YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Some studies have suggested that long-term counselling is effective, and that its effectiveness is contingent not on the counsellor's specific background, but the degree to which their clients perceive them as compassionate. Having adequate social support is crucial for anyone struggling with a personal crisis or mental illness, and ongoing care is essential for people with more deeply ingrained issues. Caring interaction with others stimulates the brain to produce the neuromodulator oxytocin, which helps regulate our emotions and rewrite neural pathways. Oxytocin is also referred to sometimes as "the cuddle hormone" - hugs and other forms of affection from someone who genuinely cares can go a long way in helping someone with a mental illness, since this hormone has a significant impact on our brain's ability to rewire itself. It is therefore extremely counterproductive to stigmatize mental illness, since it denies people struggling with mental illness one of the most effective forms of treatment available - kindness. Kindness, hugs, and affection from people around us is always important, especially if we're struggling, and when times get tough it's out there if we try hard enough to find it, and reach out enough to give it back.