Alaska Behavioral Health

Changes in daylight can disrupt our biological clock, and may affect levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin.

👁️Researchers are also connecting SAD to light-sensing cells in our eyes.
For the science nerds out there➡️ https://loom.ly/pDPPMJs

🍵For those of you looking for more practical tips, check out some ideas from our staff in this blog post ➡️ https://loom.ly/2dWAZXI

If you notice mood changes with the seasons, you're experiencing something real and treatable. 🌅

Celebrating our staff and the meaningful contributions they make every day!

Please join us in recognizing Clinical Associate Rose from our Tamarack Residential Program in Fairbanks on 2.5 years with Alaska Behavioral Health. Rose’s hard work and dedication are deeply appreciated by our team and community.

To mark the occasion, Tamarack’s mascot, Dr. Goose Willis, was dressed as Rose for the day—pigtails and all! It was a fun and fitting tribute to a valued member of our Alaska Behavioral Health family.

Thank you, Rose, for all that you do. Congratulations on this milestone!

Looking for a meaningful career? Check out our job postings ⬇️
https://alaskabehavioralhealth.org/employment/work-with-us/

As Alaska's days grow shorter, some experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD affects 4-20% of adults and involves changes in mood tied to seasons. Winter-pattern SAD can cause oversleeping, carb cravings, and social withdrawal.

❄️ Exercise, Vitamin D, light therapy, and social interaction help a lot, but they aren't always enough.
Therapy and anti-depressants are effective in treating SAD!

Did you know the construction industry has higher rates of su***de than most professions? A new project of the Foundation for Su***de Prevention aims to change that.

Hard Hat Courage provides resources and education aimed at the construction industry, including downloadable "Toolbox Talks" to introduce mental health topics.

Check it out at https://hardhatcourage.com/

Reminder: Help is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.
Alaska Behavioral Health offers same day access to crisis services at all of our clinics: call 907-563-1000.

Home Hard Hat Courage is the construction industry's collective commitment to save lives by making it safe to talk about mental health every day, on every jobsite.

October is Depression Awareness Month 💚

Depression isn't just feeling sad. It can show up as losing interest in things you love, changes in sleep or appetite, feeling sluggish, or having trouble concentrating.

Recognizing the signs is the first step.

Heads Up: Our outpatient clinics will be closed on Thursday, October 15 for an All Staff training day!

We prioritize training throughout the year, usually without disrupting services, but that means some teams can't fully participate. So this time, most teams services are taking a pause. That includes our client access team, so if you know you need to call this week, please call us before Thursday! All messages left on the 15th will be returned on Friday, October 16.

Our Residential program for adults and Partial Hospitalization Programs for children and adults will operate as usual.

So much fun supporting the Fairbanks Ice Dogs this weekend and sharing the message that it’s ok to ask for help with mental health.

We're proud to partner with the Ice Dogs hockey team this Mental Illness Awareness Week!

All the services in the world don' t help if people don't know they exist or are too scared to access them. By inviting us on to the ice to speak about mental health and highlighting mental health throughout the week, the Ice Dogs send an important message: it's ok to need help, and it's ok to talk about it.

Come see us on Saturday at the Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks, when the Ice Dogs play the Kenai River Brown Bears!

It takes whole communities to support Alaskans struggling with mental illness: no one can do it alone!

Alaska and it's affiliates provide education and support for individuals and their family members, through NAMI Connection recovery support groups, Family Support Groups, and educational events - offered in person and on-line.
Learn more at namialaska.org!