Fitness

A Back-Breaking Attitude Adjustment

by Bill Brenner July 8, 2010 Fitness

Sometimes, you have to damage your back to realize how lucky you are. Mood music for this post: “Hell Hole” from Spinal Tap: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4cQMI2Lnxo&hl=en_US&fs=1] No, I didn’t break my back. But I did jolt my spine somewhere to the left of where it’s supposed to be. It hurts like hell. And yet I’m in a much better mood than I’ve been in recently. This injury may be the thing I needed to get over myself….  [Read More]

Shamed to Death

by Bill Brenner May 25, 2010 Fear and anxiety

Why do people with mental and physical illness choose a slow, painful death over recovery? Mood music for this post: “Estranged” by Guns N Roses: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpmAY059TTY&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Last week I went on a tirade against firms putting limits on coverage for mental health care. It’s the same sorry song that ratchets up the fear level for those suffering from depression, OCD, bipolar disorder and the like, and The Boston Globe’s Kay Lazar shed light on a…  [Read More]

The Migraine

by Bill Brenner March 25, 2010 Fitness

Every time the author gets a migraine, he’s reminded of how every day used to be. Mood music: [spotify:track:2O2ii9OPZYh1NBXo9FtE0Y] Yesterday I came home from work with a slight headache. It was a hectic day, so I chalked it up to coming down from the whirlwind. As I made the kids’ lunches for the next school day and cooked supper, it got worse. By the time I settled in to play a game of Battleship with…  [Read More]

An OCD Diaries Primer

by Bill Brenner March 20, 2010 Addiction

A collection of posts that form the back story of this blog. Mood music: [spotify:track:19n9s9SfnLtwPEODqk8KCT] The Long History of OCD An OCD Christmas. The first entry, where I give an overview of how I got to crazy and found my way to sane. The Bad Pill Kept Me from the Good Pill. How the drug Prednisone brought me to the brink, and how Prozac was part of my salvation. The Crazy-Ass Guy in the Newsroom….  [Read More]

When Pain Drips from the Mind to the Body

by Bill Brenner February 12, 2010 Depression

The author on why it’s true that mental illness leads to physical sickness. Mood music: [spotify:track:24PttQAgkYLdpR4TOgdV4C] I’ve heard a lot of people argue over whether this person’s or that person’s aches and pains were “all in their head.” You know the types: Never any real underlying disease, but they’re always calling out of work with a headache or some intestinal discomfort. It’s all in their head, you say? Well, yeah. It’s called psychosomatic illness, when…  [Read More]

Understanding Mental Disorders: The Brain as an Engine

by Bill Brenner January 26, 2010 Addiction

I’ve written a lot about my use of Prozac as just one of many tools to treat my OCD. [See The Bad Pill Kept Me From The Good Pill] Mood music: As a result I’ve gotten a fair amount of questions about the true value of anti-depressants. I’m not a doctor, so don’t take my perspective as Gospel. Also remember there’s no one-size-fits-all solution here. What I write here is based on my own personal…  [Read More]

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