Tag: Bipolar

A Word on Wednesday: Anniversary

We tend to think of anniversaries as accomplishments. We mark them mentally as we remember the day when it began. Marriage anniversaries make us think of our wedding day and love we have shared each year since. Work or other service anniversaries remind us… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Anniversary”

A Word on Wednesday: Recovery

I decided to wrap up my Mental Health series with the word recovery. The word recovery dates to the mid Fourteenth Century, from the Anglo-French recoverie; it speaks to a “return to health.” Contemporary usage considers recovery as the act of recovering. This first definition… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Recovery”

A Word on Wednesday: Diagnosis

Don’t let them LABEL you!  Don’t let them LABEL your child! Don’t believe the LABELS! The word diagnosis is not synonymous with “label.”  The medical term, diagnosis, is simple and straightforward. The noun’s primary definition is twofold (a) the process of determining by examination the nature… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Diagnosis”

A Word on Wednesday: Stigma

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”    When we think about Mental Health Awareness, we often hear pleas to stop the stigma. Stop the stain, the blot, the tarnish that is mental illness. By definition: The noun,… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Stigma”

A Word on Wednesday: Patient

A Patient Vulnerable. Bounced by forces not within; Left bobbing atop the surface, Or, dragged mercilessly, gurgling for air. Patient’s first synonym is INVALID.  This can be interpreted to mean not valid or a person who is not capable.  Patient’s primary synonym is derived from… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Patient”

A Word on Wednesday: Awareness

  Awareness is a noun;  it is the state or condition of being aware; having knowledge; consciousness.    Its synonym, mindful.  Its antonym, oblivious.      For decades, organizations have claimed colors and months to bring awareness to a particular disease or cause. Awareness… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Awareness”

A Word on Wednesday: Heliotropic

Heliotropic: Turning or growing toward the light. Heliotropism can be easily seen in sunflowers, which slowly turn their large flowers so that they continually face the sun. However, the adjective heliotropic can describe any noun and any light source. A heliotropic student turns toward  the light of… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Heliotropic”

A Word on Wednesday: Suffer

Using the verb suffer with an object is one of my word choice pet peeves. The culprit is the acceptable definition  No. 5: “to undergo, be subjected to, or endure (pain, distress, injury, or anything unpleasantness).Consider when the object of the sentence is an illness: She suffers from diabetes.… Continue Reading “A Word on Wednesday: Suffer”

Alleluia

On this day in my history, I was hospitalized for a psychotic break. I didn’t know it at the time; I thought I was going to a birthday party rather than the ICU of a psychiatric care center. Today’s five-year, post-breakdown anniversary is a… Continue Reading “Alleluia”