Blogs
I had never heard of gambling addiction being a possible side effect of aripiprazole (Abilify) or any other drug. That's why I was shocked to read the headline, "Patients given aripiprazole 'should be told of gambling addiction risks'" in "The Guardian." I consider "The Guardian" to be a source of reliable and fact-checked information, so I looked into it further. It turns out that many people have now recognized that a possible side effect of aripiprazole is gambling addiction.
In spite of what the popular "treat yourself" culture would have you believe, when it comes to battling depressive swings, setting goals and striving towards them remains tried and true. When we're feeling blue, self-care and self-compassion are important, but face masks and chocolate will only get us so far. If you're stuck in a rut, it's possible that what you need isn't less responsibility but more.
On a daily (sometimes hourly) basis, the news seems to break with coverage of another preventable shooting in the United States; continuous devastation from the Turkish and Syrian earthquake; legislative restrictions on women, racial minorities, and LGBTQIA+ folks; extreme human rights violations all across the globe, from Ukraine to Iran; and environmental impacts harming the livable future of this planet. With so much suffering on a macro scale, it's often hard to remember why the healing work I do on a micro scale even matters. I view eating disorder (ED) recovery as superficial and inconsequential when the entire world feels heavy.
在我大学一年级时,我发现I was transgender nonbinary. I began experimenting with the way I presented my gender. For me, that meant being myself for the first time. And that was terrifying. The idea of having my internal sense of self in congruence with my external self felt like turning myself inside out.
Until recently, I thought conspiracy theories and delusions were the same. That made me wonder why people who believe in conspiracy theories don't receive a diagnosis of mental illness. After reading numerous articles on the differences between conspiracy theories and delusions, I now better understand the difference between the two.
I wasn’t surprised when I read a recent study that linked reading with a lower risk of depression. I’ve seen the mental health benefits of reading firsthand, and books are now one of the many tools I use to cope with depression. Reading boosts my self-esteem, distracts my thoughts, and reduces my stress—all contributing to alleviating my depression. Here, I’ll discuss why reading has been so therapeutic for me.
Here's a little-known secret about me: Ever since I was young, I have wanted to be famous. When I was a little girl, I first wanted to be a singer, then an actor, and finally, a writer. While singing and acting didn't pan out because I wasn't passionate about them, writing stuck with me. But I haven't yet achieved fame as a writer, and until recently, it made me feel bad about myself. Although I have made peace with this now, I see a lot of young people with a burning desire to be famous. And it hurts because I know this obsession can leave behind deep mental scars.
I talk to myself all the time. In fact, I don't think I know anyone who talks to themselves more than I do. It's an incessant, running commentary on my existence. It's like I have my own narrator — but not only are they saying what's happening, but they're commenting on it, too. The question is, if I talk to myself, is this a part of bipolar disorder?
Advocacy burnout is a real thing. I once thought of mental health advocacy as a vital component of my recovery process. Being able to speak about things I’d kept silent for so long—depression, anxiety, excoriation (skin-picking) disorder—was freeing. It allowed me to find communities of people who understood and empathized instead of downplaying and stigmatizing what I felt. I would never have imagined I’d get burnout from mental health advocacy, but, truthfully, that’s where I’m at.
With that said T his is literally the furthest thing from what medical professionals will advise. You are literally talking about coercing someone (who has their own entirely real sense of self, just as real and important as the host) into submission with emotional abuse… I’m sincerely horrified to read your comment and I genuinely hope your partner system is in therapy because you are probably actively retraumatizing them..
Like did you read the article? It’s fairly common knowledge in dissociative disorder circles, that persecutory alters are literally just doing their job, and the only genuine solution(that isn’t LITERALLY equivalent to abusing a thinking, feeling person into isolation) to persecutory behaviour is working with the alter to help them see the persecutory behaviour isn’t needed/helping to keep the system safe.
Seriously my intention isn’t to shame you, I just want to ask you to PLEASE do more research as what you are describing is literal abuse - even though you probably have really good intentions and I’m sure are struggling from the sounds of it!
I'm so sorry to hear that. That's tragic. I thank you for sharing that here, though, so other people can know to take this seriously.
I hope you and your son are now well.
-- Natasha Tracy
I know I need some intervention before it takes my life away..