I had a mentally ill parent. It was my father. He’s dead now, but when he was here, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Of course, I didn’t find out about that until I was an adult. That secret affected my life from the time I was a child. What it’s like to have a mentally ill parent is different for different people, but here’s what having a mentally ill parent was like for me.
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Keeping productive and motivated during depression is a tall task. Depression wants to suck all of the productivity and motivation out of you to the point where you become nothing but a lump on your couch. I know all about this. I work from home and for myself and so without a boss or yearly reviews, depression really has a leg up when it comes to causing a lack of productivity. That’s why I have to take productivity and motivation very seriously. Here are a few techniques to maintain productivity and motivation during depression.
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I was recently asked what it was like starting to work for myself with a mental illness. Or, more specifically, what should people with mental illness know if they’ve going to try working for themselves? What do people with mental illness need to know about entrepreneurship? There is a definite appeal in working for yourself for many people, perhaps, especially for those with mental illness. But there are also special considerations for people with mental illness too. Let’s take a look at starting your own business if you have a mental illness.
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People sometimes tell those with mental illness that it’s “all in their head.” Would it surprise you to learn, then, that sometimes people with mental illness think the same thing? Sometimes people with mental illness wonder if they’re making it all up. I’ve had these thoughts. I’ve wondered if I was making up my mental illness. I’ve wondered if my bipolar was all in my head. Weird, for an advocate, I know, but let’s look a little deeper at it.
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I have been told that I trigger people with my writing and speaking. And let’s make something clear: that is never my intent. I never stand up in front of people or sit behind the keyboard and think about how to trigger someone. In fact, I soften my language quite frequently so people aren’t triggered. Nonetheless, people say I trigger them. Well, this is incorrect. They’re placing blame on me for their triggers. I didn’t trigger you, your brain and trauma did. It’s not my fault you were triggered.
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Bipolar disorder is not your fault. Schizophrenia is not your fault. Depression is not your fault. You did nothing to deserve a mental illness. You are a good person and your being sick does not affect that. Mental illness landed on you and started eating away at your brain. It could have happened to anyone. You had nothing to do with it. Mental illness is not your fault.
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Our society encourages people to push their limits, and there is no out for people with mental illness. Our society claims over and over that we must “push the envelope,” “take risks,” and “do what scares us.” There is no societal pressure to “respect your limits” or “live the way you feel comfortable.” And maybe that’s good for the general population, I can’t say, but what I can say is that it’s terrible advice for people with mental illness. With serious mental illness, pushing your limits is a mistake.
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Can a doctor have a good bedside manner and be medically competent? That is the question. In my experience, these two things rarely go together. This is a shame because I consider them two sides of the same coin when treating patients. You can’t just be good at one of them and expect to get the best possible outcomes. And I’m not the only one who says this, research bears this out as well (see more below). So why do doctors who are clinically competent rarely have a good bedside manner and vice versa? Do we really have to choose between the two?
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Trigger warnings don’t work. I know that’s a controversial statement as trigger warnings have crept into seemingly all aspects of media. But trigger warnings did this without anyone studying the effects of including a trigger warning. People started including them with good intentions, but that doesn’t mean including them actually produces positive responses. Here, I’m going to outline how we’ve learned that trigger warnings don’t work to help people feel less traumatized and, in fact, can have negative effects.
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