Category: Uncategorized
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In A Little Town Called Bethel(hem)…
By displaying a religious symbol on something that is town owned, is this not overstepping the separation between church and state?
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You Don’t Have PTSD, You’re Not In The Military: Redefining Our View Of PTSD
My husband told me a story the other day from work. He forewarned me that I may be a little upset by it. Uh-oh. I was a bit worried but once he mentioned the words “Mental Illness” I instantly knew why I would be angered. “Who said something stupid now?”…
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Thank You!
Call it part of a Depressive’s “12-Step” Program, but I feel the need to say thank you to the people in my life that have contributed to my better health and wellness. Considering the decades that I’ve struggled, this list can become rather lengthy but I will narrow it down…
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Living With Someone Who Is Mentally Ill: Interview with My Daughter
My daughter has seen it all. From her oceanic blue eyes in her cherub baby face to now, almost 12 years later. She is a remarkable child who has not only witnessed her mother’s hysterics (& panic attacks, drastic weight loss and days of not getting out of bed) but…
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Living With Someone Who Is Mentally Ill: Interview with My Husband
I was approached by a friend of mine who offered up the suggestion on doing an interview series with family members on what their thoughts and feelings were concerning my Mental Illnesses. I have to admit, I had been toying with this idea for a long time and at this…
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When All You Can Do Is Blame Yourself For Your Daughter’s Diagnosis
I tried to hold my tears back as I stared into my daughter’s oceanic blue eyes. I could feel them welling up, feel the moisture increasing. Not here, not now, not in public, Stephanie. But, to be cliché, the dam was about to break. A tear or two escaped. My…
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Reflecting On My Uncle’s Death
My uncle died last Sunday. I do not ask for your sympathies but instead offer you to bestow them to my aunt, cousins (both his children & grandchildren, and his brothers (my father and my other uncle). They are the ones who knew him well. I did not. Like his…
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When You Fear Yourself
There were brief moments, tiny myopic moments, seconds that I could see my reality. In these moments of lucidity, I became scared. I was frightened at what I was becoming and how fast my body and brain were transforming. Fortunately (or unfortunately) these moments of clarity were scarce because my…
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Teaching My Daughter To Rise Above The Stigma Of Mental Illness
My daughter has seen me. She has seen me throughout her eleven years of life. She has seen me lose touch with reality several times, seen me cry uncontrollably many times, seen me at a handful of Psychiatric and Therapy appointments. She has even seen me become hospitalized. Throughout all…
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When You Need To Discuss Sexual Harassment With Your Pre-teen Child
“Mom, I need to tell you something,” my daughter spoke as I started the car after picking her up from the YMCA yesterday, “but I don’t think you are going to like it.” I love sentences that start this way. I had no idea what was going to come out…
