Siggy's Blurbs: Siggy's Edge of Country …

Depression is isolation (and that is a terrible thing). By no means do I want the person who is experiencing depression to feel guilty but I want to explain the results of depression and why you need to break that terrible cycle.

A person’s natural reaction is to become terribly egocentric. You simply do not want to see anyone. I would tell my daughter to do anything, walk to the post office, buy a stamp, anything to get out of the house.

Depression makes you very selfish. You can not see beyond yourself. It is so important to break the cycle of depression. It is done in small degrees by grabbing the power you have.

Every person can gain more control of some aspect of their life. You do it in small steps and eventually the depression will lift.

By all means if a doctor or therapist will help use their services. You do not have to do it alone. You can break the sphere of isolation. It will not happen overnight.

Tags: breaking your spell of depression, cycle of depression, depression and isolation, do not have to do it alone, doctor, gain more control, get out of the house, getting help during depression, mental health, the small degrees of grabbing the power you have, therapist
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, relationships, wisdom | No Comments »

“I don’t want my doctor to think I am mental”. This is a fragment of an conversation I overheard. I wanted to shake the person, ask her why she thinks her doctor (or therapist) is perfect, does not make mistakes like her. Everyone has problems and why do you think you are less than human because you are exhibiting, maybe, some turmoil over some problem or conflict. The doctor is there to assist you, not judge you. And certainly don’t judge yourself because you are exhibiting what you consider to be some aberrant behavior. Everyone is in the same boat: each person sins, errs and is imperfect so don’t condemn any part of you and think someone is better than you because they have some diplomas on the wall.

Tags: do not judge, doctor, each person is imperfect, each person sins, everyone errs, everyone has problems, everyone in the same boat, I am mental, mental health, mental illlness, therapist
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, life, local, mental health, wisdom | No Comments »

One thousand unidentified bodies were found on land they wanted to build a medical school in Mississippi.  It was on the site of a former mental hospital.  And all the director of the medical school could do was complain about the three million it will take to give each body a proper burial.  And as the article said if the money was needed for their football team, it would be obtained.  Where is the outrage?!  Each person once had a Mom and probably a Dad.  And the parents invested their hopes and dreams for their child.  And no one knows who they are?  Where is the outrage?  That is the only thing I can say.  And I have to repeat a third time:  Where is the outrage?!

Tags: a mental hospital in MIssissippi, a thousand unidentified bodies, former mental hospital, medical school, mental health, Mississippi, proper burial, Where is the outrage?
Posted in death, mental health | No Comments »

I reviewed the things that were depressing me.  And listed them.  There were some major reasons and some minor ones that by themselves were not enough to cause me to be depressed but were just another reason to be.  It was an accumulation of factors.  I am trying to eliminate what is in my control to change and see if my depression will lift.  It is worth trying.

Tags: chipping at depression, depression, depression an accumulation of factors, in my control to change, mental health
Posted in balance, life, local, mental health, time, wisdom | No Comments »

I was depressed lately.  Depression is not something, necessarily, to stamp out.  I was aware depression was something I had to work through.  Nothing happens in a vacuum.  I knew I could not do this alone.  And needed someone’s help to do that.  I don’t think my wife could help me.  I had to seek the help elsewhere.  Someone who was not invested in me personally.  Depression is an indicator.  There are reasons for every state.  I just had to “work” through them.

Tags: depression, depression is an indicator, mental health, my wife, needed someone's help, working through depression
Posted in balance, local, marriage, mental health, relationships, time | 2 Comments »

The mentally ill in prisons don’t get good treatment.  They use the cheapest drugs to treat them. The mentally ill in jails are disposable.  And what does that say about us?  I learned about this from a lady who spent time in jail.  They had her strapped down in a chair for days.  She went cold turkey from all her medications and convulsed.  She could have died.  She did not even belong in jail.  They made a mistake arresting her.  Her psychiatrist gave the jail hell for what they did.  Then I found out how poor treatment the mentally ill get in jails.  They don’t really care about them.  It is only now they are beginning to address the problem.  And there are more mentally ill in jails than in hospitals.  That is a travesty.

Tags: medications, mental health, prisons, psychiatrist, The Mentally ill in jail, the poor treatment of the mentally ill in jail
Posted in knowledge&learning, mental health, wisdom | No Comments »

Pain enables us to grow.  I am what I am not despite my bipolar disorder but because of it.  I certainly now have more empathy for others who suffer, whatever the reason.  It does not matter really why.  Yes, I have been to hell and back but so have many others.  What if nothing ever went wrong in your life?!  You would just experience boredom.  No one experiences this utopia.  Why should you feel for anyone else pain?  It is your own pain and suffering that produces empathy for others.

Tags: balance, bipolar disorder, depression, empathy for others, God, mental health, pain and growth, pain and suffering, relationships, suffer
Posted in God, health, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

I am not my diagnosis.  I could state it but it does not matter.  I am a man who loves all kinds of music, writes poetry, letters and other things.  I love nature particularly the birds I attract with all my feeders.  I am married to a woman I love who is not quite the same but loves a lot of the same things particularly music from the same era.  She is not perfect but close.  We both love to read and I have more books in my house that I ever had before.  She loves mysteries.  I don’t.  But our tastes in books and music is very eclectic.  Music and books are all over the house.  She usually lets me be.  I am not as good as her in that regard and sometimes have to learn to be quiet.  We have our own space in our house.  I love the mountains, the lakes and ocean.  So does she.  We live on the edge of country.  I am all these things and more.  I am not my diagnosis I have to state again.  That is just an artificial artifact.  The doctors need that and my insurance.  That is the only purpose of my diagnosis.  It is not me.

Tags: bird feeding, bird-watching, birds, books, doctors, eclectic music tastes, edge of country, I am not my diagnosis, insurance, lakes, love music, love to read, marriage, mental health, mountains, music, nature, ocean, poems, write letters, write poetry, writing
Posted in balance, beauty, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, love, marriage, mental health, music, nature, relationships, seasons, time, wisdom | No Comments »

Sometimes depression dissipates when you get going.  I was somewhat depressed.  I started doing some straightening up in my house.  An hour later I realized it had left me.  It helps sometimes to get physically moving.  I forgot about my depression.

Tags: depression, depression lifts, get physically moving helps, mental health
Posted in balance, knowledge&learning, local, mental health, time, wisdom | No Comments »

I will act as if my day matters.  I was depressed yesterday.  I decided to take a new tact.  Today I shaved, put out clean clothing and I will take a needed shower.  I did none of that yesterday and had a pity party.  I will act as if I matter (and that means taking proper care of myself).  You can work from the outside in.  I will take better care of myself today.  I already feel better.  All those details mentioned matter.  I will continue to act as if I matter.  And I do.

Tags: act as if I matter, clean clothing, from the outside in, God, I matter, mental health, pity party, shave, take a shower, take care of myself, you matter, your day matters
Posted in balance, beauty, God, knowledge&learning, life, local, mental health, time, wisdom | No Comments »

I have to ask, again and again:  Are we our brother’s keeper?  You read repeatedly how state after state is slashing their budget for mental health services.  Sure, states can’t afford to continue to pay for upkeep of their mental health hospitals so many of them are closing.  The services in the communities are often not supported; even services that have proved to be cost effective like peer centers.

People will still suffer.  The jails, not hospitals, now contain the largest population of the mentally ill.  Many are in for minor offenses.  Is that right?  As if the politicians don’t know that?  This population is the most vulnerable.  ER’s are increasingly being filled with those in crisis and it is very difficult to find an appropriate place for them to go.

We will be judged by how we treat the weak and vulnerable.  I will ask the politicians, again, are you your brothers’ keeper?  It costs a lot of money to treat the mentally ill in jail.  The money could be better spent in the community.  The mentally ill do not belong in jail.

People are suffering unnecessarily.  The general public is also complicit in this situation.  There was a reason state hospitals were often in the country.  Out of sight, out of mind although it is true decades ago they were called rest homes.  There were none of the medications available and often all some of the people in crisis needed was some peace and quiet and time to regain their equilibrium.

The public and the politicians need to ask themselves are we our brothers’ keeper?  And support the services that are needed to humanely treat the mentally ill.  By all means the states need to spend their money wisely.  But acting as if the problems will vanish and expecting the jails to treat the mentally ill is not right.

It could be your loved one?  After all, one out of four have been diagnosed mentally ill in their lifetime.  And you would want proper and humane treatment for your loved ones.  Or even you?  So we have to keep asking ourselves (and the politicians) are we our brothers’ keeper?

Tags: budget, community, cost effective, country, crisis, equilibrium, ER, general public, God, health, hospitals, humane treatment, jail, lot of money, medications, mental health, money, most vulnerable, one out of four, our brothers' keeper, out of sight out of mind, peace and quiet, peer centers, politicians, rest homes, services, state hospitals, suffer, the public, your loved one
Posted in balance, God, health, knowledge&learning, life, mental health, politics, relationships, time, wisdom | No Comments »

It is by grace I am here.  Alive and well.  I knew too many who did not make it back.  They became lost in the labyrinth of their minds.  And did not find their way back.  I did.  I knew many swallowed by the “system”.  After awhile it no longer mattered why they were there.  The damage was done by the caretakers.  My family could have easily given up one me.  There were points in my life where my situation seemed hopeless.  It is only by grace I am here–only by the grace of God.  I am a walking “miracle”.

Tags: "the system", caretakers, family, God, grace, grace of God, labyrinth of their minds, mental health, miracle, only by grace, situation seemed hopeless, your mind
Posted in death, God, health, life, love, mental health, time, wisdom | No Comments »