The history tool

We’re All Broken

by Bill Brenner April 19, 2010 Communication Skills

The author finds that sometimes his church family is too judgmental. Mood music: [spotify:track:3p7XSsT6AFs9lCkv6FtLbj] Father Mike went on another tirade against politicians in his Homily yesterday. He always makes a lot of points I agree with when it comes to politics and corruption, but this time I walked away feeling that he was judging people in a way we’re not supposed to do. His main gripe was against the idea that there are people who…  [Read More]

Helter Skelter

by Bill Brenner February 3, 2010 Addiction

The author admits that his OCD behavior includes an obsession with the Manson Case. Here’s why. Ever since I was a kid and I first saw the 1976 TV movie on the Manson Murders, I’ve been fascinated. I’ve read “Helter Skelter,” the book by Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, dozens of times. I own the 1976 and 2004 versions of the film on DVD, along with a documentary called “The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter,” where…  [Read More]

The Politics of OCD Management

by Bill Brenner January 18, 2010 Political discourse

The author finds an unlikely tool for OCD management in politics. Specifically, watching liberal and conservative friends fight over the subject. This isn’t a post about the politics of having OCD and getting folks at home and work to accept it. It’s about enjoyment of the political debate as a tool for sanity. Sound odd? Well, it is. But hear me out: I have a lot of friends who are bleeding-heart liberals. I have just…  [Read More]

6 Guys I Look To In Times of Trouble

by Bill Brenner January 5, 2010 Coping tools

This is the perfect time to write about why I’m such a history nut. I’m in a rotten mood because my office technology is on the blink, keeping me from getting things done. People with OCD don’t just shrug off such things. We zero in on the problem like the proverbial laser beam, trying anything and everything to fix the problem until, exhausted and bewildered, we realize what we knew in the first place —…  [Read More]

More On Famous People With Mental Illness

by Bill Brenner December 7, 2009 Depression

A good list on the subject is available from the  National Alliance on Mental Illness, NH branch. A few of those on the list: Art Buchwald, Columnist Depression Drew Carey, Actor Depression Winston Churchill “Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation. In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgment might well have concluded that we were finished,” wrote Anthony Storr about…  [Read More]

Why Lincoln’s Melancholy Is A Must Read

by Bill Brenner December 7, 2009 Uncategorized

I’ve always been something of a history nerd and am especially drawn to stories about those who have achieved greatness despite the crippling impact of mental illness. Winston Churchill was a sufferer (he called it his Black Dog). Theodore Roosevelt suffered from bipolar disorder. And Abraham Lincoln’s depression is well documented. I just finished reading an excellent book on the latter: “Lincoln’s Melancholy” by Joshua Wolf Shenk. For anyone who has struggled with mental illness,…  [Read More]