I never thought I’d say this…
…but USA Today continues to do good mental-health reporting. From Sunday’s issue:
Despite its stigma, a growing number of employers and employees are addressing a topic that has long been taboo: mental illness in the workplace. Employees’ emotional health, a topic that once seemed incongruous with the survival-of-the-fittest corporate arena, is getting attention as a real bottom-line issue. Employers are beefing up mental health services as new research shows the staggering cost of mood disorders—depression, anxiety and panic disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder—can have on businesses.
The rest of the article is well worth reading, though I can’t help question the anecdote that closes the item, to wit:
Southwest Airlines employees sometimes pull pranks on co-workers once they’ve passed their probationary period. But customer-service agent Marcie Fuerschbach says this joke went too far.
At the end of her probation at her job in Albuquerque, co-workers got police officers to handcuff her in a mock arrest. By the time she was in on the joke, she was crying and scared, according to the lawsuit she filed. Later that day, found crying in the bathroom, Fuerschbach was sent home. She says she had to see a psychologist and was treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. She settled her case out of court with police. She lost her case against Southwest.
Oh, tee hee. What a funny joke! I wish my co-workers were more prank-minded. Maybe I’d end up in a straitjacket in our conference room.
The piece ends with the information that Fuerschbach now takes Lexapro, “which is used for treating depression and anxiety.”
Workplaces quit quietly ignoring mental illness
liz | 2:56 PM | Uncategorized
Tom Cruise: Unwitting stigma-buster
Well, here I am, back at my desk littered with cereal crumbs, old coffee cups and random slips of paper I know are important but will inevitably be ignored until they get moldy. It’s hard to come back from vacation and feel on top of things. But you know what? Vacation is the greatest recharge. I feel clearer and less inclined to judge. Noisy people on the train home from the airport just seemed colorful, rather than annoying. And this morning I didn’t even blink as I trudged through the subway halls. I feel high and nonexistent. This jetlag stuff is dope.
My initial task this morning has been to scour the news for the latest mental health salvos. And the first thing I came to, at USA Today, was an article about Tom Cruise being fired by Paramount because of two things: his altercation with Brooke Shields and his anti-psychiatry rants, and his weird relationship with Katie Holmes. While I don’t condone his being penalized for the latter, I do feel that there is serious progress to be noted in the midst of this fluffy news item.
To me it indicates that these days, being critical of taking antidepressants is seen as ignorant and insensitive—even to the point that it seems deviant. The norm, then, has become an acceptance of psych meds, and thus further acceptance of those who take them. Talking freely about the need for medication has always been hard for those of us who rely upon them, especially with employers. The pendulum is swinging in a different direction now.
Cruise not of Paramount importance
Tom Cruises mission aborted at studio
liz | 11:03 AM | Uncategorized
Is it still Monday where you are?
Monday is coming to a close here in ol’ España, as is my trip. I’m sweltering in depression at the thought of coming home. I mean, no offense to Philadelphia, but like, Barcelona is better. There are things that make it similar to Philly, though. One thing is that there are odd and unpleasant smells every few blocks. You constantly find yourself sniffing then scowling. Also, the Metro stations are frickin’ hot. This is also a problem at the City Hall trolley stop. Finally, I discovered the children at the Zoo were all extremely excited, such that they tripped over my feet and rammed their little heads into my back and knocked my backpack off screaming, “Mama! The monkey is scratching itself!” I guess that’s true everywhere.
This is a photo I took at the top of … wait, I don’t actually remember where I took this, and I’m still here. Pathetic. But as always, I’m more interested in other people than in the rest of everything. You’ll notice the background is quite dramatic.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) I’ll be traveling and unable to check in, most likely. I’ll see you all back here on Wednesday with the best in mental health news as filtered through my jetlagged brain.
liz | 5:04 PM | Uncategorized
Bus Turistica
That’s how you say “tourist bus” in Catalan, the language of native Barcelonans. Vince and I adore the Bus Turistica here; this image is us in the bus’ double-deck mirror. I’m the one holding the camera; he’s the one shielding his eyes from the horrors of my constant picture-taking. You’d think after doing all this walking around, hanging on the beach, sitting on a double-decker bus and eating in cafes, I’m get at least a smidgen of a tan. But no. I’m as pasty as ever.
We’re having a lovely time, but it feels like it’s going too fast. I keep having work anxiety dreams. Maybe I’ll break my leg and have to stay until it heals. Mentally speaking, my health is holding up (knock wood). I’m back on schedule, and the Effexor withdrawal is basically over.
I’ll post more when I can.
liz | 10:27 AM | Uncategorized
Spikol, en vivo, pero cansada
Hola, amores. This viaje is killing me. I have some weird pain in my back–typical Jewish psychosomatic hypochondriac. I can’t leave home without having an illness or injury befell me. I’m having trouble getting access here, so I’ve just posted this image of a bar I stopped in for a Coca Cola Lite (pronounced la-eet) and some tapas.
liz | 2:29 PM | Uncategorized
The rain in Spain is … nowhere!
Well, here I am in Spain. Barcelona, to be exact. It’s pretty lovely, but yesterday was trying: I only got three hours of sleep in 24 hours, despite the fact that I took a full complement of my meds. Thus I did things like run into the ocean in my dress while the attractive topless Spaniards gaped. We walked on La Rambla, the big strip of walkway cutting through Barcelona; we walked by the port and look at pretty ships; we went to the beach; we went to a weird sort of Spanish architectural Disneyland.
The subways are stiflingly hot and graffiti is everywhere–which of course I love. I’ll be posting more photos later, but for now I give you this amazing image that practically made me cry. We were on the Metro and I had Vince take a photo of me waving at you guys. But then I looked over and saw this guy wearing a 76ers shirt. WTF? It was like a little slice of heaven.
“See?” I said to Vince. “Philadelphia is everywhere.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Wherever the cream cheese is sold.” The ultimate diss. I had to not talk to him for a while.
The only other drama was that I couldn’t find my meds. I thought I left them in the plane, and I just sat down and exploded into tears. Vince said it was ridiculous-looking, like I was a cartoon character with tons of tears springing out of my eyes, going, “Wahhh!” But then I found them and calmed down.
I’ll try to write more later. It’s hard because I’m supposed to be on vacation. But I want to share, of course. So here’s the photo.
liz | 4:16 AM | Uncategorized
New video, just in time for vacation
I think you’ll agree my camera battery died at just the right moment.
liz | 4:56 PM | Uncategorized
Goodbye, cruel world!
Though I’m not leaving for my vacation till tomorrow, I feel I can’t stay at my desk without shooting up, preferably with Ativan, but heroin would probably work too. I get so incredibly nervous about flying—and now I’ll have to do it without the benefit of a soothing toothpaste tube.
I won’t be blogging at all tomorrow, but hopefully by Wednesday evening I’ll have access. Of course, it’s possible I’ll think, “Blog? ?Qué blog? I’m on vacation!” In which case you’ll have to bore yourself to death reading past posts.
I’ll try to make a video before I go, but if not, well, consider this my farewell post. And to the terrorists who might bomb my plane, I say—to quote a great leader (ahem)—”Bring it on!”
liz | 1:09 PM | Uncategorized
Treatment for depression
I read a headline today that said something like, “Treatment for Depression Without a Pill.” I guess some people think you need meds to conquer depression, and for intractable clinical depression that might be so. But as many pills as there are, there are also other proposed solutions. The below list comes from PsychEducation.org. I think it pretty much sums it up, but click here for the website’s very detailed articulation of these points, as well as other suggestions. It’s specifically addressing bipolar disorder, but the information works for unipolar sufferers as well.
•Maintain a regular daily schedule — especially sleep hours, exposure to light, and perhaps even to darkness
•Get exercise nearly every single day: clearly it’s an antidepressant, and it probably also has mood stabilizing effects
•Have a social support system: family, or friends, or a therapist; preferably all of the above if possible
•Have a plan for when you’re having a lot of symptoms
•Have a means for figuring out what’s you, and what’s your illness (many use a therapist for this)
•Work, or volunteer, or have some other focus outside yourself
[This image is the fluke I'm going to eat tonight for dinner. Eating healthy definitely helps my mood.]
liz | 12:19 PM | Uncategorized
Bipolar Made Me Do It: Be Dishonest to the Tune of 15 Charges
White-collar criminal in New Zealand gets off due to bipolar disorder. Good thing he didn’t live in Texas.
Tolich discharged without conviction
liz | 11:40 AM | Uncategorized
