What he told me was life changing. Getting out of bed each morning has been drama. Most days, I launch an internal dialogue with myself, which ends in my feeling guilty about staying in bed. Then at some point, a sound triggers my “fight or flight” response, and I leap out of bed. This scenario…
Category: Facts and myths about mental illness
If I Only Had 10 Days to Live
A year ago, my focus was on Major Depressive Disorder. Would I figure it out? Was there life for me going forward? Could I see past the wall that I was up against? Although at that moment, I could not see the big picture, somewhere in my anatomy, I knew I would make it. Remember,…
What Are We Searching For in This Pandemic?
Mental health resources, suicide hotlines? If you need help now, call a 24-hour crisis center at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) for free, private help or dial 911. These are unnerving times. I know that the past few months have transformed my thinking about what is normal. Things I take for granted are now not available. All the local…
What do you mean there are side effects?
I didn’t even think about how my medicine works. I hadn’t realized that there are three classes of anti-depression drugs. Each one works in a different way to help you achieve some sense of normalcy. Different kinds of reuptake inhibitors target different neurotransmitters. There are three types: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are some of the…
“If I Live Through This, I Want Someone to be Able to See That They Can Survive.”
The country music icon Naomi Judd told ABC News and WebMD contributor, Robin Roberts, that she began to feel what she called “completely debilitating and life-threatening depression” in 2010. Read the entire article. She says she “would come home and not leave the house for 3 weeks and not get outta my pajamas, not practice…
Flashback Friday – Was I really like this?
I read a few of my early blog posts this morning. Some of them I wrote just days after getting out of the hospital. There is a lot of uncertainty in these early posts. I am feeling my way towards something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. Check out this post I wrote 3…
300 Million People Around the World Have Depression* and I Am One of Them
The statistics are compelling. What’s the first thing most of us do if we want to find out more about something? Google it. Every two seconds somebody Googles ‘depression’ in the UK. While anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., depression isn’t far behind. The most recent depression statistics are: According…
Celebrities are admitting they have depression. I am not alone!
I subscribe to some pretty awesome blogs. I have learned a lot about depression and mental illness in general from these talented writers. Their new blog posts appear in my inbox daily. Yesterday, my jaw dropped as I read the headline for a new blog post by Chelsea Owens. Celebrities with Mental Health Issues: Dwayne…
Do I really have an addiction?
Occasionally, I am really surprised. My motto is “I love getting up in the morning, because I learn something new every day.” Often, it is something small that I learn. A shortcut to the store. A new way to fold shirts, a new band that I had not heard before. But sometimes, what I learn…
Depression Will Not be My Crutch
Depression is a disease, not a crutch. Many diseases get major attention and major funding for research. Their existence is not questioned and their status as a legitimate health condition is secure. Very few people, for example, would dispute the fact that cancer is real. People respect the havoc it can inflict on someone. Mental…
