This is an email from Mental Note, a newsletter by Invisible Illness.
Oct 2, 2020
Mental Note Vol. 16
Happy Thursday, everyone! Cutting to the chase, here is our Poetry Wednesday contest winner:
“The Heart Work” — Ioana Andrei
“you don’t get to ask.
you get to do.
do the hard work.
the heart work.”
And here are nine pieces that were particularly impactful for us this week:
“The Constant Struggle to Live With the New, Rewired Brain” — John Miles, Curated in Mental Health and Neuroscience
“Without proper protocols, training, and rehabilitation services, TBI-related injuries will remain misdiagnosed and improperly treated. That is my purpose for writing this article. To bring more awareness through a first-hand account of the flawed system.
It is vital to understand that the issues people face with TBI are lasting. They require long-term solutions to help millions, like me, who are crowing for repair.”
“Why I Couldn’t Just Stop Drinking” — Vanessa Eggleston, Curated in Addiction and Mental Health
“You can call it a spiritual sickness, a hole in the soul, a void that needs to be filled, or a sickness of the mind. Whatever you want to label it, it needs a solution that starts with changing the way you think, and then everything else starts to fall into place. You can seek meditation, twelve-step programs, meetings, therapy, or anything that works for you. The only thing that matters is the solution is addressing the problem within, not just trying to make the outside look better.”
“Mental Health Professionals Get Sick Too” — Laura Fox, Curated in Mental Health and Self
“As professionals, we need to remember we are not “other”. Mental illness does not discriminate. It isn’t something that just happens to the people we support. It can happen to anyone. It can happen to us. And it often does. We cannot say we are passionate about reducing mental health stigma when we actively stigmatise ourselves. We need to talk about it and we need to support our fellow professionals to talk about it too.”
“A Retired Psychiatrist’s Reflection on Fad Diagnoses in Psychiatry” — Mark D Rego, Curated in Mental Health
“Questionnaires have taken the place of thorough diagnostic interviews. These forms only provide clues. If these are not followed up with a comprehensive discussion by someone very familiar with common diagnoses, there will inevitably be problems.
Only solid training and consistent education of practitioners can protect from the most fertile soil for biases: what upsets and frightens us.”
“For My 31st Birthday, I Got a Breast Cancer Scare” — Kelsey L.O., Curated in Mental Health and Health
“I learned that when life hands you lemons (or in this case melons), that gratitude is the best attitude to see you through.
With annual mammograms to keep my family’s history in check and diligent monthly self-exams, I’ll hopefully be around for a long long time. And, hopefully, that means my loved ones are spared from an eighteen-song memorial service for a while yet.”
“Is This Mental Illness, or Normal Me?” — Martha Manning, Curated in Mental Health
“Mental illness makes us distrust ourselves in many ways. It can undermine the way we gauge how we’re feeling, and how we’re doing. We’ve lost our personal yardsticks that tell us, “Yeah, you’ve been in a lousy mood all week, but things have been bad at work for a week…so you do the math.”
Dealing with serious mental illness is a full-time job, when we are acutely ill and when we are well. We forget the cause and effect model, misinterpret the intensity and appropriateness of our feelings.”
“Nonverbal Learning Disorder: An Academic and Social One-Two Punch” — Nikki Kay, Curated in Mental Health and Parenting
“But, really that’s not necessary. Anyone who isn’t understanding enough to accept my daughter for who she is, wouldn’t be a good fit in her life anyway.
Better to continue teaching her to embrace who she is, struggles and all. She’s a perfect little girl who can build on her weaknesses and revel in her strengths. She should never feel she has to explain or excuse herself to anyone.”
“My Finger Picking Compulsion Feels Just Like an Addiction” — Daniella Mini, Curated in Mental Health
“Skin picking disorder feels like an addiction and is more common than you’d think. According to the Harvard Health Blog, it affects at least five million Americans.
If you’re one of them, knowing it’s not just you might make you feel better. It did for me at least. If you’re not, keep in mind that that close friend or family member who picks their skin to death is not weak or totally lacking in will.”
“An Open Letter to the Abused” — Doreen Barker, Curated in Mental Health, and Relationships
“Don’t give up on you. I do, truly, love you and know that you are going to find a way to just be you without being beaten down into submission. In my heart, I know that you need to be loved and accepted for all that you are, including being the abused. I’m offering you a virtual hug and support to take care of you. There are those of us out here that love you just because you breathe. If you are abused and reading this, you are a survivor. Never forget that you have survived everything that you’ve been forced to endure. You CAN survive the next phase too.”
Thanks for reading, everyone!
