A gathering of people with severe mental illness and a platform for their stories. Check out the podcast and join our peer support Spaces. Hosted by
@hhkeegan
The Bipolar Recorder mini documentary has officially dropped for mental health awareness month! Learn about the origins of this independent advocacy project and the dynamic future of peer support resources in the United States.
@Sinfu11y_Yours
Involuntary psych hospitalization is absolutely a form of incarceration. It's even worse than being arrested in some ways because there is less due process and less transparency in terms of what your rights are.
@pot8um
Wow, not related to autism but I also had a severe untreated concussion when I was about ~10 years old (I actually got fully knocked out). As an adult I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I've always wondered if the head trauma is partially related to that.
@DrianneBelleza
This is a really sad quote from her when responding to a reporter who asked her if she was okay after the incident:
“‘Everything is okay,’ Dixon responded. ‘People are in pain. It’s the holiday, people are stressed. You know, we have challenges in the family, in your
@sarahanmy
Actually people are routinely forced to take psychiatric medication by courts, hospitals, etc.
These are civil rights issues as well as medical issues.
Btw: If you've never been committed to a psychiatric hospital consider yourself lucky.
This isn't an "anti-psychiatry" account but my ex gf just texted me out of the blue saying that after 70 (!) ECT sessions she's been diagnosed with white matter disease. A form of progressive dementia. She's 34 years old. Not the news I wanted to start the weekend with.
@Bubblebathgirl
@dom_lucre
We've been talking about this a lot on my podcast lately. Most people don't understand how "mental illness" in the USA is often weaponized against people. The pseudo legal process of incarcerating someone in a psych ward is also totally biased and kafkaesque. We need reform.
Mental illness is not the same as physical illness.
Taking insulin is not the same as taking an anti-psychotic medication.
A mind does not heal the same way as a broken bone.
I wish people would stop making this comparison. It's inaccurate and counterproductive.
@NPR
I hope he comes out wanting to make sweeping reforms to the state of “mental health treatment” in this country. We need accessible, safe and effective resources for our communities.
@Imposter_Edits
You can write to Kissimmee Police Chief Betty Holland at kpdpio
@kissimmee
.gov . The cop in this video is named Officer Andrew Baseggio. Share your thoughts about what you've seen here.
This is the lengthy black box (highly dangerous / potentially lethal side effect) warning information that came along with the antidepressant that my psychiatrist recently prescribed …. The sheet is double sided. After reviewing, I decided not to start the medication. 💊
I was trying to get a prescription filled last week and the pharmacy tech was really aggressive / unprofessional with me so I filed a complaint. Today my psychiatrist notified me that the pharmacy contacted him saying there was an "incident" -- essentially that I was hostile /
It's my last official day of working the traditional job / career I've led for the last decade. I'll be exploring advocacy work full time this Spring/Summer. I'm nervous but also incredibly excited about the next chapter in my life. Can't wait to show you all what's in store 🔥
It boggles the mind to think that some people still insist we must unquestioningly trust the institution of psychiatry given its long history of abuse and corruption. Learn from the past.
@ReialityYT
@KollegeKidd
His camera was actually turned off (which is illegal). He must have assumed his buddy officer was also breaking the law and not recording.
@FatherMcKennaa
The danger is that they can cause severe psychosis, panic, disorientation, etc. Don't kid yourself... these are extremely powerful substances with negative consequences for some people. I've used psychedelics dozens of times over the years... totally not against them. Be safe...
Questions for the vehemently pro-psychiatry crowd:
Do you have formal education in social science?
Have you ever been involuntarily committed to a psych ward?
What is your primary objective in encouraging people not to think critically about their quality of care?
Jw.
@hollowearthterf
@boring283745
This is actually highly untrue. People experiencing psychosis routinely wind up in the criminal justice system and get charged with serious crimes.
Aww RIP Shelley Duvall (1949-2024). She lived with schizoaffective disorder. I actually wrote a letter to her a few months ago. I wonder if she ever read it 🖤
@SilverFoxOT
@pot8um
Yeah but unfortunately no one knows exactly what the causal relationship is. Drug abuse, trauma, genetics, etc. can also be possible contributing factors.
Just released! The latest installment to the podcast series. Investigative journalist
@robwipond
joined me to discuss the MYRIAD problems surrounding forced mental health treatment in the USA. Who can be trusted? Who do we turn to? Unfiltered. Raw. Real.
Public Service Announcement:
"BP" = Bipolar
"BPD" = Borderline Personality Disorder
They are two VERY different types of
#mentalhealth
conditions. Retweet so more people know the difference!
Jermall Charlo (born 1990) is an American boxer who just won his first fight after 2 years away from the ring due to bipolar disorder and a major mental health crisis event in late 2021. Congrats to Jermall … wishing him all the best in his continued recovery.
#CharloBenavidez
Still having a rough time. I have a really stressful situation happening that's outside of my control and it's incredibly triggering. I may be a bit hypomanic. Just trying to ground myself. I have a therapy appt today too. I hate feeling like this.
@sarahanmy
This statement is so problematic and misguided that I don't even know where to begin.
A) It's absolutely not true that forced medication is reserved for violent patients... This is frankly an offensive, ableist assumption. Annually, millions of people are forced into psychiatric
Would you voluntarily send yourself to jail? No? Yeah, that’s why we don’t usually go to psych wards on our own. We need better access to intermediate levels of care and less discriminatory / unconstitutional practices when it comes to seeking urgent
#mentalhealth
treatment.
I read a statement from Robert Card’s family saying “he’s not normally like this, he’s just having an episode.” This upsets me because it places the blame/emphasis on mental illness. Lots of people hear voices, they still don’t go on to commit spree killings.
#lewistown
The official HQ recording of one of my Penn State mental health outreach presentations last Friday. This is also up on YouTube. Give it a watch to learn about bipolar disorder and recovery (dropping at midnight when no one will see it because the file took forever to upload)
Role models are for Kidz Bop. I’m not out here trying to paint myself as a shining example of clean living and success because life with chronic serious mental illness ebbs and flows.
For about the last week I’ve been feeling especially“weird.” I can’t put my finger on exactly
Amanda Bynes, who lives with bipolar disorder, cancelled a public appearance 3 days ago due to undisclosed health issues. Today she was found naked wandering the streets of LA in a psychotic daze... That's rough. I hope she recovers quickly.
Whereas discussing depression and anxiety seems to have become much less “taboo” in recent years, conversation around conditions involving mania/psychosis is still highly stigmatized.
Regardless, I’m going to keep talking ✊
We can CHANGE this double standard.
#MentalHealth
Haha — I think antipsychiatry people are making this post trend a bit … to be clear: I’m not antipsychiatry. I take medication for bipolar disorder everyday. I just believe in informed consent and exercising caution.
This is the lengthy black box (highly dangerous / potentially lethal side effect) warning information that came along with the antidepressant that my psychiatrist recently prescribed …. The sheet is double sided. After reviewing, I decided not to start the medication. 💊
I haven't slept in about 2.5 days now. Not sure why... things are starting to get a little weird. I have an emergency sleep med I can take but it's an antidepressant and I'm really hesitant to introduce that to my body. Serious mental illness is challenging sometimes.
@sanilrege
I mean, in this post you’re literally trying to pathologize people with dissenting opinions. That in of itself is a major criticism of psychiatry. I think the “antipsych” group (whatever that even means) would say the horror stories overshadow the success stories.
@ATMwithJacy
OCD is one of the most debilitating and distressing mental health conditions around. Average people don’t understand the maddening nature of the rituals and obsessions …. and ensuing cognitive dissonance. It’s worse than psychosis in some ways (in my experience).
Remember 5 years ago when we were all like "telling someone to eat salad to cure depression is offensive!" And now in 2024
@ChrisPalmerMD
and others are like "Hey, as it turns out how you fuel your body actually has enormous impacts on your mind" and it might be.... correct? 😮
I believe that peer support is the way of the future for
#mentalhealth
treatment. The traditional medical establishment has consistently failed our SMI communities for hundreds of years and is too hidebound to adapt in an efficient, meaningful way. Let’s look out for each other.
@johnharris1969
Even if you were to agree with Stride that mental illness is over diagnosed, the statements throughout that article are mired in so much latent AND overt ableism and lack of scientific literacy that they’re problematic.
Bipolar people have unique challenges and qualities that the general public never has to think about. We are different, and that's okay. Embrace yourself.
A friendly reminder: please stay safe in the
#mentalhealth
Space galaxy. Here are some tips (this is just a partial list, not meant to be comprehensive)…
1️⃣ Remember that the mental health community here on Twitter/X is (usually) PHENOMENAL but none of us are running
Shout out to the increasingly large number of mental health advocate people I see on this platform beginning to show their actual faces. It's a daring, brave, and bold move that really helps humanize our initiatives/efforts.
Earlier today my therapist told me that after I switched mood stabilizers a few years ago the light came back into my eyes. I don't like that these medications can have such a pronounced effect on my demeanor. I don't like that they were thrown at me on a trial and error basis.
@wanyeburkett
The last time I went to my local Chipotle the cashier was clearly bombed out on fentanyl/xanax or something. She didnt make eye contact and could barely stand. I was worried she may fall and hurt herself in the kitchen. Anyway, that's my story.
Hey y'all, so sorry but no Chill Zone space tonight :( I am having some bad depression vibes starting to creep back in and have been feeling pretty weird for the last couple of days. Going to get some IRL support tonight and will be back soon 🙏🙏🙏
Realistic preview of psychiatric hospitalization: jaded and disrespectful “professional” staff, forced medication, half-assed therapy groups (if you’re lucky), locked doors, infantilization, threats of violence, security guards, confiscation of all personal items, no contact with
I see so many romanticized and frankly naive posts about the benefits of psychedelic drugs. Yes, they are cool and sometimes therapeutic. No, they will not magically fix your life for you. They can also be unpredictable and harmful when used irresponsibly. Exercise caution.
@erinn27157
Your heart for activism is very much in the right place. But I’ve been watching your posts for the last couple of days and I’d like to suggest that this may be a time for you to focus on your own peace and wellbeing. Be safe, this world is brutal 🙏🖤
You should never feel embarrassed or ashamed about being bipolar. It's not your fault that you have BP (no one really even knows what causes it in the first place) and nothing about living with a disability means that you're inherently lesser than someone else.
#BipolarClub
A few days ago I officially COMPLETED [the draft of] my manuscript for my next creative non-fiction expose on bipolar survival. It's about 56,000 words (which comes out to ~230 pages when formatted) and took me ~3 years of writing on-and-off. I'm now revising a bunch of stuff and
I can't quite put my finger on it -- but I think that the Twitter
#mentalhealth
community, especially the
#bipolarclub
, is on the forefront of something major. I don't know exactly what, but it's something powerful and positive.
3 months ago I started hiking with ~7 lbs of weight in this pack. Now I'm up to 28 lbs and going on 5+ mile treks with it. Progress is awesome! Returning to a healthy baseline level of physical fitness has been a major goal of mine this year 🔥
Gotta stick with it!
@RyanMarino
@ReadReadj
Oh, look the status quo healthcare professionals are name calling because they can't wrap their heads around critical discourse/can't fathom people would call them out when they spread misinformation.
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I miss talking to you all on Spaces! I promise I'll be back soon with more Mental Health Chill Zones. I've had to temporarily take a step back because some major shit went down in my mental health world over the last few days and I'm trying to go easy on myself. Keep it real!
I just went to an IRL bipolar peer support group in my town and it was sort of nice/refreshing on one hand and sort of awful/triggering on the other.
#BipolarClub
(This is sort of a long post. TL;DR: I’ve been fucking around lately)
Hey all, as a lot of you have gathered at this point, I have been experiencing symptoms of hypomania/mania for the last week or so. This is highly unusual for me and I haven’t had such intensely elevated
My next book, HAPPY VALLEYS, has officially been sent out to my shortlist of potential agents. This has been nearly 4 years in the making. Wish me luck!
IMPORTANT!
Hey, y'all! I'm working on compiling some stuff for the upcoming Bipolar Recorder documentary that I've been talking about.
I've set up a voicemail number for followers of this project.
The number will go directly to voicemail and then you can record your
I’ve been a little “off” since late last week. Currently dealing with some things I need to sort out. I haven’t told many people about this, but as of a few weeks ago I started tapering down off of my mood stabilizer (with my psychiatrist’s knowledge and guidance).
#MentalHealth
For anyone who has been following this saga: I finally got my grandma set up with a therapist! She had her first appointment today and just called to tell me that it went REALLY WELL and she's grateful to have found a professional to speak with about her depression and anxiety🔥
Mental illness doesn't discriminate. It can impact anyone from any population. It's estimated that about 30% of Americans suffer from a diagnosable form of mental illness each year.
We need to create safe, accessible treatment options for EVERYONE.
#mentalhealth
@UsurpedPoetGee
@KollegeKidd
And that's why the rest of us are speaking up about it. Because if was up to THESE guys, they'd all just remain quiet and sweep it under the rug. They're all spineless af.
I accidentally deleted my first world bipolar day post because I panicked and thought I had the date wrong but it IS indeed world bipolar day. Do something nice for yourself... 🙏
Looking for more mental health related accounts (and mental health advocates) to follow... who should I be adding to the list? Like/RT/Reply to let me know 🔥