Building mental wellness on a foundation of strength
I mentioned in a recent weekend wrap-up that this was coming, and now it's here. As of today, I’m officially not a nurse any more. 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 a shuffling of role identities. My nurse identity… 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, after a conversation on the topic with Shira of ShiraDest, I wanted to explore the potential benefits for people with mental illness. What universal basic income is While various implementations have been proposed, at its… 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
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 strange attitudes… Continue reading Attitudes About Mental Illness That Make You Go Hmm…
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
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, so what do we do about it when it does? Canadian human rights legislation In Canada, provincial human rights legislation requires equal rights and opportunities for… Continue reading Mental Illness and Employment Discrimination
This post is by Christopher G. Bremicker from livingwellwhilementallyill.com Lauren Manning on Flickr Mental Illness and Work “Work is your salvation,” my first psychiatrist told me early in my treatment for schizophrenia. I took his advice. I have had a job every day of the fifty years I have been sick. I enjoy good mental… Continue reading Emerging Blogger Series: Christopher
Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay I've moaned about this before, but it feels like it's time for some more moaning. Sometimes I feel like my mental health nursing career has been flushed down the toilet. Despite having 15 years of experience, a master's degree, and a ton of continuing education, I feel like my career is done, for… Continue reading Flush… Is That My Career Going Down the Toilet?
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay To set this up, I'll give you a bit of background. A) One of my jobs (although technically it's contract work rather than a job) is as an injection nurse. I administer certain kinds of recurring injection medications to patients, and I teach patients how to self-inject various biologic medications. B) I… Continue reading A Work/Mental Illness Conundrum
