Each week we publish blog posts on a whole range of topics, relating in some way to mental health — written by Mind staff, service users and health and policy professionals. Some blog posts may not reflect official Mind policy.
We welcome comments and questions on our posts, but have a few ground rules to keep the site welcoming and interesting to every body. The first rule is the most important: be respectful of other commenters and bloggers.
Sarah opens up about her postnatal mental health problems and the distressing and confusing feelings she had for her infant daughter. She wants to tackle the taboo around such difficult feelings.
Whenever I read in the news about a mum who has killed her child, I can’t help but think “that could have been me.” When I think about my daughter and the last time we saw each other; smiling, laughing, playing, singing, hugging, I find myself asking if our secret past ever actually happened? Did I really try to smother her when she was a baby?
When Sandra was struggling with cancer and depression, it was her mental health problems that those around her found most difficult to deal with. Here, she blogs about the support she found through her local Mind and the difference it made to her life.
2 CommentsThree years ago, Amy's agoraphobia made it difficult to leave the house. Next month she'll be lining up in a crowd of thousands to run the London Marathon. Here, she blogs about how she found a way to manage her anxiety.
3 CommentsWe recently published our updated information on dissociative disorders. Inger from our Information team blogs about what dissociation is and some of the myths surrounding it.
Imagine driving to a place you have never been to. Then when you get there, you find that you have no idea why you went there or what you are supposed to be doing. This is what can happen to someone with severe dissociative disorder.
6 CommentsPaul describes the "whole weather system" of depression and asks whether there's an upside to his experiences.
16 CommentsIlona reviews The Happy Depressive: In Pursuit of Personal and Political Happiness, a new ebook examining the nature of happiness from a personal and political perspective, by Mind ambassador Alastair Campbell.
The same year that I was born, Alastair Campbell had a breakdown. We could well have been in hospital at the exact same time; me facing life for the first time, and him facing up to what his life had become. We both had a lot to learn.
2 CommentsMind member Selina writes about the ups and downs of life in 2011, and looks forward to 2012.
As 2011 drew to a close, I couldn't wait to get off the rollercoaster. It was one hell of a ride. I can't decide if it was the best or worst year of my life.
7 CommentsThe start of a new year is an excellent opportunity for personal growth, learning new things, and breaking bad habits, but it’s an equally good opportunity for self-sabotage.
7 CommentsThis a guest blog from Martin, who describes his experience of depression and how his dog Moose has helped him through.
I’m not sure if what I have experienced at my lowest points is clear-cut depression. More often it’s been a swirling mix of anxiety and obsessive thoughts (laced with OCD) and those violent negative thoughts that launch themselves at the jugular, ‘you’re a disaster, everything will go wrong, what’s the point anyway’.
9 CommentsThis is a guest post from Charlotte, who blogs on the stigma associated with obessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and to support OCD awareness week and World Mental Health Day.
You may not be aware that 10 to 16 October is OCD Awareness Week. We all know about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we’ve all seen the Facebook groups for people who are “so OCD” about a character from a film or whatever band is currently causing hysteria in the charts.
This is a guest video blog by Ed and Kate Rosie on how the creative arts have helped Kate Rosie cope with her depression.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAqUIaBhhiY
Ed says: I wanted to create a film that was both moving and uplifting, whilst also confronting a complex subject that has affected me personally.
2 CommentsThis is a guest blog from Douglas Cairns, AKA Sid Ozalid, who talks about the road from punk poet to corporate high-flyer, his new book and how he learned to balance his mental health with a high-pressure job.
I fitted in very well at school until I had to learn something. Although having a vivid imagination my dyslexia went unnoticed in the school system of the late 1960s and early 1970s, resulting in me spending my time at the bottom of the class. My teachers thought I was ‘slow’ and were happy as long as I did not chat in class. I chatted in class! They were not happy.
This is a guest blog by Stuart Semple, Mind Ambassador and creator of Mindful – an exhibition and festival celebrating mental health and creativity in aid of the Mind creative therapies fund.
I believe firmly in the difference creativity can make anyone who experiences mental heath problems, so I’ve started working with Mind to make that a reality. This week I’m curating an exhibition at the Old Vic Tunnels and rallied the support of some pretty big name artists. We’ll have a private view (thanks to my friends at the Aloysius Society) and I hope we’ll sell as much art as possible and raise funds for these hugely beneficial creative therapies.
Over the years my art has been there for me at my lowest points and provided me with a powerful place for catharsis.
4 CommentsSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been in the news more than normal this summer, possibly because "Summer, what summer?" remains a reasonable question. SAD is depression that gets worse around a particular season and it is usually, but not always, winter. People experiencing SAD can get any of the standard symptoms of depression but they will either only happen during one part of the year, or get significantly worse in one season.
5 CommentsWhen I was 14 my friends and I got caught stealing money from my school tuck shop. It had seemed a bit cheeky but the reality of what I had done floored me. I was absolutely devastated. My friends were upset for a while but then carried on, but I became extremely depressed. I started punishing myself, pulling out my hair and forcing myself to sleep on my cold bedroom floor. I became obsessed with what I had done, confessing to people, crying endlessly and going over it every day with my mother.
6 Comments