Depression

I Bet Health Insurers Would Gladly Cover Suicide Pills

by Bill Brenner February 13, 2012 Depression

The Catholic Church is bringing out its heavy artillery to fight a Massachusetts ballot initiative that, if passed, would allow doctors to prescribe lethal pills to terminally-ill patients that want to be put out of their misery. I’m with the church on this one. Mood music: Boston Globe columnist Scot Lehigh describes this quite nicely: An initiative petition to legalize physician-assisted suicide has been certified by Attorney General Martha Coakley. If backers collect enough signatures, and…  [Read More]

RIP: Whitney Houston

by Bill Brenner February 12, 2012 Addiction

As a rocker kid in the 1980s and 90s, I never really liked Whitney Houston. I always respected her talent and she seemed like a decent person, but that was it. Mood music: Whitney at her best… http://youtu.be/5jeUINzHK9o But I had kept track of reports in recent years about the drug use, the family dysfunction and the fall from musical grace, and it always made me sad. Everyone has a demon or 10 to fight….  [Read More]

Sorry, But You’re Wrong

by Bill Brenner February 9, 2012 Adventures in writing

I got a lot of response to yesterday’s post about possibly killing this blog (Thanks for all the support!). Everyone asked that I continue, but supported my idea of expanding the topics. I still have decisions to make, but y’all gave me some great ideas on how to take this forward. I did get one message to the contrary, though. And because I disagree with the writer’s point, I’m going to share it with you….  [Read More]

Playing Chicken With The Wedding Train

by Bill Brenner February 6, 2012 Communication Skills

It’s a common pain in the ass when a couple is planning their wedding: Someone threatens to boycott the event unless so-and-so is uninvited. Mood music: In the run-up to my wedding in 1998, a close cousin pulled this when he got into a fight with my aunt — his mom. She went to the wedding and he skipped it. I haven’t seen or heard from him since then. Erin and I were paying for…  [Read More]

Three Suicides

by Bill Brenner February 2, 2012 Depression

It saddens me to see that three people — one a 12-year-old boy — chose to end their lives in recent days. Most of you heard about legendary “Soul Train” creator Don Cornelius. The other suicides are Mike Kelley, a famous artist who worked with the band Sonic Youth, and, most heartbreaking to me, 12-year-old Clifford Rodrigues of New Bedford, Mass. Mood music: According to WCVB Channel 5 News, emergency responders found Clifford Rodrigues, 12, unconscious. An uncle said…  [Read More]

Smarter People Drink, Which Makes Me Feel Stupid

by Bill Brenner January 26, 2012 Addiction

I’m pissed off about an article in Psychology Today that suggests smarter people consume more alcohol. As someone who’s sober, the article is kind of insulting. After all, I consider myself a reasonably intelligent person. Mood music: Here’s a snippet from the article by Satoshi Kanazawa: Drinking alcohol is evolutionarily novel, so the Hypothesis would predict that more intelligent people drink more alcohol than less intelligent people. Human consumption of alcohol, however, was unintentional, accidental, and haphazard until…  [Read More]

The Wellbutrin Experiment: Day 8

by Bill Brenner January 20, 2012 Depression

As I mentioned earlier, I’m taking Wellbutrin to combat a tougher-than-usual bout of winter depression. Here’s where I stand eight days in. Mood music: I think I’m starting to feel it, though it’s hard to know for sure this soon. The nurse told me it could take several weeks before I’d feel the full effect, since Wellbutrin slowly accumulates. I have noticed a few things, though: –I’m a little more focused than I’ve been in…  [Read More]

Fired For Being Depressed

by Bill Brenner January 17, 2012 Depression

I was saddened to see tweets today from a guy who says he was fired over his depression. Mood music: He tweeted: “We’re a small company, there’s no room for passengers.” – My boss after I told her about my depression and how I’m getting help with it. Then, another tweet: I just had a phone call from my boss. I’ve been fired. Wow. He also shared the termination letter he received: “Dear (name removed):…  [Read More]

OCD On My Left, ADD On My Right

by Bill Brenner January 16, 2012 Coping tools

It’s been an interesting month in mental disorder awareness. In taking steps to nip wintertime depression in the bud, I’ve learned that OCD isn’t my only mental defect. Mood music: It appears that as OCD messes with one side of my brain, Attention Deficit Disorder is toying with the other side. This little epiphany happened when I visited the nurse who helps me manage my regimen of medication. She asked a lot of questions she…  [Read More]

Serotonin, Dopamine And Two Blue Pills

by Bill Brenner January 12, 2012 Coping tools

As the reader knows, I’ve had a persistent bout of winter depression. Not the “I’m sad and want to hurt myself” type, but the ho-hum, grumpy old man variety. Mood music: This afternoon I visited the nurse who manages my Prozac intake and walked out with a new drug: Wellbutrin. I’ll be taking it in addition to the 60 MG of Prozac I’ve been taking for a few years now. The Prozac increases the amount…  [Read More]

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →