Paramedic Mental Health: Empathy in the Eye of the Storm
Ian Stoddart, a paramedic for 32 years, advocates practicing empathy for positive mental health.
Author: Glenn Holsten
First Responder Mental Health: A Paramedic’s Tale
Ashley Neubauer is a paramedic who loves helping people. The stresses of her job, however, affect her mental health, which she must monitor carefully.
First Responder Mental Health: When the Helpers Need Help, Who You Gonna Call?
Michelle Monzo is a hero’s hero. Her work is her passion, and her passion is her work. She is trains police and other criminal justice and public safety personnel in mental health crisis intervention techniques. in addition to her crisis intervention education efforts, she creates safe spaces for first responders to be vulnerable when they are feeling they need mental health support.
Compound Trauma: The 911 on 911 Dispatcher Craig Tinneny
Craig Tinneny is a 911 dispatcher whose lifetime work of fielding calls from people in crisis made him feel hollow, helpless, and hopeless. He sought help from a group of peers and has since become a crusader for better mental health for first responders.
Can a Man (and a Bug) Drive Out Suicide?
OC87 Recovery Diaries’ Editor in Chief Gabriel Nathan travels around the east coast in his beloved Herbie the Love Bug replica to raise suicide awareness and meet people whose lives have been changed by suicide.
A Police Officer’s Tango with PTSD and Complex Trauma – Beneath the Vest with Ed Pila
“Many police departments are good at continually preparing their officers for the daily physical and report battles they face. But, most of these same departments are inadequate in knowledge, and even unaware, of what is going on beneath the vest – in the heart, mind, and soul of the police officer.” – Ed Pila
Physician Mental Health & Suicide
Physician Mental Health & Suicide by Glenn Holsten Doctors are the healers and the helpers. But what happens when it’s the doctors who need the healing and the help? An estimated 300 to 400 doctors die by suicide each year, a rate of 28 to 40 per 100,000; more...
2 Gabes in A Car Sharing Mental Health Stories
In addition to sharing a first name, they also share a passion for busting stigma about mental illness. Mental health advocacy brought them together, but something deeper created a connection.
Tackling PTSD: Hell or High Seas
Taylor Grieger was diagnosed with complex PTSD several months after his release from the Navy with little-to-no guidance on how to cope with his condition.
How to be an Active Listener
A rising number of college students are seeking treatment at campus counseling centers for serious mental health challenges. Our video features the powerful listeners from Cogwell@Penn. Watch (and learn) how they skillfully role-play as active listeners when presented with a variety of stories from friends in need.
Lilah James: Complex PTSD Recovery on the Runway
A complex PTSD diagnosis became inspiration for a fashion designer’s runway line. In Glenn Holsten’s short film, Lilah James shares recovery and creativity.
Unforgotten – Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital
A few months ago, I saw a photo on Facebook of a cemetery in Marlboro, New Jersey. The cemetery was on the grounds where the Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital once stood, and was the place where people who were once residents of the hospital were laid to rest.
Cumulative PTSD for a Police Officer After 9/11
This video features Officer Ron Griffith, formerly of the NYPD. After 9/11, Ron’s personality shifted. He became a controlling, angry person. He says he wasn’t aware of this change until his family left him, and all he was left with cumulative PTSD.
Beneath the Vest: Police Officer Alcoholism, Mental Health & Recovery
Joe has wrestled with alcoholism and the stresses of life as a police officer, a sometimes combustible combination.
Police Officer PTSD & Mental Health
In this short film, Rob Davis shares his journey as a police officer who lives with trauma and PTSD.
Herbie The Love Bug: Depression & Recovery
“I was hoping that Herbie The Love Bug would bring us some joy.” — Gabriel Nathan, Editor in Chief of OC87 Recovery Diaries
One Step Away: A Film about PTSD, Homelessness, and Redemption
Tammy is one of about 60 people who sell One Step Away, Philadelphia’s first newspaper produced by those without homes for those with homes.
A Screenwriter’s Story – Living With Autism
Reed would love to see a dramatic feature that explores a wide range of experiences of characters who live with autism – not just supporting characters.
Wrestling with Obsessive Thoughts About Everyday Encounters
how an everyday encounter with a stranger on the street can morph into a paralyzing prison-like mental trap of repetitive, obsessive thoughts.
Giving Mental Health Stories “The Red Carpet Treatment”
This short video explores the richness of our website and the many ways we share mental health stories of hope and recovery.