**Caring for the Mind:**

**Providing Mental Health Information at Your Library**

Class Handout

![](media/image1.wmf){width="1.5458333333333334in"
height="1.9520833333333334in"}

**Author: Michelle Eberle, Consumer Health Information Coordinator**

**National Network of Libraries of Medicine / New England Region**

**Web Page for Class:
<http://nnlm.gov/training/consumer/caringforthemind/>**

**Objectives**

Participants will:

1.  Gain awareness of mental health issues.

2.  Learn to respond to challenging consumer health reference interview
    questions for mental health information.

3.  Be informed of tools for collection development and mental health
    research including the latest web sites and databases.

**The Reference Interview for Mental Health / Consumer Health**

[Challenges of the Reference Interview in the context of mental
health...]{.underline}

-   Patrons may be stressed, nervous, upset, embarrassed

-   Confusion with medical terminology

-   Patron may have unreasonable expectations

-   Patron may be confused about the role of the librarian

-   Librarian may have fear of providing wrong answer

-   Stereotypes/misconception of the mentally ill as dangerous

-   Interacting with persons who are hallucinating can be challenging

[Best Practices for the Reference
Interview...]{.underline}![](media/image2.wmf){width="1.9479166666666667in"
height="1.8125in"}

-   Respecting Confidentiality

    -   Respect privacy by lowering your voice or bringing patron to a
        quiet area.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   Active Listening

    -   Use open ended questions & neutral questions

    -   Be aware of your body language

    -   Let the patron finish their question before responding.

-   Be empathetic and patient

    -   Be aware that the consumer/patron may not be aware of the
        potential impact or seriousness of his/her disorder

    -   Be prepared for emotional reactions

**Interacting with emotional patrons**

Michele Spatz outlines a four step approach to regain self control in
tense situations. The approach some from \"The Wellness Book: The
Comprehensive Guide to Maintaining Health and Treating Stress-related
Illness.\" She shares this information in her new book, \"Answering
Consumer Health Questions.\" (Neal Schuman 2008)

-   Step 1, STOP: \"Cut off the craziness in your mind. Tell yourself to
    stop any anxious thoughts or negative self-talk

-   Step 2, BREATHE: \"Take a deep breath to release tension and calm
    yourself\...\"

-   Step 3, REFLECT: \"Ask yourself, what is really going on here? What
    am I protecting? Do I need to?\... What personal buttons of mine are
    being pushed? Do I need to distance myself emotionally from this
    situation in order to handle is responsibly? In reflecting, we are
    taking a moment to put the situation into perspective, briefly
    weighing whether our personal feelings are distorting the situation
    while asking a central question: \"How important is this?\"

-   Step 4, CHOOSE: \"Choose to respond rather than simply react. Now
    that you are calm and have more clarity about the situation,
    communicate that you are willing to find common ground to resolve
    the situation. \"I\'d really like to hear what you have to say\" or
    \"You\'re right; how can we work this out?\" or \"What do you need
    right now?\"

(Spatz M 2008)

Another resource with tips for handling situations where emotions are
rising is The Concise Guide to Assessment and Management of Violent
Patients which gives the following advice, which could be applied to any
situation where inappropriate behaviors were escalating.

-   Present a calm appearance.

-   Speak softly.

-   Speak in a nonprovocative and nonjudgemental manner.

-   Speak in a neutral concrete manner.

-   Put space between yourself and the patient.

-   Show respect for the patient.

-   Avoid intense eye contact and authoritarian stance.

-   Facilitate the patient\'s talking.

-   Listen to the patient.

-   Avoid early interpretation.

-   Do not make promises you cannot keep. (Johnson ME 1997)

**Most Frequently Asked Reference Questions on Mental Health Topics**

In response to an informal posting to the CAPHIS listserv, librarians
from the Medical Library Association responded that the following are
the most frequently asked topics on mental health question:

-   Anger Management

-   Anxiety

-   Asperger's syndrome

-   Autism

-   Bipolar Disorder

-   Borderline Personality Disorder

-   Building self-esteem

-   Community re-entry

-   Depression

-   Eating disorders

-   Family support

-   Health care coverage for the uninsured

-   Medication and side effects

-   PTSD

-   Refusal to take medication

-   Relaxation Techniques

-   Schizophrenia

-   Self-Abuse

-   Social Services

-   Teenage suicide

**[What are your most frequently asked topics on mental health
issues?]{.underline}**

**[Examples of Open Ended Questions for Reference
Interviews:]{.underline}**

What kind of information on \_\_\_\_ are you looking for?

Would you tell me more about...?

When you say\_\_\_, what do you mean?

What do you already know about\_\_\_\_?

What is it you want to know about \_\_\_\_\_?

What do you mean by \_\_\_\_\_?

What else can you tell me that might help us locate materials?

I'm not certain I understand... Can you give me an example?

Where have you checked for information so far?

Where did you hear or rread about \_\_\_?

How will you use the information? This will help me with our search.

**Source:** Reference Interview Skills 2004: Looking for Questions in
all the Right Places InfoPeople / Carol Leita and Sallie Pine

**Web Resources**

![](media/image3.wmf){width="1.9583333333333333in"
height="1.9895833333333333in"}

**MedlinePlus**

[www.medlineplus.gov![](media/image4.png){width="2.0833333333333335in"
height="0.9375in"}](http://www.medlineplus.gov/)

-   Contains about 50 different health topic pages on mental health and
    behavior topics

-   Topics include ADD, coping with disasters, OCD, panic disorder,
    bipolar, schizophrenia, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder,
    teen and child mental health, depression.

-   Drug information from AHFS Consumer Medical Information from the
    American Society of Health System Pharmacists.

-   Directories: You may look up care providers by specialty in
    Docfinder.

-   Access to local support resources in GoLocal.

![](media/image5.png)**National Institute of Mental Health**

[www.nimh.nih.gov/](http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat.index.cfm)

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Federal government\'s
principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. NIH is part of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The NIMH mission is to reduce the burden of mental illness and
behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior. This
public health mandate demands that we harness powerful scientific tools
to achieve better understanding, treatment, and eventually, prevention
of these disabling conditions that affect millions of Americans.

-   Highlights of the website include Health Information about the
    "signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment for anxiety disorders,
    attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders,
    bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression,
    eating disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive
    disorder(OCD), panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder
    (PTSD), schizophrenia, social phobia (social anxiety disorder).

-   Web site includes a **"Real Men: Real Depression"** campaign to
    raise awareness and provide resources for men with depression

-   <http://menanddepression.nimh.nih.gov/default.asp>

**NAMI**

[![](media/image6.png){width="1.7083333333333333in"
height="0.65625in"}](http://www.nami.org/)www.nami.org

-   Empowers consumers to take action, find social support for their
    illness and fight stigma.

-   "NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, self-help, support and advocacy
    organization of consumers, families, and friends of people with
    severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective
    disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder,
    obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic and other severe anxiety
    disorders, autism and pervasive developmental disorders, attention
    deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other severe and persistent
    mental illnesses that affect the brain."

-   Discussion groups for "Living with..." or "Shared Interests" allow
    persons dealing with mental health issues to communicate with others
    with common concerns

-   Opportunities for legislative advocacy and social support through
    joining a local chapter.

![](media/image7.png){width="1.7083333333333333in"
height="0.5833333333333334in"}**NOAH -- Mental Health**

<http://www.noah-health.org/en/mental/>

-   New York Online Access to Health

-   Sites are selected and updated by volunteer librarians.

-   Includes information on care, treatment and children's mental health

-   Great link to Healthology Video Library under Information Resources

**American Psychological Association Help Center**

[![](media/image8.png){width="2.9791666666666665in"
height="0.6354166666666666in"}](http://helping.apa.org/)http://helping.apa.org

-   Includes information on mind/body health and locating a
    psychologist.

**American Psychological Association**

<http://www.apa.org/>

-   Includes information on addictions, ADHD, bullying, aging,
    Alzheimer's Disease, anger, children, depression, divorce, emotion,
    kids & the media, obesity, personality disorders, sexuality,
    shyness, sleep, stress, testing issues, trauma, women & men.

> Institutional Publications- This is where you will find information on
> clinical databases and resources; however there is also an excellent
> section on children's books.

**Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law**

[http://www.bazelon.org](http://www.bazelon.org/)

A national legal advocate for people with mental illnesses and
developmental disabilities.

**The Mind Body Medical Institute**

[![](media/image9.png){width="3.0520833333333335in"
height="0.46875in"}](http://www.mbmi.org/default.asp)http://www.mbmi.org/default.asp

The Institute, located in Chestnut Hill, MA, reflects the ideas of
Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response. The site has
information on stress management, positive thinking, exercise and
nutrition.

**Local Resources**

![](media/image10.png){width="4.03125in"
height="0.6458333333333334in"}**BUMC Mental Health Information Network**

<http://mhin.bu.edu/index.cfm>

-   3 year NLM funded grant at Boston University Medical Center to
    provide outreach to persons with mental illness in the local
    community

-   The site's information is divided into four categories: mind, body,
    community and challenges, making it very accessible for someone with
    a mental health disorder to search.

-   Note- excellent section on community resources

-   Nice section on Psychiatric Disorders A-Z

**E-Mental Health -- University of Massachusetts Medical School**

<http://library.umassmed.edu/ementalhealth/>

-   This site contains information on conditions, local service agencies
    in Central Massachusetts, mental health news, and care providers.

**Other Resources**

![](media/image11.png){width="1.5in" height="1.34375in"}**Health
Hotlines**

[http://healthhotlines.nlm.nih.gov](http://healthhotlines.nlm.nih.gov/)

-   Health related organizations offering toll free telephone services

-   Also includes information on services and publications in Spanish

![](media/image12.png)**DIRLINE**

[http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov](http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/)

-   The National Library of Medicine's web resource to locate health
    organizations.

-   Includes a link to "Health Hotlines", a NLM resource for 1-800
    numbers for health association and support resources.

![](media/image13.png){width="2.8958333333333335in"
height="0.46875in"}**Clinical Trials**

[www.clinicaltrials.gov](http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/)

-   The National Library of Medicine/ National Institutes of Health's
    resource to search for Clinical Trial's in the various stages
    throughout the country. You may use the Focused Search to do an
    advanced search. For more information on clinical trials and the
    various stages, please refer to the "Resources" page.

-   Why important? Opportunity for hope for persons with chronic
    illness; opportunity for treatment for persons with no health
    insurance. But there are risks.

**SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center**

[![](media/image14.png){width="3.9166666666666665in"
height="0.4583333333333333in"}](http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/)http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

-   SAMHSA is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
    Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human
    Services.\
    Mental Health, US 2002 for Statistics

-   Good site for information on substance abuse, mental illness and
    coping with disaster

**American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry**
![](media/image15.png){width="1.6458333333333333in"
height="0.7291666666666666in"}

[www.aacap.org](http://www.aacap.org/)

-   Helpful Facts for Families Sheets are available in English,
    [Español](http://www.aacap.org/publications/apntsfam/index.htm),
    [Deutsch](http://www.kjp.uni-marburg.de/fff/fact_pg1.htm),
    [Français](http://www.aacap.org/publications/infofami/index.htm),
    [Polish](http://www.aacap.org/publications/PolishFFF/index.htm) and
    [Icelandic](http://www.aacap.org/publications/Icelandic/index.htm).

-   Everything from when a pet dies, to helping teenagers deal with
    stress, to children's sleep problems

**Mental Health America**

[![](media/image16.png){width="1.3020833333333333in"
height="0.5in"}](http://www.nmha.org/)www.nmha.org

Formerly known as the National Mental Health Association. "The National
Mental Health Association (NMHA) is the country\'s oldest and largest
nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and
mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide. NMHA works to
improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million
individuals with mental disorders, through advocacy, education, research
and service. NMHA was established in 1909 by former psychiatric patient
Clifford W. Beers. During his stays in public and private institutions,
Beers witnessed and was subjected to horrible abuse. From these
experiences, Beers set into motion a reform movement that took shape as
the National Mental Health Association."

**Note:** Easy to navigate information pages are organized by audience,
issue and disorder and treatment. Each information sheet links to a
"Need more info?" section which provides the searcher with resources for
finding treatment, support groups, medication information, paying for
treatment, clinical trials and much more.

> **American Psychiatric Association** <http://www.psych.org/>
>
> ![](media/image17.png){width="3.25in" height="0.5in"}
>
> **APA consumer site** <http://healthyminds.org/>

-   The Nation\'s oldest national medical specialty society, with 35,000
    physician members

-   Most of the information is geared for the care provider, with the
    exception of the Public Information section.

![](media/image18.wmf){width="1.875in"
height="2.0208333333333335in"}**LactMed**

Go to [http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov](http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/) and select
LactMed

[LactMed](http://lactmed.nlm.nih.gov/), part of the [National Library of
Medicine](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/)\'s (NLM) [Toxicology Data
Network](http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/) (TOXNET®), is a database of drugs
and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It
includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and
infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant.
Statements of the American Academy of Pediatrics concerning a drug's
compatibility with breastfeeding are provided, as are suggested
therapeutic alternatives to those drugs where appropriate. All data are
derived from the scientific literature and fully referenced. Data are
organized into substance-specific records, which provide a summary of
the pertinent reported information and include links to other NLM
databases. Supplemental links to breastfeeding resources from credible
organizations are also provided.

**Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women's Mental Health**

<http://www.womensmentalhealth.org/>

![](media/image19.png){width="1.2708333333333333in" height="1.1875in"}

The center is a leader in research on women's mental health. The latest
research on PMS, pregnancy, postpartum, breastfeeding, infertility and
menopause for women with mental health conditions is provided with
information about how to get in touch with one of their expert care
providers or to participate in a research study.

**New Dietary Supplements Labels Database**

![](media/image20.png){width="2.65625in"
height="2.2708333333333335in"}....includes information from the labels
of over 2,000 brands of dietary supplements in the marketplace,
including vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids,
and other specialty supplements. The database is designed to help both
the general public and health care providers find information about
ingredients in brand-name products, including name, form, active and
inactive ingredients, amount of active ingredient/unit,
manufacturer/distributor information, suggested dose, label claims,
warnings, percentage of daily value, and further label information.
Links to other NLM resources, such as MedlinePlus and PubMed, are
provided for additional health information. In addition, links to
related Fact Sheets from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM ), and the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) are also available.

**Consumer Discussion Lists**

Often, a person with mental health issues may have trust issues with
their care providers and with many of their relationships. Discussion
lists, chat rooms and consumer listservs provide an alternative outlet
for a person with mental health needs to gather information and to get
support from persons with the same illness.

In an informal poll of CAPHIS members, have not recommended discussion
lists to their patrons. I didn't want to leave them out as a resource,
because discussion lists can benefit persons with mental illness.
**NAMI** has discussion lists which members may join and non-members may
register for including: ([http://www.nami.org](http://www.nami.org/))

-   **Living with:** Schizophrenia, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder,
    Anxiety Disorders, OCD, Other Mental Illnesses

-   **Shared Interest*:*** for consumers, teens and young adults, NAMI
    on campus, families, parents with mental illness, veterans, criminal
    justice, and the faith community.

-   **Members**

> **Mental Health Database Searching Tips**

-   Keep in mind that there may be more than one medical term for a
    mental health disorder throughout the history of the medical
    literature

    -   For example, bipolar disorder is sometimes still referred to as
        manic depression.

-   Be aware that many persons have more than one disorder or comorbid
    disorders

-   Be aware that a condition may manifest in completely different ways

    -   For example with dementia, dementia may one indicator of another
        problem and will pass when the underlying condition is treated
        or it may be a singular irreversible condition.

-   Start out with a general web site such as MedlinePlus to get an
    overview of your search topic before researching

-   According to the MLA Encylopedic Guide to Searching Health
    Information on the Web, if you are searching a mental health
    diagnosis which uses one of these words, you may also try to search
    it by replacing any of these terms because often though inaccurate
    they are used interchangeably.

    -   Disease / Disorder / Spectrum / Syndrome

**[For more information on mental health web sites:]{.underline}**
Anderson PF, Allee NJ. The MLA Encyclopedic Guide to Searching and
Finding Health Information on the Web. New York: NY: Neal-Schuman
Publishers, 2004. (vol. 2: Diseases & Disorders, Mental Health and
Mental Disorders)

**Free Databases (15 minutes)**

The following databases are available ***free*** on the web to anyone
with Internet access. We will review what is offered by each database
and a sample search.

![](media/image21.png){width="3.6458333333333335in"
height="0.5729166666666666in"}**PubMed**

[http://pubmed.gov](http://pubmed.gov/)

![](media/image22.png){width="3.9166666666666665in"
height="2.8333333333333335in"}

You are encouraged to search using the "Advanced Search" box.

Stay up on the latest changes to NLM resources:

<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/listserv/emaillists.html>

![](media/image23.png){width="5.28125in"
height="2.3541666666666665in"}With MyNCBI, you may save searches,
collections or bibliographies. You may have searches e-mailed to you on
a regular update.

**PILOTS Database**

[![](media/image24.png){width="1.21875in"
height="1.09375in"}](http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/publications/pilots/)http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/ncmain/publications/pilots/

Produced by the National Center for PTSD and maintained by Dartmouth
College. This database contains nearly 25,000 citations on
post-traumatic stress disorder.

**Exercise:**

Find some articles on anniversary reactions

![](media/image25.png){width="2.0208333333333335in"
height="1.4375in"}**Policy Information Exchange MIMH Database**

<http://mimh200.mimh.edu/mimhweb/pie/>

A service of the Missouri Institute of Mental Health. This database
indexes mental health policies and reports.

**Exercise:**

Find some policies on seclusion.

![](media/image26.png){width="2.875in" height="0.53125in"}**ERIC -- for
educational psychology**

[**http://www.eric.ed.gov/**](http://www.eric.ed.gov/)

Mental health issues for children and adolescents including ADHD,
bullying, abuse, separation anxiety, autism, learning disabilities,
divorce, grief, OCD.

**Subscription Databases**

The following are brief summaries of some of the subscription databases
available for searching for mental health information. Since these are
fee-based and not available to everyone in the class, we will review
what each offers, but not have a comprehensive demonstration of each.

![](media/image27.wmf){width="2.4583333333333335in" height="2.59375in"}

PsychInfo

PsychInfo, a product of the American Psychological Association, indexes
journals, books, book chapters, dissertations and technical reports in
the field of psychology and related field.

PsychArticles

A product of the American Psychological Association

CINAHL

The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature includes
literature from the social service, behavioral science and health
services administration. You may limit your search to such fields as
"social work" and journal subsets that include the behavioral sciences.

**Other databases:**

Social Work Abstracts, Social Sciences Citation Index, AGELINE for
social gerontology, ERIC for educational psychology

(Harden, 2004.)

[A Tool for Database Search Terms on Mental Health
Information:]{.underline}

Anderson PF, Allee NJ. The MLA Encyclopedic Guide to Searching and
Finding Health Information on the Web. New York: NY: Neal-Schuman
Publishers, 2004. (vol. 2: Diseases & Disorders, Mental Health and
Mental Disorders)

**Assessment and Testing**

"Clinical decision making should be informed by a wide range of data
beyond that included in a multiaxial DSM-IV diagnosis (Handbook of
Psychiatric Measurements)." Often, medical librarians receive requests
for a copy of a specific test. These tests are often difficult if not
impossible to find. Most commonly the tests must be located in one of
the following resources and then purchased from a vendor for a fee.

**[Online]{.underline}**

**Mental Measurements Yearbook**

Produced by Buros Institute, contains reviews of tests that are new or
substantially revised since the previous MMY

<http://buros.unl.edu/buros/jsp/search.jsp>

**Educational Testing Service Test Collection Service**

<http://www.ets.org/testcoll/>

**Tests and Measurements in the Social Sciences from the University of
Texas, January 2009, Compiled by Helen Hough, Health Science Librarian
and U Texas Arlington,**

**Lists compilations of tests available**

<http://libraries.uta.edu/helen/test&meas/testmainframe.htm>

**Eric Clearinghouse in Assessment & Evaluation**

<http://ericae.net/>

**HaPI**

The Health and Psychosocial Instruments database locates research tools
and instruments including questionnaires, interview schedules,
checklists, surveys and rating scales. Available through OVID.
<http://www.ovid.com/site/catalog/DataBase/866.jsp>

**[Print]{.underline}**

[Tests in Print VII]{.underline}

Authors: Barbara Plake, Robert Spies

Published: January 1, 2006

Estimated cost: \$317

-   Serves as a comprehensive index to the Mental Measurements Yearbooks
    published to date. Contains 2,939 tests including where to buy.

[The 17^th^ Mental Measurements Yearbook]{.underline}

Author: Robert A Spies, Barbara S. Plake, Kurt F. Geisinger

Published: October 1, 2007

Estimated price: \$178.00

[APA, Handbook of Psychiatric Measures]{.underline}

Authors: John A. Rush; Michael B. First; Deborah Blacker

Published: Dec. 3, 2007 (Washington DC)

Estimated Cost: \$156.00

-   Lists psychiatric tests and where you may purchase them such as the
    Children's Depression Inventory, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and
    the Penn State Worry Questionnaire

[Tests: A Comprehensive Reference for Assessments in Psychology,
Education, and Business]{.underline}

Editors: Taddy Maddox

Published: 2003 (5^th^ edition)

-   Lists scales, checklists, questionnaires used in psychology
    education and business

Collection Development

**Mental Health Resources: A Guide for Patients & Families by Healthnet:
Connecticut Consumer Health Information Network**

-   <http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/mentresource.html>

-   created by Judith Kronick from UCONN HealthNet

-   very current, created 2001, last update July 2004

-   lists top consumer health books and websites on major health topics

**Medical Library Association: Mental Health Special Interest Group**

-   <http://www.miami.edu/mhsig/other.html>

-   Includes listing of suggested mental health videos, books &
    journals.

-   Includes a new book list

**Hughes, Mary Ann. The Two Faces of Mental Illness. Library Journal,
5/1/2004.**

-   [**http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=articleArchive&articleid=CA411573**](http://www.libraryjournal.com/index.asp?layout=articleArchive&articleid=CA411573)

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
-   A great article on schizophrenia and bipolar featuring a resource
    list for library collections.

Bibliotherapy

![](media/image28.wmf){width="1.0208333333333333in"
height="0.875in"}**MeSH:** A form of supportive psychotherapy in which
the patient is given carefully selected material to read.

Occasionally the librarian may take on a "bibliotherapy" role. A patron
may ask for a book for an emotionally therapeutic reason. i.e.: to help
a child grieve over the loss of a parent, to help a patient deal with
diagnosis of a major illness.

**Two bibliotherapy gems**:

Maidman Joshua, Janice; DiMenna, Donna. Read Two Books and Let's Talk
Next Week: Using Bibliotherapy in Clinical Practice. Wiley, Aug 2000.

ISBN: 0471375659

Hesley, John W.; Hesley, Jan G. Rent Two Films and Let's Talk in the
Morning: Using Popular Movies in Psychotherapy, 2001.

"Bibliotherapy is defined as the use of books to help people solve
problems. Jeffrey Long, who works at the Lamar Soutter Library here at
UMMS, recently authored a 500-page extensive bibliography that may have
numerous bibliotherapeutic applications for persons in the mental health
professions. (It lists, describes, and cross-indexes autobiographies
that focus on the formative years of individuals who have coped with a
wide variety of physical and emotional illnesses.) His book, *Remembered
Childhoods: A Guide to Autobiography and Memoirs of Childhood and
Youth,* was published this fall by Libraries Unlimited and is available
at the UMass Campus Book Store and other book sellers. Many of the
bibliographies mentioned may be of interest to people who have a mental
illness and their families. A few are highlighted below.

**Some Autobiographies with Mental Health Topics for Bibliotherapy**

**Bipolar Disorder:  **Neugeboren, Jay (1938-). *Imagining Robert*
(1997)** **

**Depression:  **Summer, Lauralee (1976-). *Learning Joy from Dogs
Without Collars* (2003)

** Emotional Abuse:  **Louise, Regina. *Somebody's Someone: A Memoir*
(2003)

** Fatherless Families:  **Blais, Madeleine (1947-). *Uphill Walkers: A
Memoir of a Family* (2001)

** Grief and Guilt Feelings:  **Bordewich, Fergus M. (1948-). *My
Mother's Ghost* (2000)

** Runaways:  **Ciment, Jill (1953-). *Half a Life* (1996)

** Self-Mutilation:  **Christman, Jill (1969-). *Darkroom: A Family
Exposure* (2002)

** Schizophrenia  **Holley, Tara (1951-) and Joe Holley. *My Mother's
Keeper* (1997)

** Substance Abuse and Children of Substance Abusers:  **Beard, Jo Ann
(1955-). *The Boys of My Youth* (1998); Campbell, Will (1924-). *Brother
to a Dragonfly* (1977)

** Suicide and Family Victims of Suicide:** Bechdel, Alison (1960-).
*Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic* (2006)

  ------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------
  ![](media/image29.jpeg){width="1.3736111111111111in"   For dozens of additional titles and descriptions,
  height="1.9465277777777779in"}                         see\
                                                         **Remembered Childhoods: A Guide
                                                         to** **Autobiography and Memoirs of Youth** \
                                                         (Libraries Unlimited: 2007), by UMMS author Jeffrey
                                                         E. Long."

  ------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------

**Source:** This page is excerpted from UMass Med Center for Mental
Health Services Research with permission;
<http://www.umassmed.edu/Content.aspx?id=45260>

**Community Resources**

**What are some community resources that might be useful for the
librarian in a reference interview with a person with mental illness?**

-   Local Health Department's Mental Health Division

-   Mental Health Libraries & Public Libraries (How to locate a library
    that provides free health information for the public, show MP+ Find
    A Library)

-   Support groups

-   Counseling

-   Alternative Therapy -- meditation, yoga, Tai Chi

-   Faith based organizations

-   Health Hotlines (dirline.nlm.nih.gov)

![](media/image30.wmf){width="2.2708333333333335in"
height="2.3333333333333335in"}

**For Librarians -- Collaboration / Professional Development**

**Association of Mental Health Librarians**

[**http://www.mhlib.org/**](http://www.mhlib.org/)

-   Group has a listserv for mental health librarians(MHLib, Listserv)
    and a helpful list of mental health links

-   Membership fee is reasonable at \$15

-   International organization

-   Holds a national conference

-   If you join their listserv, keep in mind a lot of the messages are
    about serials management, so if you need duplicate journals or have
    a serials management issue with a mental health journal this is a
    great resource.

**MLA Mental Health SIG**

<http://www.miami.edu/mhsig/sitemap.html>

-   Provides networking opportunities for mental health librarians. Site
    includes links to papers from the Medical Library Association
    National Conferences and a links page with a mental health library
    resource list and a general mental health links list.

![](media/image31.wmf){width="2.0520833333333335in" height="1.28125in"}

**The Future of Mental Health -** **The Science of Happiness**

"For most of its history, psychology had concerned itself with all that
ails the human mind: anxiety, depression, neurosis, obsessions,
paranoia, delusions. The goal of practitioners was to bring patients
from a negative, ailing state to a neutral normal, or, as University of
Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman puts it, \"from a minus five
to a zero.\" It was Seligman who had summoned the others to Akumal that
New Year\'s Day in 1998\--his first day as president of the American
Psychological Association (A.P.A.)\--to share a vision of a new goal for
psychology. \"I realized that my profession was half-baked. It wasn\'t
enough for us to nullify disabling conditions and get to zero. We needed
to ask, what are the enabling conditions that make human beings
flourish? How do we get from zero to plus five?\"" **(Time, Feb 7,
2005)**

**Stakeholders in the study of the psychology of happiness:**

**Martin Seligman**, APA president, author of the book "Authentic
Happiness", his research established three components of
happiness...pleasure, engagement and meaning. He tested the benefits of
"gratitude visits", or writing a testimonial to thank a teacher, parent,
pastor or anyone whom you owe gratitude. He found that people who do
this just once are measurable happier and less depressed a month later.

**Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi**, (pronounced Cheeks-sent-me-high), known for
his work with flow, a feeling of complete engagement in a creative
activity ...familiar to athletes, musicians and video game enthusiasts

**Ruut Veenhoven**, professor of happiness studies at Erasmus University
in Rotterdam, edits the Journal of Happiness Studies and manages the
**World Database of Happiness**

**www2.eur.nl/fsw/research/happiness**

**Daniel Kahneman** of Princeton, Nobel-prizewinning psychologist,
unveiled a new tool for sizing up happiness: the day-reconstruction
method

**David Lykken**, University of Minnesota researcher, published a paper
on the role of genes in determining one's sense of satisfaction in life,
came to the conclusion that 50% of one's satisfaction in life comes from
genetic programming.

**Sonja Lyubonmirsky**, University of California at Riverside
psychologist, studies different kind of happiness boosters including a
"gratitude journal". She found that taking the time to count blessings
once a week significantly increased subjects' overall satisfaction with
life over a period of six weeks, whereas a control group that did not
keep journals had no such gain.

**Richard Davidson**, published the research study in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences that happiness isn't just a feeling, it
is a physical state of the brain, that may be induced deliberately.

**Positive Psychologists**, cite another happiness booster as performing
acts of altruism or kindness

**Source:** "The New Science of Happiness: What makes the human heart
sing? Researchers are taking a close look. What they've found may
surprise you. (Cover Story/ Mind & Body/Happiness: The Science) Claudia
Wallis, Feb 7, 2005 v165 i6 p38.

**Caring for the Mind: Providing Reference Services for Mental Health**

**Hands-On Exercises**

**By Michelle Malizia**

1.  My sister has schizophrenia. She is always smacking her lips and
    doesn't realize she's even doing it. I think it is caused by a
    medicine she takes called Haloperidol. The doctor even told me the
    name for the disorder but I can't remember what it's called. Can you
    find the name of the disorder? Will it go away if she quits taking
    her medicine?

2.  My daughter has had 2 nose jobs because she believes her nose is
    disfigured but there's nothing wrong with it! I think she might be
    suffering from a mental disorder. Is there a name of an illness that
    might cause her to have an unrealistic view of her face?

3.  I'd like to find a discussion group for people dealing with
    obsessive-compulsive disorder. Can you help?

4.  My grandma seems to be losing her memory. Can you find the name of a
    test for memory loss in older adults?

5.  I'm doing a paper on PTSD after a natural disaster. Can you help me
    find a journal article?

6.  Locate a mental health support group nearest to where you live.

7.  Name four FDA approved medications for treating mania.

8.  I take Zyprexa. My doctor has mentioned a new combination of Zyprexa
    and an antidepressant that is approved to treat Manic Depression.
    What is the name of the medicine?

9.  My sister was recently diagnosed with something called bipolar 2.
    I've never heard of it. What's the difference between bipolar 2 and
    regular bipolar?

10. I saw an episode of Dr. Phil during which he talked about night
    eating syndrome. What is it?

**Bibliography:**

Anderson PF, Allee NJ. [The MLA Encyclopedic Guide to Searching and
Finding Health Information on the Web.]{.underline} New York: NY:
Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2004. (vol. 2: Diseases & Disorders, Mental
Health and Mental Disorders)

Baker L, Manbeck V[. Consumer Health Information for Public
Librarians]{.underline}. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2002.

Barclay DA., Halstead DD. [Consumer Health Reference Service
Handbook]{.underline}. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers Inc., 2001.

Casini B, Kenyon A. [The Public Librarian\'s Guide to Providing Consumer
Health Information.]{.underline} Chicago, IL: Public Library
Association, 2002.

[Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders]{.underline},
Fourth Edition, Text Revision, DSM -- IV-TR, American Psychiatric
Association, 2000.

Harden H. Expert Searching: Searching the Psychosocial Literature,
Medical Library Association, MLA News, April 2004; (365): 11.

Hughes MA. The Two Faces of Mental Illness. Library Journal, 5/1/2004.

Johnson ME. [Library Services in Mental Health Settings]{.underline}.
London: Medical Library Association & Scarecrow Press, 1997.

Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General on stigma: (Foreword,
Chapter One, The Roots of Stigma)
<http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter1/sec1.html#roots_stigma>

Spatz, M. [Answering Consumer Health Questions]{.underline}, New York:
Neal Schuman Publishers Inc, 2008.