June 2011
169 posts
so we should resubmit the stuff we submitted?
No, it’s cool. I got your submission and it was brilliant - I’m saving submissions for the printed zine :) When the submit page is down that means you can’t even see it, so you’d know if there was a problem with it :)
so did you receive any of the stuff kids submitted?
People have been submitting via the ask feature. I think the ‘submit’ page has only been down since the tumblr redesign, but it’s quite odd - I keep enabling submissions and it keeps undoing that! Most annoyed. Perhaps I will contact tumblr.
Ok, so for some reason tumblr decided that it didn’t want people to be able to submit things to me. I’ve fixed that, and redesigned the page. From now on I will also be using image descriptions. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to start: honestly I’m worried about assigning gendered descriptions to images containing people, especially given that I’m a blog that is meant to be inclusive for people with so-called ‘gender identity disorder’. So, I’m going to tread carefully and, as ever, I am open to suggestions for improvement if I write something that upsets or offends you. I am here to learn.
Could I use rivotril for problems of concentrating?
From what I know of clonazepam it’s a benzodiazapene aka really addictive if you mess with that shit. Basically don’t fuck with prescription meds unless they’ve been prescribed by a medical professional - even then, do your research and question your doctor on their shit: don’t let them give you something you’re not comfortable with.
having to "put up" with mental illness
In general, I agree with this— and to add: There are responsible, non-destructive ways to deal with mental illnesses (or, minimally destructive). Many people (including me) have/had irresponsible, harmful, and destructive ways of coping that are detrimental to both themselves and those around them. Learning to live with mental illness is learning how to be responsible and minimally destructive. It’s a long, hard process— but I don’t blame people who walk away and can’t take it anymore. It’s a lot, and when we don’t responsibly take care of our illnesses, it becomes much, much more. We need to see what we can change and what we can’t, and work to change what we can to better ourselves and our relationships with others.
Eloquent, as ever. I agree wholeheartedly.
“For Baron-Cohen, psychopaths are just one population lacking in empathy. There are also narcissists, who care only about themselves, and borderlines — individuals cursed with impulsivity, an inability to control their anger and an extreme fear of abandonment. Baron-Cohen calls these three groups “Zero-Negative” because there is “nothing positive to recommend them” and they are “unequivocally bad for the sufferer and those around them.” He provides a thoughtful discussion of the usual sad tangle of bad genes and bad environments that lead to the creation of these Zero-Negative individuals.”
—
I’m O.K., You’re a Psychopath - NYTimes.com
WOW. Way to spread stigma NYT/Baron-Cohen. I think they were trying to say the disorders in themselves are not associated with anything positive (which I am highly skeptical of, because every disorder is correlated with so many things), but it came out really badly and seems like the individuals themselves have nothing positive to offer. This is simply not true.
(via psychologygeek)
I have a host of problems with Baron-Cohen, mainly because of what he has to say about autism. This seems true to form in its offensiveness.
having to "put up" with mental illness
It would be nice if we could move the dialogue about mental illness away from ‘how do we get rid of it?’ to ‘how do we create a societal framework that helps and allows people with personality disorders to be who they are?’ Does that make any sense?
Also, really not cool with being told, even indirectly, that I should feel bad for the people that have to ‘put up’ with me. That’s like saying I ought to feel guilty for my illness. Fuck you.
even though i only deal with mild anxiety and depression, i hear this. supportive people saying, “just get over it, you always get like this” or “why do you stress yourself out so much?” being made to feel like you’re the problem often feels worse than the feelings of anxiety and depression in the first place. and then trying to tell someone this, through tears? getting yelled at, saying “i’m just trying to help! god, what’s wrong with you?” how many times have people who struggle with depression been in that situation? where you’re made to hate yourself?
and you wonder, what is worse? struggling with mental health issues, or living in a world where people with mental health issues are portrayed as what’s wrong, not the world that offers very little affordable and accessible help or support, let alone understanding. where our friends, families and peers don’t have the frameworks to try and understand and be more supportive of these kinds of issues. where people with mental health issues or illnesses risk losing their jobs if they tell their workplace about it. where young women dealing with mental health issues are dismissed by their peers and sometimes health care providers, being told they’re just “overly emotional.”
i write this as i try to leave my house and go to work today, and feel glued to the floor. all i want is to take a mental health day. but i don’t have any when i am not on payroll, but being paid by honorariums, part-time.
I don’t have much to add except yes.
And the fear of people “putting up” with me is a huge contributor to my poor self worth, anxiety and depression.
Stephen Fry talks about bipolar disorder and the stigma of mental illness. →
elizabitchtaylor.tumblr.com
British actor and comedian Stephen Fry says his depression may one day lead him to commit suicide and that bipolar disorder should not be dismissed as a “celebrity designer accessory”.
Fry, 53, has long spoken publicly about his battle with cyclothymic disorder, a form of bipolar disorder, including in his documentary series Secret Life of The Manic Depressive.
In an interview aired in Britain, Fry expressed his frustration that his condition was sometimes described as “bipolar light”.
“It’s a morbid condition and any doctor will tell you it’s one of the most serious morbid conditions at present in Britain,” he told the Sky Arts interview program
In Confidence. “The fact that I’m lucky enough not to have it so seriously doesn’t mean I won’t one day kill myself. I may well.” He joked that many people do not talk about their mental health issues, in the same way no one would show off a case of genital warts. “We’ll take your word that you’ve got them, but must you really show them to anybody? “Similarly with my mental disorders, why would anybody want to see [them]?” But he said it was worth speaking out for the sake of others who might turn to alcohol and drugs to control their moods. “I know how easy it is to think that it must be a celebrity designer accessory problem, in the same way that homosexuality is seen as one because only people like me talk about it. “Naturally someone who works in an office is not going to talk about their mental instability because they’ll either get teased bullied or fired. “That’s the problem with it, the stigma of it is enormous.” In excerpts of the interview published in The Daily Mail, Fry also spoke about the “exhausting” demands of fame. “You resort to not travelling on the Tube or walking round the street any more and going in a big car with a driver. “And people think, ‘Oh, he thinks he’s so grand, doesn’t he?’ Well, no. I’d rather walk, but sometimes I just can’t. “I feel I would love to close down for a number of years in some way and just be in the country making pork pies and chutneys and never have to poke my head out of the parapet.”
I agree— I wasn’t told when I was given a personality disorder NOS dx — later, when it was apparent that no, that was a misdiagnosis, i’m actually bipolar I— well— yeah. i wish i had been told up front. it’s wrong.
Thanks for your opinion - I think there’s more to be gained from sharing your diagnosis with the person concerned than by hiding it. For one thing, it doesn’t foster a very healthy therapeutic relationship!
I had the first chance to review some of my medical records today--ones that were sent to my public defender in support of me getting a 'better' plea bargain. I saw my diagnosis of bipolar, along with the type (mixed) and under Axis II I also learned that I was diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder some months ago. Am I over-reacting or is it a bit unprofessional/slightly odd to not tell a patient about their diagnosis, even if it is secondary? I'm very much in the 'learn as much about what's wrong with you as you can' camp. Just wondered what your take on this was. You can answer publicly. :)
Yeah, that’s really not cool in my book. I personally feel that it’s best to have an open and honest dialogue with your patient / client - especially where not doing so would mean labelling them without their knowledge. You can certainly see why so many mentally ill service users / survivors of the mental healthcare system feel disempowered by the whole diagnostic and treatment process. However, then again, I have no clinical experience in this matter. I’ll open this up to followers: what do you think?
