Tag Archives: Antidepressants

Crisis? What crisis?

I’ve thought about blogging so often in recent weeks, with several abortive attempts. I considered writing about the therapeutic benefits of having a companion animal – if you don’t follow me on social media, I now have a cat! She’s … Continue reading

Posted in Bipolar, Crisis care, Depression, Hypomania, Medication, Mental health, Mental health services, Mood disorder, NHS services, Psychiatry, Self-management, Suicidal thought, Suicide, Treatment planning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Crisis? What crisis?

Christmas approaches

It’s been a long time since I posted. I just don’t feel the urge as much these days; I’ve become habituated to things like hospitalisation and crisis care, therapy and medication changes, so although these things continue to play a … Continue reading

Posted in Bipolar, Christmas, Crisis care, Depression, Employment and benefits, exercise, Hospital, Hypomania, Inpatient care, Medication, Mental health, Mental health services, Mixed mood, Mood disorder, NHS services, psychology, Self-management, Therapy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Christmas approaches

Not all hypos are equal: when things get nasty

When I was discharged from hospital a couple of weeks ago I thought it would take me a long time to recover from the experience. I was actually quite shocked by the depth of my own pain; I’ve been experiencing … Continue reading

Posted in Bipolar, Hypomania, Mania, Medication, Mental health, Mental health services, Mood disorder, NHS services, Psychiatry, Rapid cycling, Social media, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Not all hypos are equal: when things get nasty

Review: The Other Side of Silence by Linda Gask (plus author Q&A!)

It’s always tricky reviewing a book written by a friend, which is what I hope Linda would call me although we have only ever met online, so of course I  come to this review admitting bias. If someone asks me to … Continue reading

Posted in Books and reading, Depression, Memoir, Psychiatry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I asked for help

I asked for help when I was 12. I looked, alone, in my middle school library at a teenage health book. It told me that depression is an illness. It is real. You can be helped. It took me days … Continue reading

Posted in Bipolar, Child and adolescent mental health, Depression, Mental health services, Psychiatry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

World Mental Health Day: “we won’t stop being sad or mad just because we’re old”

Recently I was talking on Twitter about the “mortality gap”, the fact that people with severe and enduring mental illnesses tend to die 10-20 years earlier than people without. Much justifiable outrage was expressed, but then a friend said something … Continue reading

Posted in Mental health, Stigma and discrimination | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The continuum concept: why your sadness is not my depression

Modern medicine is widely held to be A Good Thing. It is allowing us to live longer, healthier lives than at any other point in human history. The media loves the story of a scientific breakthrough and the promise of … Continue reading

Posted in Activism, Mental health, Stigma and discrimination | Tagged , , , , , , , | 34 Comments