There’s an old story about mentally ill people which goes something like this: The bad ones end up homeless or institutionalized. The really bad ones are violent and sometimes end up in jail. The rich ones can afford pills and therapy. They go back to their lives. If they still have friends, they probably don’t talk about it.Continue reading “Re-Writing Old Stories”
Tag Archives: Truth
The Individualities Inside Your Head
Nobody’s head follows a textbook. If it did, we would be called robots, not humans. You could argue that we’re nothing more than a colony of ants buzzing about, erroneously feeling independent. I suppose in the grandest possible scheme of things, our individuality disappears from view. If you are an alien looking down on planetContinue reading “The Individualities Inside Your Head”
Marketing Mental Illness
I’m convinced that mental illness has a marketing problem. I spoke with Dese’Rae L. Stage about it when we met a few weeks ago. Simply look around at all of the great bloggers out there working to challenge stigma. How do you think that stigma got there? There are hundreds of years of complicated historyContinue reading “Marketing Mental Illness”
A Tip For The Chess Game Of Life
I used to conceal my thoughts and feelings as if I was playing a game of chess. Many people have confirmed to me that they do the same thing. What’s the endgame? If you’re moving pieces around on a chessboard, strategically defending your king, that will work for a long time. Until at some point,Continue reading “A Tip For The Chess Game Of Life”
Depression Doesn’t Fit In A Box
Our brains are hardwired to label things as quickly as possible. ‘Adam the conservative accountant‘ is easy to remember. ‘The guy on the news was on meth‘ makes the story safe for me to quickly file away. ‘Tiffany has a chemical imbalance‘ and that’s why she’s depressed. Labels are extremely helpful most of the time.Continue reading “Depression Doesn’t Fit In A Box”
How To Lift The Blackness
If you have fallen into an emotionless abyss, it is a deep, black, void from which you probably believe you will never escape. But I believe that is not who you are. You are a feeling being who is incapable of emotion right now. You will not exist in that state forever. The question is, how?Continue reading “How To Lift The Blackness”
“My Bright Shining Star” by Rhonda Elkins
Kaitlyn Elkins was a beautiful twenty-three year old woman who took her own life in April of 2013. Obviously her family is devastated by this loss, but also, completely surprised. They thought she was happy. Rhonda, Kaitlyn’s mother, decided to write about it. Her posts are raw, unfiltered, and real. I understand that reading aboutContinue reading ““My Bright Shining Star” by Rhonda Elkins”
How To Use Fear To Your Advantage
I met with Dese’Rae L. Stage the other day, and, I learned a lot about myself. It’s for her project Live Through This which, you should check out of course. I’ve written bits and pieces of my story, but, sitting behind a computer is not the same as sitting in front of someone and actuallyContinue reading “How To Use Fear To Your Advantage”
Why Taking Medication Is ‘Natural’
The following is paraphrased from an NPR interview with Barabara Ehrenreich about her new book Living With A Wild God: The world is a living thing, and everything in it is inherently a living thing. When we look at a car, lamppost, or plastic bottle sitting on the side of the road, we tend notContinue reading “Why Taking Medication Is ‘Natural’”
Do I Project Too Much Hope?
Sometimes I worry that my posts are too hopeful for you. How could a blog about depression be so full of hope? Do you really want to read the message that ‘one day everything might be much better’ if you feel like crap? Yes & No; if you didn’t want to, you simply wouldn’t readContinue reading “Do I Project Too Much Hope?”
Matt Fried 