A safe place to talk openly about mental health & illness
I mentioned in a recent weekend wrap-up that this was coming, and now it's here. As of today, I’m officially no longer a nurse, which is a pretty massive identity milestone for me. This isn't an abrupt transition by any means. I've known this was coming for a while now, and I’ve already been through… Continue reading An Identity Milestone: No Longer a Nurse
I don't have the economics background to speak to the feasibility of universal basic income, so I won't try; however, I did want to explore the potential benefits for people with mental illness. What universal basic income is While various implementations have been proposed, at its core, universal basic income (UBI) has several basic characteristics.… Continue reading Universal Basic Income: Benefits for People with Mental Illness
The last time I worked a shift as a nurse was in November 2019. Since then, I've been unable to work because of my depression, and specifically because of psychomotor retardation. I didn't want to apply for disability until it got to the point that I was quite sure I wasn't going to be able… Continue reading Adventures Applying for Disability
not sp While doing some research for my upcoming book on stigma, I came across a 2004 discussion paper on Stigma and Work. It was written by Heather Stuart, a public health faculty member at Queen's University in Canada. It quickly became clear that the author's PhD in epidemiology didn't prevent her from having some… Continue reading Mental Illness Stigma Researchers Don’t Speak for Us
It's not uncommon to hear the term high-functioning getting tossed around to describe people's mental health conditions. But is it a term that's meaningful or useful? To clarify, I'm not referring to people describing their own level of functioning in a way that feels right for them. I'm all for people using whatever language they… Continue reading Is High-Functioning Useful to Describe Mental Illness?
In this series, I dig a little deeper into the meaning of psychology-related terms. This week's term is burnout. Definition Burnout was first described in the 1970s by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger. It's now included in the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon that can influence health, although it's not… Continue reading What Is… Burnout (Insights into Psychology)
Canadian Office of the Ombudsman for Mental Health Employers aren't supposed to discriminate against people with mental illness. In fact, it's often against the law. Yet employment discrimination happens and is a form of structural stigma, so what do we do about it when it does? Canadian human rights legislation In Canada, provincial human rights… Continue reading Mental Illness and Employment Discrimination
"So, what do you do for work?" That's a pretty standard, run of the mill question if you're meeting someone for the first time. It's also one of the reasons why I dislike being around people. In our society, adults are expected to work; if you don't, that's considered unusual unless you fall into a… Continue reading Mental Illness and Work vs. Disability
What were your ambitions for yourself when you were a kid? Ballerina? Astronaut? President of the whole world? When we get a little older, reality intrudes on some of the fantasies, and we make some adjustments. Then maybe we get on track and things are chugging along just fine, and suddenly reality comes knocking again.… Continue reading Adapting Ambitions to Life with Mental Illness
If you have a mental illness and have a paid job or volunteer gig, chances are that, at some point, you'll be faced with the question of whether to disclose your mental illness at work, and if so, how much to disclose. Yes, there may be laws in place to keep employers from discriminating against… Continue reading Disclosing Mental Illness at Work: The Good and Bad