Category: Involuntary Hospitalization

Choices, Choices

Oct 29, 2014

in Hearing Advocate, Human Rights, Involuntary Hospitalization, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, MHA, NAMI, Psychosocial Education, Public Speaking, Volunteering

Okay, so maybe this isn’t the proper forum to be weighing pros and cons of volunteer opportunities. So far I’ve shadowed two MHA (Mental Health Association of Orange County) Hearing Advocates to three different hospitals over two Fridays. Last Friday I was sick, and the Hearing Advocate I had hoped to shadow never called.…
More Hearing Advocacy Training

Oct 18, 2014

in Discrimination, Involuntary Hospitalization, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, MHA

Friday I shadowed another Mental Health Association (MHA) of Orange County Hearing Advocate at two different hospital psych wards, one in Orange and the other in Santa Ana. Neither hospital was as nice as the one in Laguna Beach; though, one was definitely nicer than the other. The patients, too, were quite different. Suffice it to…
Excited or Overstimulated?

Oct 14, 2014

in Bipolar Disorder, Hearing Advocate, Hypomania, Involuntary Hospitalization, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, MHA, Mood Cycling, Psychotherapy, Recovery, Triggers to Mood Cycling, Volunteering

Volunteer training shadowing a Hearing Advocate last Friday either excited or overstimulated me. There can be a fine line between the two. Since then I’ve had trouble slowing down and turning off, and found myself glued to laptop, tablet, or iPhone until past my bedtime. I’ve resorted to taking clonazepam to turn off my brain and fall asleep.…
So….who are you?

Oct 13, 2014

in Bipolar Disorder, Hearing Advocate, Involuntary Hospitalization, Medication, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy

As I begin my training as a Hearing Advocate for those involuntarily hospitalized, I found this post timely. Finding My Sunshine is a mother, wife and PhD student living with Bipolar disorder. In this post, she describes her experience with involuntary hospitalization and multiple ECT sessions administered while prescribed Lithium, resulting in severe memory loss.…

Category: Involuntary Hospitalization

Choices, Choices

More Hearing Advocacy Training

Excited or Overstimulated?

So….who are you?