Tales from the Psych Ward (Part One)

Back Again Okay, 12 years ago, I had to go to Southern Maryland Hospital for getting extremely triggered by my father and cutting the tendons in my hand. I talked about it a little in The Story of My Mental Illness. Well, I found myself back at the same hospital although it is now Medstar Southern

The Story of My Mental Illness

Before I was actually diagnosed with MDD, I knew there was a problem but there was nothing I could do to fix it until I got my own insurance and so the journey began. Here is my story.

Coming Soon

There’s a LOT Going On in this World I have a lot of thoughts on a daily basis and there is always something that happens that, in some way, impacts me. Not too long ago, I wrote about minding out own business especially if it doesn’t impact you ( see Why You Have to Learn

Diagnosing People Based Off ONE Incident with NO Mental Health Background

If you see someone doing something that isn’t right, don’t just assume they have a mental illness. There are some people with mental illnesses that do not act like this and it is not up to us to throw diagnoses out there based on ONE incident. Before obtaining a diagnosis from a PROFESSIONAL, there is a work up done, records reviewed, etc. Professionals don’t just walk up on someone and diagnose them and we shouldn’t either.

Why I’ll Likely Continue to Wear My Mask

Yes, Maryland has stated that if you have been fully vaccinated, you can go maskless but I’m not going to. Here’s why.

The Story of My Mental Illness

Because this is Mental Health Awareness Month, I decided that today is the day that I tell the story of my diagnosis, symptoms, frustrations, treatments, and all that good stuff. If there are any questions that you would like to ask, please feel free to do so. When Did I Notice a Problem? When I

Don’t Use Your Mental Illness as a Crutch

Sometimes it’s best that I don’t look at the traits or qualities of people that have bipolar disorder. I sometimes use it as a crutch or an explanation for some of my irrational actions or lack of motivation. But how do you tell when your actions ARE a direct result of your mental illness? Bipolar

I Love My White Friends But This Has to be Said

What many of you fail to realize is that this mess didn’t just START with George Floyd. Not even a month ago Ahmaud Arbery was shot for jogging (by racists that thought they had some sort of authority). Dude was jogging man. What’s worse is that there are SO many other men AND women on

Dating a Person with a Diagnosed Mental Illness, Could You Do It? Should You Do It?

As I point out often, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2009 after being put into an institution for a short time. One thing I have always stressed to people that were interested in me since I was 20 (I’m 40 now) is that I take medication. When I received my first diagnosis of

Knowing Your Triggers

First, let’s discuss what triggers are from a mental health standpoint: A trigger is something that sets off a memory tape or flashback transporting the person back to the event of her/his original trauma. Triggers are very personal; different things trigger different people. The survivor may begin to avoid situations and stimuli that she/he thinks