Although I’ve begun to dump links by category in separate posts, I’ve decided to keep a general one too. Firstly, I think today’s links do belong together and secondly, if I don’t do it, I’m going to end up doing some purely depressing linkdumps. While I believe that we have to be as aware of the good as the bad, I think mixing it up is a good solution.
Onwards!
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“I have just been released from the women’s mental hospital and I am looking to lose myself again in the madness of the city. It’s a cool October evening in 2010. There is a basement show happening tonight. I am prepared, externally anyway. I have on a nice outfit and I’m wearing a pair of Vans. The malleable canvas and thick soles make enough of the right kind of friction for treading the uneven, gravelly terrain of the Allston basements that I frequent. It’s all akin to standing up while riding the B Line as the streetcar writhes along Commonwealth Avenue. Make like you’re on a skateboard and riding the waves of movement is easy. Surf the pulse and stay afloat. This is necessary in any underground but especially for me. Going underground too often can mean certain death.” how to surf the pulse
“The skin in the crook of his right arm is thick with red scarring from the thousand-odd blood tests. Once a nurse nicked a nerve while drawing blood and he couldn’t use his arm for a full year. He has routinely suffered the common side effects of diarrhea, headaches and body rashes. He’s lived off bland food and shared a room full of bunk beds for months at a time with total strangers. He’s been told when and where to urinate, when and what to eat, to avoid exercise. It all goes with the territory, he says.” just another lab rat
“We’ve all done it: “Met” someone on a social media site who sparked our romantic interest. You both posted on the same wall or liked the same posting and then caught each other’s eye. Sometimes these connections are diversions, and sometimes they’re something meaningful. But when social media relationships move from online “likes” into actual like, maybe we all get a little crazy. A little stalker-y. And a little bit trigger-y with the bipolar disorder. ” social media relationships & the way my bipolar is set up
“Sarah, a 32-year-old retail worker, says before being diagnosed with manic depression a few years ago, her hypersexuality showed no sign of slowing down. She says, ‘Hypersexuality was definitely the worst part of my manic episodes. I wore a shroud of guilt for years as I felt that having it spoke volumes about me as a person.’ “things you only know if you’re hypersexual
“I have called the illness ‘el Diablo’ because half of one’s mind is under his control. From the moment of waking in the morning he is there, and never leaves you throughout the day. He keeps your mind pumping continuous negative thoughts throughout the day. You wish night-time to come, so that sleep will bring peace of mind. But ironically is it not as fulfilling as one may wish, for when one takes that sleeping pill to make it happen, el Diablo with a broad grin utters the words: “Sleep will come and go in a blink of an eye, and you will have to face a dreadful day filled with anguish and anxiety just like today”.” el diablo, the devil within
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July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month in the USA. Yes it’s almost over, but it’s also all still relevant and important.
“Culture, race, gender, ethnicity, age and sexual orientation are all factors that can influence mental health.” source
“On July 12 of this year, Denver police shot and killed Paul Castaway, a mentally ill Lakota Sioux man. His case raises awareness of two issues that are flying under the radar in the ongoing national conversation about police shootings: Over half of fatal shootings involve mentally ill people, and Native Americans are statistically more at risk of dying in police shootings than other racial groups. Castaway’s traumatic and horrific death is riveting his Denver community, and his last words are a haunting indictment of law enforcement in the United States: “What’s wrong with you guys?” Police Shoot and Kill Mentally Ill Native American Man
“Satcher said it was vital to change a cultural perception among black men that having an issue with mental health is a sign of weakness or a lack of masculinity — or even a failure of spiritual faith.” African-American men must be engaged on mental illness
“Cruz, who is 31, said his mental break occurred 12 years ago, while he was in solitary confinement. He was incarcerated at Rikers in 2002, when he was 18 years old, on a first degree manslaughter charge. He was a Blood at the time, and he said the killing was done in self-defense. A few months later, Cruz was put in solitary.” How racist is solitary confinement?
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(to quote Mr Bowie, this is not America)
This is a thing I rant about often; the rant usually contains things like, “fuck the UN,” and “read Romeo Dallaire’s book asap.” if you go forth and fuck the UN, please use a rhinoceros hide strength condom. I’m serious about the book. If you’re the visual type, watch ‘Hotel Rwanda’. *drops mic and climbs off soapbox)
Rates of mental illness in Rwanda are significantly higher than other countries. This is largely attributed to the trauma many suffered during the 1994 genocide, which left nearly one million dead and a country full of people deeply affected emotionally. Tourists fight the stigma surrounding mental illness in Rwanda.
*picks up mic and climbs on soapbox* Unfortunately I can almost guarantee this very well intentioned initiative will not work.
“I’m a Tara outpatient. They stock the most generic, or cheapest, of each med. In the past four months they have not had stock of Aropax, a very common antidepressant, twice, and the pharmacists have absolutely no knowledge or sympathy in dealing with this. They simply reply, ‘Get your doctor to put you onto another med.’ I might as well go on to Disprin for all the good that would do… It’s taken 15 years of trial and error of trying me on every medication under the sun to find the medication that works for me. It is not simply a question of taking another antidepressant. And the problem is exacerbated when I, who cannot afford private pharmacy rates for my medication – this would be over R1,000, whereas Tara charges me R35.” Psychiatry in distress: How far has South Africa progressed in supporting mental health?
“At least half of the world’s population live in countries where there is less than one psychiatrist for every 100 000 people, according to the world organisation’s latest mental health report released this week.” South Africa – Are we failing SA’s mentally ill?
“The burden of disease is increasing every moment and the globalised world has killed empathy. Every human being is burdened and therefore the abandonment is not intentional but due to helplessness,” said psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty, adding that the story is pretty similar in the West too.” India – hospital ward plays mind games to reunite families
“… anyone who goes to their GP with symptoms of depression and has also experienced lack of control of their mood or behaviours for four days in a row or more should be referred for specialist mental health assessment.” UK – New guidance for NHS doctors over referrals in suspected bipolar cases
It’ll take them six months to get assessed by a social worker and another six to see a psychiatrist, mark my miserable words.
“Warily, my May 13 column said: “Historically, when we speak/think of disability, issues such as wheelchairs, paraplegia, blindness, and so on come to mind. For a long time and still in the minds of most people there remains a perception of (and within) the disability community and it often excludes hidden/invisible disabilities.” Trinidad and Tobago – Discourse still ignores mental disabilities
“Reducing mental illness among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be the focus of high level talks between government, mental health experts and Indigenous leaders at Parliament House.” Australia – Talks to Focus on Indigenous Mental Health
“Over 75 per cent of New Zealanders would be comfortable with a new neighbour who was an ethnic minority or gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual – but only 51 per cent had the same level of comfort if the neighbour had a mental illness.” New Zealand – All Black takes up mental health fight
Props to the NZ Herald, they’re in my mental health alerts almost every week.
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“We are proposing to make mandatory at least one thorough psychological assessment for each pilot,” EASA chief Patrick Ky said in an interview after the new requirements were published. “Currently there is no mandatory psychological assessment at all, though a number of airlines already do it.” Europe to vet pilots for mental illness after Germanwings tragedy
Not having psychological assessments in place is beyond stupid, they’ve always had physical ones after all.
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More commentary about ALPIM, and it’s so good to see this on a site that isn’t a mental illness one. It’s half past overdue for mental and physical illnesses to be perceived as discrete.
“When mental and physical illnesses occur together, patients’ subjective accounts of physical symptoms they’re experiencing are sometimes arbitrarily discredited or dismissed by physicians, even though the relationship between mental and physical health is well established and documented.” New Study Clarifies Relationship between Anxiety and Physical Disorders
Your physical and mental health are considered equally important under state and federal law. It’s called “mental health parity.” Insurers haven’t always complied. State lawmakers’ recent actions intend to take hurdles from insurance out of the long path to recovery from addiction. New York state moves closer to equal treatment of mental and physical healthcare (audio available too)
Now that’s what I call a New York state of mind. Ba-DUM-tsss!
“These people (bipolar) often have great strengths; the diagnosis challenges our normal disability model.” Seasonal affective disorder – dark days can bring on SAD days
Surely everybody has great strengths and we are not weak, tyvm.
Researchers identify the source of the debilitating memory loss in people with psychosis
The suicide prevention effect of lithium: more than 20 years of evidence—a narrative review
Study finds rise in suicide among males in mental health care
Juvenile inmates have more mental health hospitalizations, study finds. Depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems account for a much larger share of hospital stays for children and teenagers in the juvenile justice system than for other hospitalized adolescents.
What’s the difference between ‘mental illness’ and ‘serious mental illness’? Terms to know
Speak up for kids (report) Of the 74.5 million children in the United States, an estimated 17.1 million have or have had a psychiatric disorder1 — more than the number of children with cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.2 Half of all psychiatric illness occurs before the age of 14, and 75 percent by the age of 24. In spite of the magnitude of the problem, lack of awareness and entrenched stigma keep the majority of these young people from getting help.3 Children and adolescents with psychiatric illness are at risk for academic failure, substance abuse, and a clash with the juvenile justice system — all of which come at a tremendous cost to them, their families, and the community.
Bipolar Boundaries: a Geography Lesson “Bipolar disorder indeed crosses borders — but not uniformly or without cultural variation. Bipolar spectrum also differs in degree from country to country. The United States has the highest lifetime rate of 4.4% and India the lowest, with 0.1%”
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Did the Irish Famine trigger mental illness in future generations of Irish?
27 ways to be an ally to someone who has a mental illness.
Madness made them great – Steve Jobs, Henry Heinz, Estee Lauder.
‘Scary’ ghost asylum tours contribute stigma against mental health patients, says charity.
white supremacy, mental illness or society – what’s to blame for religious violence“What gets lost among all this talk of society, ideology, and psychology is the role of individual responsibility. Again and again, our blame renders the perpetrator irrelevant—the object of some larger force rather than a selfish individual maximizing his own desires.”
Excuse me while I indulge in a little light secular violence.
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The only way is ethics: The difficult business of reporting suicide.
Rest in Peace, we won’t forget you.
“A source close to the family said Mayer was bipolar and schizophrenic, having been in and out of mental institutions for years. “She changed her personalities almost as often as she changed socks,’’ the woman said. A friend and fellow ex-Hasid, Srully Stein, 23, said Mayer also was “brilliant . . . a genius.’’ She was working on an app to help former Hasids like herself in New York City, friends said.” Parents shunned jumper for leaving Hasidic Judaism
“Little about this cheerful online persona pointed to the demons of bipolar disorder that would drive Mayer to committing suicide suddenly and dramatically by running, leaping and plunging to her death from a trendy Manhattan rooftop bar 20 stories off the ground. Is Orthodox World Really To Blame for Faigy Mayer’s Suicide?
“In the weeks after Natalie’s death, the outpouring of sympathy and grief from legions of people who have fought demons have made me keenly aware that the pain I feel from her loss is but a drop in the ocean of pain created by untreated mental illness. Wrote one woman, “I have bipolar disorder and can’t even begin to tell you how many people over the years have said to me, ‘Be glad that is all you have.’ ‘It could be worse, you could have cancer or some other terminal illness. . . . ‘ It saddens me that so many people do not realise that mental illness, while treatable, is not a curable disease, and can lead to death.” Psychosis, ‘demons’ and my beautiful daughter: A parent’s account of daughter’s devastating psychotic break
