Healthcare providers strive to be excellent clinicians, and to use their knowledge built upon years of reading and clinical experience to help their patients get better. Sometimes, I think too much time is spent focusing on perfecting the clinical aspect of healthcare, and not enough time is spent on the human aspect. I don't think anyone disputes ...
~ The one thing more exhausting than having a mental illness is trying to pretend that you don't have one ~ When mental health patients seek non-mental health medical services, sometimes being 'seen' by medical professionals can be both unusual and paramount to your care. Most of us simply want to be seen by others as the authentic and multi-layere...
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a Volunteer is: a person who does something, especially for other people or for an organization, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it. According to the values we hold at NAMI Metro Suburban, a volunteer is a key component of our success and a champion for our cause. As Volunteer Appreciation Wee...
I recently encountered a simple, unintentional act that reminded me of the stigma that still surrounds mental illness; not just stigma placed on those of us living with mental health conditions but the perceived stigma that we place on ourselves. In this case I had written an article to be used as a promotional piece for a non-profit that focuses o...
Here's the truth. Sometimes I fib. I turn down invitations and say that I'm busy. I am busy, but not in the way that most people may understand. I'm busy tending to my own equilibrium in any way that I can. I'm busy silencing the racing thoughts; busy sitting in complete solitude to calm my irrational fears; busy feeling my feelings so that they wo...
Elizabeth Stone compared having a child to making the decision to have your heart forever go walking outside your body and I could not agree more as neither education or experience could prepare me for the emotions or challenges that come along with raising a child who fights through life with a mental illness. I myself have battled with mental ill...
The history of the recovery movement is the history of the elimination of stigma. Mental health still needs to be made a priority today. Language will and has played an important part of the anti-stigma movement. Education and knowing the facts help people to understand mental health. Groups like Family to Family educate family members about unders...
This past December 14th I graduated with my bachelor's degree in Biomedical Science. This is a huge deal because I had started my journey 12 years ago and like most things, I never finished. It was hard managing my bipolar 1 and going to school full time. I graduated with honors and I am very proud of myself. Now the question lingers in my mi...
"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear" - (C.S. Lewis) I learned the truth of these words early on in the first few years of struggling to manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. I also was reminded at this time that the condition of grief is nearly universal, and yet its forms are exquisitely personal for each of us.At its heart, ...
Being diagnosed with any mental illness is, at some point, hard to digest. I was first diagnosed in November of 2009. What may seem odd or strange is that all I felt was feeling of relief. I finally knew what was wrong with me and it was not just because I was some crazy person. I had an illness, a sickness that could get better. On the other...
I literally took the long road home to find my purpose in life, and it rode in on a bipolar diagnosis and a lifetime of long-distance running. My discovery road included many twists and turns in order for me to notice what matters most in life, and then it delivered me to exactly where I needed to be. Along the way I learned that what fuels my soul...
Mindfulness. I see this word everywhere—on my social media, in the news, in blog posts and articles. Sometimes I feel like as common as this word is, its meaning is starting to get lost. For example, many of the platforms where I see "mindfulness" mentioned are part of the problem. They contribute to the overwhelming proliferation of content via so...
A lot of what I experienced at the height of my illness was accompanied by isolation. The year was 2002. And I was at home. The basement walls were moving and I felt the cabinets beginning to open. I was laying on the couch and had the feeling that I would not be able to get up. Even If I wanted to I could not shift my legs into a position to ...
Seasonal Affective Disorder and Your Mental Health Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is otherwise known as Major Depressive Disorder with a Seasonal Pattern, is a type of recurrent depression that is known to sneak up on us during the fall and winter months when we are exposed to the least amount of daily natural light. Many people refer to ...
The temperatures are finally dropping and the leaves are changing colors. The cool, crisp air lets me know my favorite time of year has arrived. I've been to the apple orchard, gone on a hay ride, and put out Halloween decorations at home. But through all of it I'm really thinking ahead the best holiday of the year. I'm thinking about Thanksgiving....
Mental Health is a hot topic these days. More people are speaking up, telling their stories and showing compassion for those who struggle. Celebrities like Stephen Colbert, Demi Lovato and Kanye West are sharing their experiences with mental health conditions. Just yesterday, Chance the Rapper pledged $1,000,000 to support mental health services in...
When I was in college, I talked about suicide constantly. Just saying that word-suicide-in a safe and well-informed space, then saying it again, and again, has completely transformed the way I speak and think about suicidality. If you were in the right place at the right time, you could have walked down a hallway and heard twenty different students...
I can say now that I have a mental health condition but back in 2008, that was my secret to keep. I always felt shame and thought that I was somehow different, or less than, those around me. I wanted to explain, to have people understand this was passed down through generations of my family and was not something I controlled. I wanted to speak out,...
Every August, as the back-to-school sales start rolling out, and the temperature drops a few degrees, I start getting the back-to-school jitters. I stockpile accordion folders, 3-ring binders, and gel pens to color-code my notes; I pick out the perfect planner, which will soon hold my entire life together. I try to make use of the advice I get ever...
Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines hope as "desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment or success." Hope is a word we throw around frequently at NAMI. We even use the tag line "Find Help. Find Hope." While attending the NAMI National Convention in New Orleans, the question popped into my head, how would I define hope? Is it the woman sitting t...