LunaSunshine at As The Pendulum Swings has started the Blog for Mental Health 2012 project. Pledging to be a part of this project means dedicating yourself to raising awareness about mental health. As most of you know there are three main reasons that I decided to start this blog. 1. For myself, as a way of processing my thoughts and emotions and getting them out. 2. For other people that suffer from mental illnesses, in a hopes of showing them that they are not alone, and also if I can help to lessen any ones pain by sharing mine, Im all for it. 3. To help promote understanding of what it is actually like to live with mental illness (for a better explanation see You Should Probably Read This 1st).
The guidelines for this project:
1. Take the pledge by copying and pasting the into a post featuring “Blog for Mental Health 2012″
I pledge my commitment to the Blog for Mental Health 2012 Project. I will blog about mental health topics not only for myself, but for others. By displaying this badge, I show my pride, dedication, and acceptance for mental health. I use this to promote mental health education in the struggle to erase stigma.
2. Link back to the person who pledged you. (That would be the wonderful and talented The Mirth of Despair)
3. Write a short bio of your mental health, and what this means to you.
My current official diagnosis is Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder with Obsessive Compulsive features. Ive also been diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder, Agoraphobia, Emetophobia, and various eating disorders in the past, which in my opinion all still apply (the only exception being the eating disorders. I still struggle with issues pertaining to disordered eating but I am doing much better on that front).
Ive struggled with emotional/psychological issues from a very young age, all of which came to a head right before my senior year in high school. I started seeing a therapist then for an eating disorder, and have been in and out of therapy since. Personally I believe that all of my subsequent diagnoses stem from the BPD (even though they are severe enough to warrant their own diagnosis). However, I wasnt diagnosed with BPD until a few years back after a suicide attempt. I believe a large part of the delay in diagnosis has to do with the stigma that surrounds the disorder. Ive had a lot of bad experiences with stigma in the mental health professional world, as well as in the my actual life, so needless to say, mental health advocacy is very important to me.
4. Pledge 5 others.
Good luck with your pledge… it’s hard to be consistent when the mind refuses to be. I’m trying to keep my own blog together and consistent and my brain doesn’t do consistent so much…
But anyway, good luck.
Peace,
Unthought
Thank you
Thanks for the compliment!
I think promoting understanding of mental illness definitely helps to battle the stigma.
I have been told that I “may or may not” have BPD. They just tell me I have “borderline tendencies.” I think that they probably don’t give me BPD as an official diagnosis because of the stigma. I once brought up the possibility that I had it and was essentially told that I’m not manipulative, so no. Sounds like an obvious oversimplification. Have you had annoying experiences like that?
Your welcome
With me, when I was 1st diagnosed it wasnt “official” (I wasnt actually officially diagnosed until earlier this year), but it was a diagnosis that I 100% agreed with (I think the patient is generally the most qualified person to make a diagnosis, provided theyre intelligent enough to understand the qualifications, which in my experience most mentally ill people tend to be of above average intelligence, you do know yourself better than anyone else after all), and I meet all 9 of the 9 criterion of the diagnostic criteria from the DSM IV(http://gypsy116.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/signs-and-symptoms-vs-reality-and-experience/), but everyone I saw after the initial unofficial diagnosis, would basically say, well that may be true, but lets not say it out loud.
Ive had a lot of things said to me personally, or that people have told me were told to them that just make me so sad. Its so hard for me to believe the general lack of understanding of the disorder by mental health professionals, the very people that are supposedly supposed to help us get better.
“I once brought up the possibility that I had it and was essentially told that I’m not manipulative, so no.”
This just blows my mind, even though I know its a typical misconception. Im not going to say that there are no people with BPD that are manipulative but its most definitely not a feature of the disorder. Like I said, Im 9 for 9, but not manipulative.
ma·nip·u·la·tive
Adjective:
1. Characterized by unscrupulous control of a situation or person: “she was sly, selfish, and manipulative”.
2. Of or relating to manipulation of an object or part of the body: “a manipulative skill”.
In order to be manipulative you have to be aware of what your doing, purposely trying to manipulate a person or situation. What is generally thought of as manipulation in a person with BPD is usually a reaction brought on by extreme emotions, where the person is desperately trying to fill a need that they were never taught to know how to do on their own. The person doesnt realize that theyre even doing it in the moment. Its impulsive not manipulative. Sorry this is so long, its just frustrating, and like I said it makes me sad and angry that the people that are supposed to help, have their information completely wrong.
Wow thanks honey, this means a lot, I started my blog with very similar intentions and the help I’ve been gaining by reading your blog and others has been crucial to me in my recent diagnosis. Thanks to the “madosphere” I know I’m not alone. This nomination will also encourage me to blog more about issues that affect all of us, rather than just my own journey.
Keep up your excellent work, I think you may have found a calling, your writing is so powerful and it speaks for many of us.
Thank you and much love xxx
You are very welcome
Im glad I could help. Thank you so much for all of the kind words 
Pingback: Blog for Mental Health 2012 | Through my eyes: Adventures in … | Untreated Info
Pingback: Self-Care Workshop for Parents « A Friend to Yourself
Incredible! Thank you so much! You have been an inspiration to so many people to take the pledge! I’m glad there is so much interest in this!
Your welcome! and thank you
Pingback: Self-Care Workshop for Parents « A Friend to Yourself
Pingback: Social Anxiety Disorder « Trauma Blog
Pingback: Blog for Mental Health 2012 « onbeingmindful
Good luck with your pledge. Its brave enough to come clean with your fears let alone expose them to the world. If such online resources continue to grow, I’sure that we will be able to help each other get rid of our fears and phobias. Amen.
Thank you!
good luck with your pledge..
Thanks!