How To Support Your Teenager with a Mental Health Diagnosis

My oldest daughter began suffering from depression early in her teenage years. Through a series of episodes we realized we were dealing with more than simply some episodes of premenstrual syndrome, or even episodes of premenstrual dysmorphic disorder. We knew she was being bullied at school, but she refused to name the perpetrators. We knew … Continue reading How To Support Your Teenager with a Mental Health Diagnosis →

Ten Things No One Tells You About Depression

1 It’s sneaky. Depression is a very sneaky disease. Sufferers may notice a little daytime sleepiness, a bad mood that doesn’t lift after a good night’s sleep, or an aversion to being around people who ordinarily lift them up. Before they know it, they are sleeping fourteen hours a day, isolating themselves, and see no … Continue reading Ten Things No One Tells You About Depression →

5 Inspiring, Uplifting Books

I have many books. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama. Mysteries, self-help, confessional, and Victorian. Sci-fi, essays, lyrical, and absurdist. I have lots of books. So the idea of finding five truly inspirational ones was not difficult. The trouble was narrowing it down to five and measuring their impact on my life. I finally decided on five … Continue reading 5 Inspiring, Uplifting Books →

When Recovery is Slow. . .

“Here we go again.” That was the major thought in my mind in March 2018 when I found myself being driven to the hospital in Jackson where I had always ridden out my suicidal urges. This time was more serious—I kept imagining picking up the big knife laying on the kitchen counter and chopping at … Continue reading When Recovery is Slow. . . →

Cabin Fever

“Cabin fever” as it is commonly defined is the nervousness and exasperation that results from not being able to leave your house for an extended period of time. It happens in colder climes when snow piles up and in warmer ones during the rainy seasons. It happens to the parents of small children who feel … Continue reading Cabin Fever →

Sliding Down From Hypomania

“Well, it was good while it lasted.” That’s what I found myself thinking the day I slid off the cliff of hypomania into depression. My brain is frozen solid, and I don’t want to do anything, feel anything, be anyone to anybody. I want oblivion again. Hypomania is so sneaky. I wondered why I was … Continue reading Sliding Down From Hypomania →

What Has My Depression Taught Me?

What have I learned from my depression? That my brain can’t be trusted to relay information accurately—when the dark lenses of depression color my thinking, I can’t trust my perceptions to be congruent with the actualities of the world around me. I need other people in my life to remind me that there is beauty … Continue reading What Has My Depression Taught Me? →

Navigating the Judgment Roller Coaster

A hallmark symptom of bipolar disorder is mood swings from manic highs to depressive lows—most people know that if they know nothing else about bipolar disorder. But are people familiar with the lapses in judgment that can come with a bipolar mood swing? Not really—at least I wasn’t when I was diagnosed. It took me … Continue reading Navigating the Judgment Roller Coaster →

Subtle Mental Health Symptoms You May Ignore

Mental health symptoms verge from the mundane (pacing due to anxiety) to the bizarre (hallucinating: seeing, hearing, or sensing something that is not there). But almost everyone who suffers from mental health issues has symptoms that are particular to their situation or mood state and needs management on an individual basis rather than a one-size-fits-all […]