When it comes to psychiatric medications, certain side effects get all the publicity. Everyone discusses the sexual side effects and the increased likelihood of suicide in teenagers. Weight gain (or even the less common weight loss) is another side effect that is often discussed. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of other possible side [...]
As 2015 comes to a close, I sit here and reflect on everything that I achieved in the past year. Living with bipolar disorder and anxiety colors how I feel about those achievements, which wrote about earlier this month in a blog called “Bipolar Disorder and Stinking Thinking,” but I am aware that I had [...]
At its core, Mental Health Awareness Month is a time for people to learn more about mental health conditions and, ideally, seek out help for them. Mental health charities all over the country plan events, awareness rallies, and fundraisers. Media outlets run stories discussing the importance of mental health care and its role in our [...]
Like many people living with mental illness, I get asked a lot of questions. Many of them are well thought out and lead to further education about mental illnesses and a better understanding of those of us who live with them. But a select few of the questions aren’t well thought out. They are, in [...]
There is a lot of talk about why people with mental illness self-sabotage. The other day, while reading online, I saw this quote: “I am afraid of two things equally – success and failure.” I took notice when I read it because it sums up my entire life and the topic of self-sabotage comes up [...]
Any discussion about mental illness isn’t complete without discussing the caregivers. There are three primary types of caregivers, and they all play an important role. Medical professionals, mental health advocates (including peer supporters), and family members (which includes close friends) are instrumental in providing care day in and day out for people struggling with mental [...]
Working as a speaker and writer in the mental health field, I hear a lot of things over and over. Stigma, for example, comes up a lot, as do various analogies for different diagnoses. Obviously, I don’t agree with everything I hear, but sometimes I don’t realize I disagree until years later. This is the [...]
More and more, facts seem to take a back seat to feelings when it comes to what society believes. This is especially true when it comes to things we are afraid of. Currently, there is a lot of discussion about gun violence in America. We see images of dead children, dead parents, and grieving families [...]
