Stigma Archives

Young woman in a black hat smiles as she looks into the camera

My diagnosis: What I didn’t expect was grief

I had admitted something was off. I received the referral, got the appointment, and did the screening questionnaires and interviews, which led to a diagnosis. I finally had a reason for why my mood yo-yoed up and down over the years. I had an explanation for the high episodes and deep depressions that cycled almost like clockwork. I had a name to apply to what I had been experiencing since my teens – Bipolar Type 2. It also meant I could receive proper treatment and medication so I would no longer have to live that way. Such relief!

Young man standing alone on wooden footbridge

Society

The Dread in Your Head

It’s also around you: storms, fires, catastrophe — the intersections between climate and mental health — and what you can do about it.

Two contrasting images in one. On the left, a said woman against grey background with hands to her face. On the right, a happy women with a bright flower next to her face against a bright yellow background

No more doom and gloom: How we’re using photography to inspire hope

If you’ve ever seen a news article about mental health and mental illness, you can probably still picture the stock photo that went along with it. You don’t even need a link from me to refresh your memory. Someone is sitting alone in the dark. Maybe with their head in their hands. Maybe peering out a window at the rain. You know the photo.