Mental Illness Archives

In My Own Voice
In My Own Voice

Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Hypomania, Mania, Medication, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Illness, NAMI, Psychosocial Education, Recovery, Stigma

In My Own Voice

The weekend after I attended BlogHer16, my local NAMI Orange County office hosted an In Our Own Voice (IOOV) training. In Our Own Voice (IOOV) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqXC7zuASBA Hi, I’m Kitt O’Malley Mother of a teen [...]

Kitt O'Malley2022-09-09T15:50:02-07:00September 5th, 2016|Categories: Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Hypomania, Mania, Medication, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Illness, NAMI, Psychosocial Education, Recovery, Stigma|Tags: In Our Own Voice, IOOV, National Alliance on Mental Illness|58 Comments

Please Support Me – #NAMIOCWalker – Thanks!

Please support me and team STIGMA SMASHERS as we walk 5K for NAMIWalks Orange County 2016. NAMI Orange County has been instrumental in my mental health recovery. NAMI Peer-to-Peer introduced me to the concept of [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-08-18T16:45:37-07:00August 18th, 2016|Categories: Discrimination, Mental Health, Mental Health Advocacy, Mental Illness, NAMI, Psychosocial Education, Recovery, Stigma, Support Group|Tags: #namiocwalker, #NAMIWalks2016, NAMIWalks|18 Comments

Folie à Deux
Folie à Deux

Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Compassion, Family, Mental Illness, Poetry, Psychotic Thought Process

Folie à Deux

I Am My Mother Caveat: Please understand that delusional thought processes are SYMPTOMS of mental illness. I feel compassion, even as I feel pain and anger as someone negatively affected by parental delusional [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-08-10T12:15:32-07:00August 10th, 2016|Categories: Acceptance, Bipolar Disorder, Compassion, Family, Mental Illness, Poetry, Psychotic Thought Process|Tags: delusion, delusional thought process, enmeshed family dynamics, enmeshment, folie a deux, poor boundaries|43 Comments

Connecting With Others #Online
Connecting With Others #Online

Bipolar Disorder, Mental Illness, Recovery, Self care, Stigma, Support Group, Triggers to Mood Cycling

Connecting With Others #Online

Guest Post: Connecting With Others Online – by Fliss Baker for NewLifeOutlook Connecting with other people is vital to surviving, living and enjoying life. It is imperative in managing our mental health; we are encouraged to [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-08-03T14:10:20-07:00August 3rd, 2016|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Mental Illness, Recovery, Self care, Stigma, Support Group, Triggers to Mood Cycling|Tags: Facebook groups, online support, peer support, peer support groups, phone helplines|17 Comments

Bipolar, Rage & Violence
Bipolar, Rage & Violence

Bipolar Disorder, Mental Health, Mental Illness

Bipolar, Rage & Violence

Sure, having a mental illness does not mean that you will be violent. Still, some of us with mental illness, myself included, do have or have had violent thoughts and impulses. For the most part, [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-07-29T20:36:51-07:00July 29th, 2016|Categories: Bipolar Disorder, Mental Health, Mental Illness|Tags: impulse control, impulses, rage, violence, violent thoughts|37 Comments

Flight Back Home
Flight Back Home

Caregiving, Dementia, Family, Grief, Involuntary Hospitalization, Medication, Mental Illness, Stroke, Writing

Flight Back Home

Friday, July 15th Last Saturday, the day after we returned from Oregon, my mother was psychiatrically hospitalized for the third time since her stroke last November. Yesterday morning, I met with the treatment team [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-07-15T15:18:21-07:00July 15th, 2016|Categories: Caregiving, Dementia, Family, Grief, Involuntary Hospitalization, Medication, Mental Illness, Stroke, Writing|Tags: Anxiety, geriatric psychiatry, Travel, vascular dementia|27 Comments

Siren Song

I have heard the siren song of alcohol and marijuana. Craved the quieting of my thoughts, the slowing down. Prescribed medications do help immensely, but I still understand and am wary of alcohol&#… [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-07-05T19:32:13-07:00July 5th, 2016|Categories: Acceptance, Alcoholism, Bipolar Disorder, Dual Diagnosis, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Substance Abuse|18 Comments

I Got Out of the House This Week!

My major achievement this week was to get out of the house TWICE for ME - not just driving my son to and from school or caring for my parents. Monday: OC Writers Write-In Monday I [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-06-23T16:51:57-07:00June 23rd, 2016|Categories: Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Medication, Mental Illness, Motherhood, Psychosis, Stroke|Tags: delusion, FEDUP4Brain, folie a deux, OCWriters, shared delusion|31 Comments

A Litany of Slightest Madness

Source: A Litany of Slightest Madness, by Beleaguered Servant I have no idea what I just wrote… I’ve always seen what isn’t there, And so, I’m under doctor’s care; For through my window eyes [...]

Kitt O'Malley2016-06-19T14:17:13-07:00June 19th, 2016|Categories: Blogging, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Poetry, Psychotherapy, Writing|Tags: humanity, insanity|10 Comments

Father's Day Bits and Pieces

We plan to do some mountain biking today. When my husband and son do steep downhill runs (downhill mountain biking), I just have enough time to drop them off at the top of [...]