Disability Archives » Page 2 of 4

Online High School

Aug 31, 2015

in Anxiety, Chronic Illness, Depression, Disability, Health, Migraine, Parenting

My son struggles with multiple health issues: migraines, cyclic vomiting, weak immune system, allergies, eczema, depression, and anxiety. The newly defined spectrum syndrome ALPIM (Anxiety-Laxity-Pain-Immune-Mood) describes his constellation of symptoms, but does not yet give us answers as to how to cure or treat the underlying genetic disorder. Monday, August 31st would have been my…

Thursday I Did A Lot

Jul 31, 2015

in Bipolar Disorder, Blogging, Disability, Health, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Illness, Mood Cycling, NAMI, Parenting, Triggers to Mood Cycling, Vocation, Volunteering, Writing

So Thursday I did a lot. Much more than I would usually do. Much more outside our home. Off the couch. In the community. Among colleagues and friends. What did I do, you wonder? Well, to start with I volunteered from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm at my local NAMI Orange County. I assisted their…

Opportunity Knocks?

Jul 24, 2015

in Bipolar Disorder, Disability, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Illness, NAMI, Parenting, Recovery, Vocation, Volunteering

Yesterday I was volunteering at my local mental health nonprofit, which shall remain unnamed for now (okay, it was NAMI Orange County). I learned that one of their staff members recently gave their resignation. When they do list the position to be filled, I very well may apply for it. No doubt many others will…

A Love Letter to Anyone and Everyone with a Mental Illness

Jul 18, 2015

in Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Disability, Mental Health, Mental Illness

Sam Dylan Finch’s love letter is beautiful, powerful, honest, and full of love, understanding and wisdom.

Too Tired to Write

Jun 22, 2015

in Disability, Discrimination, Health, Human Rights, Migraine, Motherhood, Parenting

Living with mental illness while parenting a child with chronic health issues is a balancing act. When my son was very young, I tried working as well, and ended up hospitalized. I could only juggle so many roles. Recently I’ve been exhausted. Too involved in attending to my son’s health and educational needs to have any…

Passed My SSDI Review (Whew!)

Mar 22, 2015

in Bipolar Disorder, Disability, Hypomania, Medication, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Mood Cycling, Psychosis

Spring triggers hypomania and agitation in me. As many of my readers already know, one spring over twenty years ago, tricyclic antidepressant misuse, seasonal affective disorder, and underlying undiagnosed bipolar disorder resulted in a week-long manic psychotic break. Today, I am inspired by bpnurse‘s post about her SSDI physical to update you on my recent SSDI (Social Security…

Bipolar Disorder and Seasonal Affective Disorder

Feb 16, 2015

in Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Cancer, Depression, Disability, Grief, Hypomania, Mania, Medication, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Triggers to Mood Cycling

Outside a cacophony of birds outside loudly pronounce that they have important work to do, nests to build, eggs to lay, offspring to bring into the world. Spring has sprung. The sun is bright. The season of rebirth is here. Hypomania is officially here, as well, folks. Yes, I have concurrent bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder.…

Inequalities and Mental Health: Blog Action Day

Oct 16, 2014

in Disability, Discrimination, Human Rights, Mental Health

Video about #MentalIllness and #Inequality reposted from the blog of Bipolar, Unemployed, and Lost (bipolarunemployedlost.com) for #BlogActionDay.

Full Circle

Oct 9, 2014

in Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Disability, Hearing Advocate, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, MHA, Volunteering

This morning I interviewed with Mental Heath Association of Orange County to be a volunteer Hearing Advocate representing clients placed on mental health holds (involuntary psychiatric hospitalization for 72-hours). HEARING ADVOCACY – Advocates fill a legally state mandated role to ensure that involuntarily detained persons in a psychiatric hospital have the opportunity to express their views…

As a Child

Aug 16, 2014

in Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Blogging, Disability, Poetry, Psychotherapy, Recovery, Vocation

As a child I wanted to be a doctor To cure people of disease As a teen I wanted to be a neurosurgeon To fix brains with a scalpel As a young woman I became a psychotherapist To fix troubled youth with broken lives With the exchange of spoken words I kept falling apart My…

Category: Disability