APA's Your Mind, Your Body Blog Hosts First 'Mental Health Month' Blog Party

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May 10, 2010, 01:22 ET

WASHINGTON, May 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Your Mind, Your Body, an official blog of the American Psychological Association's Mind/Body Health Campaign, is organizing bloggers across the country to voice their opinions about psychological health and its impact on overall health and well-being during a "Mental Health Month" Blog Party on Tuesday, May 18.

"Research shows that physical health is directly connected to emotional health. The more than 57 million Americans who are living with a mental health disorder know that a mental illness can be as frightening and debilitating as any major physical health disorder," said Katherine C. Nordal, PhD, executive director for professional practice at APA. "Mental Health Month is an opportunity to lend our voice in support of those struggling with mental health challenges every day and to break down the stigma that prevents people from getting the treatment they need."

The Your Mind, Your Body "Mental Health Month" Blog Party represents the aim of APA's bloggers to bring mental health writing to the web. APA has made a number of resources, including research, video, and images, available on Your Mind, Your Body to help writers supplement their personal thoughts and reflections. Authored by a team of APA member psychologists, Your Mind, Your Body (www.yourmindyourbody.org) was founded in 2009 as a resource to help individuals and families live healthier lives.

The U.S. Congress designated May as Mental Health Month in 1949 to illustrate the importance of mental health issues. For more information on the "Mental Health Month" Blog Party, visit Your Mind, Your Body at www.yourmindyourbody.org and click the "Blog Party" link at the top of the screen. For additional information on mental health, visit www.apa.org/helpcenter or www.apa.org/centrodeapoyo and follow @apahelpcenter on Twitter.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 152,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting health, education, and human welfare.

SOURCE American Psychological Association