It’s that time of the year again – the fall. For many it is the time to celebrate all kinds of pumpkin goodness. However, for the thousands of people with Seasonal Affective Disorder, it is also a very challenging time. I am one of those people.
Tag: suicide
Supernatural, Harry Potter, & depression
This year at the San Diego Comic Con I was extremely honored to be able to interview the cast of Supernatural, among them Jared Padalecki, one of the leading actors on that television series. Padalecki recently opened up about his struggles with depression and started the Always Keep Fighting Campaign, intended to spread awareness.
When a family member is suicidal – it can happen to anyone… it happened to me
When I woke up on Friday something felt wrong. It felt as if someone punched me in the gut repeatedly. Despair. Pushing away these emotions without taking the time to figure out why I was feeling them nor taking the time to provide myself with the compassion and comfort that I needed, I headed to Camp Pendleton, where I focused on my clients with PTSD.
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Psychology of The Hunger Games
“My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.”
Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, who volunteers to take her sister’s place in the monstrous Hunger Games, is a hero and a legend. After going through some of the most horrific events imaginable, Katniss attempts to end her own life. What caused her to try to commit suicide? Does Katniss suffer from a mental health disorder? What stops her from dying and what gives her a reason to live?
Walking Dead Psychology
The Walking Dead series tell a story about survival in a post-apocalyptic world after the spread of a deadly virus that turns the dead into flesh-eating zombies (or walkers). The TV series and comic books center around Rick Grimes, the main protagonist of the series, as well as other members of his group.
Next to Normal: a beautiful play about mental illness
For the longest time mental illness was considered a taboo, in many cultures it is something that is not discussed or accepted, leaving the people that are most in need of support and compassion to be alone and ashamed of their condition. Traditionally the media, including news, films, plays, and books have portrayed people with mental illness as villains, adding to the already existing stigma. And at a time when we are just starting to understand where some mental disorders come from and how we might be able to treat or attenuate them, a production like “Next to Normal” serves as a wonderful tool for giving us the insight into one of the most misunderstood diagnoses – Bipolar Disorder.
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
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Aura – the superhero with mental illness and migraines
In the past mental illness was largely misrepresented in the media, especially in the movies and comic book industry, where the villains were usually ones with mental illness. We know that someone with a history of mental (or physical illness) can be a superhero too and I’m glad that more films, TV shows, and comic books are now starting to demonstrate this point. In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark appears to have symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and while he is struggling, he is able to do what’s necessary to protect others. Similarly, in Gail Simone’s version of Batgirl, Barbara Gordon struggles with PTSD and her paraplegia due to the fact that Joker brutally shot her in The Killing Joke. And now there is a new hero with mental illness, Aura.
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Self-compassion for the modern geek
I believe that most of us are compassionate individuals, that is when we see other people or other animals suffering, most of us genuinely want to be a Superhero and to help. However, what happens when we are too emotionally overwhelmed to help someone else? This blog post and video discuss how we can practice self-care so that we are able to reduce burnout and are better able to take care of ourselves and others. Continue reading Self-compassion for the modern geek
Remembering Robin Williams
It is with a heavy heart that I write this post as the world mourns the death of a brilliant artist, Robin Williams. Williams made many of us laugh at times when it was impossible to laugh, and got many of us through some very dark times with his silliness and humor.
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What to do if someone you know is thinking about suicide
I often get asked about what a friend or family member can do if a loved one communicated that he or she is thinking about suicide. This issue is not addressed nearly as often as it should be, hence I wanted to provide some information for those who might notice signs of suicidal behavior in others and are unsure of what to do about it.
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