Category Archives: Mental Health, Society, Culture, Politics, Economics
[TW] Music and Lyrics: Soundtrack to my life
If it weren’t for my iPod I struggle to see how I would exist at all. My entire life, I have searched for the perfect playlist: the soundtrack to my life. I search constantly, ceaselessly excavating the bowels of iTunes … Continue reading
The Art of Shame: ‘What do you regard as most humane? To spare someone shame.’ (Friedrich Nietzsche)
Since writing my last blog post I have begun to think about the roots of shame; the cunning tendrils of guilt that invade the mind and poison the fabric of one’s being. At least that is how it has felt … Continue reading
Disparate Threads: ‘Arrange whatever pieces come your way.’ [1]
Originally posted on Gulliver Unravelled:
I aimed to write this post some months ago, after an experience in one of the more unlikely of places gave made something unexpectedly positive to hold on to. I believed this to be the…
What about our revolution? Mental illness in a new political paradigm.
“There’s gonna be a revolution. It’s totally going to happen. I ain’t got a flicker of doubt that this is the end. This is time to wake up.” Russell Brand So, Russell, I’m awake. My eyes are open and have … Continue reading
The Great Emoti-Con: well-being and emotional intelligence
It occurred to me this past weekend that I have lost traction on my emotions. I went to see Captain Phillips. It was a packed cinema and you could sense the tension and anxiety in the audience: I could sense … Continue reading
The Commodification of Mental Distress: voyeurism and value in the public sphere
As the debate about Thorpe Park’s Asylum experiences is on the cusp of moving into its second week, I am beginning to reflect on the value of mental distress to a culture predicated on image and entertainment. I want to … Continue reading
Masks, Fear and Thorpe Park
“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.” The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne It is much easier to hide … Continue reading
“I’m not quite right at all…am I?”
“Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall, I’m not quite right at all…am I?” ‘All the Madmen’ David Bowie All the Madmen (YouTube) Ever since I can remember, I have felt out of step with reality; I’m … Continue reading
“Biting the bullet”
How did I recognise that I needed help? One night I was wandering along Tottenham Court Road. Typically for me, it was very late at night few people passed me in the street. Those that did were Londoners who knew … Continue reading
“Do you think you might be depressed?”
This was not my finest hour. I’m ashamed to say, that when this was mooted, I was insulted. I wasn’t curled up in the corner crying under a sheet. I came to school. I did my work. I hadn’t fallen … Continue reading
Gulliver Unravelled 