Mental health

For Those Who’ve Fought Depression, Mike Wallace Was A Hero

by Bill Brenner April 8, 2012 Depression

CBS newsman Mike Wallace has died at 93. The most amazing thing about the age he lived to is that severe depression nearly cut his life short. Mood music: Wallace has always been a huge journalistic influence for me. He had guts most of us in the business envy. As Morley Safer writes this morning, “He lectured Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, on corruption. He lectured Yassir Arafat on violence. He asked the Ayatollah Khoumeini…  [Read More]

Crude But True

by Bill Brenner April 4, 2012 Addiction

This pic, making the Facebook rounds, is crude. I’ve always hated the “T” word. But the overall message is the truth. McDonald’s is where I binged again and again when my compulsive overeating was at its zenith. But I’ve never blamed the fast-food chain. Buying their food — my heroin — was my choice and responsibility. When you have young children, you have far more control over what they put in their bodies. If you’re…  [Read More]

‘Break On Through’ Is Precisely The Idea

by Bill Brenner April 2, 2012 Communication Skills

When my cousin Faith saw the new OCD Diaries banner I unveiled yesterday, she said she immediately had The Door’s “Break On Through” running through her head. Mood music: My reaction was a satisfied smile, because that was exactly what I was going for when I enlisted another cousin, Andy Robinson — creator of the original banner — to make a new one. When I started this blog, the idea was to come clean about…  [Read More]

New OCD Diaries Banner

by Bill Brenner April 1, 2012 Faith

We’ve been working feverishly on the new OCD Diaries site. Spotify-based mood music? Check. New design and platform? Check. Now, we have a new banner. The idea was to replace the background — which symbolized OCD and addiction, specifically — with something that more accurately captures the broader, darkness vs. light flavor of the blog. Many thanks to Andy Robinson for coming through with a kick-ass design — again. For a look at more of…  [Read More]

Depressed? Remember To Sleep, Eat And See A Doctor

by Bill Brenner March 30, 2012 Depression

In my response to the reader who claimed wanting to die 5 out of seven days a week, I forgot something critical: It’s not always “in your head.” In other words, withering depression is also the result of physical trouble. Mood music: A friend reminded me of that after she read this morning’s post. She wrote to me: May I also suggest to said young man to seek an MD’s opinion. There are numerous physical…  [Read More]

Response To Reader Who ‘Wants To Die 5 Out Of 7 Days’

by Bill Brenner March 30, 2012 Depression

I’m scrapping today’s originally scheduled post because of a message that hit my inbox overnight. I’ll keep this man’s name out of it, but a more visible response is necessary. Mood music: This was a comment attached to a post I wrote a few months ago called “A Depressed Mind Is Rarely A Beaten Mind.” I’ll give you this fellow’s comments in bold italics, with my responses along the way. Hello. Was wondering if I…  [Read More]

Operation Global Blackout Would Save Me A Lot Of Trouble

by Bill Brenner March 29, 2012 Addiction

In my work blog, Salted Hash, I predict that a threatened “Operation Global Blackout” attack on the Internet by hacking group Anonymous won’t happen for a variety of reasons. But truthfully, such a thing might do me some good. In my vicious battle to live in the moment and be present for those around me, the Internet has become my arch-enemy. On one hand, I need the Internet and require it’s presence to do my job,…  [Read More]

‘Shattered Hopes’ Director On My ‘Learned Helplessness’ Post

by Bill Brenner March 28, 2012 Addiction

Ryan Katzenbach, director of “Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders,” sent me a note on Facebook yesterday regarding the post I wrote on one of the themes of the film: Louise DeFeo’s “learned helplessness.” Ryan always responds to his fans when they have questions or comments on the documentary. Given his high profile and workload, it amazes me how accessible he is. Anyway, I wanted to share what he wrote to me, because…  [Read More]

Was ‘Hunger Games’ Star Too Fat For The Role?

by Bill Brenner March 28, 2012 Children's issues

There’s a controversy swirling around online regarding “Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence. With one critic suggesting she was too curvy to play the role of emaciated heroine Katness Everdeen, the anger is on. What is making some people bristle is that this smacks of the bullshit talk that sends girls into the hell of eating disorders. Mood music: I’m not a girl. But I’ve dealt with an eating disorder for much of my life. So, naturally, I…  [Read More]

Don’t Fall For ‘Learned Helplessness’

by Bill Brenner March 27, 2012 Addiction

I’ve been watching Ryan Katzenbach’s documentary “Shattered Hopes: The True Story of the Amityville Murders.” Forget the haunted house bullshit. The scariest thing about this case is how mental illness can destroy a family. Mood music: I’m not talking about divorced parents and kids going off into the world without a moral rudder. This story ends with six members of a family dead and the seventh in prison for life. Well, OK — the story goes…  [Read More]

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