Tag: Language

Blog John, Mental Health

Not Indestructible. John.

Dissent

Mind Palaver

It expresses perfectly for me why I find ‘things’ so difficult – because I’m continually having to react to right myself, responding to internal change the whole time to keep myself upright and stable, dealing with placing my feet on a constantly shifting surface, and coping with the sickening feeling that the small challenge up ahead may just be beyond me. (Elle. What’s it Really Like)

Elle’s post yesterday on finding the correct language to describe what living with these conditions is like, has got me thinking on how others perceive what’s going on with people like us. The analogy she used about the elderly lady having to take a walk on perilous icey grounds describes perfectly what I went through for two years prior to responding well to a treatment.

I can’t hit the years exactly but I reckon around 2007 to 2009 I experienced my worst problems with…

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Blog Elle, Mental Health

Getting the ‘Label.’ Elle

Dissent

As Elle is unfortunately still in hospital and I have a writing deadline to meet. I’m going to reblog over the next couple of weeks some of our favourite posts. So here we are…

Mind Palaver

Both John and I experienced misdiagnosis before we were finally diagnosed with Bipolar 1. This I believe is a pretty common experience. The figure often quoted is that it takes on average 10 years from the onset of symptoms to the point where the diagnosis is made. There are a number of reasons for this as I see it – (a) Hypomania is usually seen by the patient as an entirely positive state of affairs, and is often not reported as a problem. This leaves a bipolar person reporting more on the depressive episodes, leading to a diagnosis of major depression. (b) As I said previously people may try to cope with the worsening symptoms on their own out of fear, shame or degrees of denial (I’ll talk about medicating with alcohol later). (c) Psychosis (as in John’s case) or intense paranoia can lead to false assumption that the person…

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Blog John, Mental Health

Social Media and our Mental Well Being.

Dissent

Although it is not for everybody I believe there is a lot of positives to be found in the world that is Social Media. I also believe the good it does for our mental well being way outdoes the bad. FRIENDS.  In my life social media started with the site Friends Reunited. Those that remember… Continue reading Social Media and our Mental Well Being.

Blog John, Mental Health

The Mental Health We Don’t Talk About.

Dissent

Three years ago after coming out of hospital I started to experience the presence of the demon. The demon is sometimes a clear voice in my head, but more often is a hellish noise; a clamour. (Elle) As I stood in the shop I spotted a sign for Australia (Where my brother lives) It had one… Continue reading The Mental Health We Don’t Talk About.

Blog John, Mental Health

Who We Are.

Dissent

I've had an acute mental health diagnosis for 24 years. Initially misdiagnosed with schizophrenia aged 24, then changed to Bipolar One around the age of 30. One element I recall, from those early encounters with chronic mental health, is that the condition and the words associated with it really messed with the core identity of… Continue reading Who We Are.

Blog John, Mental Health

No Kanye, Bipolar Ain’t No Superpower.

Dissent

My Kanye West can at best be described as a bit of a muddle of a man. One day espousing the plight of the African American, the next being a very public advocate of Donald Trump, the later being a man who shows little fear of being openly racist about the same community. So when… Continue reading No Kanye, Bipolar Ain’t No Superpower.