The Empowered Patient

May 25, 2012 / by / Breaking Bipolar

Have you heard of the e-patient? If not, it’s OK, I hadn’t heard of them up until about a year ago either. And quite frankly, once I did hear the term, no one really explained it to me so I figured it was an “electronic” patient – maybe one who walked around with their health records on a USB stick, or maybe a cyborg patient (in which case, I qualify).

Well, it turns out that there aren’t a lot of cyborg patients and while an e-patient might walk around with their medical records, “e-patient” actually refers to patients who are equipped, enabled, empowered and engaged. And, depending on whom you ask, also educated, expressive, expert and electronic.

That’s a lot of stuff. And quite frankly, way too much pressure, so let’s boil it down – an e-patient is one who’s engaged with their own healthcare, and ideally, we all should be one.

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Dealing with Holiday Addiction Triggers

May 25, 2012 / by / Debunking Addiction

This weekend marks the start of the summer holiday season. Events like picnics and parties can be a dangerous place for people in addiction recovery.
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Put Your Mental Health Recovery First!

May 24, 2012 / by / Recovering from Mental Illness

The first thing that comes to my mind? “Just Do It!” Yes, that horrible Nike campaign.

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Shedding the Anorexic Identity

May 24, 2012 / by / Surviving ED

A few weeks ago, I gave away the last of my “anorexic” clothing.

The clothing that was too young. Too short. Too…anorexic.

I mean, a micro-miniskirt on a forty-six-year-old? Seriously?

I feel myself becoming more free each day. Keep reading »

Mental Health Community Awaits Passive/Aggressive Olympics

May 23, 2012 / by / Funny in the Head

Passive/Aggressive Behavior (PAB) plays an integral role in various kinds of mental illness. Historically referred to as Obnoxious Behavior (OB) or just plain Irritating Behavior (IB), Passive/Aggressive Behavior has been identified as both symptom and cause of a dizzying assortment of psychological maladies including, but not limited to, paranoia, paranormia, pareschewed, and Chumley Standpipe Syndrome (CSS).

Early psychiatrists, realizing PAB to be a very sneaky and elusive foe, adapted an innovative approach to treatment. They reasoned that, rather than causing patients to feel guilt about passive aggressive behavior, long-term recovery goals would be much better served by luring PAB out of its lair with promises of rewards, praise, and lucrative commercial endorsements. Far easier to treat a condition after it’s ventured into the open, they reasoned. Keep reading »

What is Low Self-Esteem?

May 23, 2012 / by / Building Self-Esteem

In reality, low self-esteem affects more people than you think. Low self-esteem refers to how you feel about yourself overall. Indicators of low self-esteem include:

  • talking negatively
  • not speaking up
  • feeling bad about yourself more than you feel good
  • lack of self-respect

There are many different characteristics of low self-esteem. They may not be as obvious as one would assume. You, too, may be struggling with low-self esteem and don’t even know it. Keep reading »

Fear of Flying? Try This

May 23, 2012 / by / Anxiety-Schmanxiety Blog

I Was Afraid of Flying

The fear of flying is a common fear.  I had it in the worst way. For me, like many others, fear of flying especially increased after 9/11. I thought about being in a plane crash a lot.  A lot, a lot. Every time I heard a plane fly over, the video ran in my mind of myself sitting in an airplane after having just found out we were going to crash.

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Original Song: Venom of the Serpent

May 22, 2012 / by / More Than Borderline

Addiction is a common symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is often a way to self-medicate, and while it may work in the short run, it ultimately leads to more problems and more pain. This song, written early in my active addiction to alcohol, describes the struggle to break free. I have found writing to be a very effective way to cope with emotional pain, and music has therapeutic benefits. So I share this song with you, to tell you that there is hope in the midst of a painful battle. Keep reading »

Why It’s Ignorant to Write Off Psychiatry

May 22, 2012 / by / Breaking Bipolar

If you’ve been poking around for mental health information for a while you’ve probably seen them: The people who decry psychiatry and all associated therapies. These people come in various shapes and forms but they often call themselves “psychiatric survivors” or “antipsychiatrists.” These are people who claim that psychiatry is evil and psychiatrists are nothing but abusers. These are people that claim that psychiatric medication will cook your brain and that those who use psychiatric services have simply been duped into believing the lies of “big pharma.”

It should surprise no one that I’m not a fan of these people. In my opinion, these people prevent sick people from getting the help they so badly need and they can cost someone their life.

And writing off psychiatry as a field of medicine reminds of refusing to eat Chinese food.

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How Long Can Someone Be Punished for Having a Mental Illness?

May 22, 2012 / by / Surviving Mental Health Stigma Blog

Many theories abound as to why mental health stigma plays such a major role in society. But one undeniable truth is that the media have likely done more harm than good.

A Canadian news story caught the attention of the world in 2009 when Vince Li, a Chinese immigrant to Canada with schizophrenia, suffered a psychotic break and brutally murdered and decapitated Greyhound bus passenger, Tim McLean. Keep reading »