K is for Kay

bipolar is Kay–

battles her demons becomes

psychologist, yeah

——–

Source of book cover: http://www.womensbookshop.co.nz

——–

“But, with time, one has encountered many of the monsters, and one is increasingly less terrified of those still to be met.”

― Kay Redfield Jamison, from An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

——–

“Kay Redfield Jamison (born June 22, 1946) is an American clinical psychologist and writer whose work has centered on bipolar disorder which she has suffered from since her early adulthood. She is Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is an Honorary Professor of English at the University of St Andrews.”

-Wikipedia – Click here for more.

——–

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

——–

Related articles

• G is for Grief
• F is for Freud
• E is for Emotions
• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

J is for James

first psychology
professor in USA –
he was M.D., too

——–

——–

In 1875, William James taught the first college psychology course in the United States at Harvard University.  He was a psychologist, philosopher, and medical doctor.

(Source: Wikipedia)

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

——–

Related articles

• G is for Grief
• F is for Freud
• E is for Emotions
• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

I is for Intelligence

elusive creature
often not seen heard or felt
though present somewhere…

——–

There are several theories regarding the nature of intelligence. What is it? What does it look like? Psychology does not have any clear-cut answers yet. What is clear is that there are two sides to the scientific debate on how to approach intelligence. One side says there is one general intelligence, or g factor, that can predict a person’s intelligence. This side plays a part in IQ tests. And there’s another side saying that there are multiple intelligences that can stand on there own; and a person can be better at one intelligence than the others.

Below is an example of general intelligence and multiple intelligence. By no means are these the only two intelligence theories. There are more. But to give a general idea of how complex and tricky intelligence can be, I give these two examples. By the way, the complexities of environment, personality, development, mental illness, and/or mental or physical state can also play a part in how intelligent a person may seem at a glance or test on a standardized intelligence test. Where I work, psychologist must administer an IQ test and adaptive behavior test to determine if a client has an intellectual disability. The adaptive behavior test is a standardized test that measures a person’s daily living, communication, and socialization skills.

I guess anyway you put it, intelligence is elusive in some way. Charles Spearman, the psychologist who proposed the g factor, wrote in one of his books that everyone is “a genius at something, as well as an idiot at something.” He explained that this “something” could not be determined appropriately with the tools of research during his time, early 1900′s.

——–

Example of general intelligence.

——–

Example of multiple intelligences.
Source: Wikibooks

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

Related articles

• G is for Grief
• F is for Freud
• E is for Emotions
• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

H is for Hallucinations

sights sounds unreal
seem real — a sensory
confusion beheld

——–

Although there is no external source, hallucinations are very much real to the person experiencing them. The source is usually an imbalance or damage in the person’s own brain chemistry and/or brain structure. There are various causes of hallucinations. These include mental illness, sleep deprivation, ingested substances, and other conditions. By the way, if you or someone you know do have hallucinations consult with a doctor to find out what’s going on. No need to be ashamed, like other symptoms of illness and disorder in our bodies (diabetes, colds, flu, etc.) they can either be treated or managed. Often proper management and treatment takes time to discover. And the sooner you get help the better. I should know, my husband has received the help he needs (see my other post — B is for Bipolar).

Below is a very facinating video on a particular kind of hallucination that can occur in persons that are blind or partially blind. It’s about 18 minutes long. The speaker is Dr. Oliver Saks, the writer of Awakenings. Awakenings is his memoir relating his experience with catatonic Parkinson’s patients at a New York hospital. The book was turned into a movie starring Robin Williams as Dr. Saks. He is a neurologist and has written books on unusual and fascinating cases he has encountered. If you have the time and are curious about hallucinations check it out or save it to watch later.

——–
“A hallucination is a perception in the absence of a stimulus which has qualities of real perception.”
-Wikipedia
——–

——–

“A hallucination is a fact, not an error; what is erroneous is a judgment based upon it.”
-Bertrand Russell

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

Related articles

• G is for Grief
• F is for Freud
• E is for Emotions
• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

G is for Grief

a twisting pain fights
time; slowing it’s march forward–
seed in the winter

——–

——–

“Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed.” -Wikipedia

Grief is not the same for everyone. We all experience and express our grief and heal in different ways and at different speeds. Some theories of how most people deal with grief have been proposed, but no one way is right and to force one person to heal a certain way can be harmful. What does appear to be certain is that grief is a normal part of being human.

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

Related articles

• E is for Emotions
• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

F is for Freud

bearded listener
contemplating someone’s speech
of past pains today

——–

Source: Time.com

——–

Monday, May 6, is Sigmund Freud’s birthday. He lived from 1856 to 1939. He is the creator of psychoanalysis and developed other techniques used today for counseling and psychotherapy.

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

Related articles

• E is for Emotions
• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

E is for Emotions

dichotomous treats

sometimes bitter sometimes sweet

all pieces of life…

——–

Source: CopyPress

——–

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

Related articles

• D is for Depression
• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

D is for Depression

Mental Health Month, the month of May, has inspired me to finish a challenge I started several months ago. That challenge is my Psychology A to Z. I’m planning to finish this challenge over the next couple of months, if not sooner. I’m starting where I left off, “D”. And I’m starting with haiku for the first few letters. I may continue with haiku, or I may change it up. I’m not sure yet, but I plan to finish. Here I go.

——–

a heavy dense stone –

unmoving pain multiplied

by sad ignorance…

——–

 

Inspired by

Source:Mental Health America

Related articles

• C is for CBT
• B is for Bipolar
• A is for Anxiety

Dragging Self Through Depression

Slowly, the snail moves.
Slowly, I move with the gloom.
Progress, nonetheless.

My last post was on the theme of “happy” for the WordPress weekly photo challenge. It is true that my family does bring me happiness and even when I’m depressed a smile comes out when I’m with them. I’ve been depressed the past couple of days. I even missed work yesterday because of it. The haiku I wrote above is a short summary of what I have felt the past two days. I was way too slow physically and mentally to accomplish my job. It use to be that when I felt this slow I would completely resign myself to sleep and just resting. I guess I have progressed in that area. I still do get some rest, but I have developed the philosophy of snails and tortoises. Although slow in comparison to all the other creatures, they continue to move. Realizing that I may need to sleep and rest a little more, but not so much more that my whole life comes to a stand still, I have learned to drag myself through the depression slowly and steadily with alternating rest and action. I realize that there’s no use in beating myself up about being slow and depressed. For me it’s sort of like having a cold in my brain. How it got there, I’m not sure, but right now I need rest and will be slow for a while. Even on my medication, this gloom happens to me every couple of months then vanishes. Eventually, I feel like myself again, but till then I rest a little, move a little, rest, move a little more, rest, and so on. I may not be all there, but I can get a little done. And that’s progress for me when progress feels almost impossible.

The speed I go when I’m depressed. I found the cute cartoon above on Google.

My Hubby & Bipolar

This is my six word entry #19 for Six Word Saturday:

Is bipolar taking my husband’s joy?

Source: dinamariegardner.blogspot.com via Claudia on Pinterest

 

I’ve been feeling very sad and disappointed with my husband lately. It doesn’t seem like he has any ambition or desire to do anything except work, watch TV, surf the net on his iPhone, eat, and over sleep. He seems like he hasn’t touched me, karate, or his musical instruments in months. I guess it has been much more than 6 months, since he really showed any ambition to change jobs, help around the house, go to school, teach guitar, or practice or go to karate class. He says there’s nothing wrong and he just feels tired and just wants to rest. We went to our regular psychiatrist visit a couple of months back, and he said everything was fine to the psychiatrist. I was tempted to say more, but decided to let some time past to see what would happen. Still little change. At one time he told me he was hesitant to practice karate because it got him worked up. (If you don’t know a little of my husband’s history, he has Bipolar I Disorder. And often I don’t talk much about it because he’s been stable without problems until now.) He was afraid the mania would take hold of him. I now wonder if that is why he has avoided the other areas also. Haven’t seen any significant mania symptoms for months. It feels more like a depressive phase. He doesn’t want to read or have any hobbies. I want him to be happy, but I don’t understand exactly whats going on or how to help without upsetting him. He doesn’t spend much time with our son either. That also saddens me. He says our son doesn’t show interest in him, but my husband doesn’t even seem to try much to be interesting. We still go out to eat the three of us and watch movies, but not much else other than go to school and work. I wonder what kind of example this is for my son. I really do need to finish school, so I can dedicate more of my time to my family. My son is doing well in school and he enjoys karate, gaming, reading, computers, and playing his clarinet. I believe he will be fine, he is a smart kid. I’m worried about my husband. He’s turning out like his father. Work and TV and that’s it. I don’t want him to do that because he is scared of the bipolar or for any reason. I’m not sure what to do. I just had to vent and type this short post to express myself and keep myself from getting depressed at my husband’s situation. I’m at work now, but I am having difficulty concentrating thinking about my husband. Feeling like crying because I love him and want to help, but don’t know how. Like always, I believe, my family and I will find a way to resolve this problem in a postive way, but right now (despite my own sucesses at work, school, and motherhood) I’m feeling kind of miserable.

What the Six Word Saturday Challange is about as described by Call Me Cate:

Want to play along? All that’s necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. I love seeing what everyone does with their entries.

Click on the “Six Word Saturday” badge for more Six Word Saturday entries and details for today.

The Unknown

I heard this song for the first time on the movie “Soul Surfer”. It really made me think about my struggles with anxiety. The fear of uncertainty and the unknown play a big part in the anxiety I have felt so many times in my life. Today, I still continue to feel it. But it stings less than it use to. It may sting more when I’m tired, upset, depressed, or stressed, but it doesn’t overtake me and rule my decisions as badly as it used to. I’m learning to push myself into the feared situations. Pushing myself, and practicing relaxation techniques, has helped me gain confidence, so my spirit, mind, and body can adjust to the tension some situations may bring. I guess I’m learning to “smile at the unknown”. Pay attention to the lyrics. I’ve also included the lyrics under the video. The surfing photography on this video is amazing. I’d like to know how it’s done.

“The Unknown” Performed by Athlete. Written by Carey Suthon Willetts;Stephen Alexander Roberts;Joel Laslett Pott;Timothy John Wanstall. Video by kimmyyloo.

Let your world be wide open
And your fears be blown apart
May your voice be louder than bombs
Somewhere in silence find one to trust

Lift your head up, untie the knot
My little sunshine hope is never light years away

Let your senses be ignited
By streams of neon singing in the dark
Connected to the planet
A million neighbors, a sea of stars

Lift your head up, untie the knot
My little sunshine hope is never light years away

Leaders, lovers come and go
Outside forces you can’t control
I see you smiling at the unknown
I see you smiling at the unknown

Lift your head up, untie the knot
My little sunshine hope is never light years away

Lift your head up, untie the knot
My little sunshine hope is never light years away
Hope is never light years away
Hope is never light years away

Ups and Downs

The following YouTube video is for a song called “Jump Rope” by Blue October. The lead singer of this band, Justin Furstenfeld, is originally from Houston, Texas. And much like my husband, he has struggled with bipolar disorder. Several of his songs reflect his experience with the disorder. The song speaks for itself. There’s a really cute part where a you can hear a choir of children singing along with the band. The video is also very sweet. Enjoy!

Lyrics:

Remember how you used to say
“you couldn’t wait till tomorrow for a brand new day”
No fuss when ya had to ride the bus
You could add a little blush
Just to paralyze your school crush

Now your older and the weight upon your shoulder
Makes the world a little colder
No more hidin in the old days
Be strong
Don’t give up hope
It will get hard
Cause life’s like a jump rope

Up down when it gets hard remember life’s like a jump rope

There’ll be a bump there will be a bruise
There’ll be alarms and there will be a snooze
There’ll be a path that you will get to choose
There’ll be a win and there will be a lose

You have to hold your head up high and
Watch all the negative go by
Don’t you ever be ashamed to cry
You go ahead
Cuz life’s like a jump rope

I want to tell you that everything will be okay
That everything will eventually turn itself to gold
Keep pushin through it all
Don’t follow, lead the way
Don’t lose yourself or your hope

Remember life’s like a jump rope

Related Posts:

B is for Bipolar

Anxiety Tip #7 : Stress