Just a few words……

  Just to announce that this blog, “Living in Stigma”  is officially closed effective December 31, 2007.  There will be no new postings.  I feel I have accomplished what I set out to do with this blog; this was to educate, provide newsworthy articles, share a little of the experiences with my own mental illness, and [...]

Carnival Mental Illness - Edition #3

Carnival Mental Illness – Edition #3 – December 28, 2007
I welcome everyone to the third edition of Carnival Mental Illness.
Both the first and second editions were raving successes, and December’s submission count was incredible. 
Submissions are:
Articles & Information
Dana at Principled Discovery  presents: Fundamentalism, Psychotropic drugs and Mass Murder
Albert Foong at Urban Monk  includes an interesting [...]

‘TIS THE SEASON

‘TIS THE HOLIDAY SEASON
I spent three Christmases in hospital; two I couldn’t even leave to go home for Christmas dinner.  Difficult to accept for all concerned, but I was just too unwell and they felt I was a risk.
So, three or four others and me sat in a gloomy dining room and picked at our ‘turkey [...]

WELCOME

     This site is dedicated to those individuals living with mental illness, affecting them most deeply along with their spouses, family and friends.
Many forms of mental illness take their shape in Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, just to name a few.  A major note is that mental illness is neither one’s fault nor a character flaw, [...]

Low B12 Tied To Faster Mental Decline With Age

November 26, 2007 - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Low levels of vitamin B12 could speed mental decline in older people, a new study suggests.
Among a group of men and women aged 65 and older, those whose levels of two B12 activity markers indicated higher blood levels of the vitamin had a slower drop-off in [...]

Childhood Schizophrenia: How Early Can It Be Diagnosed?

My 12-year-old son exhibits all the symptoms of childhood schizophrenia, but his therapist and doctors won’t diagnose him because of his age. No one disputes that he meets the criteria for schizophrenia. At what age can he be diagnosed?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
Early childhood schizophrenia is rare. But schizophrenia can be diagnosed in [...]

47 Million Americans Lack Health Insurance: Report

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of Americans lacking health insurance rose by nearly 8.6 million to 47 million from 2000 to 2006, with children and workers from every income level losing coverage, a new report said on Thursday.
The increase was “driven primarily by the continued erosion in employer-provided health [...]

SITTING IN JUDGMENT

Who am I to judge someone?   Who are they to judge me?
Dictionary:  Judgment: the ability to judge, makes a decision, or form an opinion objectively, authoritatively, and wisely, esp. in matters affecting action; good sense; discretion: a man of sound judgment.
Stigma: a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation; [...]

Believe in You

  
Somewhere there’s a river
Lookin’ for a stream
Somewhere there’s a dreamer
Lookin’ for a dream
Somewhere there’s a drifter
Trying to find his way
Somewhere someone’s waitin’
To hear somebody say
I believe in you
I can’t even count the ways
That I believe in you
And all I want to do
ls help you to believe in you
Somewhere someone’s reachin’
Trying to grab that ring
Somewhere [...]

Carnival Mental Illness - Edition #2

Just a reminder that submissions for Carnival Mental Illness - Edition #2 will be accepted no later than November 25, 2007.  They will be published on November 30, 2007.
The Premiere Edition was such a success, so keep the submissions coming.
This time around, I am making it a little easier to submit: just click on this submission form:
Thanks [...]

Psychotherapy May Relieve Postpartum Depression

Online source:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
By Joene Hendry
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Symptoms of postpartum depression appear to be reduced by any psychosocial therapy, with women opting for this treatment doing better than those who try to struggle through with no treatment at all, findings of a study review suggest.
Many women experience mild, [...]

DEPRESSION: May Be World’s Most Disabling Disease

Global study finds it takes bigger toll than other chronic conditions
(HealthDay News) — When compared with other chronic diseases, depression may well be the most disabling disease in the world, a new global study finds.
People with chronic physical diseases such as angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes also fare far worse if they also suffer from [...]

YOU’RE FIRED

When you first hear these words, you automatically think of losing your job.  I thought I would take it one step further and think back to some of the times I’ve actually been ‘fired’ in other situations.
I will begin with the career position.  The ‘firing’ took place during my first year, in what would be [...]

Carnival Mental Illness

Carnival Mental Illness
Just a reminder to submit your articles by October 25, 2007 for the Premiere Carnival Mental Illness.  I have had a very good response so far - so keep them coming.   I will be showcasing submissions on October 31, 2007.  Mark this on your calendar.
At Blog Carnival you do not require a log-in.   [...]

PTSD: Dirty Little Secrets

I wrote in earlier posts of my childhood sexual abuse; very much a ‘dirty little secret’.
Recollecting my past, namely at around eight years old, my friends and I would be playing in our yard and the predator next door would be sitting on his balcony.  I felt frightened for them and me, and wanted so [...]

Life

Life
© By Benjamin K. Kotey
It takes a day to make a dream,
But it takes many nights for a seed to become a tree.
Life is a ladder that must be climbed.
But in every stage,
There are many rivers and battles to fight
And our hopes determines our future.
Life is a trip through the wilderness
And everyone must survive for [...]

LITHIUM 101 - Everything you ever wanted to know

This is a very informative video about Lithium, and how it relates to Bipolar Disorder
It was produced by:   www.bipolarhelp.org

Increased Job Stress, More Depression

Online Source:  http://www.sciencedaily.com
Ontario, Canada - Sept. 28 (UPI) — Increased levels of job strain and a lack of social support at work are associated with higher risk of depression — a study of Canadian workers found.
Emma K. Robertson Blackmore of the University of Rochester Medical Center, in New York and Canadian researchers utilized data [...]

What Goes Up Must Come Down

  I know the risks living with bipolar.  Medications are effective and are a requirement for the rest of my life.  I know of mania and the lesser mania (hypomania); flipping to the other side of the coin, and trudging through black, muddy depression.  Up.  Down.   High.  Low.  And with BP, and ultimately in the [...]

Life Coaching

Wikipedia:  Life coaching is a practice of assisting clients to determine and achieve personal goals. A coach will use a variety of methods, tailored to the client, to move through the process of setting and reaching goals. Coaching is not targeted at psychological illness, and coaches are not therapists (although therapists may become coaches).
Credentials:  There [...]

Come Visit The Health Fair

Check out the: Online College Mental Health Fair

BITS AND PIECES

 
Never good at poetry; would write a line and then spend an hour attempting to find another line to rhyme with the first line.  I always loved to write though; first beginning, I suppose with my journals as a teen.  Can’t spell worth a darn, and have my handy, dandy dictionary at my side along [...]

Go Figure!

Search Engine Terms:
In the last week, these are some terms people have used to find my blog:
~ Jackpot recliner chair
~ Shrinks banging patients
~ Schizoid jobs
Makes you wonder how they found me!

5000 Hits! - WOW!

  Thanks for all of your support, this blog has reached 5,000 hits in a relatively short time.  I will continue to provide up-to-date news articles, other articles relating to mental illness and stigma, including my own true-life experience articles.  Enjoy and please always continue to provide comments.
~~~ Deb

Antidepressants Aid Hospitalized Heart Patients

By David Douglas
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 - NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who have hospitalized with a heart attack or severe angina — known by the umbrella term “acute coronary syndrome” — appear to be less likely to have certain heart-related events subsequently if they’re taking a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin [...]