Coping With Your Psychiatric Diagnosis

HealthyPlace Mental Health Newsletter

Here's what's happening on the HealthyPlace site this week:

• Closing Current Support System. Opening New Forums and Chat
• How Did You Feel About Your Mental Illness Diagnosis?
• Diary of a Newly Diagnosed Dissociative
• Mental Health Experiences
• "I Fully Recovered From My Eating Disorder" on HealthyPlace TV
• "What Does It Take to Overcome Severe Depression?" on HealthyPlace Radio
• From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

Closing Current Support System. Opening New Forums and Chat

When we opened our support area about a year ago, Facebook was all the rage and we thought a similar system might work well here at HealthyPlace. We have to admit, we were wrong. Over the last 12 months, many people have asked that we bring back our bulletin boards and chat. And a recent survey we conducted of HealthyPlace members indicated the same.

So at the start of the new year, we will be closing our current support system and opening the boards and chat. Please keep in mind that if you have pictures, videos or stories that you posted and want to save for your own personal use, you need to get them from your account by December 31.  After that, they will be deleted.

We appreciate everyone's feedback and hope you'll participate in our new support area.

How Did You Feel About Your Mental Illness Diagnosis?

We frequently mention that people come to the HealthyPlace.com website thinking they are the only ones dealing with whatever psychiatric symptoms they are experiencing. That the voices they hear inside their head, the cutting or burning they do to their bodies, etc. is just so bizarre that they believe no one else could be living with anything like this.

They feel truly alone in their experiences until they start reading articles, hearing or watching other people's stories unfold on our website. And there's an "aha moment," where they realize they are not alone.

I've heard others express that same sense of relief when they get an actual psychiatric diagnosis from a doctor or therapist. "Now, at least, I know what's going on," they say. What we don't hear from many of these people is the aftermath of the diagnosis; the complexity of emotions that follow as each person comes to grips with the meaning of what they are dealing with.

Diary of a Newly Diagnosed Dissociative

In the last month, Holly Gray, author of the Dissociative Living Blog, has been detailing the impact of her Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) diagnosis. I think it's fair to say that DID inhabits the world of "strange, out-of-the-ordinary" experiences; where separate and distinct identities share one human mind and body. I encourage you to read and watch as Holly explains what she went through after being told she has Dissociative Identity Disorder.

• Part 1: Confusion
• Part 2: Fear
• Part 3: Loneliness
• Dissociative Identity Disorder Video: Diagnosis and Shame
• Part 4: Desperation

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Mental Health Experiences

Share your thoughts/experiences on "the aftermath of your psychiatric diagnosis" or any mental health subject, or respond to other people's audio posts, by calling our toll-free number (1-888-883-8045).

You can listen to what other people are saying by clicking on the gray title bars inside the widgets located on the "Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences" homepage, the HealthyPlace homepage, and the HealthyPlace Support Network homepage.

If you have any questions, write us at: info AT healthyplace.com

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"I Fully Recovered From My Eating Disorder" on HealthyPlace TV

For 10 long years, Nina Vucetic battled anorexia and bulimia. Therapist after therapist told her that recovery from an eating disorder meant she would have to "manage" the condition for the rest of her life. Then she learned that others had recovered completely and that became her goal. Learn how she reached it on this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show. (TV Show blog)

Still to Come in December on the HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show

• Dealing with Workplace Bullies

If you would like to be a guest on the show or share your personal story in writing or via video, please write us at: producer AT healthyplace.com

For all previous HealthyPlace Mental Health TV archived shows.

"What Does It Take to Overcome Severe Depression?" on HealthyPlace Radio

Graeme Cowan went through a horrendous 5 year battle with depression, which his psychiatrist described as the worst he had ever treated. How he overcame that severe depression is the subject of this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health Radio Show.

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From HealthyPlace Mental Health Blogs

Your comments and observations are welcomed.

• Is There a Hypomania Aura? - Hypomania Warning Signs (Breaking Bipolar Blog)
• Mental Health: It's Kind of Like Gravity (Treating Anxiety Blog)
• When Parents Disagree on Psychiatric Treatment (Pt 2) (Life with Bob: A Parenting Blog)
• Diary of a Newly Diagnosed Dissociative (Pt 4): Desperation (Dissociative Living blog)
• Keeping Your Spirits Up During Winter (The Unlocked Life Blog)
• A Dangerous Obsession: The Alluring Lies of Pro-Anorexia (Surviving ED Blog)
• Can You Be Too Happy? (More Than Borderline blog)
• Stress of Holidays and Work (Work and Bipolar or Depression blog)
• Raising Appreciative Kids
• Disney and the DSM-IV: Could New Villain Have BPD?
• Compassion Important in Caring for Children with Mental Illness
• Eating Disorders and Relationships: Regaining the Trust of Loved Ones
• Positive Thought: You Can Walk the Walk
• Dissociative Identity Disorder Video: Diagnosis and Shame
• Male Depression: The Gender and Depression Relationship

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments at the bottom of any blog post. And visit the mental health blogs homepage for the latest posts.

back to: HealthyPlace.com Mental-Health Newsletter Index