MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health is one of the most pressing issues facing society. How pressing? One in four of us will face a mental health issue at some point. I'm one of that 25% - in my case the diagnosis was bipolar disorder. Here are some statistics about bipolar from the Mental Health Foundation.
Once my bipolar was under control, through medication, I found the condition to be far easier to mask than to be talked about. This situation was made particularly acute given the ongoing stigma attached to mental ill health. The climate has changed sufficiently in recent years for me to feel more comfortable about revealing the acute bipolar episodes I suffered when I was younger. In previous years this was a subject I chose to sweep under the carpet. With good reason.
One time I applied for a new life insurance policy. As soon as I said 'yes' to 'any history of mental illness' I was informed the premiums would automatically rise by 50%, no matter what the actual diagnosis, or how long ago. Keeping quiet about this type of medical history can invalidate any claim once the truth comes out.
I was also reluctant to share the news with anyone outwith my immediate family and friendship circle. Having been sectioned (twice), taken to a psychiatric hospital in an ambulance with a police escort, spending time in a closed ward, being heavily medicated, these all seemed to be subjects with connotations of padded cells, of patients pumped with anti-psychotic drugs, or staring through wild eyes, like Christopher Lloyd's character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
But communication is key to surmounting the stereotypes. Every time mental ill health is discussed with family or friends, with health professionals, or by referring to online helplines, social media, podcasts, YouTube, or the growing number of TV series or films revolving around a condition affecting 25% of us, the stigma loses some of its potency.
As someone who has been seriously ill but bounced back, and ridden out the stigma that was more prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s, I now feel compelled to write about my bipolar experiences. So here's a selection of articles and reviews on the subjects of mental health, bipolar disorder and recovering from their debilitating affects.
- Bipolar is the fourth most prevalent worldwide mental health issue, after depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.
- There were four million cases of mood disorders, including bipolar, in the UK in 2013.
- Bipolar disproportionately affects the younger generation. In 2014, 3.4% of 16-24 year olds screened positive, compared to 0.4% of 65-75 year olds.
Once my bipolar was under control, through medication, I found the condition to be far easier to mask than to be talked about. This situation was made particularly acute given the ongoing stigma attached to mental ill health. The climate has changed sufficiently in recent years for me to feel more comfortable about revealing the acute bipolar episodes I suffered when I was younger. In previous years this was a subject I chose to sweep under the carpet. With good reason.
One time I applied for a new life insurance policy. As soon as I said 'yes' to 'any history of mental illness' I was informed the premiums would automatically rise by 50%, no matter what the actual diagnosis, or how long ago. Keeping quiet about this type of medical history can invalidate any claim once the truth comes out.
I was also reluctant to share the news with anyone outwith my immediate family and friendship circle. Having been sectioned (twice), taken to a psychiatric hospital in an ambulance with a police escort, spending time in a closed ward, being heavily medicated, these all seemed to be subjects with connotations of padded cells, of patients pumped with anti-psychotic drugs, or staring through wild eyes, like Christopher Lloyd's character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
But communication is key to surmounting the stereotypes. Every time mental ill health is discussed with family or friends, with health professionals, or by referring to online helplines, social media, podcasts, YouTube, or the growing number of TV series or films revolving around a condition affecting 25% of us, the stigma loses some of its potency.
As someone who has been seriously ill but bounced back, and ridden out the stigma that was more prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s, I now feel compelled to write about my bipolar experiences. So here's a selection of articles and reviews on the subjects of mental health, bipolar disorder and recovering from their debilitating affects.
articles
Bipolar highs: what's so bad about feeling so good?
An articles about my experiences of the highs of bipolar disorder. It seemed like fun at the time. It was anything but.
... When you dip into whatever the priest is rambling about you hear 'I am the resurrection, and the light,' and assume he's referencing The Stone Roses. This makes you feel joyous. Overcome with emotion, tears slither down your cheeks. This entire sensory experience is so overwhelming you feel as if you truly are in the presence of God. This certainty lasts until the whitey starts kicking in ... Read on ->
An articles about my experiences of the highs of bipolar disorder. It seemed like fun at the time. It was anything but.
... When you dip into whatever the priest is rambling about you hear 'I am the resurrection, and the light,' and assume he's referencing The Stone Roses. This makes you feel joyous. Overcome with emotion, tears slither down your cheeks. This entire sensory experience is so overwhelming you feel as if you truly are in the presence of God. This certainty lasts until the whitey starts kicking in ... Read on ->
Music for recovery
An excerpt from my bipolar biography BrainBomb - cathartic affect of music when I was hospitalised with severe depression
... From House clubs in Detroit to villages in Polynesia to a communal room in the locked ward of an Edinburgh psychiatric hospital, the way music inspires you to express your enthusiasm with weird body movements is such a basic, wonderful human instinct ... Read on ->
An excerpt from my bipolar biography BrainBomb - cathartic affect of music when I was hospitalised with severe depression
... From House clubs in Detroit to villages in Polynesia to a communal room in the locked ward of an Edinburgh psychiatric hospital, the way music inspires you to express your enthusiasm with weird body movements is such a basic, wonderful human instinct ... Read on ->
Visit to Saughton Prison to discuss mental health
As part of National Libraries week I was invited to present a talk to prisoners and staff at HMP Saughton
... As when presenting a similar event at HMP Barlinnie last year, I was made to feel most welcome by staff and prisoners alike. My talk took place in the small prison chapel, where I read extracts from my biography, BrainBomb ... Read on ->
As part of National Libraries week I was invited to present a talk to prisoners and staff at HMP Saughton
... As when presenting a similar event at HMP Barlinnie last year, I was made to feel most welcome by staff and prisoners alike. My talk took place in the small prison chapel, where I read extracts from my biography, BrainBomb ... Read on ->
World Mental Health Day
To celebrate the positivity of mental health day, I published an excerpt from my biography BrainBomb
... I scuff sheepishly into my bedroom. Wrench open the wardrobe door. How can I contemplate setting foot outside? I can’t remember when I last ventured over the front doorstep. There are characters in post-apocalyptic novels crammed with humans mutated by nuclear fallout filled with less trepidation about facing the distorted world I know lurks out there ... Read on ->
To celebrate the positivity of mental health day, I published an excerpt from my biography BrainBomb
... I scuff sheepishly into my bedroom. Wrench open the wardrobe door. How can I contemplate setting foot outside? I can’t remember when I last ventured over the front doorstep. There are characters in post-apocalyptic novels crammed with humans mutated by nuclear fallout filled with less trepidation about facing the distorted world I know lurks out there ... Read on ->
BrainBomb: the facts and fiction
Article published in The Point, the magazine of the Scottish Association for Mental Health, about my bipolar biography
... BrainBomb describes me burning the candle at both ends. But the bipolar episode is seen in the overall context of my youth. There are other, equally traumatic, incidents. Child abuse. Violence at punk gigs. Experimentation with drugs. Binge drinking. Promiscuity. Rather than a completely linear diary, events reverberate, triggering flashbacks .... Read on ->
Article published in The Point, the magazine of the Scottish Association for Mental Health, about my bipolar biography
... BrainBomb describes me burning the candle at both ends. But the bipolar episode is seen in the overall context of my youth. There are other, equally traumatic, incidents. Child abuse. Violence at punk gigs. Experimentation with drugs. Binge drinking. Promiscuity. Rather than a completely linear diary, events reverberate, triggering flashbacks .... Read on ->
Creative writing and mental health
Article published in The Point about how creative writing helped my recovery from my bipolar episodes
... Popping ‘creative writing, mental health’ into your search engine reveals a thriving online community: NHS health support networks, writing workshops, blogs. Writing about these issues engages with diverse topics. Autobiography is undoubtedly the hardest, as it means sharing deeply traumatic events. But writing about them can become cathartic ... Read on ->
Article published in The Point about how creative writing helped my recovery from my bipolar episodes
... Popping ‘creative writing, mental health’ into your search engine reveals a thriving online community: NHS health support networks, writing workshops, blogs. Writing about these issues engages with diverse topics. Autobiography is undoubtedly the hardest, as it means sharing deeply traumatic events. But writing about them can become cathartic ... Read on ->
LINKS TO ONLINE ARTICLES
Article from Community Care, 27/11/2009: Debt and mental ill health
Article from Edinburgh Evening News, 17/10/2011: Mark Fleming: Losing social stigma is first step to good mental health
Article from Edinburgh Evening News, 17/10/2011: Mark Fleming: Losing social stigma is first step to good mental health
