What exactly are emotions? Well, there’s no easy answer to that; it depends on who you ask and what their theoretical perspective is. But regardless of how we define them, how do we describe them? That can be easier said than done. There’s even a psychiatric term, alexithymia, for difficulty identifying and articulating emotions. Several […]
Identifying Emotions Read More »
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s term is vulnerability. The word vulnerable is derived from the Latin word vulnerare, which means to be wounded. There are different ways in which we may be vulnerable, including socially and cognitively. In a diathesis-stress model, vulnerability refers to biological and
What Is… Vulnerability Read More »
I Am the Architect of My Own Destruction is Juansen Dizon’s second book of poetry. The book opens with a letter to the reader, which begins “It’s hard to write when you want to kill yourself. It’s harder when you don’t really know the reason as to why.” Throughout the book I felt like I as
Book Review: I Am the Architect of My Own Destruction Read More »
At first glance, the idea of the law of attraction is very appealing; you get back from the universe whatever you put out into it, because like energy attracts like energy. According to the film The Secret, it’s not only thinking about what you want to get back; you need to really pour some emotion
Is the Law of Attraction Real? Read More »
I have never had a problem with medications in general, and in my work as a nurse, I’ve seen how much good they can do. Despite that, I’ve gone off the meds I take for depression a few times, and that’s what this post is about. My first episode of depression was in 2007. I
My Experiences of (Temporarily) Going Off Psychiatric Medications Read More »
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychological terms. This week’s term is invalidation. Validation conveys acceptance, along with a recognition that someone’s thoughts, feelings, or reactions are understandable. It also serves to communicate that the relationship is important. It doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing or approving, something I think is a
What Is… Invalidation Read More »
While some sources of trauma are time-limited, others occur repeatedly over prolonged periods of time. The term complex PTSD is used to capture the profound psychological harm these people exposed to the latter have experienced, including changes in self-concept, problems with emotional regulation, distorted perceptions of the perpetrator, and impaired relationships with others. Diagnostic systems
Why Isn’t Complex PTSD in the DSM–5? Read More »
Content warning: This post talks openly about suicide and suicide attempts, in the context of exploring my own thoughts about suicide. It’s National Suicide Prevention Week, so it seems like an appropriate time to talk about suicide in all its ugliness. I have attempted suicide multiple times; most were associated with my first episode of
Up Close & Personal Thoughts About Suicide Read More »
Sleep—it’s so important to have, yet sometimes so hard to get. Mental illness can make getting a good night’s sleep particularly difficult. Whether it’s depression, where you’re exhausted but can’t sleep, or mania, where you have too much energy to feel the need for sleep, insomnia is something that spans across diagnoses. A key non-medication
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) Read More »
Wouldn’t it be nice if the treatment of depression was simple? Unfortunately, there’s nothing simple about depression treatment in the real world. Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) refers to depression that hasn’t responded to trials of adequate duration and dosage of at least two antidepressants. When determining whether the illness is treatment-resistant, it’s important to consider whether
Options for Managing Treatment-Resistant Depression Read More »
