Category: advice
-
The Church’s Best Response To Mental Illness
•
Mental illness can be so gray. Thinking about it, there’s a mental disorder diagnosis for almost everything and anything. Of course, not everyone has a clinical, diagnosable condition. With mental illness being so rampant and the church’s response being so silent, here are a few pointers I want to bring…
-
The Element of Recovery & Tips To Keep Bipolar In Remission
•
Recovery, Not Relapse! There’s a phrase that really bothers me that I was taught in training for my community support caseworker job. The saying goes, “Recovery is the exception, not the expectation.” Uh, really? That sounds like we’re just setting someone up to fail who therefore believes they’re going to…
-
Talk Bipolar To Me – Part 3: A Series For Engaging Those With Mental Illness
•
Someone’s Cornbread Ain’t Done In The Middle I get a chuckle out of this meme: I guess there’s a difference between someone’s cornbread being half-baked and it being over-baked. Over-baked is what I’d equate to having psychosis. If you’re having a tough time with someone in that state – whether…
-
Talk Bipolar To Me – Part 2: A Series For Engaging Those With Mental Illness
•
What Goes Up Must Come Down If you’re familiar with bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder for that matter, being down in clinical depression has a deceptive effect on its subjects. With an imbalance of the brain’s chemistry, clinical depression is a state of mind where feelings seem to trump…
-
Talk Bipolar To Me – Part 1: A Series For Engaging Those With Mental Illness
•
Getting Nowhere Fast Does communicating with your loved one tend to feel as though they won’t open up? Or, perhaps, they’re going too fast for you to keep up with. Maybe they’re dominating the conversation and you can’t get a word in edgewise. In any of these situations it can…
-
Amy Simpson Guest Posts “10 Things Everyone Needs to Know When Mental Illness Hits Home”
•
Amy Simpson is an author, speaker and life coach, and has been a forerunner in the mental health conversations in churches across the nation. Today she guest posts on 10 truths regarding suffering with mental illness. During a high school youth group meeting, we did an activity that involved saying…
-
14 Things Psych Hospitals Could Improve Upon
•
The chill of the hospital air and my electric state of paranoia disposed me to shiver uncontrollably. Ashamed of the behaviors I exhibited after the scolding of the receptionist, I worried. I was in the lion’s den, again. I wanted to claim victory in Jesus — in fact — my…
-
Fresh Thought Friday: How To Start A Blog
•
Dear Katie, I was wondering how difficult it is to get started on my own blog. I’ve had some long term ongoing mental health stuff. I’ve considered doing something similar for awhile, I’m just not sure how to begin. Thanks. -Prospective Blogger Dear Prospective Blogger, The blog I’ve started…
-
Fresh Thought Friday: Feelings vs. Faith
•
Dear Katie, I have been on a long journey for about a year now after I had a total mental breakdown last October. I was originally diagnosed with major depression but I ended up having more bipolar-type symptoms. I too have been thinking about what having this disorder means for…
-
Fresh Thought Friday: Seeing A New Dr.
•
Dear Katie, I’m about to see a psychiatrist for the first time, and I don’t know what to expect. What questions should I ask at my first appointment? -Precautious Patient Dear Precautious, That’s a great question. Before you ask them anything, I would begin by giving them the background…