Category Archives: stigma of mental illness

Restraint, Asking for Help

Posted on June 29, 2020 by jamesmatter

I recently saw a post on social media representing nurses and pertaining to our newly-reinvigorated struggles for equality. “Friendly reminder that nurses have to restrain violent, confused, intoxicated and belligerent people all the time. And we make it happen without … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, change, Crisis survival, mental health, stigma of addiction, stigma of mental illness, Trauma, Uncategorized, Violence | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

We Miss You, Robin. And You, Too, Will Be Missed.

Posted on September 6, 2014 by jamesmatter

I was talking to a client about her depression and she said, almost sheepishly, that the death of Robin Williams had made it worse. It made sense to me. I miss Robin too, not least because I knew he had … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, choices, Depression, Distress tolerance, Feelings, mental health, Recovery, Sadness, stigma of mental illness, suicide | Leave a comment

co-occurring disorders

Posted on October 11, 2013 by jamesmatter

Not so long ago, (and still today in some places) if you sought help for life problems and had both a mental illness and a substance addiction, you might be caught up in what one of my colleagues called “dueling disorders,” … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, choices, mental health, Recovery, stigma of mental illness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mental illness can drive you crazy

Posted on September 30, 2013 by jamesmatter

 Recent news is that Aaron Alexis was delusional– i.e., paranoid, as discussed in a previous post.  The sad thing is, he apparently never got any help. But the other sad thing is, there were apparently several incidents– a whole pattern … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, choices, mental health, Recovery, stigma of mental illness, suicide, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Real” Hallucinations

Posted on September 22, 2013 by jamesmatter

Colored positron emission tomography scan (PET scan) of the brain of a patient with schizophrenia who is experiencing a hallucination. Highlighted areas show brain activity. The patient’s hallucination consisted of heads that spoke to him. The active areas of the … Continue reading →

Posted in mental health, physical health, stigma of mental illness, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Schizophrenia

Posted on September 20, 2013 by jamesmatter

It’s fascinating to me that the director of NIMH should post on his blog that getting people off anti-psychotic medication may actually help them: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/2013/antipsychotics-taking-the-long-view.shtml Especially right as the news is filled with the story of someone who was schizophrenic– … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, mental health, stigma of mental illness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

NAMI and Co-occurring disorders

Posted on August 26, 2013 by jamesmatter

I’m back from my last chance to go to the High Sierra before summer’s over.  Backpacking is, for me, a very relaxing form of recreation because it involves three things: walking, eating, and sleeping. Not too much else. Oh, right– looking … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, mental health, Recovery, stigma of mental illness | Leave a comment

Does My Therapist Think I’m Crazy?

Posted on July 17, 2013 by jamesmatter

If you’re in therapy, what are you in therapy for? Are you crazy? These are reasonable questions. I’ve had clients ask me the exact question: “Doc, am I crazy?” Aside from my not being a doctor, there are other things … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, mental health, Recovery, stigma of mental illness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

What’s my diagnosis?

Posted on June 16, 2013 by jamesmatter

 Well, that depends. At what era in  history did you come down with a mental disorder? Many of you may not be following the discussion around the new DSM V and its changes in various mental health labels. My internet … Continue reading →

Posted in behavioral health, mental health, Recovery, stigma of mental illness, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment