Bipolar blog Archives - Page 6 of 82 - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

Am I Making Up My Mental Illness? Is Mental Illness All in My Head?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 23, 2022

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.

I Don’t Trigger People — Taking Responsibility for Triggers

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 10, 2022

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.

Why Can’t I Get Over Fatphobia?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Feb 2, 2022

Lately, I’ve been wondering why I can’t get over fatphobia. I’ve gotten over so much bad programming in my life, I would have thought I could have gotten over that toxic set of ideas as well, but it seems I just can’t. Ideas of fatphobia just seem to own my brain. Skinny is good; fat is bad. Skinny is lovable; fat is unlovable. Skinny is beautiful; fat is ugly. And so on and so on. My own fatphobia is shocking to me. But if I realize I don’t want to be this way, why can’t I get over fatphobia?

Bipolar or Any Mental Illness Is Not Your Fault

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jan 27, 2022

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.

With Mental Illness, Pushing Your Limits Is a Mistake

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jan 13, 2022

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.

A Doctor’s Bedside Manner or Medical Competency — Do You Have to Choose?

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Jan 6, 2022

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?

Trigger Warnings Don’t Work — Don’t Use Trigger Warnings

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 8, 2021

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.

Mental Illness Can Prevent Daily Hygiene

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Dec 1, 2021

Mental illness can prevent daily hygiene. I’ve been a victim of this and so have so many other people. Some people have come to me in confidence and said that they can’t brush their teeth and it’s causing major dental problems. Other people have said, in hushed tones, that they can’t do their laundry so they don’t leave their houses. These kinds of hygiene tasks are just too hard for some people disabled with serious mental illnesses. So, let’s talk about how mental illness can prevent daily hygiene. Let’s bring this subject out of the closet and into the light.

Stigma Prevents Mental Health Care — Myth

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 25, 2021

A major refrain in the mental health world is that stigma prevents people from seeking mental health care, and that’s why we need all these anti-stigma campaigns and programs. Well, the actual facts beg to differ. While stigma may prevent mental health care in a minority of cases, there are far bigger reasons why people who need care don’t get it. This begs the following questions: Why are advocates always harping on about stigma? Why are there so many anti-stigma campaigns? What would really help people with mental illness get mental health care?