Natasha Tracy's Blog, page 8

What to Do If You Have an Ongoing Psychiatric Crisis + Planning Ahead

In an ongoing psychiatric crisis, you're in extreme distress, but your life is not on the line. It's not an acute psychiatric emergency. (For information on acute psychiatric emergencies, please see here.) While an acute psychiatric emergency almost always requires a stay in a treatment facility, an ongoing psychiatric crisis doesn't necessarily. The idea here is to get help as soon as possible to prevent the crisis from becoming an acute psychiatric emergency that does require hospitalization. You also want to think about planning ahead for psychiatric crises/emergencies.

What to Do If You Have a Psychiatric Emergency

It's important to know what to do in the case of a psychiatric emergency. Sure, you could float along with treatment righting every issue before things get really bad. You could catch everything early. You might have a proactive psychiatrist. Or, then again, this may not be your experience. I would argue that people with serious mental illnesses like bipolar disorder are just crises waiting to happen. That's not anyone's fault; it's just the nature of the disease. Thus, knowing what to do when a psychiatric emergency arises is critical. Here are some psychiatric emergency tips and things to think about.

Staying in Active Addiction Is a Choice Even If Addiction Isn’t a Choice

Staying in an active addiction is a choice. I know that's a controversial statement, but I believe it to be true. This is not to suggest that addiction itself is a choice -- it isn't -- addiction itself can be considered a mental illness, and an illness is never a choice. That said, when a person continues in their addiction, that is a choice. I wish people would acknowledge that. This becomes particularly salient for those with bipolar disorder as more than half of people with bipolar disorder abuse substances.

Because of Depression, I Get Nothing Done

I get nothing done because of depression. Or, I suppose, to put it more accurately, I get almost nothing done because of the symptoms of depression. I use to-do lists. I prioritize what needs to be done. I chunk things into small pieces. I use all the techniques you can think of to try to overcome this inability to actually get things done, and yet it doesn't seem to work. At the end of the day, there is always more to do than when I started. I don't even know how that is possible.

Don’t Kill Yourself — My Daily To-Do List

Do the laundry, wash the dishes, and don't kill yourself -- those are on my to-do list. That last one is on my daily to-do list. (Yes, I realize it's more like a to-don't item, but allow me some latitude, if you would.) Yes, I have to remind myself every day not to die. I put it on lists. I remind myself of it in blog posts, and I say the words to myself almost as a mantra — "no kill, no die." Let's talk about why I need to do that and how I can not kill myself every day in spite of the desire to do so.

Worst Advice for Bipolar I’ve Ever Received

I focus on good advice for bipolar disorder here, but whoah boy, have I also received some of the worst advice for bipolar disorder you can imagine. This advice has come from loved ones, natural medicine practitioners, and even a psychiatrist. However, just because the advice comes from someone you respect doesn't mean it's good advice. Here is some of the worst advice for bipolar I've ever received.

Why Do We Feel Menta Illness Self-Stigma? How Do We Fight It?

Mental illness self-stigma is essential to recognize. Stigma is a very popular word in mental health advocacy circles. People talk nonstop about the effects of stigma, stigma, stigma. However, self-stigma gets somewhat less press. I don't know if that's because it's people with mental illness talking to other people with mental illness about self-stigma (as opposed to advocates who may or may not have an illness) or because people just don't like to cop to perceived weakness, but self-stigma is real, harmful, and something we ought to be talking about.

New Treatments for Bipolar Depression—Options for Treatment Resistance

Recently, Psychiatric Times did a comprehensive piece on new or unusual bipolar depression treatments, treatments that may be an option for treatment-resistant bipolar depression. They are thinking outside the standard bipolar depression treatments. This is critical because many people just aren't being helped or aren't being helped enough by standard bipolar depression treatments. These novel bipolar depression treatments come in two flavors: medication-based and non-medication-based. If you're at a place in your bipolar depression treatment where you're not getting better, you may want to consider discussing these unique treatments with your psychiatrist.

I Never Stop Crying — Depression

I never stop crying. I can understand why you might think this isn't true. After all, my cheeks are dry right now. But, believe me, I never stop crying, whether it's external or suppressed enough to be internal. I have found depression can be like that. No matter what is happening — good or bad — the tears are always there. The depression is always there. It's bigger than me. it's stronger than me. And make no mistake; it is also trying to kill me. The omnipresent tears are merely a warning sign.

Compare Yourself to Others, and You Lose

Recently, I wrote on Instagram about how when you compare yourself to others, you lose. I quoted Theodore Roosevelt, who said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." I consider this to be true, but it doesn't mean I don't fall into the trap of comparing myself to others. Comparison is a natural human instinct, but that doesn't mean it's always helpful to us. So, let's talk about comparing ourselves to others, how that leads to unhappiness, and how we can stop doing it.