Suicide Prevention: My Personal Handbook
Every September I get frustrated by the grand, albeit well-intentioned gestures of folks doing their best to put a dent in suicide awareness and prevention. So much of it feels commercial. Mental health merch that floods my social feeds: the #youarenotalone hoodies, the smiley face purses that ‘combat stigma’, the bracelets with dainty semicolon clasps, the waterproof stickers that reminding me “it’s okay not to be okay.” The sentiment I appreciate, but the consumerism bugs me.
Interview with Author Karen Novak, part 1
Bipolar disorder and creativity can travel together. I'm interested in the connection between the two. Does one precede the other? Is one the outcome of the other? Bipolar is not synonymous with intelligence and creativity. It's not an if-then situation. But there's enough of a both-and pattern there to suggest that the two are somehow linked on some level. Creativity interests me more than having bipolar disorder. The human mind interests me, and watching other people work, learning their processes, I find that fascinating.