Romanticizing Mental Illness Is Dangerous And Misleading

Create happiness if you cannot find it.

A human embryo implanting, six days after fertilization.

Top 34 Languages You can Learn in 2018

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A nurse has heart attack and describes what she felt like when having one

I am an ER nurse and this is the best description of this event that I have ever heard. 

 FEMALE HEART ATTACKS 

 I was aware that female heart attacks are different, but this is description is so incredibly visceral that I feel like I have an entire new understanding of what it feels like to be living the symptoms on the inside. Women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have… you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor the we see in movies. Here is the story of one woman’s experience with a heart attack: 

 "I had a heart attack at about 10:30 PM with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might have brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking, ‘A-A-h, this is the life, all cozy and warm in my soft, cushy Lazy Boy with my feet propped up. A moment later, I felt that awful sensation of indigestion, when you’ve been in a hurry and grabbed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with a dash of water, and that hurried bite seems to feel like you’ve swallowed a golf ball going down the esophagus in slow motion and it is most uncomfortable. You realize you shouldn’t have gulped it down so fast and needed to chew it more thoroughly and this time drink a glass of water to hasten its progress down to the stomach. This was my initial sensation–the only trouble was that I hadn’t taken a bite of anything since about 5:00 p.m. 

After it seemed to subside, the next sensation was like little squeezing motions that seemed to be racing up my SPINE (hind-sight, it was probably my aorta spasms), gaining speed as they continued racing up and under my sternum (breast bone, where one presses rhythmically when administering CPR). This fascinating process continued on into my throat and branched out into both jaws. ‘AHA!! NOW I stopped puzzling about what was happening – we all have read and/or heard about pain in the jaws being one of the signals of an MI happening, haven’t we? I said aloud to myself and the cat, Dear God, I think I’m having a heart attack! I lowered the foot rest dumping the cat from my lap, started to take a step and fell on the floor instead. I thought to myself, If this is a heart attack, I shouldn’t be walking into the next room where the phone is or anywhere else… but, on the other hand, if I don’t, nobody will know that I need help, and if I wait any longer I may not be able to get up in a moment. 

I pulled myself up with the arms of the chair, walked slowly into the next room and dialed the Paramedics… I told her I thought I was having a heart attack due to the pressure building under the sternum and radiating into my jaws. I didn’t feel hysterical or afraid, just stating the facts. She said she was sending the Paramedics over immediately, asked if the front door was near to me, and if so, to un-bolt the door and then lie down on the floor where they could see me when they came in. I unlocked the door and then laid down on the floor as instructed and lost consciousness, as I don’t remember the medics coming in, their examination, lifting me onto a gurney or getting me into their ambulance, or hearing the call they made to St. Jude ER on the way, but I did briefly awaken when we arrived and saw that the radiologist was already there in his surgical blues and cap, helping the medics pull my stretcher out of the ambulance. He was bending over me asking questions (probably something like ‘Have you taken any medications?’) but I couldn’t make my mind interpret what he was saying, or form an answer, and nodded off again, not waking up until the Cardiologist and partner had already threaded the teeny angiogram balloon up my femoral artery into the aorta and into my heart where they installed 2 side by side stints to hold open my right coronary artery. 

I know it sounds like all my thinking and actions at home must have taken at least 20-30 minutes before calling the paramedics, but actually it took perhaps 4-5 minutes before the call, and both the fire station and St Jude are only minutes away from my home, and my Cardiologist was already to go to the OR in his scrubs and get going on restarting my heart (which had stopped somewhere between my arrival and the procedure) and installing the stents. Why have I written all of this to you with so much detail? Because I want all of you who are so important in my life to know what I learned first hand. 

1. Be aware that something very different is happening in your body, not the usual men’s symptoms but inexplicable things happening (until my sternum and jaws got into the act). It is said that many more women than men die of their first (and last) MI because they didn’t know they were having one and commonly mistake it as indigestion, take some Maalox or other anti-heartburn preparation and go to bed, hoping they’ll feel better in the morning when they wake up… which doesn’t happen. My female friends, your symptoms might not be exactly like mine, so I advise you to call the Paramedics if ANYTHING is unpleasantly happening that you’ve not felt before. It is better to have a ‘false alarm’ visitation than to risk your life guessing what it might be! 2. Note that I said ‘Call the Paramedics.’ And if you can take an aspirin. Ladies, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! Do NOT try to drive yourself to the ER - you are a hazard to others on the road. Do NOT have your panicked husband who will be speeding and looking anxiously at what’s happening with you instead of the road. Do NOT call your doctor – he doesn’t know where you live and if it’s at night you won’t reach him anyway, and if it’s daytime, his assistants (or answering service) will tell you to call the Paramedics. He doesn’t carry the equipment in his car that you need to be saved! The Paramedics do, principally OXYGEN that you need ASAP. Your Dr. will be notified later. 3. Don’t assume it couldn’t be a heart attack because you have a normal cholesterol count. Research has discovered that a cholesterol elevated reading is rarely the cause of an MI (unless it’s unbelievably high and/or accompanied by high blood pressure). MIs are usually caused by long-term stress and inflammation in the body, which dumps all sorts of deadly hormones into your system to sludge things up in there. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let’s be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive to tell the tale.“

Reblog, repost, Facebook, tweet, pin, email, morse code, fucking carrier pigeon this to save a life! I wish I knew who the author was. I’m definitely not the OP, actually think it might be an old chain email or even letter from back in the day. The version I saw floating around Facebook ended with “my cardiologist says mail this to 10 friends, maybe you’ll save one!” And knew this was way too interesting not to pass on.

Psychology Book Recommendations

Foundational Authors & Works

Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person

B. F. Skinner,  Beyond Freedom and Dignity and About Behaviorism and Walden Two

Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Sigmund Freud, Civilization and its Discontents

John Norcross (editor), Evidence-Based Practices in Mental Health

Psychopathology & Diagnosis 

David Barlow (editor), Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders

Oliver Saks, Hallucinations

Kelly Lambert, Clinical Neuroscience

Criticisms & Controversial Topics

Stephen Hinshaw, The ADHD Explosion

Robert Whitaker, Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic

Ronald Miller, Not So Abnormal Psychology

Allen Frances, Saving Normal

Bruce Wampold, The Great Psychotherapy Debate

Therapy Theories 

Carl Rogers, Client-Centered Therapy

Irvin Yalom, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy

Aaron Beck, Cognitive Therapy of Depression

Steven Hayes, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Judith Beck, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Danny Wedding, Current Psychotherapies

William Miller, Motivational Interviewing

Jacqueline Person, Cognitive Therapy in Practice

Evidence-Based Therapy Manuals 

Marsha Linehan, DBT Skills Training Manual and Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder

Michelle Craske, Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic

David Burns, Feeling Good

Richard Zinbarg, Mastery of Your Anxiety and Worry

Martha Davis, The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook

Lisa Najavitis, Seeking Safety

Expert Therapist Perspectives

Irvin Yalom, The Gift of Therapy and Love’s Executioner

First Person Perspectives

Kay Jamison, An Unquiet Mind

Elyn Saks, The Center Cannot Hold

William Styron, Darkness Visible

Carolyn Spiro and Pamela Spiro Wagner, Divided Minds

Research Design & Analysis

Alan Kazdin, Research Design in Clinical Psychology and Single-Case Research Designs

John Creswell, Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design

Culture & Diversity

Derald Wing Sue, Counseling the Culturally Diverse and Case Studies in Multicultural Counseling and Therapy

Stigma

Stephen Hinshaw, Breaking the Silence and  The Mark of Shame

Grad School and Careers in Psychology

Peggy Hawley, Being Bright is Not Enough

Adam Ruben, Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School

Peter Feibelman, A PhD is Not Enough

Paul Silva, How to Write A Lot

Karen Kelsky, The Professor Is In 

How to Make Yourself Do What You Don’t Want To Do

1. Rather than listening to the voice in your head that is screaming “I hate this; I don’t want to do this” think about why it is a GOOD thing to do.

2. Instead of trying to pretend that you don’t feel this way, accept that you are feeling very blah and negative.

3. Don’t think about results and how well you think you’ll do, as this could raise your feelings of anxiety and fear, just think about “right now” and the first thing you can do.

4. Accept that life is tough, and is full of things that suck – but recognise that doing hard stuff is better in the end. You’ll likely have more choices and freedom, if you do.

5. Just do a little bit for now – then give yourself a proper break – then go back and do some more – and soon you’ll find you’re in the flow.

6. Don’t allow your mind to wander and think of other things. Stay focused for that short time – and then stop, and have fun.

How to get the most out of life

1. See each day as a fresh start and a new beginning.

2. Don’t be a copy of anybody else – enjoy discovering and being your true self.

3. Be proactive, take control and look for opportunities. You’ve only got one life so make sure you stay in control.

4. Don’t focus on the obstacles or things you cannot change. Just ask yourself “What next? or else “What can I do instead?”

5. Appreciate your limits and then set clear boundaries. You need to care for yourself to be the best “you” you can be.

6. Decide on your values and what matters most to you. Then live in a way that’s consistent with those values.

7. Don’t put life on hold as the months turn into years … and there’s always the chance that some important doors will close.

8. Set goals for yourself – then plan the steps to take you there.

9. Learn from other people that you value as role models – but ignore the naysayers and the hypercritical.

10. Let go of the past, and old hurts and grievances. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, or to see a counsellor.

Leaving Abuse: How It Feels, How to Do It, and How to Get Through It.

How It Feels

Being in an abusive relationship is like trying to hold the ocean in a fishbowl, and feeling guilty when it cracks. Leaving is like drinking the water. It’s nasty and overwhelming. Part of you feels like you won’t be able to survive it, and when you do you still feel it in your stomach for days to come, but at least you’re not holding it anymore. Eventually, it will become diluted by everything else in your life, and all that will be left is the pain that comes from the knowledge of what you once tried to hold, and the after-effects of the scaring the salt water left on the lining of your stomach.

It’s messy, and it’s painful. It will be one of the ugliest things you’ll ever go through, but in the end, you’ll be proud of yourself for making it through. You may not even know until you decide to leave that it counts as abuse. It can be a lot like sitting blindfolded, as your house burns around you. There is a period, when you think the smoke is just bad cooking, but then you feel the fire.

How to Do It

From emotional to physical abuse, the emotions and recovery tend to ring the same, but if you live with your abuser, the first initial steps will be different.

If you live with your abuser, it’s best to make a plan to leave, including where you will be staying after (whether it be a friend’s house or shelter). If your abuser is physically violent, you may want to pack in secret. Take any personal belongs, and important documents such as school records, birth certificates, etc. One way to do this more discreetly would be to…

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Maybe the way we feel isn’t supposed to be logical, to be rational. Maybe it’s okay to be unsure and scared. Maybe we lose so we learn to let go. And maybe we leave in order to grow, to blossom in to who we’re meant to be. Maybe some things aren’t supposed to make sense. Maybe you have to take risks to get what you deserve. Maybe we shouldn’t underestimate our potential. Maybe we shouldn’t set limitations or boundaries. Maybe life is divine chaos. Maybe it’s okay to love ourselves. Maybe we don’t need everything we want. Maybe we shouldn’t fear the unknown, but embrace it. Learn from it. maybe someone can exceed your expectations. maybe we can control our destinies after all. maybe we have to fight for what we believe in. maybe, just maybe, we should stop second guessing ourselves and just jump in.

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