Category Archives: psychiatry
A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On. What do you want to see: me or the me inside?
I haven’t written anything recently about how things are and how I want them to be. Forgive me if this post seems rather self-indulgent; sometimes blog posts are a good way to exorcise demons or a good way to sound … Continue reading
Beasts of our own making: the buyers’ market and identity politics.
Do we pay greater attention to the psychic lives of others in order to validate the idea that our own “otherness” is our own property? Or do we paradoxically invalidate our identities by being drawn to the ever-present public voices … Continue reading
Medication Stations!
Finn: We’ll figure it out. We’ll use the Force Han: [irritated] THAT’S NOT HOW THE FORCE WORKS! Doctor: We’ll figure it out. We’ll use medication. Me: [irritated] That’s not how wellness should work! *** Yes, I know, gratuitous use a … Continue reading
The Artefacts of Life Project – Anonymity and Honesty
It’s been over a week now since I began the Artefacts of Life Project. People have been kind and brave in sharing their experiences. Many of these have asked to remain private. It is a clear indication that, for some, … Continue reading
Artefacts of Life Project: A Chronicle of Mental Illness #ArtefactsofLife
The aim of Artefacts of Life is to encourage people to share their experiences of life with a mental illness and in so doing allow me to take these a step further. My task is to try and translate these moments and feelings into something visual. The result will be a photo project, an anthology of life with a mental illness. I am asking people to share whatever they would like (within the 140 characters): memories, anecdotes, thoughts, feelings, questions, hopes or fears. Anything –positive or negative. My goal is to try to take these and turn them into a collection of abstract pieces that convey what living with a mental illness might be like. Continue reading
Eyes Turned Skywards: When Hope Against Hope is Not Enough
‘For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.’ Leonardo Da Vinci Ever since I was a teenager, I have been … Continue reading
The Time Traveller’s Knife
I have a secret: I have a superpower. I can travel in time. I need no police box, no DeLorean. I slip backwards and forwards with ease. Now we are mid-January and the demarcation between this year and the last … Continue reading
[TW] Clock-watching: the countdown to the specialist
It seems that I’m a bit of an enigma to my current psychiatrist. I say current because his coming Monday I am seeing yet another doctor at the request of my current doctor. The pattern and intensity of my bipolar … Continue reading
Layer Cake: Misery, Meditation and the Panic Monster
[TW: some content inappropriate for those in a precarious state] I am in a state: I am in sea of agitation and panic. It is easy to see, but impossible to tame. I can’t make decisions. I can’t speak fluently. … Continue reading
Gulliver Unravelled 