Society

Ripples

By; Natalie Grace

The stone is thrown into a glass-like surface,

The water breaks its calm and ripples form

Ripples rippling, seeping into our brains

Covering our bodies with invisible scars

You can feel it on the street, hatred.

You can see it in their eyes, pain.

You can not think that you are innocent

Society created the stone disturbing the calm

But remember the generations who threw it.

You created the ripples, strengthen the ripples.

With every negative glance, every fist that was thrown.

The world was locked inside, changed for the worse

And now it’s on fire, just as it should be.

It made people think about their sins and the sins of others

Ripples, rippling into our safe places

Let it seep, make it way under your fingernails

So you have to taste the bitterness of loss

They say ripples can go on forever.

Take the stone and crush it,

Water down the hate and feel free.

#MentalHealth #Society #Depression #Anxiety #mentalhealthmatters

At one time, mental health institutions were like prisons, and the mentally ill were hidden in basements. Now, we see and hear open discussions about caring for our mental health on social media and television. Great strides have been made and great strides are yet to come. What would you like to see improve? How might we improve it?

This platform is one way. There are movies that help and movies that hurt the progression of mental health awareness. "Inside Out" was a great one. The Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" is controversial. So, I'd say I hope for more forms of entertainment to tie in educational aspects of ending the stigma. That's one thing to improve. Actors and Olympians are also great spokespersons for our cause. What else can you think of?

#mentalheathawareness #Depression #Bipolar #Parenting #EndTheStigma #MentalHealth #Anxiety #SuicidePrevention #Therapy #improve #Hope #progress #BPD #Disability #Schizophrenia #OCD #EatingDisorder #Bulimia #ChronicIllness #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Bipolar2 #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #ADD #Autism #Aspergers #SuicideAwareness #Society

I know the day has ended, but I still wanted to post this.

Things are really challenging right now for the AAPI community. Those who are a part of that community, please know that you’re not alone. I have a lot of overwhelming feelings about this entire situation. I ended up taking a break from social media for the week because reading and hearing about it continuously made me upset. I am filled with an incredible amount of rage and I don’t have it under enough control to speak very in depth about this openly on a public platform. I am still very upset and I’ve struggled with processing it all. It is an ongoing thing. However, this is still important to talk about. People are hurting. I want those of you who have been affected, especially those in the AAPI community, to please reach out to someone if you are having a hard time with this, are emotional, feeling some type of way, and need to vent or rant. I don’t want people to sit with this on their own. It’s really challenging to find a person or place where we can feel safe and supported without fear in general. With this negative spotlight, it can be even more challenging. Safety is a huge concern I have for myself and those who are a part of the AAPI community. I had suppressed my own feelings for a few days about all of this and it had really gotten to me. There is a tremendous weight to this societal issue and to hold it on your own is too much. I am open to people sending me direct messages on here if you would like to chat about this and/or would like support. I’m constantly thinking of the those we lost in Atlanta and their families. My heart goes out to all individuals who have been impacted, small or big, it matters and should not be dismissed, it should be expressed, acknowledged, and heard.

Regardless of whether you are part of the AAPI community or not, please know that support, comfort, and love that you express about this topic is meaningful. We all have our limits and capacities in which we can take actions. The easiest one I can identify is be kind. Just please be kind. I know that is something that I would appreciate at this time.

If you took the time to read this post and this makes sense to you, thank you.

Take care of yourselves and remember that you’re not alone.

Sending love and care your way,
Adela

#MentalHealth #Disability #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #RareDisease #Parenting #MightyTogether #CheckInWithMe #StopAsianHate #AAPI #Racism #Reflection #AsianAmericans #Society #SocialMedia #Loss #violence #anger #hurt #COVID19 #ADHD #Anxiety #BipolarDisorder #Depression #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #IntrusiveThoughts #SuicidalThoughts #Trauma #WhereMyMindIs

A diagnosis of BPD at any stage of life is bad news. At 48, it is devastating. It isn’t the condition so much, although not to be diminished, as the realization that many of the heartbreak and struggles experienced or doled out in one’s life might have been avoided or better managed had they been aware as a young person of the condition and implications. Further, at this late stage no amount of forensic analysis can provide a definitive causal relation, if one exists, or reveal how specific epiphenomena becomes repressed while others do not. At best, we can engage in anecdotal conjecture and theoretical narrative.

As is the case with “personality disorders”, comorbidity across clusters A through C as well as parallel conditions (MDD, anhedonia, et al.) are common and complicate the task of teasing apart the various failed mechanisms or determining their hierarchy. For example, Bi-Polar and Borderline sufferers require completely different treatments, yet, an individual may be dealing with both. How then determine which is the dominant driver, which is the most distressing and what treatments to apply that aren’t at cross-purposes and to which the patient responds?

In addition, there is far too much overlap in our diagnostic manuals. Depression, suicidality and anxiety figure practically in half of all diagnostic criteria as symptomatology as well as on their own as distinct conditions. My own diagnosis includes BPD, MDD, PDD (anhedonia), GAD, OCPD. I meet criteria for all of the above as well as strong scores in avoidant and dark triad metrics. Given that we all accept an individual with a 70 IQ will have cognitive challenges due to physiology that require accommodations and support, doesn’t it follow that those who score in the upper 98th percentile, such as myself, may also present with physiological anomalies as do some at the lower extreme, begging the question as to why this population is ignored?

Rather than let oneself be overwhelmed by the magnitude of this late-life discovery or its implications, we could ask how it is that someone manages to survive so long, seemingly functional and successful, concealing such an array of internal chaos? Equally disturbing is the fact that no one in their circle of intimates and colleagues, including themselves, ever made connections. When parents fail to notice a child’s struggles or positively engage this becomes the child’s normal and, if he or she is astute, a lesson about the limits of human bonds is learned such that, at least in this house, everyone is out for themselves and that any “representative” of the family who detracts from the public image set by the parents is to be rejected and humiliated. (cont'd)