I’ve written before about Bring Change 2 Mind, but recently I’ve been writing each week about organizations which are mental health allies and decided it’s time to revisit them. Bring Change to Mind is an anti-stigma organization that was co-founded by Glenn Close in 2009. Her inspiration was her sister, Jessie, who has bipolar disorder […]
Category: mental illness
Crime And Mental Illness
Crime and Mental Illness Crime and Mental illness has been getting a bad rap for many years. With each school shooting the media immediately seeks to determine if the shooter was living with some form of mental illness. In 1989, Patrick Edward Purdy, murdered five children and wounded 32 others in Stockton, California In 1999, […]
Homeless
I’ve mentioned on occasion that I was homeless for a period of time. However, don’t think I’ve shared my experience. It’s time I change that. When I became homeless is a little hazy. It was during the period after I became sober, yet, hadn’t been diagnosed with depression or bipolar disorder. That was a six […]
Mentally ill in Jails Rather Than Institutions
Early Prison Reform for Mentally Ill in Jails Dorothea Dix was the first child of an impoverished family. Her father was a Methodist preacher who was an abusive alcoholic. Her mother struggled with depression. In 1841, when she was 38 years old, Dorothea was asked to lead a Bible Study class for women at the […]
Am I Crazy?
Am I crazy? How about loony? Demented? Deranged? Loopy? Mad? Psycho? Whacko? Cuckoo? Nutjob? Are all of these okay? Are any of them okay? What about calling me mentally ill? Is that okay? It is with me. Unlike many diagnosed with a mental illness I don’t mind being called mentally ill. Granted, many of the […]
Suffering From Mental Illness
I noticed something recently that escaped me before and that is the number of people who are apparently suffering. I read profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and I see suffering everywhere. People post on their profiles that they are “Suffering from mental illness, “or “Suffering from bipolar disorder,” or “Suffering from depression,” or PTSD, […]
My Second Life
In case you haven’t heard, Second Life is an online virtual world populated by millions of people across the globe. In the Second Life world you can be almost anyone you want to be, do almost anything you want to do, and have almost anything you want to have. Check out yesterday’s article to get […]
Bring Change 2 Mind PSA
Bring Change 2 Mind is an excellent organization whose purpose is “To end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness through widely distributed Public Education Materials based on the latest scientific insights and measured for effectiveness.” The organization was founded by actress, Glenn Close, who has a sister with bipolar disorder and a nephew with […]
Increase Life Expectancy – It’s Up To You
This week I’ve written about how to increase life expectancy of those with bipolar disorder being 9.2 years less than the U.S. national average. I touched on what you can do to close that gap. Having BP can be a daily struggle just to perform “normal” activities. The last thing I want to hear is […]
Chronic Disease and Bipolar Disorder
I’ve recently read some medical journals concerning the lower life expectancy of those living with Bipolar Disorder. Unfortunately those diagnosed with BP have an average lifespan that is 9.2 years less than the national average. It’s believed the primary reasons for this are: Suicide rate Greater Risk of Chronic Disease Lack of medical care I […]