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Voluntary Commitment: Helping Yourself Cope With Mental Illness
Diagnosis and Hospitalization goes over the difficulty--given the subjective nature of interpretation--of arriving at the correct diagnosis. The author also describes her first experience in a locked psych ward and what types of inpatient treatment and are available.
Being an Active Participant in Your Treatment means selectively choosing a doctor and therapist. There are different sources of outpatient treatment, such as community mental health clinics and medical schools; different types of therapy--such as cognitive behavioral therapy--and how finding the correct fit is important.
Over the years, in the course of getting diagnosed and seeing different psychiatrists, Atkins has been on many different many different medications, from antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, antipsychotics like Serzone and Abilify, anti-anxiety medications like Klonopin and Buspar and mood stabilizers, such as Lamictal and Neurontin.
Affordable Care describes the ways you can--even if you are without insurance or a job--find help paying for doctor visits and medications.
Staying Well goes includes not only basic things like nutrition and sleep habits, but stresses the importance of minimizing stress and knowing when to say no.
In discussing disclosure, Atkins relates the consequences of her own decisions to inform others about her illness and reasons why it isn't always a good idea to be up front about your condition.
Finally, there's a section on the process of applying for disability, otherwise known as SSDI. The author explains what you'll need to prepare to apply (medical records, etc.) and what you can expect from the process.
Being an Active Participant in Your Treatment means selectively choosing a doctor and therapist. There are different sources of outpatient treatment, such as community mental health clinics and medical schools; different types of therapy--such as cognitive behavioral therapy--and how finding the correct fit is important.
Over the years, in the course of getting diagnosed and seeing different psychiatrists, Atkins has been on many different many different medications, from antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft, antipsychotics like Serzone and Abilify, anti-anxiety medications like Klonopin and Buspar and mood stabilizers, such as Lamictal and Neurontin.
Affordable Care describes the ways you can--even if you are without insurance or a job--find help paying for doctor visits and medications.
Staying Well goes includes not only basic things like nutrition and sleep habits, but stresses the importance of minimizing stress and knowing when to say no.
In discussing disclosure, Atkins relates the consequences of her own decisions to inform others about her illness and reasons why it isn't always a good idea to be up front about your condition.
Finally, there's a section on the process of applying for disability, otherwise known as SSDI. The author explains what you'll need to prepare to apply (medical records, etc.) and what you can expect from the process.
37 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 9, 2015
3 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
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March 5, 2015
My favorite kind of book are the ones that hold true life experiences from an authors perspective. Alive Atkins has struggled with bi polar and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) for many years and has been kind enough to share her experiences with us readers. PTSD is a condition that is triggered by a terrifying event. Many people who go through such traumatic experiences have difficulty coping in their day to day life. There symptoms may include deep seated anxiety, nightmares, or life events that follow in pursuit flashbacks in which an event will trigger its occurrence.
Although I am not a casualty of PTSD and don't claim to know much about this disorder, I have known a couple of people in my life time who has been diagnosed with these symptoms. I will say that as an outsider looking in, it effects everyone in there life, not only the person carrying this disorder. There may be no complete escape but there is hope with coping with this health condition through such things as cognitive therapy or exposure therapy. There are many other variations of therapy depending on what feels right to them.
Alice is an artist and on her profile page is a drawing, I'm not sure if it's a personal portrait, but as an artist myself, I do know that we draw or paint with brushes that weave an intimate and detailed feeling (we sometimes do this without even knowing it). We portray it in our artistry, what ever it may be, with depth, character, meaning, and emotion. In my eyes, I see a color portrait of Alice, sad, thoughtful, and with a little (can anyone please help me) feeling to it, may be a glimpse of hope also in her eyes. Well, that is what I perceive from the picture any way...
'Voluntary commitment' is a short eBook with lots of useful information for anyone with PTSD and also for their families and friends. She talks about what to expect from hospitalization, drugs that are prescribed and there side effects, and how you can find affordable health care, plus much more.
A remarkable eBook and I want to thank Alice for bringing this disorder to our attention.
I was given a copy for a fair and unbiased review.
Although I am not a casualty of PTSD and don't claim to know much about this disorder, I have known a couple of people in my life time who has been diagnosed with these symptoms. I will say that as an outsider looking in, it effects everyone in there life, not only the person carrying this disorder. There may be no complete escape but there is hope with coping with this health condition through such things as cognitive therapy or exposure therapy. There are many other variations of therapy depending on what feels right to them.
Alice is an artist and on her profile page is a drawing, I'm not sure if it's a personal portrait, but as an artist myself, I do know that we draw or paint with brushes that weave an intimate and detailed feeling (we sometimes do this without even knowing it). We portray it in our artistry, what ever it may be, with depth, character, meaning, and emotion. In my eyes, I see a color portrait of Alice, sad, thoughtful, and with a little (can anyone please help me) feeling to it, may be a glimpse of hope also in her eyes. Well, that is what I perceive from the picture any way...
'Voluntary commitment' is a short eBook with lots of useful information for anyone with PTSD and also for their families and friends. She talks about what to expect from hospitalization, drugs that are prescribed and there side effects, and how you can find affordable health care, plus much more.
A remarkable eBook and I want to thank Alice for bringing this disorder to our attention.
I was given a copy for a fair and unbiased review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review