Author Archives: NightWriter
May Is Mental Illness Awareness Month
Mental illness is a far more common affliction than most people realize. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about twenty percent of the US population experiences mental illness symptoms each year. That’s one in five people. About … Continue reading
Toxic Positivity
I have often railed against those who have tried to encourage me by telling me to “think happy thoughts” or who tried to pump sunshine by telling me how wonderful life is. It was as though they thought I wasn’t … Continue reading
The Canary in the Coal Mine
In the old days, canaries were used in coal mines to warn of poisonous gas. If there were any gas, the birds would stop singing and drop from their perches; they’d be the warning that conditions were harmful.
A Broken Spirit
It’s two AM, three – I don’t know. I’m in agony. I want to scream. I’m crying, sobbing over a lonely life and now a lonely death. I cannot go on.
Think Happy Thoughts
During the years of suffering bipolar disorder, I have had endless people tell me to “think happy thoughts,” or to “snap out of it,” “cheer up, other people have it worse,” and on and on and on. It is as … Continue reading
The Stigma of Mental Illness
Today, a British periodical published a story that serves to underscore the stigma of mental illness. A pizza was delivered to the staff at a psychiatric hospital. On the ticket, the address was characterized as the “loony bin.”
Responsibility
Learning that I suffered from a mental illness changed how I regarded myself. I had considered that my behavior – the unpleasant stuff – was mostly because, for some reason, I was just an asshole. I didn’t like that idea; … Continue reading
That’s Me You’re Talking About
I don’t stand out in a crowd. On the bus I’m just another bored passenger trying to get somewhere. At the grocery store I get the usual food – bread and meat and potatoes – what we all buy. In … Continue reading
Cutting
I’m doing it again – slowly, carefully cutting myself. I don’t know why I do it. I don’t like to. It hurts.
Disaster Areas
Every so often a tornado or other disaster strikes, killing several people, injuring many more. It’s heartbreaking to see images of these people, traumatized, homeless, some having lost loved ones, some having lost everything they had. You can’t see these … Continue reading