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My Depression and I Are Wringing (Not Ringing) Out the Holidays
And so that was Christmas… Another one over, and just one more holiday remaining in the emotional trifecta known as Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah and New Years. We’re almost there! Just a few more...
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When it Comes to Antidepressants, Who are You Going to Trust with Your Brain?
My meds FINALLY came in the mail. Amen. I take three meds, but I ran out of one before the refills came in the mail. Three days without one of the meds. Three days. My brain was starting to feel...
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Me, My Depression and The Donald
The great thing about being a journalist in south Florida is you get some really weird assignments. Couple of years ago I went alligator hunting with some wounded vets courtesy of the Wounded Warrior...
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Depression Prayer: “Give Us This Day Our Daily Feelings…”
I don’t think about David Funchess much anymore. I watched him die on April 22, 1986 in Florida’s electric chair. He was the first Vietnam Veteran executed in the United States. Post-Traumatic Stress...
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Staying Sober and Depression-Free with the Housewives of Beverly Hills
Source: Bravo TV Sometimes the power of a bad example is as powerful as a good example. I’m thinking of Kim Richards, one of the housewives on The Housewives of Beverly Hills. My daughter got me hooked...
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April 25, 2006: The Day My Depression Ate Me
There are three dates I commemorate every year: December 18 – my birthday; August 27 – my sobriety date; and today April 25, – the date I slipped into my last – and hopefully final – major depression....
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Break-Up Angst and Depression
Today is the day the rubber hits the road. The pedal hits the metal. My alcoholism, depression, bipolar hit the proverbial fan. And a bunch of other stupid idioms that somehow seem appropriate right...
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Food & Nutrition: Getting the Brain Chemistry Right
There is something to be said for food. I’m about halfway through a 24-hour fast for my colonoscopy tomorrow and my mood is turning — fast. One of the first things we learn in a 12-Step program is...
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Mindfulness and Mental Illness: A Little Dharma Goes a Long Way
A guy from Flagstaff, Arizona called me the other day out of the blue. He wanted to talk about some of my writings and we covered a lot of ground. A co-worker and I had a smorgasbord of a conversation...
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How My Alcoholism Revealed My Depression
Fourteen years ago today I took my last drink. I’m not sure exactly what it was because much of that night remains a blur – in and out of a blackout. I remember going to a party where there were...
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The Intersection Between Violence, Depravity, Depression and My Career
I am a newspaper reporter. In the 30 years I’ve been doing it, I’ve seen some horrific stuff – crimes and atrocities that grab headlines and break hearts. Last week I covered a case that knocked the...
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Excelling at the habits of highly miserable people
Have you ever read one of those Habits-of-Highly-Successful-Entrepreneurs/Athletes/Lawyers/Soccer Moms articles? I read them all. Depending on what kind of mood I’m in and who wrote it, these articles...
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Christmas takes aim at my depression
And I shall go forth into another holiday season with this mantra: Expectations are premeditated disappointments. I shall also turn the frickin’ channel when a jewelry commercial comes on the...
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My 12-step anti-depression program for the holidays
Every year I’m struck by the same thought during the holidays: why are all the holiday movie classics about people with mental illnesses who are wonderfully restored to good health by a Christmas...
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Ringing in the New Year Without Alcohol or Depression
Two down. One to go. Yes, we made it through Thanksgiving, rounded second base, aka Christmas, and are headed to third: New Years Eve. At this point in the holiday season many of us with mental...
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How’s that New Year’s resolution working for you?
I don’t do resolutions but apparently a lot of people do because the gym was packed this morning. If something needs to change, I change it. Relying on a number on a calender has never worked for me....
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‘Tis the season: Depression and seasonal-affective disorder
For those of you with depression who live in areas that are expecting life-threatening cold weather this week, I am not going to say “I feel your pain.” I don’t and I won’t insult you by saying it....
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Depression: The absence of gratitude
There was a time when I wanted a really big house. A two-story house with big bedrooms and bathrooms with his and her’s sinks – even though there is no “his.” My siblings have huge houses on big chunks...
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Humor as preventive mental health care: Doberhuahua
I am totally into preventive health care – especially mental health care. We hear a lot about preventive health care, such as mammograms, monitoring blood pressure and testing cholesterol levels. We...
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As she lay dying: Depression and my mother’s sad memories
Shortly before my mother went into hospice we sat alone together in her bedroom and she said: “If you want to ask me anything you should ask me now.” I was stunned. My mother had rarely spoken about...
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