Why is it so Hard for Us to Recover from Being Suicidal?

By David L. Conroy, PhD

Combat veterans, sexual assault survivors, and other victims of trauma are vulnerable to a condition called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). People with PTSD suffer from a range of symptoms that interfere with their capacities to enjoy normal life.

People who suffered suicidal conditions, particularly conditions that were chronic, recurrent, or included one or more attempts, may also be victims of PTSD. According to its definition, PTSD may result when a person suffers an event or situation that is outside the range of normal experience, exceeds the individual’s perceived ability to meet its demands, and poses a serious threat to the loss of life.

Suicidal people meet the formal criteria for PTSD. Severe and prolonged suicidal pain is not something that most people suffer. People in suicidal crises feel that they are at the breaking point of what they can cope with. Since 30,000 people die by suicide each year in the United States, it is a condition that poses a serious threat to the loss of life.

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Growing Up with a Parent with Mental Illness

By Candida Fink, MD.

I grew up in a household with mental illness in a parent. The illness was never fully identified or named, yet it decimated our family life. I was enormously relieved to realize, over time, what was going on in my family when I was growing up. It helped me understand my parent more and to tell my family story in a way that is less judgmental and critical and more compassionate – toward my parent with mental illness and toward me and my siblings and my other parent. As a professional and as someone who lived with this, I feel strongly about the need for honest, open communication in families when a parent is struggling with mental illness.

The battle to fight stigma in the outside world is important but can’t be done without first facing it at home.

Growing up with a parent with mental illness impacts children at many levels, but too often the effects on children and the children’s responses are pushed to the side. Sometimes there is simply no time or energy left in the family system after taking care of the parent who is struggling with mental illness. More often, it is simply too hard and too scary to deal with.

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How to Cope with Job Loss When You Have a Mental Illness

By Jennifer Steele

Losing a job is difficult to handle and the challenges it presents can be overwhelming and devastating, especially for someone with bipolar disorder, depression, an anxiety disorder or other mental illness. It is important that you don’t lose your motivation or allow yourself to get discouraged. If you don’t know what to do or how to remedy the situation you may make some choices that have negative repercussions for months or years to come. The following strategies will help you avoid common pitfalls associated with job loss.

1. Address your emotional challenges.

Typically, when a person loses their job unexpectedly or unfairly a majority of his/her decisions are based on his/her emotions. Negative emotions tend to lead them astray and when this happens they have less power to change their situation. Therefore, negative emotions need to be addressed first and foremost.

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Dealing with Bipolar: It’s Ok Not to be Perfect

By David Oliver

Too many people are striving for perfection. It’s understandable, isn’t it? Every time you turn on the TV, you’re blasted with commercials showing the perfect body (both male and female), the perfect home, the perfect job, the perfect life.

I’ve dealt with people who have Bipolar Disorder and they feel like they’re “damaged goods,” just because they have this disorder. They feel like just because they have a “broken brain,” that they’re somehow broken, too. But that’s a wrong concept.

Some of the people with Bipolar Disorder that I deal with have a great attitude. They’re what we call “high-functioning.” They’ve accepted that, in spite of the fact that they have this disorder, they won’t let it stop them from accomplishing what they want to accomplish in life. I have a lot of respect for these people. They have a lot to teach me, and all of us.

But some of the other people I’ve seen with Bipolar Disorder, like some people in the Bipolar Support Group I attend, well, it’s a really sad story. It’s like they let the disorder defeat them. You know how I talk about the difference between having Bipolar Disorder instead of being bipolar in my courses. And I think that’s a really strong difference. It’s the difference between you being master over the disorder or the disorder mastering you.

So many people think that just because they have Bipolar Disorder, that it makes them fundamentally ill, just because they have a mental illness, and they can never get better. I think this is because of two reasons.

The first reason is because it is called a “mental illness.”
Even though we have come a long way in the education and treatment of mental illness, it still has a lot of stigma attached to it. Even for people who actually have Bipolar Disorder, I’ve found in talking to so many of them, that in the beginning, they know so little about it. So for the families especially, they also don’t know very much about it, if they know anything at all. That’s why I tell people to learn as much about it as they can.

The second reason that people think that just because they have Bipolar Disorder that it makes them fundamentally ill is that it is incurable. But one of the first things they should learn is that even though it can’t be cured, Bipolar Disorder can be managed. With medication and therapy, anyone with the disorder can live a relatively normal life.

I think people confuse normal with perfect. And even so, it’s important to know that it’s ok NOT to be perfect, whether you have Bipolar Disorder or not! I heard a saying that I like a lot: “Why be normal, when I can just be ME?” Why do we have to keep trying to be like those “perfect” people we see on commercials? Nobody is perfect! It’s ok just to be YOU!

14 Things You Might Not Know About Depression

Depression is the second most common mental illness in America, but it is still misunderstood by many people. Education is the key to reducing the stigma associated with mental illness. The following are some little known facts about Depression.

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Schizophrenia 101: Schizophrenia and Violence

News and entertainment media tend to link mental illness and criminal violence; however, studies indicate that except for those persons with a record of criminal violence before becoming ill, and those with substance abuse or alcohol problems, people with schizophrenia are not especially prone to violence.

Most individuals with schizophrenia are not violent; more typically, they are withdrawn and prefer to be left alone. Most violent crimes are not committed by persons with schizophrenia, and most persons with schizophrenia do not commit violent crimes.

Substance abuse significantly raises the rate of violence in people with schizophrenia but also in people who do not have any mental illness. People with paranoid and psychotic symptoms, which can become worse if medications are discontinued, may also be at higher risk for violent behavior. When violence does occur, it is most frequently targeted at family members and friends, and more often takes place at home.

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

Video Recital of “I too Have a Dream”

How to Explain Bipolar Disorder to Others

How do you explain your, or a loved one’s, condition to others? Here are a few sentences to help you organize your thoughts. Choose the most appropriate explanations and modify as needed.
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Bipolar Medication Non-Adherence Issues

Many people with bipolar stop taking their medications at some point in their treatment. This is a reality that patients, doctors, and family members often wrestle with. But it’s important to understand some of the possible reasons why. Understanding that there are often compelling factors in someone’s decision to stop their meds can help loved ones approach the problem without judgment. And for people with bipolar disorder it is critical to honestly evaluate why they want to stop taking their medication, because then they can tackle these issues directly and without judging themselves.

Non-compliance or non-adherence? Anyone who’s ever taken bipolar medication has heard the term non-compliance. It means not doing what your doctor and therapist tell you to do. In most cases, it means not taking your meds as prescribed. Unfortunately, the term carries a subtle connotation that the patient is not being a good little girl or boy. As such, many people with bipolar understandably find it offensive, preferring instead to use the term non-adherence.

Outside observers often seem to think that the main reason people with bipolar stop taking their meds is because these people are just irrational, irritable, and obstinate… especially when they start becoming manic. Although mania could be a contributing factor in some cases, people often have other reasons for stopping their medications, including the following:
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Some Facts About Mental Illnesses

Mental illnesses are medical conditions that disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the ordinary demands of life.

Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and borderline personality disorder. The good news about mental illness is that recovery is possible.

Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan.

In addition to medication treatment, psychosocial treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, peer support groups, and other community services can also be components of a treatment plan and that assist with recovery. The availability of transportation, diet, exercise, sleep, friends, and meaningful paid or volunteer activities contribute to overall health and wellness, including mental illness recovery.

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