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 […]
Tag: mental illness
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, […]
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 […]
Ruby Wax and Mental Illness
Below is a video of Ruby Wax that I stumbled upon last week. It’s from TED.com As many of you know, I love using humor to help people learn and understand what it’s like to live with mental illness. Using humor also helps me keep me from taking myself too seriously. I’ve never heard of […]
Biology of Bipolar Disorder
While many of us know in our hearts, and minds, that bipolar disorder is the result of a chemical imbalance or some other dysfunction in the brain, each day I meet far too many naysayers online who insist it is a character defect. They use anecdotal information as proof that we are being spoon-fed disinformation […]
Bipolar, Depression, Drinking, Drugging
When I first stumbled upon this recent study, I had to laugh. I mean, another study that links mental illness with substance abuse? Really? Was there a need to spend more time and money to discover what has been discovered again and again and again? Well, to my surprise, there was. I’ve heard “10 years” […]
Bipolar Disorder and Caffeine’s Effects
According to the National Institute of Mental Health 90% of Americans use caffeine daily, including, of course, those suffering from mood disorders such as depression and bipolar. Considering the amount of coffee, tea, sodas, sports drinks, ice cream and chocolate that is consumed, the percentage should be no surprise. And, yes, you read correctly, there […]
Going Up? Going Down?
Wednesday’s Quote: Jane Pauley
When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder the year I turned 50, it was certainly a shock. But as a journalist, knowing a little bit about a lot of things, I didn’t suffer the misconception that depression was all in my head or a mark of poor character. I knew it was a disease, and, […]