“I know that Selena Gomez has lupus and recently had a kidney transplant. I know that Dave Letterman suffers from heart disease. I know that Lance Armstrong is a testicular cancer survivor. But I didn’t know that Kate Spade suffered from depression. Or that Robin Williams did. Because somehow society has made it more acceptable to […]
What if I told you it isn’t hard to sit with someone who is buried in their depression? In fact, what if I told you it often doesn’t involve sitting with them at all?
She stands motionless at the kitchen sink. Her head is down, freckled cheeks tear-stained. One hand holds up a small orange bottle and she studies the label mutely. Every drooping line of her body signifies her defeat. Behind her, babbling a steady stream of delighted incoherence, a baby plays happily on the floor. Angry voices […]
Just like mental illness itself, our prejudicial and discriminatory feelings against those who bear the mark of a mental health diagnosis crosses all racial lines, socioeconomic barriers, and sexual identities. If there is something all communities still share, perhaps it is this.
I wholeheartedly believe in authenticity on social media. Presenting your life as perfect creates an incredibly unhealthy world and an unhealthy (and unable to be supported) you. To that end: I often hear “you’re such a good mom” because of the pictures I post and the stories I tell on Facebook. So, you should also […]
The following information is provided courtesy of Heather Irvine (pictured), clinical herbalist, and professor at JSC and VCIH. Heather began her study of herbalism at Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. In addition to teaching, Heather is an experienced clinician, remedy maker, and the owner of Giving Tree Botanicals in Montpelier, Vermont. She has been studying, teaching, and practicing herbalism since 2002.
Which brings me back to the question at hand. If you were diagnosed with HIV, would you take the medicine the doctor prescribed you? What about if you were diagnosed with a psychological disorder? If your answer to those two questions is different, you need to ask yourself why. If you’re still telling yourself that having a mental illness is a personal failing, a weakness that should somehow be able to brought under your superhuman control, you’re doing yourself and your life a great disservice.
I like the class I’m in this morning, it’s full of information about all aspects of health and wellness, and though the focus seems to be on alternative methodologies, it’s a science based course. Today the professor tells us we are going to spend the next several classes discussing psychology and mental health. I’m excited. These, […]
Again and again I talk on this blog (and much more often on the more active Facebook page about the importance of speaking out. Share your stories. Speak your truth. Stand for what is right. Defend those who are not yet able to defend themselves. Define discrimination when it has not yet been defined. Name stigma where it […]
I can stretch my legs and feel already sore muscles groan. I can stand, feebly perhaps, to my feet as my body demands the rest it thinks it deserves. One hand to sore back I can take one more step forward. It may complain, but my body will move. They may ache but my feet will carry me. I may be tired, but I am strong. This is what growth looks like.