Not only is Jameela Jamil ill-equipped to be a mental health advocate, she has shown that she doesn’t care to learn better. By Candice Alaska [TW: brief mention of gun violence and murder, sexual violence towards women, and police violence towards disabled BIPOC.] Ever one to be a part of the discourse, self-described “Feminist-in-Progress” and...
Tag: mental illness
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Kid Cudi’s ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ Still Helps Me Cope With My Mental Illness
“Pursuit of Happiness” became an anthem for kids growing up with mental illness; like perhaps one day we, too, could find happiness. CW: suicide mention By Raven Clark I’ve recently discovered that a good way to measure my personal growth is to listen to the same music I did as a child and teenager. Maybe...
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Bipolar Disorder Is Demonized In The Coverage Of A Bollywood Star’s Death
People with bipolar disorder must not only cope with the challenges of the illness but also the stigma and discrimination in an ableist society. By Suryatapa Mukherjee CW: suicide, ableism Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput passed away in June of this year at the age of 34, shocking all of India and plunging millions of...
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To Be Black, Suicidal, And Dedicated To Keeping Black Life Sacred
My greatest fear is dying by the hands of white supremacists and just becoming a hashtag that eventually loses steam. But, I frequently do want to die. TW: This essay discusses suicidality, mentions of Black death, inpatient stays, madness, abuse, police encounter, hopelessness, and depression. By Lennox Orion It is 2012, I am 15-years-old and...
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We Cannot Transcend Mental Illness In The Context of American Capitalism
Healthcare systems in the United States place the onus of healing on individuals and focus on self-optimization in service of inherently violent capitalism. TW: mentions of suicide, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and forced institutionalization Every suicide prevention day, week, or month, I once conveyed the same message, regurgitating advice that, at the height of my battle...
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What It’s Like To Have OCD During A Pandemic
As the world rushes to buy hospital masks and latex gloves, my OCD has made me feel like I am in on some kind of secret: the true cost of fear and panic. TW/CW: this article mentions suicidal ideation By Gloria Oladipo These past few weeks have been surreal for me. As someone who has...
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Spinning Out: Bipolar Motherhood, Daughterhood Duality
Netflix’s series, “Spinning Out”, in its flaws and its triumphs, showed me a reflection of the most painful moments in my life. TW: mentions of mental illness, psychotropic medicines, suicide attempts, sexual assault By Nylah Burton “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there...
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White Fragility and the Mask of Mental Health
White people will tell you that your tone, no matter what that tone might actually be, is causing them anxiety and thereby use it as a reason to disengage. By James Factora Nearly 40 years ago, Audre Lorde gave the keynote speech at the National Women’s Studies Association Conference, now known as “The Uses of...
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I Am Tired of Overcoming Trauma: Does Healing Exist For Queer People of Color?
It seems likely that “overcoming” is a continued exercise without any end in sight and that the exhaustion from it is a part of our lives and our DNA. TW/CW: discussion of depression, suicidal ideation and mentions of sexual assault, emotional abuse and trauma. Depression used to be something I didn’t know I was experiencing...
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No, Mental Illness and Trauma Don’t Excuse Us From Accountability
Trauma and mental illness do not abdicate you from responsibility for your relationships with others. By B.B. Buchanan Too rarely do we discuss mental health and trauma in our movement spaces. That said, when it is talked about there are some common tropes, standard ways of talking about disability and trauma, that fail to both make space...