Community Hope Gets the Spirit for Mental Health Wellness Fair

Event seeks to educate health care professionals, caregivers, family members and the general public.

Part of the nonprofit group Community Hope's mission is to educate the public on issues important to the groups it serves: homeless veterans, military families and people with mental illness. Each year, the Parsippany organization hosts a free event with the Mental Health Association of Morris County that puts a spotlight on mental health issues. Wellness and recovery will be the focus of this year's Mental Health Learning and Wellness Fair, which takes place Thursday, May 16 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy at 500 W. Hanover Ave. in Parsippany. The fair's purpose is in its title: Community Hope and MHA say they want to present information to a vast audience, including health care professionals, …

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Letters to the Editor

Refining Mental Health Care After Newtown

Take Madonna's advice: Express youself. Quickest way to reach Parsippany? In a Letter to the Editor.

The Newtown, Conn., shootings have put a spotlight on mental illness and how it can have deadly consequences when combined with guns. Despite common perception, there is significant evidence that people in treatment for mental illnesses are no more violent than the general population. Living with mental illness is a struggle. People with mental illnesses are people first, with the same hopes and fears as all other people. The most humane avenue for a person with mental illness is to receive the best care along the continuum of treatment options that are available. However, there is a small number of people with serious mental illness who, when untreated for long periods, can be dangerous. This is often related to an untreated psychotic …

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Tips for Seniors and Caregivers on Avoiding Holiday Blues

The most wonderful time of the year isn't so wonderful for many of us.

The holidays should be a time of joy, good cheer and high hopes for the new year. Shopping for gifts, decorating and preparing for get-togethers with family and friends are usually anticipated events that accompany the season. But many people, especially older adults and caregivers of all ages, experience the holiday blues during this special time of the year.  Older adults can have an especially difficult time with the holidays for many reasons. The recent loss of an important person or the memory of a traumatic event, such as a serious illness, can dampen holiday spirits. The inability to perform everyday tasks and holiday traditions, such as preparing a large holiday meal, can make the upcoming events difficult to handle and may cause …

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