Outpatient Program, Part Six
Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Chicago, Illinois USA Start with Part One please! Ninth Session (Oct. 13, 2017) There's one man who consistently dozes in group and I feel for him because it sounds like he's on too strong a sleeping pill prescription....
Outpatient Program, Part Five
Hey, start with Outpatient program for depression and anxiety, part one! Seventh session (Oct. 9, 2017) Today was weird. It was clear that at least some of the staff had read last week's blog posts and changed their behavior accordingly (on my third day there I...
My People
One thing I like about mental illness support groups, outpatient programs and the nut house itself is that I can be myself 100%. Unlike anywhere else, I can take off my public face, express exactly what I'm feeling and say what's on my mind or stare dully into the...
Outpatient Program, Part Four
Don't read this until you read Outpatient program for depression and anxiety, part one. Fifth session (Oct. 5, 2017) This morning I found the first hour disturbing. We did the usual check-in with the facilitator asking everyone about sleep, appetite,...
Outpatient Program, Part Three
Please! Read this first Outpatient program for depression and anxiety, part one. Fourth Session (Oct. 3, 2017) The St. Joseph Hospital outpatient program did get better this week. It's like they really heard our criticisms of the heavy focus on handouts and the...
Gun Control Debate Is OVER
Look, people, this is the United States. Mass murder by gunfire isn't going to stop and Congress is not going to pass legislation to restrict access to guns. Gun control is a dead issue, no matter how much we might hope it's still up for discussion. As I said before,...
Outpatient Program, Part Two
First, please read: Outpatient program part one. Third Session (Sept. 29, 2017) Today was better. The first hour of checking in was conducted by a facilitator I'd actually seen before. I've finally made it to the repeats! One woman said she'd had a hard...
Outpatient Program for Depression & Anxiety, Part One
First Session (Sept. 26, 2017) I've been accepted into Saint Joseph Hospital's Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) in Chicago (where I live). It's for adults struggling with mental illness. I'm one of the depressives. It goes from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday...
You Might Be Clinically Depressed If
You might be clinically depressed if: you're back on cigarettes or junk food or alcohol or shopping or whatever your addiction is that you've been trying to kick for decades. you can't concentrate on work for more than a few minutes at a time. the long minutes you...
“Off Their Meds” Jokes
On July 26th, Stephen Colbert commented on El Idiota's tweet that transgender people will no longer be allowed in the U.S. military. He said, "Today I really think he's off his meds because today he went from crazy to cruel." To anyone reading this: please stop making...
Weight Loosening
Here's an update on how my attempt to lose some fatness is going: it's...kind of...going. Since I last posted about my continued fatness two months ago, I had some pretty discouraging weeks. This is what I filled them with: 1. I tried to exercise more, which is...
The Word “Lady,” Part One
Sexism lives deep in a society when people can’t see it in the words they use.