Depression

To The Guy Killing Himself With Food

by Bill Brenner November 16, 2011 Addiction

There’s a guy I used to work with who was always a pleasure to be around. I loved his humor and work ethic, and, thanks to Facebook, I get to stay in touch with him. But I’m worried by what I see right now. Mood music: [spotify:track:7Foti4A082iVkY8Az1hvlX] By now this guy has probably figured out that this will be about him. He need not worry. I’m not going to name him or the place where…  [Read More]

Death Of A Second Sibling

by Bill Brenner November 15, 2011 Coping tools

Fifteen years ago I lost the friend who had become my older brother and rudder. A vicious cycle of depression destroyed his body, but it failed to kill his soul. Mood music: For a lot of my more religious friends, that has to sound odd, if not foul. We’ve been taught that suicide is a mortal sin, the kind that sends the soul straight to hell. I used to believe that. Now I think that…  [Read More]

Give Veterans More Than Lip Service

by Bill Brenner November 11, 2011 Coping tools

People on Facebook and Twitter are honoring U.S. veterans with words of gratitude and awe. All well and good, but not nearly enough for the countless vets who suffer in silence. Mood music: [spotify:track:0dOg1ySSI7NkpAe89Zo0b9] In so many ways, we continue to treat our veterans like shit. We let so many of them live on the streets, without proper shelter or medication for the mental illnesses they caught from watching comrades get ripped apart by shrapnel…  [Read More]

Reading Between The Lines Of A Bad Report Card

by Bill Brenner November 10, 2011 Crohn's Disease

My mother found my fourth-grade report card the other day and mailed it to me. On the surface it shows a chronic C student who doesn’t give a damn about anything. But when I read between the lines I can see exactly where my 10-year-old head was at. If you look at it on the surface, you see a straight-C student who occasionally sinks to a D in social studies and math. On the back…  [Read More]

Facebook Defriending Syndrome Takes A Ridiculous Twist

by Bill Brenner November 7, 2011 Communication Skills

People see Facebook as an online place to hide from the real world. But for a growing number of unstable minds, Facebook IS part of the real world. Mood music: A woman in Iowa was arrested and charged with setting fire to the home of someone who “unfriended” her on Facebook. Here’s the story from Internet Broadcasting (as run on the WMUR website): Jennifer Christine Harris, an elementary school teaching associate in Des Moines, was…  [Read More]

Learn From My Mistakes

by Bill Brenner November 4, 2011 Addiction

In all my efforts to get sane a few years ago, I did a lot of stupid things. I’m sharing it with you here so you don’t make the same mistakes: Mood music: http://youtu.be/l4Xx_vjGnlo –Don’t try to control your compulsive binge eating problem by fasting. You won’t make it through the morning, and then you’ll binge like you’ve never binged before. –Don’t mix alcohol with pills that have the strength of four Advil tablets in…  [Read More]

Being A Misfit Is Your Saving Grace

by Bill Brenner November 2, 2011 Courage

We often come undone when we start comparing our quirk-infested selves to so-called normal people. Instead, we should celebrate our insanity and put it to work for us. Mood music: [spotify:track:3d8yD2C8kNbs54mL9wboE1] I used to despise myself for the things I thought were weird and out of place. The windmill hands. The inability to sit up straight in a chair. My big nose and ears. My laughter toward things others would consider serious and even tragic….  [Read More]

A Depressed Mind Is Rarely A Beaten Mind

by Bill Brenner October 21, 2011 Coping tools

A report in USA Today says 1 in 100 adults have planned their suicide in the past year, a statistic that doesn’t surprise me, knowing what I do about depression. Mood music: I’ve suffered a lot of depression in my day. I’m experiencing a touch of it right now. I’ve never seriously considered ending it. But I can easily see how someone in that state of mind could head in that direction. From the report:…  [Read More]

My Mood Swing: A Soundtrack

by Bill Brenner October 20, 2011 Coping tools

I’m in a rotten mood this afternoon and I’m not sure why. Various people are pissing me off though. So I’m listening to songs that seem to commiserate with me. Allow me to share: http://youtu.be/PBT5nAqMwvs That’s better.

Feel It, Don’t Fight It: Making The Disorder Work For You

by Bill Brenner October 18, 2011 Coping tools

Instead of fighting mental disorder — be it OCD or A.D.H.D. — picture yourself accepting and even embracing it, then learning to use it to your advantage. It’s kind of like Luke Skywalker learning to use and control the Force instead of it controlling him. Yesterday’s post on mental illness as a luxury item resonated with several readers, especially the part where I quote Edward (Ned) Hallowell, psychiatrist and co-author of “Driven to Distraction” and “Delivered…  [Read More]

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