Gum on My Shoe

By Julie A. Fast Depression has many modes. I divide it into a few categories: weepy, angry and catatonic. Knowing what kind of depression your friend experiences is a good place to start when it comes to offering help. Fran and Marty’s book High Tide, Low Tide covers this topic well. The following examples show what people go through during each of these three kinds of depression. If you are unsure what your friend experiences, I suggest you read this blog together when they are stable. Ask them, “Do you experience what is in this blog? I would like to know more how to help when this happens. We can talk about it now while you are feeling better and I will then know what to do when I see the depression show up!” I would LOVE a friend to do this for me, so please know that you are needed when we are depressed. Weepy Depression If I’m talking with you about things in a weepy, sad way and this is different from how I normally express myself there is a good chance the depressi...

We’ve all been there. Someone you follow on social media shares something that concerns or alarms you. You wonder if they’re safe. You want to respond. Reach out. Check everything’s OK. We’ve all been there because we all care. Ironically, that’s how Fran and I met. I say ironically because we never would have connected if I’d not got it so spectacularly wrong. I posted a ridiculously inept comment (“Flooding light and love into your world”) on the Facebook wall of someone who was in acute distress. Quite rightly, Fran — who I’d never met until that moment — called me out on it. I don’t believe my comment added to the young woman’s distress, but it might have done. At best it was naïve and unhelpful. What might I have done instead? I might have kept silent. I might have found better words. I might have messaged the woman privately, as Fran did, rather than post my words on her wall for all to see. Here are my top tips for responding responsibly on social media. If It’s Person...

Photo: Peter Fannen Aimee Wilson of I’m NOT Disordered and I recently attended Hidden Histories: Mining in the North East as official bloggers. Aimee has written about the day here . Our social media posts before, during, and after the event can be found on the #hiddenhistories hashtag on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram . Official photography by Peter Fannen ( PJFimages ) Shakespeare Hall, Durham The venue was Shakespeare Hall, home of the Durham Community Association which hosts a range of groups, classes, and clubs. The modest entrance on North Road belies the building’s impressive architecture and facilities . A Bit of Background Organised by Sophie Hopkins and Eliza Colin Hodges, Hidden Histories featured speakers from Beamish Museum, the Auckland Project, and GMB Trade Union. In Hidden Histories we aim to bring together different generations and different demographics of the North East to break down barriers of stigma that could be caused by a lack of unde...

By Mick Watson Martin Baker asked if I would like to share my impressions of the Hidden Histories: Mining in the North East event held in Durham on the 5th June, 2019. I enjoyed the day and was happy to oblige. I am 52. This disclosure regards my age may seem irrelevant. However, I feel it’s very relevant to understand my viewpoint regards the fascinating & well-organised Hidden Histories: Mining in the North East event by people considerably younger than I. I have to point out that by & large my age group were the last to experience working mines that were still producing coal. My children never saw a working pit. Surprised. With critical thinking at the foremost, my first unspoken surprised reaction to the title of the event is why do the young people feel that the North East’s history regarding mining is actually hidden? Do they mean hidden from them? Hidden from my age group & culture? Surely not hidden from my age group & culture? Surely not hidden from loc...

Anonymous I’ve always told myself that I would never submit anything anonymously. I guess the vain part of me wanted the glory. It wasn’t until I considered telling this part of my story that I felt I couldn’t truly be me. That’s not to say that I’m ashamed of what I’ve been through. I’m trying hard to work past that feeling, and this is step one. I didn’t think I would ever be sitting here sharing so much of myself with the outside world. I kept my mouth shut to protect other people, mostly my parents. I wouldn’t have been able to tell them. It would have caused more grief than I could ever stand to put them through. My mom and dad are gone now, and it’s time to stop worrying that I will disappoint them. The other people involved are still alive, and I don’t care about protecting them. I’m doing this anonymously now to protect myself. Something I wish I could have done before now. It’s all still incredibly painful, even all these years later. The nightmares and the PTSD are ...

Check out our top posts for the past month. Posts are listed by number of page views they attracted during the month, most popular first. Complex Simplicity: The Art of Being Honest Impostor Syndrome, Self-Doubt, and Legitimacy in the Mental Health Arena Our Top Posts of the Month (December 2018) My Mental Health 2018: Aligning It All Bloggers About Town: A Day out with Aimee Wilson Mona Lisa and Me: My Journey with Body Image Our Top Posts of the Month (April 2019) In Bloom Not Broken Here’s my bit: #‎mentalhealthmonth 2016 Breakdown: A Clinician's Experience in a Broken System of Emergency Psychiatry Our most visited pages were: Contact Us Resources Testimonials Our books About Us News and Appearances  

I was recently gifted a copy of Diana Fox’s 365 Blog Topic Ideas: For The Lifestyle Blogger Who Has Nothing to Write About by fellow blogger Aimee Wilson. As I looked through the suggested topics one leapt out at me. I couldn’t believe I’d not thought of it before. Talk about your mentors and people you look up to in your niche Choosing who to include wasn’t easy, but one way or another each of the six people I’ve selected is making a difference by actively combating stigma and discrimination, by sharing personal stories, or by supporting people with lived experience, their friends and loved ones. They are presented in the order we first connected. Fran Houston | Darren Hodge | Julie A. Fast | Sarah Fader | Steve O'Driscoll | Aimee Wilson   Fran Houston What is your connection with Fran? Fran is my best friend and co-author of two books: High Tide, Low Tide: The Caring Friend’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder and No One is Too Far Away: Notes from a Transatla...