Check it out, and if you’ve found my Web site through that story, please leave a comment and let me know.

Merry Christmas, and in the words of Gladys Herdman,

“Hey! Unto you a child is born!”

Happy holidays to one and all, from your very lazy blogger.

I promise that this site will undergo a major revamp in the new decade.

But until then, let’s take some time to talk about how the winter holidays relate to mental illness.
It’s not as strange a topic as you might think. The Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Year’s season emphasizes happiness and joy, but many people don’t feel that way - especially this year, with a recession, unemployment, swine flu, two wars and tons of other bad news.

Even in a good year, the holidays can conjure up feelings of grief and sadness, as people mourn lost loved ones who are no longer around, or other tough circumstances in their lives, such as a divorce.

And of course, many old family conflicts resurface this time of year, as people spend time with relatives they may not like or who present them with unresolved issues.

For those facing a “stable Christmas” this year, instead of a “star Christmas” (as my parents’ pastor memorably put it in one of his Christmas Eve sermons), there are some options.

Many churches have started offering “Blue Christmas,” “Christmas Mourning” or “Longest Night” services to give people who need to a chance to grieve.

And to fight the overriding commercialism of the holidays, another movement that’s gaining ground is the Advent Conspiracy. Advent is the four-week penitential season on the church calendar that precedes Christmas and emphasizes preparing not just for the celebration of Christ’s birth, but for his second coming. (Think of it as a shorter, slightly happier version of Lent.) To reclaim the season, the Advent Conspiracy urges people to “give more and spend less” and focus on worship and giving to those who are really in need.

As Time magazine reports,

(Portland, Ore., pastor Rick) McKinley likes to point out that a fraction of the money Americans spend at retailers in the month of December could supply the entire world with clean water. If more Christians changed how they thought about giving at Christmas, he says, the holiday could be transformative in a religious and practical sense.

Whatever you celebrate this month, I hope you find a way to give to those who can’t give back. (And who knows? If you’re dealing with sadness, helping others just might make you feel better.)

And for my fellow Christians,

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15, NIV)

As the U.S. (in fact, the whole world) continues to struggle through the economic downturn, a lot of people are stressed. Financial industry workers are seeking help in greater numbers for depression and alcoholism, as the Times of London reports:

You’re supposed to be a master of the universe, you’re supposed to be on top of everything,” said one financial services executive who began alcohol rehab in August. “There’s not a lot of sensitivity training or meetings where you sit around and ask how everyone is feeling. No one walks around saying: ‘I feel your pain.’”

And regular folks are suffering, too. Even if they haven’t lost a job, they may know someone who has, and the continuous string of bad news adds to the worry. (As a journalist, I know I’m not immune from this, either.)

Dennis Friedman, medical director for in-patient psychiatry at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Arizona, tells the Arizona Republic, “Nationwide, calls to crisis prevention lines, psychiatric lines are up about 30 percent.”

So what can we do to cope while we wait for the market to rebound?
First, look out for the people around you. If there’s any upside to this mess, I think it’s that it’s forcing people to think about those in need, rather than striving to be like the rich and powerful.
Second, don’t be afraid to ask for help. According to the Republic, the U.S. government has published “A Guide to Getting Through Tough Economic Times” as a clearinghouse for information.

Even though I’m fortunate to have a job, I’ve been worried about my friends who’ve been laid off, as well as the future of my industry.
Some Bible passages, prayers and songs have helped me cope. Your mileage may vary, of course.

First, the prophet Habakkuk was able to rejoice in God, even when it seemed like the ancient Israelites had lost everything in exile:

Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.

Secondly, the writer of Proverbs 30 has a very healthy attitude toward money:

“Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the LORD ?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

Lastly, Jesus had some pretty good things to say about not worrying (from Luke 12):

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Also, the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer has a good prayer for the unemployed — and the rest of us:

Heavenly Father, we remember before you those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work. Guide the people of this land so to use our public and private wealth that all may find suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive just payment for their labor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

And, as the recession forces us to rethink our attitudes toward money, consumerism and work, I recommend two songs by one of my favorite bands, Switchfoot: an oldie but a goodie, “Company Car,” and, a newer song, “American Dream.”

A final thought from the latter song:

Maybe we’ve been caught singing red, white, blue and green,
But that ain’t my America; that ain’t my American dream.

Since it’s already March 2009 (and almost my 28th birthday!), I figured I should post a quick update on my post-Medill life.

I’m back in the great state of New York and back on the copy desk, working at the Times Herald-Record in Middletown (in Orange County in the Hudson Valley, about 90 minutes from New York City). I’ve been here since December, and so far, so good.

Before that, I completed my Master of Science in Journalism degree in August and then did a freelance project for a few months related to the election, funded by a grant from the Lilly Foundation. I looked at the role of Christian colleges in the election and students’ attitudes toward voting and the candidates. I got to visit a bunch of campuses and had a great time interviewing students and faculty.

You can read the stories here
A version of the story on diversity was also published by UrbanFaith.com, a great new Web site that you should check out.

Lastly, just as I promised, I am finally reading Kathleen Norris’ book on acedia, and it is even more awesome than I expected.
I’ll have more thoughts on that later, I hope!

Peace to all of you.

This will be the end of Millennial Mind in its current version, I’ve decided.

I’m a little more than two months away from finishing my master’s degree and am taking some intense classes this summer, plus looking for a job, so I likely won’t have much time to write (or delete spam).

But, before I go, here’s three great Top 10 lists to summarize some of my favorite topics:

- Mental Floss magazine shares “10 Mind-Boggling Psychiatric Treatments.” Let’s all be glad lobotomy and phrenology have fallen out of favor!
- World of Psychology has the “Top 10 Myths of Mental Illness.”
My favorite is No. 4: “Therapists don’t care about you – they only pretend to care because you pay them.”
- And, author Daniel Radosh, a self-described secular Jew, lists “10 great Christian rock songs,” topped by none other than the late, great Larry Norman.

(Thanks to Christianity Today for alerting me to Radosh and his book! If it’s anything like “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs or “Body Piercing Saved My Life” by Andrew Beaujon, I’m sure I’ll love it.)

Until my next blog, thanks for reading!

But two lectures in particular struck a mental-health nerve. One was by Alan Jacobs, an English professor at Wheaton College near Chicago, who spoke on original sin. You may not think that would be a popular topic in this day and age, but this was Calvin, so he got a good turnout. I learned a lot about the history of the concept and the role it plays not only in theology, but in pop culture (think of those cartoons where you see an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other).

What bothered me, though, was a question from an audience member on whether people use modern psychiatry to cover up the notion of sin. To his credit, Jacobs said he knew a lot of people who had benefited from taking antidepressants. However, they were able to see a purpose in their suffering in that it forced them to turn to God and probably leave some bad behaviors behind.

As I’ve said before, I think it’s crucial that religious people not judge the mentally ill in their midst. Just because people have clinical depression - or any other condition - doesn’t mean that they think they can get away with everything and feel no moral responsibility for their actions. That may be true for some extreme cases, but certainly not everyone.

Thankfully, Kathleen Norris seems to agree. She gave a great lecture on the little-known sin of “acedia,” which can be defined as spiritual sloth, or an indifference to life and humanity. I see this in my own life sometimes, when I wonder why I bother going to work or class or even spending time with my friends. But Norris challenged us to move beyond that dangerous boredom and find purpose in our everyday tasks, namely through prayer. She also made a clear distinction between acedia and depression (and gave numerous shout-outs to her copy editor, which, as a proud copy-desk denizen, I greatly appreciated).

If I ever get some free time in the upcoming months, I will make a point of reading the latest books from Norris, Jacobs and Falsani, and I encourage you to do the same.

I’m looking forward to discussing journalism, hearing wonderful writers and seeing old friends — and maybe making some new ones!

If you hear or see me at the festival and are inspired to check out this site, please let me know by leaving a message here.

And if you miss this year’s festival, by all means, make sure you come in 2010! It’s always a great time.

I’ll continue to post more next quarter, although it may not all be mental-health-related.
So, save some jelly beans for me, and stay tuned!

So says a new Army study. Troops in Afghanistan reported lower morale as fighting there got worse, while troops in Iraq reported better morale. But altogether, people were more likely to show mental strain the longer they were deployed.

This seems pretty logical. The real news may be that the armed services are considering adding more mental-health staff to handle the needs of troops facing longer stints.

Psychologist Janet M. Kamer, a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, wrote to the Chicago Tribune Magazine in response to a feature story on a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder to point out some services the military offers.

She also issues this request:

I would challenge the U.S. mental health community to help serve our wounded warriors. Last year only half the psychology residency positions were filled in the Air Force because of lack of applicants-despite the fact that the Air Force will reimburse tuition loans and will pay beginning captains far more than they would make in the private sector.

Any students or young mental-health workers out there want to take Kamer up on her offer?

A man wearing an FDNY baseball hat told me that he and the others were there to lobby for mental-health parity — that is, laws that would require health-insurance companies to provide the same coverage for mental illnesses that they do for physical illnesses.

One bachelor’s degree, an internship, a first job and half of a master’s degree later, Congress has finally acted.

The House and Senate passed different versions of a bill to “bar insurance plans from charging disparate deductibles and co-payments for mental-health services compared with other medical benefits,” according to The Wall Street Journal (via World of Psychology).

But the legislation still needs to be worked out — and it’s full of loopholes, as World of Psychology points out:

Stuck in both plans is an easy out, however: a good ol’ “Cost Exemption” clause. This clause basically says that mental health parity need not apply to any health plan if the costs of providing mental health parity exceed 2% in the first year, or 1% in any subsequent year. In other words, we like mental health parity as long as it doesn’t cost us anything.

There’s also controversy over whether the bill should cover all conditions listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including substance abuse. The House version says yes; the Senate version says no.

The House requirement could backfire, one lawmaker said, according to the Associated Press:

Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., complained the House bill would mandate coverage for such conditions as jet lag and sexual dysfunction that are listed in the psychiatric association’s manual. “Can you imagine any employer being willing to cover things like that?” said Gingrey, a doctor.

Maybe it’s time for the man in the baseball hat and his friends to pay their representatives another visit.