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, […]
You’ve Got This
Due to the success of the “It Gets Better” project, which focuses on improving the lives of gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender youth (LGBT), Healthline has begun the “You’ve Got This” campaign which focuses on young people who have been newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “The It Gets Better” project was created to show young […]
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
I first heard of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance from a friend soon after I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She took me to my first meeting and became my regular carpool each week. The first time I had no idea what to expect and I was a bit scared. There was a part […]
Journaling for Mental Health
I’m excited to introduce one of my favorite bloggers, WIL, of Write Into The Light, who accepted my request to be a guest blogger today. I ran into the bedroom and slammed the door behind me; falling to the bed, I screamed into my pillow. He’s being unreasonable! He doesn’t understand. I can’t take this […]
Homelessness
Yesterday I shared the tale of my life as a homeless man that I lived over ten years over ago. I shared how I adapted to homelessness, including how I learned to find places to sleep. Today I finish my tale of living on the streets. One thing I can’t see through the haze in […]
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 […]
Negative Thinkers and Positive Thinkers
The revered Dr. Norman Vincent Peale wrote these words for his immensely popular 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking: The way to happiness: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you […]
Andrew Solomon on Depression
This is an excellent episode, that was sent to me, of Ted talk with Andrew Solomon. I immediately knew that I must share it with you all. Let me know what you think “The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality, and it was vitality that seemed to seep away from me in that […]