Mental illness
The “S” Word Documentary Review
Suicide: The Short Term Solution; Survival: The Long Term Problem Silence shrouds suicide. The tenth greatest cause of death in the United States goes unspoken unless a celebrity takes his/her life. Remember Robin Williams. Almost 43,000 persons kill themselves each year. That translates in 113 self murders every day. Of that […]
8Feb2018 | carlton | 0 comments | Continued
Love and Isolation
“8 Habits of Love” is a book by the Reverend Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints Church, Pasadena, California, where I am a member. I don’t consider myself a total Christian, since I have not accepted the divinity of Christ. I like what he preached, and I am a committed Vipassana Buddhist, but I find […]
18Nov2013 | carlton | 13 comments | Continued
The New Lepers Are Out To Gun You Down
Jared Loughner (Phoenix), Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook), James Holmes (Aurora, Colorado), Seung-Hui Cho (Virginia Tech), Dylan Klebold (Columbine), Kipland Kinkel (Springfield, Oregon) These young men are the poster boys for most of American society’s attitude toward the mentally ill: mentally ill people are dangerous; give them a gun and they will kill you. The attitude […]
22Feb2013 | carlton | 3 comments | Continued
THE PAIN IN MY BRAIN
A woman with the bipolar condition asked me if I got migraine headaches. At first I said no. Migraine headaches weren’t something I experienced. Then I thought about pain in my brain and how often I experienced it. I feel a severe and deep ache in my head when a massive depression is coming. I […]
13May2012 | carlton | 0 comments | Continued
Unhinged by the Epidemic of Mental Illness
“The central question of what variables drive the pathophysiology of mood disorders remains unanswered……….It is therefore no surprise that we know almost nothing definitive about the pathophysiology of mental illness — the surprise is that we know anything at all.” From Unhinged, The Trouble with Psychiatry — A Doctor’s Revelations about a Profession in Crisis, […]
2Nov2011 | carlton | 1 comment | Continued
Mad Sisyphus – New Thoughts on an Old Book
“Madness,” by Marya Hornbacher, was published in 2008. It was a New York Times best seller at the time, but now it has faded to 300,000 in book sales on Amazon. It’s only 100,000 higher in sales than my own book, “Bipolar Bare,” which as a self-published work did not have the backing of a […]
20Apr2011 | carlton | 3 comments | Continued
Crazy making Dyslexia
Dyslexia is not a mental illness according to most definitions although 30 years ago dyslexic people were often cared for by psychiatrists. Today we call dyslexia a learning disability. I see dyslexia not as a learning disability but a condition I deal with daily and I think it is related to mental illness. The – […]
28Mar2011 | carlton | 4 comments | Continued
On Tom Wootton and Bipolar in Order
09/26/10 Tom Wootton is an engaging and provocative author and public speaker on the issue of Bipolar Disorder. I listened to him speak in Pasadena, California on September 15, 2010. I found myself totally engaged by the theory he puts forward that Bipolar Disorder can be converted into “Bipolar –In- Order.” This is a state, […]
28Sep2010 | carlton | 3 comments | Continued
Seesawing on the Bipolar Coaster
Seesawing on the Bipolar Coaster- Riding the Edge of Madness with Two Minds Imagine a Teeter-totter with a person on both ends and combine it with a roller coaster. This is the experience of bipolar people. They ride up the escalator and plunge down the descent seesawing back and forth. At the summit they rise […]
17Sep2010 | carlton | 4 comments | Continued
The Attacks of the Black Brain
The attacks of the black brain start with losing something. Usually it is my keys or my wallet, but it could be anything misplaced or forgotten: a passport, a phone, a book or just a place I can’t find. I feel stupid and frustrated. I will tear up my household looking for the lost items, […]
25May2010 | carlton | 0 comments | Continued
I think I am better than I am
Grandiosity is a symptom of Bipolar Disorder. When manic I get very grandiose. I think I am better than I am. I liken myself to the great Leonardo Da Vinci. He like me was a writer, artist, and architect; and some say he was bipolar also. Maybe that is why he was so slow in […]
1Apr2010 | carlton | 3 comments | Continued
Interview with David Oliver of Bipolar Central
Carl Bipolar Success Story 3-11-10 On February 26th, Carlton Davis was interviewed by David Oliver. The interview is attached.
11Mar2010 | carlton | 0 comments | Continued
The Attack of the Inanimate Objects
Inanimate objects attack me. Doors, tables, chairs, toilet seats, vacuum cleaners, keys, wallets, tools, cars, and computers – to name just a few of my enemies – have it out for me. They sneak up on me. They lurk in the shadows to obstruct my way. They refuse to cooperate. The small objects lose themselves […]
8Mar2010 | carlton | 10 comments | Continued
The Two-minded Self
The Two-Minded Self This is an old article I wrote, which I have been thinking about lately. “For that person must not suppose that a double minded man unstable in all his ways will receive anything from the lord.” I came upon this passage in the Letter of James in the Bible […]
6Jan2010 | carlton | 6 comments | Continued
Disappearing on Seroquel
There are many drugs today advertised on TV for mental health issues: Cymbalta for depression, Abilify for Bipolar Disorder, and now Seroquel for Bipolar Depression. Have you seen the advertisement from AstraZeneca? People who are bipolar depressed are shown semi-dissolved into their backgrounds. A woman standing in front of a theatre marquee is half transparent […]
24Dec2009 | carlton | 46 comments | Continued
Bipolar Disorder ain’t a joke
Sometimes I forget how serious an illness Bipolar Disorder is. My life has been going well the past five years. No major attacks of mania. No racing thoughts. No grandiosity. No horrible depressions. No trips to the hospital for “tune-ups.” When I was first in recovery those “tune-up” visits were a regular occurrence when the […]
5Dec2009 | carlton | 0 comments | Continued
A Crop more valuable than Wheat?
Drug abuse prevention has failed miserably. Our attempts to stop the cultivation of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin are like trying to stop the occurrence of ants — impossible and improbable. The anti-drug abuse campaigns around the world have led only to the increased spread of drugs and their increased cultivation. In Afghanistan more land is […]
2Oct2009 | carlton | 5 comments | Continued
WID is Wonderful for the Wacky
WID (World Institute on Disability) www.wid.org is a wonderful resource for the mentally disabled. If a person is disabled by a psychiatric condition WID is a place to know about for assistance in help maintaining and building assets. Their acting director stated in his presentation on the topic of wealth building to the NAMI National […]
11Sep2009 | carlton | 3 comments | Continued
The Question I get asked a lot
The question I get asked a lot is: Does medication affect your creativity? The answer I give is: It did before I became an advocate for myself. Many people with mental conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia don’t want to take medications because the drugs dampen their creativity. They tell me medication makes them feel […]
4Sep2009 | carlton | 6 comments | Continued
PSYCHO DOUGHNUTS
Psycho Doughnuts was all out of the bipolar doughnut said the nice young red headed nurse who served me. My fantasy, which I had been planning all the way down from San Francisco, had been to buy a dozen of these doughnuts leave the store and begin pitching them again the door of this shop […]
15Jul2009 | carlton | 54 comments | Continued
The Gift of Bipolar Disorder
I have the gift of Bipolar Disorder; so it is believed did Leonardo DaVinci and Van Gogh, my mentors as artists and writers. For more than most of my life time, 20 years to be exact, I didn’t know I had the illness, and just thought I was different from other people. I was crazy, wild, and had periods of severe depression, […]
4Mar2009 | carlton | 42 comments | Continued
The Healing Power of Buddhism
Dancer of innate compassion within the spacious expanse of nature You manifest as one who holds awareness of profound meanings Endowed with a vast range of flawless and holy qualities Glorious lama may your lotus feet stand firmly. Longevity Prayer – Namkha Drimed Rinpoche Several months ago I attended […]
12Feb2009 | carlton | 15 comments | Continued
