Depression

The ‘Woe Is Me’ Disease

by Bill Brenner June 10, 2011 Communication Skills

Funny thing about us OCD-addict types: When the going gets tough, we blame it on someone else. Call it the Woe Is Me Disease, where the sufferer is an eternal victim, forever screwed by everyone but his or her self. Mood music: http://youtu.be/-q-MorIES5I It used to be that it was impossible for me to see the problems as my own. It was always the result of something someone else did to me or failed to…  [Read More]

For Veterans, A Holiday Here and There Isn’t Enough

by Bill Brenner May 30, 2011 Addiction

Funny thing about holidays where we honor veterans: Everyone puts those who have fought for our freedom on a pedestal for the day, then the next day some of us go back to treating the same people like garbage. Mood music: http://youtu.be/V-zqIS7vWbY Flashback: September, 2010: I’m walking the streets of Brooklyn on a beautiful night, and a guy comes up to me. He has a hole in his head where his left eye used to…  [Read More]

Fear of Coming Clean At Work

by Bill Brenner May 25, 2011 Courage

No, not my fear. I came clean about my fight with OCD a long time ago and my work colleagues are nothing but supportive. At this point, my life is an open book. But for those who are at the other end of the spectrum, I came across an article that might help. Mood music: http://youtu.be/bWsYuW9ULdU It’s an item on About.com from Dr. Owen Kelly called “OCD and Work: Dealing With Employers.” There was a time when…  [Read More]

What’s YOUR Insanity?

by Bill Brenner May 23, 2011 Addiction

“Paint a garbage can platinum and underneath, it’s still a garbage can.” Nikki Sixx In Chapter 3 of the AA Big Book, we’re introduced to an alcoholic named Jim. He has a successful business until he starts drinking at age 35 in an attempt to dull a nervous tick, and everything goes to hell. From pages 35-36: “In a few years he became so violent when intoxicated that he had to be committed. On leaving the…  [Read More]

Talk About The Weather

by Bill Brenner May 23, 2011 Depression

New England has been mired in a soupy, cloudy, downright dreary weather pattern for most of the last week or so. We were teased with sunshine Saturday, only to be tossed back under the clouds Sunday. For someone prone to mental illness, this is hell. Mood music: Like most people with mental ticks, too much of this weather is bad for my well being. It throws me into a prolonged period of discouragement and depression….  [Read More]

The Easier, Softer Way

by Bill Brenner May 18, 2011 Addiction

A reader asked me the other day if I still take medication for OCD. Yes, I told him. He told me that when he was diagnosed with OCD, he thought about trying something other than therapy or meds, but after a while realized that it wasn’t that easy. He’s right. Mood music: I know a lot of people who have struggled to control their own addictions and mental illnesses using alternative methods. Many times it works…  [Read More]

Back Story Of THE OCD DIARIES

by Bill Brenner May 14, 2011 Addiction

Since I’ve been adding new readers along the way, I always get questions about why I started this thing. I recently expanded the “about” section, and that’s a good starting point. But more of a back story is in order. Mood music: Before I started THE OCD DIARIES in December 2009 with a post about depression hitting me during the holidays, I had always toyed with the idea of doing this. The reason for wanting…  [Read More]

The World of “Crazy Mike” (Knowing Who You Pick On)

by Bill Brenner April 20, 2011 Communication Skills

Got a lot of comments on yesterday’s post about the mentally ill guy in Haverhill people call “Crazy Mike.” Read on and you’ll know him better. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYyK-ZvpR_M&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] The most insight on Mike comes from Katherine Doot, an old friend of Erin’s and recent discoverer of this blog. She lives in Arizona now, but as a Haverhill native she got to know Mike pretty well. Here’s what she had to say: Mike in…  [Read More]

Wear That Depression Like A Friggin’ Grown-Up

by Bill Brenner April 12, 2011 Depression

Two of my closest friends, God Bless ’em, always think they can read my mood in real time based on something I wrote in this blog a day, week or month ago. But sometimes the written word is just a snapshot in time — a feeling that either intensifies or goes away in short order. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXahja5V9Wo&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] The conversation usually goes something like this: Friend: “So, you’ve been kind of down lately, huh?”…  [Read More]

When Does It Get Better? (A.K.A. Happiness After Suicide)

by Bill Brenner April 5, 2011 Coping tools

I got a note last night that moved me enough that I need to get it out here. It was from a woman who was close to Zane Mead, who I wrote about a few months back. Mood music: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NlGbLbUl_w&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0] I don’t remember Tammy Digan from back in the day, but that doesn’t surprise me. I was mostly a loner back then. Except for a few close friends, I kept to myself. But I…  [Read More]

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