Author: Kitt O’Malley
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Why I Keep Away from Madness, Dyane Leshin-Harwod #MarchMadness
I love this post written by my dear friend Dyane Leshin-Harwood of Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder for STIGMAMA.com. She eloquently and powerfully explains how she takes care of herself, how she pays attention to what feeds and nurtures her, and how she protects herself. She is my role model in self-care, in setting limits, in being…
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World Bipolar Day – March 30 – Happy Birthday, Van Gogh!
World Bipolar Day (WBD) will be celebrated each year on March 30th, the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh, who was posthumously diagnosed as probably having bipolar disorder. [I’m not so sure you can accurately diagnose a dead guy. But, hey, I love Van Gogh’s work, so I’ll gladly take him as a member of our…
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Postpartum Bipolar Disorder Research Study
My friend & colleague, Dr. Walker Karraa, is studying the stigma surrounding postpartum bipolar disorder. If you fit her research criteria and are interested in participating, please do so. Her book Transformed by Postpartum Depression: Women’s Stories of Trauma and Growth is groundbreaking and a powerful, moving read. Research Study: The Stigma of Mental Illness for Mothers Diagnosed with Bipolar…
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Stuck to the Couch
Another brief update as I’m taking it easy, trying to get myself over yet another bout of gastroenteritis. (I do not suffer nearly as much as my son does, but it has me struck me down, glued to the couch, not wanting to stand or make any sudden movements.) Anyway… This upcoming weekend I am training with…
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New Mental Health Information Page
Just added a new page to my site, entitled Mental Health Information, which lists links to NAMI & NIMH pages concerning major mental health conditions. So, now you can easily find information on all the major mental health conditions, not just bipolar disorder, but I will continue to blog primarily about my own experience living…
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Resilience
RESILIENCE: THE SCIENCE OF MASTERING LIFE’S GREATEST CHALLENGES by Dennis S. Charney, MD – Dean Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai RESILIENCE PRESCRIPTION Positive Attitude Optimism is strongly related to resilience Optimism is, in part, genetic but can be learned (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) Neurobiological Mechanisms: Reward circuits, converse of learned helplessness Cognitive Flexibility through Cognitive…
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I’m Sick & Had to Cancel
I am SO disappointed. Woke up this morning with gastroenteritis. Not able to go on my trip to the San Franciscod Bay Area. Not able to be interviewed for Rebecca Gitenstein’s study on mothers with bipolar disorder. Not able to meet up with my old friends from high school. Not able to meet my friend and…
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Bay Area Here I Come!
This weekend I’m going up to the San Francisco Bay Area so that Rebecca Gitenstein can interview me at The Wright Institute for her doctoral study on mothers with bipolar disorder. What do you know – I’m a mother and I have bipolar disorder. PLUS – The Wright Institute is in Berkeley. Seeing Rebecca in person gives me…
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Thank You, Sandy Sue
Thank you, Sandy Sue of A Mind Divided, for this AWESOME card. I love it. Check out her work at SandySueAltered Etsy Shop. She creates “collage and mixed-media greeting cards for the odd and slightly bent.”