What to Do – and Not Do – When Someone Has a Mental Health Condition

Have you ever wondered how best to interact with someone who is living with depression, bipolar disorder or another mental health condition?  Have you worried that you’re saying or doing the wrong things? Last week we recognized Mental Illness Awareness Week on the blog, and to continue our coverage, today we thought we’d share with… Continue reading What to Do – and Not Do – When Someone Has a Mental Health Condition

PatientsLikeMe Featured on Bloomberg TV

On October 9th, Bloomberg TV aired a four-and-a-half minute “Innovators” segment profiling PatientsLikeMe’s journey as company.  Filmed partially in our office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the piece features PatientsLikeMe Co-Founder and Chairman Jamie Heywood as well as Ed Sikov, a PatientsLikeMe member with Parkinson’s disease.  Our thanks go to Bloomberg’s Nicole Lapin for her in-depth coverage… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Featured on Bloomberg TV

Mental Illness Awareness Week 2012: Dismantling the Stigma

Did you know that one in four adults – or approximately 57.7 million Americans – experiences a mental health problem in any given year?  Or that one in 17 lives with a serious, chronic mental illness? Since 1990, National Mental Illness Awareness Week has been recognized by the U.S. Congress as a time for mental… Continue reading Mental Illness Awareness Week 2012: Dismantling the Stigma

Add Your Voice During National Recovery Month

Are you in recovery from an addiction or mental health disorder – or do you know someone who is?  The theme for National Recovery Month 2012, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is “Join the Voices for Recovery: It’s Worth It!” There are several different ways to participate in this… Continue reading Add Your Voice During National Recovery Month

The Joy of Being Helpful

Many patients with life-changing conditions report feelings of grief and guilt about no longer being able to do many of the things they did in the past.  As a recent discussion in our forum revealed, however, patients are finding ways to reset their perspective and boost their self-esteem by focusing on what they are still… Continue reading The Joy of Being Helpful

PatientsLikeMe in the News: A Roundup

Check out some of the media outlets that have highlighted health social networks recently – including PatientsLikeMe and our members. Social Media a Godsend for Patients with Rare Diseases PatientsLikeMe is highlighted as a good example in this Chicago Tribune article. Medical Innovation Needs Silicon Valley Speed, Stat Fast Company cites us for providing “unprecedented… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe in the News: A Roundup

PatientsLikeMe Researchers Score a Hat Trick

The term “hat trick” originated in 1858 after English cricketer HH Stephenson successfully bowled out three batsmen with consecutive bowls and he was presented with a hat to commemorate his feat. In June, PatientsLikeMe’s research team scored a hat trick of our own by publishing three new studies in scientific journals in just four days,… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Researchers Score a Hat Trick

The Importance of Open Access: An Interview with Patient Advocate Graham Steel

A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Graham Steel is a longtime “Guest Researcher Member” of PatientsLikeMe.  Following the death of his brother Richard at the age of 33 from a rare condition known as variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), Graham became involved in patient advocacy work, and most recently, in lobbying for open access to published scientific… Continue reading The Importance of Open Access: An Interview with Patient Advocate Graham Steel

What We’re Reading at PatientsLikeMe

Here are some of the media items that grabbed our attention recently. What Air Traffic Can Teach Us About Kidney Transplants Air traffic rules balance fairness and efficiency. Can organ waitlists do the same? Open Access Is Not for Scientists.  It’s for Patients. A guest blog post by our R&D Director, Paul Wicks, for the… Continue reading What We’re Reading at PatientsLikeMe

A Day in the Life of PatientsLikeMe Product Manager Maureen Oakes

What’s it like to work at PatientsLikeMe?  We are continuing to reveal just that with our monthly blog series “A Day in the Life,” which features employees from different departments.  So far, we’ve interviewed User Experience Engineer Cris Necochea, Research Assistant Shivani Bhargava, Office Manager Alison Dutton,  Research Scientist Timothy Vaughan and Biz Dev’er Arianne Graham.  Today… Continue reading A Day in the Life of PatientsLikeMe Product Manager Maureen Oakes