Silver Hill Hospital Begins Local Blog

This is my inaugural blog post on Patch – in fact, my inaugural blog post on anything ever ­­–­ ­and on behalf of all the staff here at , let me be the first to say: Hello Neighbors. A warm and heartfelt greeting to all of you who have driven past our 45 acres on Valley Road, heard our name in passing or read about us in the media. This blog is a chance for us to reach out and begin a two-way conversation with you about mental health and wellness.

Silver Hill recognized the value in being a good neighbor and began opening its doors some time ago. We have long hosted many meetings for people in recovery including Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous as well as a Caduceus meeting for medical professionals. In addition, both Al-Anon and the Connecticut chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), host support groups for parents, relatives and friends at our our facilities. Recently, we've partnered with local organizations to provide parenting programs and presentations on mental health topics. Now, through social media, we are taking one more step to connect with our community.

The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that at least one in five people have a diagnosable mental illness in a given year; few families go untouched. I’ve begun this blog because as President and Medical Director of Silver Hill, I fervently believe that good mental health begins with proactive and positive mental health practices, and the best way to start is to get the knowledge out. On a regular basis either my colleagues or I will be posting about issues that concern us all be it managing stress, parent/teen relationships, depression, eating disorders or any of the many mental health challenges we all face.

I meant it when I said I wanted this to be a two-way conversation. The very nature of a blog is that people post comments. Let us know how you feel about what we are writing and what issues you would like us to cover more. Good neighbors help each other. I hope you find our posts will provide new insights to help you and your loved ones practice good mental health.

Looking forward to our conversations,

Sig

Silver Hill Hospital’s blog is intended only to provide information; it is not intended to provide diagnosis or treatment. If this is an emergency, please call 911.