Are psychiatric meds the death of genius? The Van Gogh myth says yes — but the evidence, my own experience, and the tragic artist suicide roll call say otherwise. Before you ditch your prescription in search of a masterpiece, read this hard-hitting reality check.
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New Year’s is often seen as a time for fresh starts and celebration, but for many, it can be overwhelming, especially for those living with bipolar disorder. The cultural pressure to “start over” combined with feelings of loneliness or failure can make January 1 a particularly difficult day, even increasing the risk of suicide. In this article, I uncover the hidden struggles of New Year’s Day, explore why it can feel so challenging, and offer practical steps to find hope and healing in January and beyond.
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Seeing a loved one obsessed with suicide is heart-wrenching and frightening, especially when you don’t know how to help. Discover vital steps to ensure their safety, understand their condition, and seek the professional help they need. Learn about effective treatments and how to find support for both you and your loved one in this critical time. Your loved one can get through this, and you can play a crucial role in their journey to recovery.
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I’ve thought about what makes a person suicidal many times. Mostly, that’s because I’ve been both actively and passively suicidal for prolonged periods of my life. It’s hell, and I hate it. There are both general and specific things that make a person suicidal. Knowledge of these factors, along with ways to protect from suicidality, can help.
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Because of the black box warnings (also known as boxed warnings) on antidepressants, many people think that antidepressants cause suicidal thinking, suicidal behavior, and suicide. The black box warning on antidepressants is, after all, the strongest warning the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can place on a medication. However, the black box warning on antidepressants was authored almost 20 years ago, and we have learned a lot and have synthesized a lot of data since then. Does this more recent data indicate that antidepressants increase suicidality or cause suicides, and what can we learn from this new information? Should we be scared of the risk of suicidality with antidepressants? (TL;DR here.)
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There are many truths about suicide that are important to understand. If you or a loved one have attempted suicide, you are concerned for a loved one about suicide, or have had a loved one die of suicide, there’s a lot to be said, and people are often scared about saying it. This fear leads to silence, and silence on this topic is painful and can be deadly. But suicide is not a dirty word; there is nothing wrong with talking about it. To that end, join me for 10 truths about suicide that we need to talk about.
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I’ve been unfortunate enough to need to know what to do when I’m suicidal. I know I’m not alone. I know there are many people out there thinking about the same thing. Because, let’s face it, while there’s lots of advice out there on what to do when you’re “down” or anxious or hypo/manic, there’s very little advice on what to do when you’re suicidal. I think this is because people don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to think about it, either. But, unfortunately, life insists that I do. So, here are some thoughts on what to do when you’re feeling suicidal.
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It’s important to know what to do in the case of a psychiatric emergency. Sure, you could float along with treatment righting every issue before things get really bad. You could catch everything early. You might have a proactive psychiatrist. Or, then again, this may not be your experience. I would argue that people with serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder are just crises waiting to happen. That’s not anyone’s fault; it’s just the nature of the disease. Thus, knowing what to do when a psychiatric emergency arises is critical. Here are some psychiatric emergency tips and things to think about.
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Do the laundry, wash the dishes, and don’t kill yourself — those are on my to-do list. That last one is on my daily to-do list. (Yes, I realize it’s more like a to-don’t item, but allow me some latitude, if you would.) Yes, I have to remind myself every day not to die. I put it on lists. I remind myself of it in blog posts, and I say the words to myself almost as a mantra — “no kill, no die.” Let’s talk about why I need to do that and how I can not kill myself every day in spite of the desire to do so.
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