Abuse of Mental Health Sufferers in Hospitals and other Institutions

No form of mental health problem is anything that any person would wish upon themselves. Apart from the emotional pain, there is the continued stigma of mental illness and the ongoing refusal by some individuals to understand that those suffering from any sort of mental illness cannot just “snap out of it”. Sometimes, due to the seriousness of a mental health issue, hospitalization becomes necessary. What many people do not recognize is that more beds are occupied by mental health patients than by patients suffering from a physical illness. This is a startling fact as it emphasizes just how many … Continue reading →

The Slow Breakdown

When we hear that a person has had a “nervous breakdown” we might imagine all sorts of things if we do not have a personal experience with the condition or no contact with a friend or family member who has. What happens? Does a person go berserk, sit crying for hours, rock, sit or lie in a semi-catatonic state staring at the ceiling, refusing to communicate or eat or sleep or sleep too much ? What usually happens, unless there is a sudden trauma which has the potential to spark off another type of disorder entirely (see post traumatic stress … Continue reading →

Life is Precious – Don’t Waste It!

“Love every day. Each one is so short and they are so few”. This is very powerful quote from Norman Vincent Peale. When I read it, it really pulled me up. While some days may seem to drag and we often spent our lives waiting for certain things to occur, such as holidays, etc, the truth is that life does go quickly and our days here are so few. While Peale’s philosophy is true for all of us, it is especially true for those suffering from various forms of mental illness, particularly severe depression, where days do seem to drag … Continue reading →

Online Mental Health Support Groups: Are They Useful?

These days pretty much every condition known to man has an online support group. There is really no better support than talking to people who understand and live your condition, whether it be diabetes, stroke or some form of mental illness. There are many online support groups for a range of mental disorders including depression, the anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and panic disorder to name a few. While the concept of joining a group such as these is an excellent one, again, as with selecting a therapist, one needs to be a bit choosy. Online mental health groups can provide daily … Continue reading →

The Stigma of Being a Mental Health Patient

As if it isn’t bad enough to be besieged by depression, bipolar disorder or any number of conditions that may land you in a medical facility for a period of time, there is the added stigma you as a patient may receive from family members, neighbors, acquaintances, even your work colleagues. While the majority of hospital beds are occupied by people suffering from mental and emotional complaints, the topic is still generally not talked about and many people are reluctant to admit to suffering from a mental disorder of some description. However, when the relevant condition deteriorates such that the … Continue reading →

Telling People about your Mental Illness

Whether we suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, an eating disorder or one of the many anxiety disorders, there comes a time when decisions have to be made as to who and what to tell about your condition. Sometimes that decision is taken away from us, as when we suffer a psychotic episode, a suicide attempt, or our eating disorder has become obvious even to the most casual observer. I am often asked by clients how they should go about telling people about their illness and who they should tell. It can be quite a challenge to tell others about … Continue reading →

Setting Boundaries When You Have a Mental Illness

It’s important for everyone to have a healthy set of personal boundaries, but even more important when you suffer from a mental illness. Boundaries take many shapes and forms, such as how you let people speak to you or speaking up if you feel you are being belittled because of your illness. Today, however, I would like to talk about once specific boundary in particular. It is when others use the fact that you have a mental illness to their advantage. Let’s take a look at the case of Megan. Megan suffers from agoraphobia, but like many mental illnesses, the … Continue reading →

What Do People Expect from Counseling? (2)

“You should have some counseling to deal with your anxiety.” “Why don’t you see a counselor, you’re going to lose your job if you don’t pull yourself together!” “I think you have a problem with your mother, how about you go see a counselor!” These are typical phrases bandied about to people who are experiencing ongoing emotional difficulties. It’s interesting to ask people what they expect will happen when they attend counseling. Most reply: “Well, I’m got this problem and the therapist is going to fix it.” Wrong! Having counseling is not like going to the doctors and being handed … Continue reading →

What Do People Expect from Counseling? (1)

When problems arise in life and a person is clearly suffering from the effects of a crisis or a long-term problem, it is often common to hear the phrase: “You should go and have some counseling.” But what exactly happens during the counseling process? How does a person “get better”? And what are the respective roles and responsibility of the therapist and client? Having therapy is different to anything you will have experienced before. It is not the same as talking over your problems with your Mom or your best friend. Both of these resources are excellent first ports of … Continue reading →