I recently added a new category to this blog, Memoirs of Mental Health. Other articles in this series include mental health insights gained from: Actress, Jenifer Lewis Authors, Laleh Chini and Samuel Pollen My own story Today, I want to share some insights that I gained from mental health advocate, Margaret Trudeau. She’s the former first lady of Canada and...[ read more ]

This is week 5 of a 5-part series that I’ve been doing on some of the most common mental health conditions. Past articles in the series include: Depression Anxiety The bipolar disorders ADHD Today’s post is about panic attacks and panic disorder. I touched on the topic of panic attacks briefly in week 2 (anxiety); however, it requires further discussion...[ read more ]

I've always wanted to write on the topic of Black mental health stigma but never had the courage. Today, I'm excited to share some insights that I gained from a memoir that I couldn't help but share with y'all. Jenifer Lewis is most recently known for her role as the sarcastic (and hilarious!) grandma Ruby on the TV show, Blackish....[ read more ]

This is week 4 of a 5-part series that I’m doing on some of the most common mental health conditions. Past articles in the series include: Depression Anxiety The bipolar disorders Today's post is about ADHD, which has three types and stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.  ADHD, predominantly inattentive presentation (formerly known as ADD) This type of ADHD includes the following...[ read more ]

Today, I'm excited to share a book review for Managing the Depression Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together, by Ashley L. Peterson. Ashley is a mental health nurse, mental health advocate, author, and blogger. Today, I will share some of the highlights of Ashley's latest book, which is being released today. Purpose of the Book Managing the Depression Puzzle is basically a...[ read more ]

This is week 3 of a 5-part series that I’m doing on some of the most common mental health conditions. Past articles in the series include: Depression Anxiety Today, I'm going to share about the bipolar disorders. In my opinion, these disorders are some of the most misdiagnosed and misunderstood. It's not uncommon to hear someone say, "I'm/you're so bipolar"...[ read more ]

This is week 2 of a 5-part series that I'm doing on some of the most common mental health conditions. For last week's post on depression, click here. Generalized Anxiety Disorder It's safe to say that if you're reading this, you've experienced some form of anxiety (worry, fear, dread) in your lifetime. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is one of the...[ read more ]

This week's post is the start of a 5 week series where I will discuss some of the most common mental health disorders. Here's the lineup for the next few weeks: Depression Anxiety Bipolar disorder ADHD Panic disorder Major Depressive Disorder It's no secret that everyone feels sad sometimes. Major depressive disorder is what occurs when sadness begins to take...[ read more ]

I recently had the honor of participating in a local panel discussion about seasonal affective disorder and the winter blues. Today, I will be sharing some insights gained from that discussion and more. What are SAD and the Winter Blues? Though it's not the official term, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is how most of us describe the series of depressive...[ read more ]

I love a provocative title and Ron Powers' book, No One Cares About Crazy People, doesn't disappoint. Today, I'll share some of the insights that I gained. In the 60s and 70s, mental health policy changed drastically in the United States. Due to the expense of the Vietnam War, funding was cut for the mental health institutions that tended to...[ read more ]