemental or invalidating,” Flanders said.

Children are resilient, but Doctor Flanders says even those who adapt well could use mental health support at a time like this.

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Photo: Apple TV+

It feels necessary to begin this review with a disclaimer that I have absolutely no desire to be part of the ongoing Ted Lasso discourse whipping its way across the internet like a wildfire (if you’ve missed it, spare yourself). Initially, I worried that my headline calling last week’s episode “worrisome” would inspire aggressive defensiveness from the show’s fans who would read concern as condemnation. However, while there was a bit of that, by the time the weekend was over the bigger problem was people who actually were condemning the show based on less than half of the entire season. It’s as if we have collectively forgotten how to watch television, and while Kathryn VanArendonk is not wrong that the show’s use of serialization is partly to blame, I would argue we are now past the point where we’re having a rational conversation about this show. And all I can do personally is say that I have no desire to categorize “The Signal” or any episode of the show as either a symbol of greatness or a harbinger of collapse, and I can only hope those reading this will resist the temptation to do the same.

One kernel from the ongoing discourse, though, has been related to the absence of stories focused on AFC Richmond’s on-field performance, and “The Signal” is definitely a return to the pitch. With Roy Kent on the coaching staff, Richmond is on a winning streak heading into an FA Cup quarter-final, but the team still has some issues to iron out. Colin’s struggling with his self-worth, but he gets a mantra from Dr. Fieldstone, and some advice on his form from Roy, and feels confident about how to move forward. And while Roy’s refusal to coach Jamie nearly blows up into a fist fight, they resolve things by coming to an agreement that there are actually times when being a prick work in the team’s favor, and Jamie manages to channel it into a crucial goal that puts them ahead of the heavily favored Tottenham Hotspurs at the half.

It’s the most football the show has dealt with so far this season, where the writers have largely had the team’s games play out off-screen in favor of exploring the dynamic happening behind-the-scenes. As always, Ted Lasso resists becoming a show about the ins-and-outs of football, such that people will continue to recommend it to friends with the promise that no knowledge of the sport is necessary. However, the show is very good at giving you enough information that even if you didn’t know the FA Cup existed (I had to Google it), and have no idea how the tournament is structured (Googling it barely helped), we know that the idea of a Championship League team knocking out a Premier League team is a significant accomplishment, and that the team’s celebration after Nate’s bold offensive strategy pays off is plenty justified.

But one of the things that made Ted Lasso stand out in its first season was how the show controlled our relationship to its world. When it wants to pull us into football, it will pull us into football, much in the way that Friday Night Lights—which is now on Netflix, for anyone who hasn’t seen it—did for the other football. But Ted Lasso is also inherently invested in the idea that its narrative transcends the game itself, and that the story will shift away from the pitch whenever it needs to. When Richmond is scoring the game-winning goal, we’re not with the players, or even with the crowd in the stands. We’re in the locker room as Rebecca searches for Ted, who she saw leave his coaching position in a state that the world reads as sudden onset diarrhea, but that she and she alone recognizes as the onset of a panic attack. As she searches in vain, the excitement on the pitch echoes, and by the time she realizes that he has seemingly disappeared the team’s celebration disrupts her moment of realization, pulling us back into the world of underdog sports triumphs but under very different circumstances.

G/O Media may get a commission

Photo: Apple TV+

So far, none of the central storylines in Ted Lasso’s second season have been “surprising” (unless we count the fact that Sam’s protest carried zero consequences, but I can’t harp on that forever). Jamie came back! Roy’s a coach now! These are story developments that were both fairly easy to anticipate and also clearly choreographed by the show itself. That doesn’t make them bad stories, to be clear, because the fact that these developments took place is only the start of those stories. Jamie’s return to the team was about his dynamic with his teammates and—in this case—former teammates, and how Ted and the coaching staff would handle that. Similarly, Roy’s return was a very logical story for him, but it creates new dynamics between the coaches, and inspires Nate’s “Wonder Kid” moment here that will continue to be unpacked in the weeks that follow. The fact you could predict those developments doesn’t take away their value to the show and its storytelling, even if they haven’t necessarily manifested as the kind of major conflicts that Ted was wrestling with in the fish-out-of-water first season.

Similarly, it was no secret that Ted was on a collision course with Dr. Fieldstone’s couch, even if we didn’t know exactly when he was going to end up there. His initial discomfort with her arrival and subsequent stubbornness about insisting his methods remained the solution to the team’s problems was always barely hiding the truth about his own mental health, although it was often easy to forget that we have insight into this that few others have. The veneer of optimism that defines Ted Lasso to the world is an incredibly effective smokescreen, and while Higgins is quick to intervene with Coach Beard’s latest reunion with Jane, no one other than Rebecca seems to even be concerned about Ted’s emotional well-being.

It sort of makes everyone else seem like they’re being bad friends, but that’s just because we were in that hotel room during the finalization of his divorce. The truth is that he lives his life expressly to keep the people around him from understanding the depths of his pain, and the one time he slipped was the only reason that Rebecca knew he wasn’t shuffling to the bathroom with a bout of food poisoning. And so even if it would be a surprise to others, it was hardly a shock to us that Dr. Fieldstone found Ted in rough shape on her couch when she went to grab something from her office after the win.

But what I appreciate about Ted’s particular struggle is that I really don’t know how their conversation, and indeed Ted’s future, is going to play out. This season has been exploring the limits of Ted’s philosophy, which works as a way to get people to be the best version of themselves but proved ineffective at actually winning football matches, and took Jamie Tartt from a superstar to “average.” To his credit, Ted hasn’t resisted changing things up when necessary, but every time Ted has to acknowledge that maybe his “belief” isn’t enough, it’s a trigger to the fact that his marriage failed in exactly the same circumstances. Ted was told that his marriage wasn’t working, and he just believed he had to try harder, not realizing that his eternal optimism wasn’t going to be enough. And now he’s harboring guilt over the fact he’s not doing enough for his son, whose forgotten lunch is beyond his reach across the Atlantic, and suddenly he’s standing on the sidelines on the verge of a panic attack. And the truth is there’s no easy solution to that, because Ted’s discussion with Dr. Fieldstone will have to chart a new path forward, and it’s clear that he really doesn’t know how to redefine himself and his life philosophy without losing the core of his identity.

If the first season was about the ticking time bomb of the revelation that Rebecca was sabotaging Ted from the beginning, this season has been building to this moment, and it’s better for the fact that “The Signal” doesn’t introduce a particular trauma to get Ted to the point where he realizes he needs help. The phone call he gets from his son’s school is entirely mundane, and there was no actual crisis: his ex-wife was driving up with his lunch as the call was arriving. But it was enough to bring Ted’s guilt to the surface, and during the game it breaks through his defenses simply—it would seem—due to the energy of the moment. Whatever sense memory brought Jamie’s father to Ted also brought his son’s excitement about Jamie, and once his son entered into his mind he was already gone. And because everyone in his life has been tricked into believing that he’s peachy keen, none of them think something is seriously wrong when he leaves, or when he isn’t there to celebrate the team’s win. It’s the perfect way to transition into this next stage of Ted’s journey, because it was never that Ted was going to be triggered by another significant trauma. It was always going to be the pressure to keep up the facade of his persona reaching a breaking point. It’s a great way to build on what we learned last season, and I’m excited to see what comes next as—presumably—everyone around him realizes that there’s something more happening here.

Photo: Apple TV+

The rest of the episode reinforces that the people around Ted have their own issues when it comes to their philosophy on helping those around them. When Higgins is the only one to suggest to Coach Beard that reuniting with Jane might not be healthy (even before he saw the hat she picked out for him), he’s confused, but everyone’s advice is the same: you never intervene. Everyone has a horror story about a time they got involved in someone else’s life and it went wrong, whether it’s Ted’s ill-advised best man speech or Rebecca becoming estranged from her mother during uni for failing to realize her parents’ separation wasn’t going to stick. But after Higgins confronts Coach Beard in a way that seems to deepen their relationship and help the latter gain some perspective, Rebecca wonders if maybe she got it wrong. But when she’s too late to avoid her mother returning to her father following yet another separation, she resigns herself to a meaningless night of sex with Hot Luca, unaware that her unknown paramour—who we learn here is Sam—is ready to take things to the next level.

“The Signal” has lots of great moments sprinkled throughout, but the central juxtaposition between a thrilling victory for AFC Richmond and an A.T.L. (“All time low, not Atlanta”) for Ted elevates the proceedings, and pushes the show into another gear at the halfway point in the season. And the most effective part of the episode is that although I have some lingering concerns stemming from the choices in last week’s episode, I don’t really know where things go from here: the team might be on an upward swing, but the show is descending into deeper emotional territory, and unpacking it has the potential to elevate the storytelling further. And sure, it could also mess everything up, but that’s how television works, and we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Stray observations

• I am…unsure about Sam being revealed as Rebecca’s bantr paramour, but I’ll wait to see how the show wants to address that moving forward. I will say that I had never even considered it might be Ted (despite the clues that I found on rewatching and editing these reviews), and so I can at the very least say that I certainly prefer this to that alternative. But I’m curious how everyone is feeling, and I’ll have a take once the show gives me more context.
• As I noted last week, I’m not really “Team Nate” on this one, and so I’m curious how the show handles his jealousy about the “Roy Kent Effect” given he now has his own moment of viral fame. Surely this will only worsen the behavior that’s made him a somewhat toxic presence, right?
• Apologies for the nitpick, but would Ted still be using his American number such that his kid’s school would accidentally call him? Ted would surely be using a UK SIM card at this point, right?
• One of my favorite things in rewatching the first season was often how the show paid off small recurring bits, so I was delighted when we met Liam with the annoying laugh and got the real version of it after hearing Higgins’ impression of it earlier in the season. Makes me wonder whether the actor had to match what Jeremy Swift went with in his performance.
• “The stupid barking means it’s over, right?”—Roy’s disdain for the Diamond Dogs is important to his character, although I’m curious how his own arc continues to evolve now that he’s settling into the coaching job.
• I love the show’s staging of scenes on the practice field with Rebecca yelling out the window, and am glad to see it return here with her mother. Not my favorite Rebecca storyline, necessarily, but I appreciated its connection to the overall themes.
• “Ballroom Blitz” joins the rapidly growing list of “Songs I Presume Are Very Expensive And That Most Shows Wouldn’t Bother Licensing For An Opening Scene Where You Could Use Any Song.”
• “I will channel my rage and enthusiasm into ways to help my community”—sure, it was weird they were at the pub watching Bake-Off in the middle of the afternoon, but still a fun episode for the barflies.
• “You’re a great man—does Jane make you greater?”—Higgins really didn’t hold back here, and I’m going to have this stuck in my brain for a long time, I think.
• “I don’t really know how to talk to you”—I appreciate any time a show acknowledges that two of its series regulars don’t really interact and realizes that it’s because it just wouldn’t make sense for them to do so, so nice little moment for Jamie and Coach Beard here.

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Administrators in the Upper Freehold Regional School District will work to address the mental health of students and staff members as the district’s facilities fully reopen for the 2021-22 school year.

The 2021-22 school year will begin for students on Sept. 8. Upper Freehold Regional comprises the Newell Elementary School, the Stone Bridge Middle School and Allentown High School and educates school-age residents of Upper Freehold Township and Allentown.

High school-age residents of Millstone Township also attend Allentown High School through a send-receive relationship between Upper Freehold Regional and the Millstone Township K-8 School District.

For 2021-22, administrators in all school districts in New Jersey were required to submit an LEA (Local Educational Agency) Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service to the New Jersey Department of Education.

The plan was mandatory under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which is intended to help school districts fully reopen amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to the district’s reopening plan for 2021-22, Upper Freehold Regional is currently fully open for students and staff members.

The plan states that a “normal” (five full days of in-person instruction for students) at the beginning of the school year will be the most important component to addressing the academic and social/emotional needs of students.

In May, Gov. Phil Murphy required all New Jersey school districts to return to in-person, full-day instruction at the start of the 2021-22 school year. During the 2020-21 school year, school districts implemented a combination of in-person and remote learning.

As stated in the reopening plan, a focal point for Upper Freehold Regional will be the mental health of students and staff members.

To help students and the community as a whole, district administrators will continue to provide more opportunities for mental health-focused training and presentations, along with expanding the mental health therapeutic program at Allentown High School.

“Staff training is also an emphasis in this area for staff to ensure we are doing everything we can to identify and support children in need,” the plan reads.

For staff members, district administrators are working with a counselor to provide wellness feedback.

Administrators are also working with a gym to provide the opportunity for wellness coaching sessions for staff members after school, according to the reopening plan.

According to the reopening plan, the district is focused on delivering assessments and curriculum to students in order to meet group and individual needs.

“Student assessments this year will allow us to begin our journey to address the academic needs of our students. Through summer programs at all levels, students’ needs will be addressed so they are ready for the beginning of the school year.

“The district remains committed to provide training for staff regarding the current challenges that the 2020-21 school year brought. These challenges are being used to improve our overall educational program when things return to normal in the fall,” administrators wrote.

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Originally Appeared Here

COVID has claimed more than 600,000 lives in the United States and researchers calculate that for every 13 deaths caused by the virus, one child under 18-years old has lost a parent.

And that would translate into more than 46,000 children.

So as Florida faces yet another surge of new COVID cases, a Pediatric Psychologist shares the warning signs a child needs help, after losing a parent.

“We talk about childhood resiliency all the time. And it’s true, kids can be very resilient. Adults can be very resilient. But it takes the support of a family or support network in order to make that happen,” explains Dr. Lacy Chavis, a Pediatric Psychologist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Institute.

And with over 46,000 children losing one or both parents to COVID 19 since March 2020, she says we need to pay attention to the signs a child needs help.

“Changes in sleep, changes in eating behaviors, that don’t kind of resolve with a little bit of time and the support and love from the family around the child. Those would be some really good times to seek out additional support,” she said.

And the traumatic loss of a parent can lead to other issues, especially if that child doesn’t receive the help and support they need. Other warning signs include: Reduced academic performance, defiant or aggressive behavior, socially withdrawing, and increased anxiety or depression.

If you’re the surviving caretaker of that child and you’re also grieving, Chavis says to be honest about your own suffering.

“Open that dialogue with the child and say, you know, I hurt too. And I grieve too. But I want you to know that I’m here for you,” she said.

And if you have a teenager, who’s not talking to you but relying on peers to work through the bereavement, Chavis says that’s quite normal but don’t stop communicating.

“You want to open the dialog. Let them know that you are there for them, and that you are willing to talk about it. And you want to talk about it with them when they’re ready and how they want to talk about it,” Chavis explained.

The overall statistics are overwhelming.

Of the 46,000 children affected by losing a parent, three-quarters of the kids are adolescents and the others are under ten years old.

About 20% of the children, who have lost parents are black.

There are many bereavement programs in Florida and the National Alliance for Grieving Children lists grief support service providers who serve children, teens, and their families.

Click here for more on those programs.

And on that page, there are countless resources including: Free bereavement counseling sessions for adults and children, free grief support groups for adults and kids and free weekend bereavement camps for children and teens.

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Originally Appeared Here

COLUMBUS, Va. (WCMH) – If you’re up early Tuesday morning and see a cyclist who looks like he’s on a missing, it could be Nick Novotny.

Novotny is a Marine who started his trip out west and is riding east to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project, specifically for one wounded warrior who lost his battle with mental health.

“Hey, my name is Nick and he and I were stationed together and this is an idea that I had,” Novotny said of a phone conversation he had with James Currie’s mother this summer.

Honor Flight Columbus takes first trip since the beginning of the pandemic

He and Currie were Marines stationed together in Hawaii just before May 2020.

“He was kind of suffering with his problems with alcoholism and thing was, with the Marine Corp command, he was afraid of backlash,” Novotny said of his friend.

Currie was found in his barracks, dead from an accidental overdose. He may have been the nicest Marine Novotny had ever met.

Data breach discovered at shuttered OSU program helping veterans deal with PTSD

“The ride is kind of, for me, to gather myself mentally and what I want to do with myself and I thought about James and what his life meant to a lot of people and how I really wanted to bring it back to life, in a sense,” he said.

In Columbus on Monday, Novotny visited another former Marine. Novotny started his journey in Tillamook, Oregon, on June 25, and on Labor Day, he’ll be in Glenside, Pennsylvania – James’ hometown – for a celebration of life.

“His story is meant to tell this mental health awareness, but I think his life shouldn’t represent how he passed, but more so what it represented,” Novotny said.

Connecting veterans with animal companions to treat PTSD

Like the people on this ride that brought back memories of Currie.

“Random people hand me a drink at the convenience store without even saying anything, not looking for a thank you, not looking for a story,” Novotny said with a smile. “They just get this vibe that I’m doing something and they just want to do something nice.”

He’ll finish his ride after 4,000 miles and 10 states by putting his tires in the ocean near his home in New Jersey. And then…

“That’s a good question, honestly,” Novotny said. “I don’t know. I’ve learned with this trip you plan day by day. it’s too hard to plan weeks in advance. That’s life, yeah.”

So far, Novotny has raised $10,000, with half going to the Wounded Warriors Project and half to Currie’s family. If you would like to donate, click here.

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Originally Appeared Here

LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–LifeWorks, a leading provider of digital total wellbeing solutions, today released its monthly Mental Health Index™, revealing a negative mental-health score among Britons for the 16th consecutive month.

Key findings:

• Overall mental-health score of -10.9 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, reaching its highest point for two consecutive months since the launch of the Index in April 2020.
• Managers were 35 per cent more likely than non-managers to request mandatory vaccinations upon the return-to-workplace.
• Sixteen per cent of respondents feel that the culture of their organisation does not support their personal wellbeing. This group has a mental-health score of -19.3.
• Twenty-six per cent of respondents are unsure of their company’s culture of support. This group has a mental-health score of -15.1.
• Fifty-nine per cent of respondents feel that the culture of their organisation supports their personal wellbeing. This group has a mental-health score of -8.7.

Strong relationship with work peers contributing to improved mental health:

• Seventy-one per cent of respondents indicate that their relationship with work peers has remained the same compared to before the pandemic. This group has a mental health score of -7.0.
• Twelve per cent of respondents report an improved relationship with work peers. This group has a mental health score of -15.1.
• Sixteen per cent of respondents report a worsened relationship with work peers. This group has a mental health score of -23.1.
• Managers are nearly twice as likely as non-managers to report an improved relationship with their work peers compared to before the pandemic.
• Parents are more than twice as likely than non-parents to report an improved relationship with their work peers compared to before the pandemic.

Comments from managing director, United Kingdom and Europe, Philip Mullen

“The pandemic has not only transformed the way employees assess their workplace’s wellbeing program, but it has also drastically increased the level of its importance. For employers, it is no longer an option to have wellbeing support that focuses on physical health alone. Holistic programs that consider employees’ total wellbeing and unique needs are essential to ensure they feel confident upon the return to the workplace.”

Mixed views on vaccination policies, slightly favouring employer-mandated vaccine policies:

• Forty-two per cent of respondents want mandated vaccination policies implemented by their employer. This group’s mental-health score is -11.0.
• Thirty-eight per cent of respondents do not want employer-mandated vaccination policies. This group’s mental-health score is -9.9.
• Twenty per cent of respondents are uncertain about employer-mandated vaccination policies. This group’s mental-health score is -11.9.

Comments from global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing, Paula Allen

“Ensuring a safe return to the workplace and supporting the overall wellbeing of employees requires planning from employers. Supporting wellbeing not only helps employees be at their best, but it also shows that you value them as people. In times of change and upheaval this is critically important.”

The full British LifeWorks Mental Health Index™ report can be found here. This month, the report includes additional insights on the impact of remote work on mental strain, reasons for missed time from work due to illness, employees’ ideal work situations and more.

About the Mental Health Index™

The monthly survey by LifeWorks was conducted through an online survey from June 30 to July 12, 2021, with 2,000 respondents in the United Kingdom. All respondents reside in the United Kingdom and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index™ is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018, 2019.

About LifeWorks

LifeWorks is a world leader in providing digital and in-person solutions that support the total wellbeing of individuals. We deliver a personalized continuum of care that helps our clients improve the lives of their people and by doing so, improve their business.

ID-CORP, ID-MH, ID-UK

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

The videos are difficult to watch.

In one, a man dangles over the edge of an Oklahoma City overpass, his legs swinging in midair as police grab his arms and pull him from the brink. In another, a woman hangs high above the Los Angeles Harbor as a half-dozen officers drag her, head-first, up the side of the bridge. The panicked voices of cops cry out, “We got you, we got you!” just before they pin her to the ground and pull out handcuffs.

The short clips were posted on official law enforcement social media accounts, part of a longstanding practice by police agencies to showcase their lifesaving efforts online — especially in 2021 as desperation grows for positive press amid accusations of excessive force and racism following George Floyd’s murder, and rising gun violence and killings.

But with renewed attention on officer interactions with people who are suffering from mental health issues, experts and advocates are taking another look at these posts with an eye toward whether they exploit the very victims law enforcement just saved.

“It’s like we were living in this tragedy with them,” said Kevin Berthia, a mental health advocate who has survived his own suicide attempts. “Now how is that not creating trauma for anybody else? Who else is this triggering?”

The posts are easy to find on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Police departments nationwide may upload them without the permission of the person in crisis — though their identities are obscured — without a warning about contents and without consulting mental health professionals.

Debbie Plotnick, vice president for state and federal advocacy at Mental Health America, reviewed a half-dozen from around the country.

“Yes, they helped get a person down and that is commendable,” she said, but added: “I’m not seeing that this has value in helping people’s mental health.”

While police say mental health is their priority, the footage appears to tell a different story. Law enforcement agencies have long tried to showcase the harrowing and dangerous work of fighting crime and saving lives, and the feeds also include officers delivering babies, acts of kindness and shows of strength.

The New York Police Department, along with images of smiling cops, often tweets detailed captions that include the exact pier someone jumped from or the number of pills they swallowed before the officers “saved” them. Other posts include videos from the scene.

Yet the American Association of Suicidology specifically suggests that any reporting on suicide or suicide attempts not include the method or location. The association recommends that photos and videos from the scene also be excluded, even if the person’s identity is concealed.

The NYPD declined requests for comment.

Some experts fear copycats, saying such detailed posts — like the recent Los Angeles Police Department posts with body-cam footage of the woman’s suicide attempt on the bridge — basically give a manual to vulnerable people.

“Here’s a spot on the bridge where it literally took like six uniformed police officers to drag this person back over the side,” said Jonathan Singer, president of the American Association of Suicidology.

The LAPD declined to comment, but said in a statement that it does not have a specific policy in these cases. The agency said it strives to protect the individual’s identity but does not typically seek permission beforehand.

In the 55-second video — posted to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram less than a month after the incident — police were called to the bridge in San Pedro after the woman was seen climbing over the side. The scene is fraught with tension — rushing wind, the woman’s panicked breathing, the squawking of the radios echoing off the bridge’s metal, the clicking of handcuffs.

“Great teamwork resulted in her receiving the help she needed,” the LAPD’s posts said, with a link to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s website. “Remember, you are never alone and there is always help.”

In Oklahoma City, the overpass video posted to the police department’s Facebook page in May includes body-cam footage and interviews with responding officers. The man’s face is blurred out, though the department did not seek his permission before posting the video.

The final clip shows the man being loaded into a police cruiser with the text: “After rescuing the man, officers took him to the hospital and started the process of getting him the help he needed.” The phone number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline follows.

Master Sgt. Gary Knight, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma City Police Department, said the goal was showing residents how the actions of the officers saved the man’s life during the two-hour incident.

“The last thing we ever want to do is hinder somebody’s recovery when they’ve been in a state of crisis,” Knight said. “We’re not out here to try to make somebody’s condition worse. That’s why we showed up in the first place — to try to help that person.”

Daniel Reidenberg, executive director of the Minnesota-based Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, said such social media posts may actually deter viewers from calling 911, for fear they might also get handcuffed or arrested.

“It’s too complex of an issue to boil down into a video like that,” he said.

Ronnie Walker agrees. Her stepson died by suicide when he was a college junior, prompting her to form a now-international support group and online forum for other grieving families, the Hawaii-based Alliance of Hope For Suicide Loss Survivors.

“It was really devastating for everybody who knew and loved him,” she said, speaking on the 26th anniversary of her stepson’s death. “It was as if a grenade went off in our family and everyone was wounded, each in their own way.”

Looking at the police posts, Walker said, could easily be traumatizing for people who have lost loved ones to suicide.

“I don’t want to dismiss the heroism of the police or that they have kindness in their hearts,” she said. “I just don’t see some of those videos as portraying that or conveying that. It’s more sensational.”

The police department of Appleton, Wisconsin — a city of 74,000 north of Milwaukee — took a different approach. They had discussions for nearly a month before going public in February with an eight-minute suicide intervention video that is much less explicit than others. They also sought permission from the man who had been in crisis and his family and worked with mental health organizations.

“Is this going to be positive for our community? Is this actually going to cause the conversations that we want to happen around mental health?” Lt. Meghan Cash said. “Or is this just a video?”

In recent years, officials who oversee so-called suicide hot spots like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge, which connects New York City and New Jersey, have worked to install prevention or deterrent systems.

About 30 people die by suicide annually on the Golden Gate Bridge, and another 150-plus people try to take their lives there each year. Many come in contact with the 36 members of the bridge patrol — whose captain, David Rivera, hopes new conversations around mental health, like Simone Biles’ discussions at the Olympics, will encourage people to get help.

Rivera’s department does not post publicly about suicide interventions, and instead chooses to privately honor its members and others who may have been involved in rescues, like bridge ironworkers, roadway staffers or officers from other police agencies.

“We can recognize them and write up a commendation,” Rivera said.

Berthia, the mental health advocate, went to the bridge in 2005 with the intent to end his life. His encounter over the railing with a California Highway Patrol officer was captured in a photograph published on The San Francisco Chronicle’s front page. The picture haunted him for years.

“It brought me back to the day,” Berthia said. “It brought me back to the moment. It brought me back to the wind, and the smell.”

Now, Berthia speaks nationally about suicide prevention, and says there’s a long way to go on mental health awareness. Still, his message to people in crisis is a hopeful one.

“I need you here,” he says, “I need you here. So please call or reach out, do whatever you’ve got to do.”

___

Associated Press video journalists Angie Wang in Atlanta and Haven Daley in San Francisco contributed to this report.

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