Roll Call!! Let's all introduce ...

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Roll Call!! Let's all introduce ...
15
Mon, 06-11-2007 - 1:17pm

ourselves for the benefit of the newbies!


1)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Wed, 06-13-2007 - 12:51pm

Eclipse,


Welcome to the board, I'm glad you found us!


I think its wonderful that your parents are mental health professionals--who better to understand the dynamics than someone whose BTDT.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2006
Wed, 06-13-2007 - 9:12pm

Hi everyone,

I'm Peg from PA. I will be married 17 years next month and I have 2 kids- ds is 9 and dd is 4. Let's see- my good news- I've been relatively stable for a little while and I just celebrated 3 months sober last Monday.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-02-2006
Wed, 06-13-2007 - 10:09pm

I'm baaaack:)


First, my name is Traci (I'm a co-cl who has

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-12-2007
Wed, 06-13-2007 - 10:34pm

Thank you for the links and the introduction. Actually, there must have been a malfunction with your copy/paste function as both links are for the adolescent bipolar forums. Do you have a link to message boards plus? I suppose there is a membership fee. I see you can have a personal signature, I might figure that out eventually too. I like your picture, the happy and sad faces. It's strange, but I was thinking about those faces right before I found this board which made me think a little. I was also thinking that artistic representation was a good one to describe bipolar disorder. I don't see your name, however, is there something I can call you in the future? (I am probably overlooking it).

Again, thank you for the warm welcome.

Eclipse

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-12-2007
Wed, 06-13-2007 - 10:59pm

Hi Beth, it's nice to meet you. I know what you mean with feeling talked down to. I don't think that is isolated to mental health, but certainly can be more of a problem there. I have seen both kinds of health care providers, good and bad, but most on a spectrum. I have been disgusted while on a medical unit, and I have equally been disgusted when working with the mentally ill in respect to the quality of care I've seen. I have also seen wonderful things and great providers! But most definitely, the bias and naivete are absolutely incredible regarding mental health issues. I have a passion to quell the storm within the abyss of many cultural misperceptions about mental illness. Indeed, no one is free from mental health issues, as we all are on a spectrum of health or disease. It's harder to visualize, or rather impossible, the inner design of our minds -- so we cannot conceptualize (we as in people) very well the idea of differences in health and function of the brain. We can see a lot of other detriment, like physical deformities, or gaunt features of someone ill, and we can even tell the fitness of one person or the other; therein lies the framework for mystical thinking on a grand scale when it comes to cultural perceptions. A few centuries ago people used myth, God, the devil (and it's equal counterparts in differing religions) to make sense of fevers and all other sorts of illness. Before the widespread use of the microscope the underlying manifestations were not 'visible' therefore not as apparent. In fact, a Dutch tradesman playing with his own body secretions found 'moving' elements, but it took two more centuries for even physicians to even look into the matter!!! We are talking hundreds of years! Amazing. Utterly amazing. The collective mentality within the medical community (which is a reflection of society on a smaller scale) is not as progressive as it needs to be. How many hundreds of millions of lives were lost from the discovery of penicillin being delayed? And how long will it take humanity to accept, learn and accurately perceive illness within the brain? How many will suffer from our bias? History is man's greatest teacher. It's a shame very few of us actually pay attention to it.

You may find, (hopefully not to your dismay) that I tangent quite well. I validate your feelings, and I guess that was part of my thoughts on the matter. :)

Eclipse

(oh and if I make a post faux paus will you please alert me? -- can we chat on any board, or is it topic specific?)

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