Blogs
Medical consensus in psychiatry is critical. Many people do have many opinions, of course, but understanding psychiatric medical consensus is what makes all the difference. If you have 1000 psychiatrists in a room, after all, you can be guaranteed someone is going to disagree on any subject, but who do you believe, the 999 or the one? And is a medical consensus in psychiatry worth more than the opinion of psychiatric patients?
Healthy boundaries can be hard to recognize. For example, have you ever had someone set a boundary with you but it didn't feel right? Maybe they stated in such a way that it was hard to know if it was a legitimate boundary or a manipulation. Perhaps you have been manipulative with others but framed it as setting a boundary.
Does the thought of going to the dentist or having dental procedures done cause your anxiety to skyrocket? If so, you're not alone. A whopping 50-80 percent of American adults report having some degree of anxiety about going to the dentist, and a study published in 2017 indicated that 19 percent of people showed moderate to severe dental anxiety.
I’ve talked in previous blogs about empathy, and how it’s essential for anyone with anxiety. Or any other mental illness. Or any other member of the human race.
Just this morning, I opened my email inbox and noticed a subject line which read, "How many steps should you take to lose weight?" As someone who continues to battle thoughts of anorexia on a daily basis, my first reaction to seeing this was to click the email thread, so I could know the answer. I was even tempted to scroll through my mobile fitness tracker to ensure I habitually reach the step count required. But since I am also in committed recovery now, this initial reflex was supplanted by another, more constructive question: "Can fitness trackers worsen eating disorder behaviors?" Could monitoring the number of steps taken, floors climbed, miles run or walked, and calories burned increase the obsessive patterns which eating disorders thrive on? Based on my own experience, I think that answer is, "Yes."
Learning to embrace change will build stronger self-esteem. Instead of spending energy trying to keep things from changing, I have learned to focus on adapting to change for a healthier self-esteem. To do this, I rely on routines and regular prioritization of my needs.
Picture yourself in the middle of a panic attack. Your heart is racing, your mind is juggling a million thoughts, and no one can calm you down. Then, you reach for something soft, cuddly and receptive to your need for comfort. This is what it feels like to turn to a pet for the anxiety associated with dissociative identity disorder (DID).
Binge eating at night is a problem for just about everyone who has the luxury of steady access to food, whether they are in eating disorder recovery or not. However, for those of us in recovery, these night-time binges can be detrimental to our progress.
Behavioral changes aren't the only changes needed in recovery from mental illness, but they are a key part of feeling better and living the life you want to live. But it is so incredibly hard. I recently had a frustrating, but productive, conversation with my therapist about how I need to start making behavioral changes if I want to keep improving on my mental health, and the reason it was so frustrating is because I have never known how to change my behavior. I'm a thinker, a highly sensitive person with lots of imagination and creativity, and part of me truly believes I can heal from mental illness and trauma just by thinking about it the right way. But my therapist is right. Nothing changes if nothing changes.
Let's face it –- anxiety does not exactly go hand-in-hand with confidence, high self-esteem, and security. I have always found that, when I am anxious, I feel less confident, and vice versa. Now that I reflect on when I was younger, any lack of confidence and insecurity I felt were often associated with my anxiety.
I've bnn diagnosed with ptsd, which I allready knew I had been diagnosed with this in my early 30s, I'm now 46.
Im on 200mg setraline, for ptsd. My moods have bn very unstable lately I've experienced mania and then depressive episodes where I am housebound and have no motivation to look after myself or my home. I first experienced trauma at the age of 7 when I witnessed a close family member being raped, I also have been raped twice once age 18 and then age 44.
I often feel nothing, no emotion or I become super sensitive, I am prone to reckless behaviour not caring if I live or die.
My mother died 3 years ago and I've grown steadily worse I believe I have BPD but my psychiatrist says no, refuses to consider it and will not give me anything to stabilise my moods. I do not want to be here, I have no motivation and my body is often in agony, I fantasise about walking infront of a bus, I feel guilt and feel like I'm a burden to my loved ones, I just want to be with my mother. I need help.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you for sharing this, it's genuinely helped me.
I can't get over it. He's left a big void and I feel I cannot love another animal. He was my first and last dog. He accompanied my depressive periods and got me out. I had to walk him 4 times a day which did me good. He understood how to bring me warm cuddles. No man ever did that for me. I'm 61 and don't have the energy to wake up early anymore and a dog needs to go out as I don't have a garden.
My grief is immense.
I feel so deeply sad when I think about him! I feel like I won't ever get over it.
I'm on disability and have lost my rhythm.
I've been admitted to a private psychiatric clinic today in the French Alps but even if the landscape is amazing with view of the Mont-Blanc, I feel empty.
My eldest daughter who has Bipolar like me has given birth in April during the covid and is still in a psychiatric hospital with her baby. It's sad for me. My other daughter moved to Australia for two years. Previously, she lived in London for 10 years so I didn't see her very much. I divorced in 2017. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 in 2015 only.
Since then I lost my husband, my job and loads of friends...
I created a Facebook page with my daughter who lives in SE FRANCE STRASBOURG. It's called Bipolar On Air to inform people about Bipolar disorder and de stigmatized mental illnesses.
My daughter fights the stigma on her YouTube channel called Les petites vidéos de Millie. I'm French but my daughters are French and British as their dad is British.
My mum was schizophrenic and my grandmother who raised me was maniaco-depressive.
I never knew my biological father and had a step dad.
They're all dead now.
Life is kind of hard at times as I get really bad mood deregulation with alcohol problems and hypersexuality.
I find Bipolar is not understood. My friends do not understand...
Only my dog gave me the energy to carry on the battle! Pets understand without words... ❤️❤️❤️ Agnès