Blogs

An untreated mental illness can be difficult for not only the person who is suffering from the illness but also for the people who come into contact with the person, most commonly the people closest to the person. On the rare occasion a mental illness that a person is suffering from gets so far out of hand that it can become catastrophic. That is why it is so very important to seek treatment if you think you may be suffering from a mental illness or encourage someone to seek treatment if you think they may have a mental illness.

Happy New Year to Everyone! I hope everyone had a good Christmas. If not I hope you made it through. This month we are suppose to talk about Heath. When I think of Health the first thing I think of is of course Mental Health. Probably the first thing to do to be healthy is if you have seen a doctor and are on medications, is to take your meds. If you don't take your meds, it will be difficult to continue to remain stable and move forward on your journey toward recovery.

 On Motherhood

"You're a really good mother. Your son is very lucky to have such an attentive mom."

These words were said to me yesterday by a pediatrician. Because I've been sick for most of my son's life, I feel insecure about the mother that I am most of the time so I had a hard time believing that these words were meant for me.

 Archaeology

(Trigger warning – suicide)

 Health Tips and Resolutions for the New Year
Deborrah Bedard

I’m going easy on myself in the New Year because it will be the first of many in which I have admitted and will responsibly addressed my disorder. So here’s what I’ve decided to focus on:
 

Six days stuck to my bed resulted in a 4-hour wait for a med-check at Urgent Psychiatric Care (UPC) in downtown Phoenix. I resumed the same idiocy of pretending I was sick instead of admitting I was in a downturn. In my defense, at least it only took 6 days for me to seek help…so something must be working.

 I’ve been toying with the idea of whether or not I have inner peace. It’s elusive when I concentrate on practicing it, and I’m beginning to think that pursuit of it isn't the goal...HAVING it is. There are steps I can take to prepare my mind to accept and embrace it though.

Here’s what I thought it was:

 This past year my world was filled with quite a few life altering events. Last January I was put on short-term disability at my job because of my bipolar disorder. While trying to get better, I struggled a lot with the decision of leaving my husband, who was in St. Thomas working. In March, he came back home, I left him, moved into my parent’s house and filed for divorce. As if that wasn’t enough, when my short-term disability ran out in April, I was fired from my job.

 My name is Alora and I was diagnosed with rapid cycling Bipolar I Disorder back in 2008. While learning to deal with the disorder has been a challenge, it has given her me a chance to grow in ways most people can’t. I’ve found ways to use the mania to my advantage and as a result have gone back to school and have finally been able to get my dream of being a writer to become a reality.

Ups and Downs of 2012

2012 had been a rough year for me physically and mentally. I was in the hospital for psychiatric evaluation at least four times. I had a couple of endoscopes, a hospitalization for my back and even a couple of back procedures including a radio frequency ablation on my lower back.

To top it off I injured my rotator cuff on my left shoulder. It ended up being more inconvenient because I'm left handed.