I had my first transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) treatment this morning. It was interesting. For those who don’t know, TMS is an FDA approved treatment for major depressive disorder. It is prescribed in cases where medication has not been effective. Basically, the doctor uses MRI magnets to stimulate the brain and “wake it up” so…
Almost nine years ago, I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Since then, I’ve been using a combination of talk therapy and medication to try to combat the condition. I’ve had some small successes, periods where I feel better, but I always seem to fall back down. I tend to describe my depression as stubborn,…
It is May 1st, the first day of Mental Health Awareness Month and what headline did I wake up to? This: Trump admin stops grant funding for school mental health : NPR. The grants came from the Safer Communities Act which was a bipartisan law passed in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting. Republicans…
A year ago, I went through an intensive outpatient program (IOP) because I was having suicidal ideations. I wrote a series of posts at the time chronicling my journey. When I realized that was a whole year ago, it got me thinking, and I figured I’d share my thoughts. The first thing is that the…
NPR ran a story the other day, Veterans will be hurt by Trump’s back-to-office order for VA therapists, sources say : Shots – Health News : NPR. The gist of it is that there simply is not enough room at the VA offices to bring everyone back. The telehealth provided by the VA will be…
I have Major Depressive Disorder. I have also been the primary caregiver for someone with depression. So, when I ran into this article, How to support someone with depression | Psyche Guides by Emma Cotterill, I was doubly interested. If it was a good guide, I wanted to help get the word out. And it…
You ever have one of those days? Well, I had one today. I really didn’t feel like posting anything today, but blowing my streak on the fourth day of the month would make me feel even worse. So, what made it a lousy day? It’s hard to explain. I did get a terrible night’s sleep…
I have the strongest urge to start this last piece about my mental health journey through an intensive outpatient program (IOP) with an apology. I can’t tell if it’s an acceptable urge or if I should use opposite action to resist it. The thing is, I don’t feel like I’ve done a very good job…
Well, I finished my intensive outpatient program (IOP) today. It’s a day earlier than I expected, but I’ll talk about that later. For now, I was customarily early, but the fourth to arrive. These new group members are something else. It was a big group today, so check-ins took all of the first hour and…
This is the start to my last week of IOP. I’m all kinds of conflicted about it. Over the past two-ish months, group has become kind of homey. At the same time, I think it’s time. I have to get back out in the real world sometime. I just wish the real world weren’t so…
