Tag: awarness

Posted in Mental health, recovery, Uncategorized

A Fair Trade

Posted on by Rose

World Fair Trade Day is on the second Saturday of May and its purpose is to celebrate the contributions to the fight against poverty, exploitation, and climate change.

With the passing of World and National Fair Trade Day. I was reminded of the popular song by Drake and Travis Scott Fair Trade. Now the song and the holiday have nothing in common besides a name, I can attest that at times day to day living with a mental health disorder can become labor intensive.

[Chorus: Drake]

I’m outside, twenty-nine, G5, seaside

I’ve been losin’ friends and findin’ peace

But honestly that sound like a fair trade to me

If I ever hurt one and I’m still here

Outside, frontline, Southside

I’ve been losin’ friends and findin’ peace

Honestly that sound like a fair trade to me

“Peace of mind ” A much sought after commodity and in many cases It doesn’t come easy. What action must be taken to obtain peace of mind. medication, lifestyle changes , family, friends. The last can be the hardest who can get better without a support system. Sometime people can be the very thing delaying your journey and in some cases cutting people out of your life no matter how much you care for them. Sometimes this happens intentionally sometimes not. There is potential for fallout for decisions like this, but never feel bad about doing whats best for you for your own health. Just remember putting ones self first for peace and happiness is the better trade off.

-you cant get better in the same place that made you sick. –

https://wfto.com/

https://genius.com/25208826/Drake-fair-trade/Said-he-put-some-money-on-my-head-i-guess-we-gon-see-i-wont-put-no-money-on-his-head-my-niggas-owe-me

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Posted in medication, Mental health, recovery, Uncategorized

By a Different Name. “A Medication cheat sheet for Generic and Brand Medications”

Posted on by Rose

Wanted to pass this information along we often hear these different names tossed around and may not realize which medication it is.

Sertraline- Zoloft

Venlafaxine- Effector

Citalopram- Celexa

Mirtzapine- Remeron

Fluoxetine -Prozac

Duloxetine- Cymbalta

Seroquel- Quetiapine

Lamictal- Lamotrigine

Lexapro- Escritolopram

Wellbutrin- Ativan

Klonopin- Clonazepam

Posted in coping skills, insomnia, Mental health, recovery, Uncategorized

The Uninvited Guest

Posted on by Rose

Symptoms they don’t talk about are a lot of times the minor ones that can go unnoticed or even ones that don’t appear to be a symptom at all. There is the nail biting, the foot tapping, or maybe even head scratching, but those are just habits not symptoms of anything. Well with such habits being that minor it can be difficult to even recognize your own symptoms or even recognize  the onset of an anxiety attack.

In all of my years dealing with mental illness it was a friend who lives nearly 10,000 miles away to help me recognize my actions as symptoms and that I was having an attack. I wasn’t hyperventilating, or sweating excessively, or nauseated. No, I was up in my mothers apartment at 3 in the morning cooking and cleaning. I don’t mean just your standard tidying up. I was full on sweeping, moping, and scrubbing. I was making food as if preparing for a dinner party. By the time my attack was over I had managed to make tacos, chicken, deviled eggs and apple sauce from scratch. As I reflect on this incident I can feel the budding tension in my chest rise. (So apparently just thinking about attacks brings on attacks too noted. )

So this observation that had been pointed out made me pause and think, this can’t be a panic attack. I just cant sleep so might as well get some tasks done, that will tire me out. Then once I’m tired I’ll have to pass out. But that’s just it. I am so restless that I have decided to do these tasks to force my body and mind to shut down. In a way this is just my mind and body’s way of distracting me and avoiding the real issue of what has me up. In all my distractions I was not able to even fathom there was a problem till it was brought to my attention. Sometimes it takes a person from the outside to put your actions into perspective so you can clearly see the problems you’re not ready to face because you’re up at 3 in the morning preparing for a dinner party.  It’s also pretty eye opening on how the mind or body will come up with actions to cope or protect itself or cry for help. I can see why you wouldn’t talk about a symptom if you don’t even know there is one.

Posted in Mental health, recovery, therapy, Uncategorized

Cheers to Therapy

Posted on by Rose

“I start therapy tomorrow.”

Woo-hoo, alright…….,(raise glass)

And now a toast; not for a new job, new home or new relationship, but to Mental Health.

On most occasions it was something many were drinking to escape from , but to drink too in celebration definitely a new concept.


And to even have the strength to admit to others publicly not easy. Mental Health for so long always came with fear and judgement.

Now with this one moment a forward step for the stigma books. This is proof that we as a people
have come a great distance in how mental health is perceived. If this isn’t proof that Mental
health narrative isn’t changing I don’t know what is.

The road is still tough but at least the
scenery is changing.
And that’s something to toast too. Cheers!

A drink to stigma
Posted in Mental health, Uncategorized

Friends Like Mine: Mr. Wonderful

Posted on by Rose

A friend is what the heart needs all the time. – Henry Van Dyke

Now that you have been formally introduced to Zac it is fitting to get a bit of his origin story.

During the late 1960’s doctors were working on different treatments for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). One particularly thing that continued to come up was a decrease of  Serotonin levels in patients. 

Serotonin has many functions and jobs, one being a neurotransmitter (messenger). As we all know messengers in many cases are very important, (please refrain from shooting), Serotonin is that messenger which communicates anything from, mood, eating, sleeping and digestion. Which sounds like a lot of opportunity for things to go left. 

Imagine your body and nerves like the pony express. There are various riders at a particular checkpoint to get messages to its final destination, i.e a message to the brain to put you in a good mood. Well what happens if one of your riders or many riders gets lost or stuck ? Your brain won’t be getting the message bye bye good mood.

In the case of patients having a down mood as well as low levels of serotonin what could happen if that level was increased? 

This is where Zac comes in. The extra force needed to unblock the dammed river. or be the increase of needed riders to deliver to deliver happy messages to the brain. On the flip side unblocking a dam can cause a major increase of messengers/serotonin flowing in and that has its own set of  problems.  

“Dam Destroyer”
By 1987 a concentrated form of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI ) [1] would be approved by the USFDA.

Zac hit the market and was quickly seen as a “wonder drug”

Zac was introduced at a time where the pharmaceutical industry was shifting how they market their products. Previously pharmaceuticals usually went to doctors and health providers to market their products in hope of getting more doctors to use their products for prescription and treatment. The 1980s saw a change to Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising. Now potential patients were seeing what products could be made available to them instead of solely relying on their doctor for treatment options. 🚩

The introduction of Prozac into the mass market also opened up opportunity for people to speak publicly  on mental illness especially in regards to depression or anxiety. In some respects Zac became “trendy” (he had a book and movie deal talk about a Hollywood star.”) Because Prozac was believed to work so well patients as well as the public put a lot of faith into the drug to easily cure these issues. With such rave reviews pretty hard to imagine any downsides to something so wonderful.


Esherick, Joan. (2007). Prozac: North American Culture and the Wonder Drug. Mason Crest Publishers Inc

Posted in Uncategorized

Mayday Mayday

Posted on by Rose

It is finally upon us May 1st or as most of us in modern times know as May Day. This is a time where people are yeling and marching through the streets hoping to bring about talks of change and social justice. And let me be clear while men and women are parading through the streets weather it be for immigrants, democracy or basic human rights. I will be having a few additional thoughts of my own that may not cross your mind, and not so much as a thought but a word and that word is awarness. May 1st. will also be sparking the beginning of mental illness awarness month. Now for the time being that may consist of just me having a one woman parade which is ok, but just maybe,just maybe someone will here my call.