Tag Archives: schizophrenia

A is for Antoinette*

Posted on October 25, 2013 by

It’s six months since my friend Antoinette died, and I think it’s probably okay to ‘tell her story’ now.  I mean it’s not likely that breaking confidentiality is relevant.  The chances of someone who knew her discovering I’ve ‘told’ are … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternatives, child abuse, compassion, mental illness, parenting, perfectionism, schizophrenia, trauma | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

World Hearing Voices Day

Posted on September 13, 2013 by

Tomorrow is September 14, “International World Hearing Voices Day”.  Who knew?  Talk about turning a ‘negative’ into a positive!  And in honour of the estimated 230 million folks in the world who hear voices, I am reflecting. I’m thinking about … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternatives, causes, Hearing Voices, injustice, mental illness, psychology, schizophrenia | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Desperate need…

Posted on January 29, 2013 by

Like most moms, I love my children enough that I would probably die for them.  I also enjoy their cousins and their friends, especially now that my kids are in their thirties, and the others have been coming around for … Continue reading →

Posted in awareness, beliefs, causes, compassion, consciousness, empathy, Inclusion, injustice, mental illness, reflections, schizophrenia, social commentary, social justice, trauma | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

There but for luck…#2

Posted on July 26, 2012 by

I’ll call him Mr. Suburbia because he had to move a long way out of the city to find an affordable room.   At some point he developed brain damage – he believes caused by Paxil, though the frontal part of … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, compassion, consciousness, Feelings, ignorance, Inclusion, psychology, Reflection, schizophrenia, suicide, values | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There but for luck… #1

Posted on July 26, 2012 by

Not everyone has the good fortune to talk with people who “live the life” in the street or at a level of extreme poverty.  I’ve had that opportunity on many occasions for reasons not relevant here. But every time I … Continue reading →

Posted in causes, compassion, consciousness, education, Inclusion, personal growth, personal power, poverty, Reflection, schizophrenia, suicide, values | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lost potential…

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

“R” and I sat glued to our conversation, astonished and excited that, by some amazing coincidence, we both had a passionate interest in what we were talking about: how mental distress tends to be handled  by the psychiatric or medical … Continue reading →

Posted in causes, compassion, consciousness, education, ignorance, Inclusion, personal growth, Poetry, psychology, reflections, schizophrenia, suicide | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fear of so-called schizophrenia

Posted on July 14, 2012 by

Partly because of my friend “A”, and partly because of Mad Pride Week, I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of the label “schizophrenia”.  There’s been so much discussion about it in recent years, and people are only just … Continue reading →

Posted in causes, community, compassion, consciousness, education, fear, ignorance, Inclusion, personal growth, psychology, reflections, schizophrenia, values | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

A moment, for mental illness…

Posted on July 13, 2012 by

Yesterday a friend emailed me  a beautiful Powerpoint presentation about long-suffering women and how essential and precious their struggles are, everywhere and always. It was one of those things we’re asked to send on, and It would have been perfect … Continue reading →

Posted in community, compassion, consciousness, fear, Feelings, Inclusion, personal growth, psychology, Reflection, reflections, schizophrenia, values, volunteer | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments