Words matter. The Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition is working to end the stigma of mental illness and educate the community about how we speak about the issue.

Veterans Day 2018 has come and gone. I am pleased with the last Newsletter edition that featured information on Veterans and hope that it may offer support for those veterans that may be struggling with their adjustment to civilian life.

Festivities, family reunions and joyful celebrations are all part of the holidays, but for many people, the holiday season can also bring anxiety and depression.

We recently spoke with Mark J. Nowak, Director of Marketing & Public Relations, about depression and seasonal affective disorder. Does your agency experience an increase in request for mental health services during the holidays? At BryLin Behavioral Health System,...

November is the month we honor the brave men and women who have served in our Armed Forces. Often experiences they have while serving our country can result in mental health challenges when they return home.

Many local veterans face significant mental health challenges. We reached out to Cheri Alvarez, chief program officer at Compeer, one of Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition’s founding members, to learn more. Q: What are some mental health issues faced by veterans? The...

The Mental Health Association of Erie County, Inc., a founding member of the coalition, recently announced it has changed its name to Mental Health Advocates of Western New York (MHA). From its inception in 1962, the agency has provided a comprehensive array of...

The 18th year of Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place October 7th – 13th and the focus is stress. While stress is something we all may experience in our lifetime, when it becomes difficult to manage it can negatively impact our mental health....

Children of all ages, in the Buffalo Niagara region, are headed back to school this week and while anxious feelings are normal and expected during times of transition or change, it’s important for parents and caregivers to make this transition as smooth as possible...

September 9-15 is National Suicide Prevention Week and in an effort to shed light on this stigmatized topic the Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition shines a spotlight on member organization Crisis Services. Q: What is the rate of completed and attempted suicides in our...

Given the recent and tragic deaths of Anthony Bourdain , 61, and Kate Spade, 55, we reached out to Donna Possenti, VP of Clinical and Behavioral Operation for Jewish Family Service of Buffalo and Erie County, a founding member of the Erie County Anti-Stigma Coalition,...

A study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts suggests that having a baby in the summer could be linked to higher rates of postpartum depression. Of the hundreds of thousands of women who suffer from a postpartum mood disorder, only 15...

Here we are, citizens of the United States of America and it is July of 2018. Our national conversation around mental illness is full of stigma and innuendo, we only discuss behavioral health each time there is a mass shooting. As a nation we would have you believe...

In recent years there’s been more focus than ever before on mental health and the way mental health illnesses can affect our everyday lifestyles. One of the many remaining questions about mental health is this: do mental health...

For children, teens, and college students, summertime is associated with freedom from school and positive emotions. However, summer can also be a time where certain mental health issues need to be tended to even more than usual. Out of school...