Gum on My Shoe

Film review by Aimee Wilson “Have you ever been trapped? Lost in your own body? Lost in your own mind? Lost in time? So desperate to escape. To just… get out.” — Susannah Cahalan Firstly, thank you to Marty and Fran for asking me to write this piece on the brand-new Netflix movie Brain on Fire starring the incredible Chloe Grace Mortez. Secondly, apologies in advance — I haven’t written many film reviews, so this may not turn out how you’d assume. I first saw the film in the ‘spotlight on’ section of the Netflix homepage and after I recognised Chloe Grace Mortez from the Kickass films and on seeing that mental health comes into it, I was determined to watch it. So, when one of my best-friends came over and said she hadn’t seen it; we knew what we’d be doing for the next hour and a half! I guess that besides typing up the Netflix description of the film, the best way to explain it is by telling you my answer to those who have asked me ‘what’s it about?’ I say that it’s based ...

An open letter to a friend by Julie A. Fast Dear Friend, It really upsets me that I have to say no all of the time. I see that you are going to the coast and staying in a cabin while having a barbecue. That really sounds fun. A few of you went to New York last week for a vacation. That sounds amazing. Another friend often has a TV night with her friends and sleeps on the couch if she has too much wine. That sounds like fun! Some of my friends work a seventy hour week and it sounds exciting. Others go to sporting events and sit way up in the stands and tell me it was amazing! I want you to know how much I appreciate it that you ask me to do these things and then explain why I can’t join you. It’s the bipolar. I don’t ever use bipolar as an excuse for bad behavior. That is why we are such good friends. You trust me and I trust you. But I know that my inability to be as social as you might like can cause us some problems. If there is a party, I might say no or I might have to l...

Monday July 9, 2018 Dear Fran It is 7:10 p.m. here in the UK. 2:10 p.m. with you in Maine. This hour is our hour. Usually we would be on Skype, catching up on our news and our plans. Just hanging out together, as friends do the world over no matter where they live or how far apart in miles those places might be. This isn’t a normal week, though, is it? I am on vacation here at Ambleside in the English Lake District. Travel – on either my part or yours – inevitably means some disruption to our routine. One Skype call per day instead of two, for example. Or shorter calls. Occasionally none. That used to hurt. These days not. Or not so much. We have learned to trust. We are doing okay so far this week! We had video calls on Saturday and Sunday evenings, down by the jetty opposite the fish and chip shop. It is always fun to be on with you when I am “out and about,” able to not merely tell you what’s going on for me but show you. The lake here at Ambleside (technically, where we...

By Peter McDonnell I’m going to dive right in and begin. I hope people with similar problems with psychosis and anxiety can relate. Since writing a memoir of my experiences with psychosis, anxiety and recovery I have found that I can talk much more easily about my mental health issues. Before I began my memoir in 2015 I had no interest in sharing how I was feeling about my illness with my supportive team (my parents who are both qualified psychiatric nurses, my various psychiatrists, my care coordinators etc.), friends, family and work colleagues. Now, just try and shut me up! I often have to remind myself in general conversations that though my mental health and recovery fascinates me, other people are usually not as interested in my experiences as I am (but sometimes they are!). I had my annual appointment with my psychiatrist two weeks ago. She asked how I was, and so I began. I am doing really well. I’ve been a bit blocked up with constipation – I understand that my medicat...

Check out our top posts for the past month. Posts are listed by number of page views, most popular first. Frustration and Codependency: Getting It Wrong Is Okay Effective Strategies to Manage Paranoia in Bipolar Disorder and Schizoaffective Disorder An Open Letter to My Bipolar Best Friend Looking Back on a Productive and Positive Week Being Jimmy Perez: Shetland and the Art of Listening Get It Right When Asking for Help with Bipolar Disorder Seven Things I'd Quite Like to Do in 2018: A Midyear Update Exploring Bipolar Disorder and the Sister Diagnosis of Schizoaffective Disorder. Is My Friend or Sibling Underdiagnosed? Our Top Posts of the Month (May 2018) Seven Things I'd Quite Like to Do in 2018 Our most visited pages were: Resources Contact Us About Us Our book: High Tide Low Tide News and Appearances Testimonials