Yesterday I was reminded yet again how much pressure is put on people to expect to feel ‘up’ all the time and that, if they feel ‘down’ for some reason, there’s something wrong with them.
Someone I was talking to had had it suggested to them they see a doctor because they weren’t feeling too good. Of course a doctor would have probably prescribed anti-depressants to “even out’ their mood.
Sometimes I wonder if therapists, in general, have a bit of an image problem. So this month I decided to play the role of Agony Aunt.
It’s always something of a shock when well-known strangers like Charlotte Dawson kill themselves, although her death was back in 2014. I felt the same when Greg King suicided in November 2012.
They feel familiar and yet they’re not. You feel sad but there’s no relationship to mourn. Life goes on with nothing missing.
Perhaps there’s even a subconscious, yet obviously false, belief that someone so well-known would have something to live for. Everything even.
Our DPSN theme for August is ‘Connection’. Connection is a hugely important part of the human experience and this month we’ve asked our bloggers to reflect on how they connect to others, themselves or the world around them. We want to hear your thoughts on connection too, so let us know in the comments below, or jump over to our Facebook page to join the conversation.
As we continue to roll into 2017, we’ve decided to make March ‘change’ month on DPSN. We’ve asked our bloggers to let us know their thoughts on change – be it positive or negative experiences, how people cope with change in themselves or others, or how the world is changing around us. As always, we’re keen for you to be part of the conversation, so let us know your thoughts on change in the comments below, or jump over to our Facebook page to join the conversation.
The Language of Suffering was such an interesting blog post – I came across it before I started working for DPSN and I was working in the mental health sector. It stirred enough in me that I decided to comment (something I rarely do! ha!), and it’s still something I’m getting my head around – how do we talk about the hard stuff of mental illness, as well as balancing it with the positives that our unique brains bring us? What I took away from this post was that giving blanket rules about how to talk about Mental Illness isn’t helpful, because all our experiences, and ways of talking about it are – as always – diverse! – Sam
Hello and happy new year! DPSN is back online and we thought we’d kick off February with a few of our favourite blogs of all time. I start with a little blog I wrote back in June last year as part of our ‘common and unique month’. Why is it my favourite? I don’t write much about my personal experience of depression any more. As someone who now works in mental health, my focus is more often on therapy, recovery and the mental health industry as a whole. But in reality, going through my own struggle is at the heart of why I ended up working where I am. As we move into a new year it feels good remind myself why I do the work that I do; and how incredibly grateful I am to be able to do it.
