I decided to finally start listening to my own heart or head or whatever. And it's telling me, "California."
moving
parenting
When it comes to handling tantrums, counting to 10, cooling down, and all the other tricks needed to handle kids growing into themselves, some of us crazies are old hands.
ihtm contest
About an hour or two after I took my morning medications, which at the time consisted of a cocktail of Wellbutrin, Prozac, Strattera, and Klonopin, there were aliens in my bedroom.
mental illness
My world with her was a twilight zone. I never knew what to expect from one moment to the next.
depression
In the wake of any suicide, but especially a very public and prominent one, there is a rush to attribute reasons, and there is a collective sense of panicked guilt as people struggle to understand what happened and why.
guns
As an armed security police officer, I carried a side arm and a semi-automatic rifle everyday while I was on shift. People with mental illness can be responsible with a firearm, and like me, they can even be kick-ass first responders that are ready to serve their communities.
mental illness
When a story about family violence makes the news, I’m really not interested in how the victim could have behaved better. Maybe because I used to have a spouse with a mental illness who I feared would kill me.
mental illness
Meds don’t change you. They let you become who you’re meant to be.
mental health
By all means, let’s improve mental health services in the US. Please. We desperately need it. But if you want to talk about how to prevent rampage violence, I’m afraid you’re going to need to move on to other subjects.
suicide
My race of women are supposed to be strong. But the truth of the matter is that black folks battle with suicide just as much as the next person. We just don’t talk about it much.
suicide
While normal families call each other because they love one another, my phone calls are to ensure my brother is still alive, to make sure he hasn't taken the pills or put the gun in his mouth.
politics
The United States has a very complex and tormented relationship with guns, and a debate format is just really not the best place to be exploring gun policy, gun violence and gun ownership. So I braced myself for a wild ride, and I got one.
Keep Crazies Away From Guns! Single Parents Are the Problem! And Other Gems From Last Night's Debate
eating disorders
A recent survey has found that people with eating disorders may get more positive help from pro-ana communities than anyone realized. I'm arguing why banning these communities outright is a bad idea.
mass shooting
A terrible, wrong thing happened in Denver this morning. And in response, people are perpetrating more violence and more harm with their rhetoric about crazed killers.
mental health
There are many things that impact mental health. I’d say it goes without saying that racism and oppression are two very large things, but maybe it really does need to be said.
mariannicures
I did my nails three times yesterday. And I still don't really like what I wound up with
adventures in crazy brain
The question is not whether you know mental illness exists, but what you are going to do about it.
health care
I’ll never forget the 14-year-old kid who said he had dreams about shooting his aunt every night, or the one who wanted to know why rape was illegal. I was just a teenage girl who had panic attacks.
agoraphobia
I actually go out of the house on purpose to perform in front of crowds, something that seemed impossible a decade ago, when my mom had to extract me from my filthy apartment in Boston and drag me home to New Jersey for psychiatric intervention.
brain weasels
Being mentally ill means that I am more likely to be shot by police. I am more likely to be raped or assaulted. I am more likely to be institutionalized, to be condemned as an unfit parent, to be denied employment or fired.
bipolar disorder
Admitting you take lithium is not an easy thing to do. Lithium is seen as the final frontier of brain meds, instantly lobotomizing those that take it and turning them into a zombie.
health insurance
My experience of mental illness has been boring, and it’s been terrifying, but it definitely hasn’t been glamorous.
