We are privileged to share blog postings from our Ambassador Jessie Close, Adrienne Gurman, Henry Boy Jenkins, and other guest bloggers. Please visit regularly as our content will be updated often.
By: Muniza Siddiqui, MD Growing up in an immigrant family, my exposure to Psychiatry and Psychology was almost nonexistent. Instead, I was exposed to financial hardships and lessons from my parents about working hard to achieve one’s goals. As a child, I felt helpless watching my parents work tirelessly and…
By: Gilbert Hernandez Nursing as a career path extends far beyond what many may perceive as monotonous, insignificant skill-work, long shifts, and subservience to the orders of doctors and the requests of patients in traditional hospital or office settings. The application of nursing care has become meaningful and even essential…
By Manuel Stoilov Social work is an honorable and eclectic field. In addition to the numerous years of formal education, social workers are trained to be lifelong learners, staying abreast of new advancements in the field and continuously educating themselves on how they can best serve their clients effectively. In…
By: Lori Gottlieb In my final year of graduate school, I was required to do a clinical traineeship. The traineeship is like a baby version of the 3,000-hour internship that comes later and is required for licensure. By this point, I’d taken the necessary coursework, participated in classroom role-play simulations,…
By: Jennifer Noble, PhD Clinical Psychologist Being a clinical psychologist is a rewarding career. It is challenging and it’s hard work, but it’s a wonderful feeling to see people make improvements that make their lives happier and more manageable. If you’ve thought about becoming a psychologist, take a look at…
By: Jennifer Noble, PhD Clinical Psychologist The field of clinical psychology needs more therapists who represent the various cultural backgrounds of the people they look to serve. We more diversity in psychology. There is a pressing need for more clinical psychologists to provide therapy who are male (believe it or…
I believed that it was somehow normal for insects to live under the skin. I was too embarrassed to seek help because I never thought anything was wrong. Even after I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, I kept my bug problem to myself. It’s only recently that I’ve opened up about it in therapy. I’ve dealt with it since my first break at twenty-one.
We are constantly told that bipolar is not something that can be cured. And that may definitely be true. But what we need to start telling each other is that there is a better way to live with it. Whether it comes in waves of hours, weeks, or months. We are the only ones in charge of taking care of ourselves.
Since getting my medications adjusted sixteen months ago, I’ve become incrementally capable of responding to the common reality despite schizophrenia’s influence. I’m more keenly aware of the difference between what I think is happening and what is actually happening. I’m growing more adept at handling reality as it comes to me, carefully sidestepping any mental pitfalls that might otherwise derail my ensuing thoughts and reactions.
I cannot accept that there isn’t a doctor out there who can help my son. My husband says I have to accept it and I scream NO, I’M NOT ACCEPTING IT. He shakes his head and says something softly that I can’t hear. Don’t want to hear.
