Mad in America

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

I felt like I had taken a magical pill to cure whatever might have been wrong with me… until I crashed, became paranoid and landed in the hospital. None of this sat well with me, but coming home from the hospital completely overly medicated and numb, I was in shock, disassociated, and unable to question the doctor’s theory.

Trauma and the brain 133

Trauma and the brain Sleep and mental health Genetics and mental health Aging and mental health 133

Mad in America

JUNE 6, 2024

Insel is a prime example of a top psychiatrist with exuberance about psychiatry regardless of his awareness of the reality of its repeated failures. “I Thomas Insel, quoted in 2017. “To To be clear, I have no regrets about NIMH funding for genomics and neuroscience.” One explanation is the culture of psychiatry.

Genetics and mental health 126

Genetics and mental health Self-awareness Aging and mental health Bipolar disorder 126

Mad in America

MARCH 30, 2024

But the combined intelligence and cognitive awareness of Matt and his mother’s tenacity for answers undoubtedly gave him a second chance on life. In October 2019, during Matt’s move to a new apartment, I observed that Matt was emotionally paralyzed, unable to pack from lack of sleep.

Sleep and mental health 111

Sleep and mental health Bipolar disorder Trauma and the brain Aging and mental health 111

Mad in America

JUNE 17, 2024

In the first few days of 2019, I was really struggling, so I went back to the VA for two psychiatric holds for observation. I was a shell of my former self, unable to think, staring off into space; all while trying my best to care for my family. I was allowed to return home after just three days in the hospital this time.

Trauma and the brain 115

Trauma and the brain Sleep and mental health Aging and mental health Self-awareness 115

Mad in America

NOVEMBER 9, 2023

#988 first appeared in a report to Congress in August 2019 wherein Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff proposed it as a nationwide, easy-to-remember calling code for people who were suicidal or otherwise in emotional distress. I decided to focus on self-injury this time. Right now self injuring is helping.”

Sleep and mental health 120

Sleep and mental health Self-awareness Resilience and coping Hospitality 120

The Art of Healing Trauma

NOVEMBER 17, 2019

This short story about a train trip shows how the many symptoms of PTSD combine to have a devastating impact to one’s Sense of Self. Losing a large percent of memory of one’s past is the equivalent of losing a large percent of one’s Sense of Self, identity, personality, etc. Childrens Hospital, the hardware store.

Trauma and the brain 52

Trauma and the brain Self-awareness Hospitality 52

Mad in America

AUGUST 5, 2024

We consider the consequences of diagnosis as a form of social identity; of neurodivergence as a form of disability; and of self-diagnosis. Some of them self-identify as disabled, a category which—like neurodivergence itself—is extremely heterogenous. The consequences of ‘diagnosis as identity.’ Both outcomes are problematic.

Trauma and the brain 141

Trauma and the brain Genetics and mental health Self-awareness Personality disorders 141