mental illness issues Archives - Page 8 of 53 - Natasha Tracy Bipolar Expert

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?

The Best Diet for Mental Illness? — The MIND Diet

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Nov 4, 2021

I’ve always said there isn’t a diet that treats bipolar disorder. This is still true. Nonetheless, there is a diet that may be best for mental illness and cognitive decline; it’s called the MIND diet. Few people have heard of the Mediterranean-DASH diet intervention for neurodegenerative delay (MIND) diet, and it is a work in progress, but the MIND diet outlines a broad eating plan that, according to research, can help your brain function at its best and slow cognitive decline. Diets have been the object of various studies, including in people with mental illness, those who have had a stroke, and those at risk of Alzheimer’s.

Hypersexuality in Bipolar — Let’s Talk About It

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 28, 2021

I’ve experienced hypersexuality as part of bipolar disorder. Now, I’m not one to run about and have sex with everything that moves (but it’s okay if you are), so, luckily, this symptom of bipolar has not hurt me (although it has affected me). That said, hypersexuality is a real bipolar symptom with real consequences for people. One of the problems with hypersexuality, though, is that it is about sex. People have issues talking openly about sex, particularly in a sex-positive way. But this isn’t helpful to those who have experienced hypersexuality. So, for a moment, let’s openly talk about hypersexuality — just another bipolar symptom.

How I Know What Is Bipolar and What Is Me

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 20, 2021

Yesterday, I was asked how I know what is bipolar and what is me. As in, when I’m having a thought, emotion, or impulse, how do I know which of those things is coming from the bipolar disorder and which are genuinely me? This is not a simple question. The edges between me and the bipolar disorder are fuzzy. Bipolar disorder can be very loud and overtake my own voice. And while I’m sure I don’t get it right 100 percent of the time, I do know what is bipolar and what is me.

Chronic Illness Diagnosis Impact — Bipolar, Hypermobility, POTS

Posted by Natasha Tracy | Oct 7, 2021

Bipolar disorder has been a chronic illness for me, and my chronic illness diagnosis of bipolar disorder happened around when I was 20. That was 23 years ago. I have become a bipolar disorder expert since then due to years and years of study since then. On top of that, I have all those years of personal experience dealing with a chronic mental illness. But now, I’ve been diagnosed with new chronic illnesses. So there are some questions. Is chronic illness diagnosis easier this time around? What does it feel like to be given life-altering diagnoses after already having a life-altering mental illness? And what’s the impact of new chronic illness on existing serious mental illness?