Mental health

One More Thing About Being Depressed and Gay…

by Bill Brenner October 20, 2010 Depression

A lot of folks have left comments on my post about homosexuality and depression. All of them are excellent, thoughtful responses and I hope you’ll check them out. But there’s one response I’m puzzled over. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOx37_h0UH8&fs=1&hl=en_US] It came from David Nedlin, operations manager at Beyond the 12 Steps. He left the following comment in the “Mental Health and Addiction Specialist” forum on LinkedIn, where I sometimes post my blog entries: “Ridiculous post – I thought this…  [Read More]

Maybe People Pleasing’s Not So Dumb After All

by Bill Brenner October 20, 2010 Love

One of the more popular posts I’ve written in this blog is about how stupid it is to be a people pleaser. Lately, I’m having a small change of heart. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFl0nlHaWa4&fs=1&hl=en_US] I still stand behind much of what I said. When it comes to trying to please the overlords of corporate America or the abusive parent in hopes that you won’t get hit again, people pleasing IS futile. Here’s the dark side of…  [Read More]

Broken Souls, Emotional Breakdowns

by Bill Brenner October 19, 2010 Fear and anxiety

I’ve been in a strange place lately. I’m fine and all, but I’ve been around a lot of broken people, and that has an impact on you after awhile. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3px0m1Y9Tuc&fs=1&hl=en_US] I can’t get into the stuff that has brought these friends to the brink, but I can say there’s been a lot of crying. Given my own trouble with tears, it’s rather funny that I’d be in this position. But I’ll do anything…  [Read More]

Depression and Being Gay

by Bill Brenner October 16, 2010 Depression

One of the big debates that has always irked me is about whether homosexuals are born that way or if they just wake up one morning and decide to be that way. Having a gay sister, aunt and cousin-in-law, I have something to say about that. I’m sure there are a few people who decide to give it a try as a lifestyle choice. That’s their business. But every gay person I’ve ever met didn’t…  [Read More]

Dysfunctional Love Songs

by Bill Brenner October 14, 2010 Mental health

I’ve had love on my mind this week. Some of that comes from the Cursillo weekend I just experienced. Some of it might be that I’ve been letting myself love other people in ways I never thought I could.  That doesn’t make people any easier to love. Truth is, some of the people I love the most make me want to push my head through a glass door. In keeping with the advice of a good…  [Read More]

Back in the Real World, Emotionally Drained

by Bill Brenner October 11, 2010 Depression

I’m back from a very powerful, emotionally draining weekend. It was absolutely wonderful. I came closest as I ever have to crying a few times. More on that later. For now, here’s the talk I gave Saturday morning. I’ve embedded no links and all typos and rough edges are included. I’m sure you’ll give me a pass on that this time. Everything my new brothers shared this weekend stays between us. I’m only posting this…  [Read More]

Say Hello to My New Limit

by Bill Brenner September 30, 2010 Coping tools

Another mood swing this afternoon. The dark, brooding sky appears to be rubbing off on me. The happy lamp helps, but if I sit in front of it too long I get the sweats. And it’s not the same as sunshine. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMWhk4u2c4g&fs=1&hl=en_US] I’ve been having a lot of these episodes lately, and it worries me. It’s most likely the result of my sleep pattern being out of whack. I alternate between too much…  [Read More]

Debunking the Shrink Stigma

by Bill Brenner September 30, 2010 Depression

A friend was telling me yesterday that he can relate to this blog. In a whisper, he said, “I see a therapist.” When people tell me that, it’s usually in the same hushed tone. Clearly, we have another stigma to shred. I’m not sure why people are so hush-hush about this sort of thing. Maybe it’s because I outed myself so long ago. But I just don’t think people should be embarrassed about seeing a…  [Read More]

The Amityville Obsession

by Bill Brenner September 28, 2010 Children's issues

Part of my obsessive-compulsive behavior includes a study of the more morbid pieces of history. The Manson murders is one example. The Amityville murders is another. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the latter. Mood music: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72rWAe0pUdQ&fs=1&hl=en_US] The match for the fire is a book I just read called “The Night The DeFeos Died” by Ric Osuna. The book goes a long way in crushing the bullshit hoax about the house being haunted. I watched “The…  [Read More]

The Happy Lamp

by Bill Brenner September 26, 2010 Coping tools

With the days getting shorter, I’m on the lookout for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), something that hits me like a bat to the head each winter. I’ve written extensively about the medicinal therapy for this, but now I have a new weapon. Meet my new friend, the Happy Lamp: Erin bought two of these, one for me and one for Duncan, who also gets a bit crazy when the daylight recedes. To be honest, me…  [Read More]

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →