Self Medicating (Elle)

Mind Palaver

As my consultant said recently, medication has its role, but it’s not the be all and end all. I really respect her for this view – it’s close to my own opinion.

So this had me wondering how else I ‘medicate’ myself aside from the meds I take.

My first risky run in with self-medication was with alcohol, in my early days of doing psychiatry. I hadn’t been diagnosed bipolar as yet, and was cycling out of control between hypomania and depression. When my father killed himself the stress and claustrophobia of that weekend in hospital were colossal, and when the life support was switched off my mood soared (stress has often made me go very high). I remember the train journey home with my sister feeling elated, superhuman, able to take on the universe. The sky was ethereal, the clouds whitest white and fluffy. I was staring down the…

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Treatment and Stigma.

As Elle is unfortunately still in hospital and I’ve got work on we’re going to reblog some of our favourite old posts from earlier this year. So here we are. Your thoughts and follows are always appreciated.

Mind Palaver

Some people feel as if a diagnosis somehow labels them, diminishes them and leaves them open to prejudice. I couldn’t be further from this position. I think that owning a diagnosis and not skirting around it is ultimately empowering, allowing you to take steps to deal with what needs dealt with.   

I really did enjoy Elle’s last post. She always shows such great insight when tackling a subject matter. Obviously a huge part of dealing with mental health issues is stigma. I’ve been with a mental health condition for twenty two years and have only decided to talk openly about it since last July. Deep down I can’t help but admit this has to be related to concerns over how people would perceive me. The happy truth is people in general have been really positive. Several have told me how they had no idea how these things have impacted on…

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