Mental Health
I Am More than That Label
“The person has bipolar disorder. They are not ‘just’ bipolar. They are more than that.” These words, spoken by the professor of my undergraduate psychology class, helped me to shake the habit of taking one aspect of a person and projecting it onto their entire being. Think about how you describe people. Do you often …
Prevention is Possible
Women’s Issues. This simple and well meaning term has made the health and well-being of women an issue for you know, just women. Because it shouldn’t matter to men how healthy, happy, and safe their female loved ones are. It definitely doesn’t affect men when their mothers, sisters, and wives are attacked, depressed, oppressed, and …
The Many Me(s)
“American? No, no you’re {insert identity statement here}.” Everytime I hear that statement, I cringe. Our elders, who often emigrated from other countries, mean well. They are trying to preserve a culture important to them. They want to make sure that we know and celebrate the same traditions they do. They want to have something …
A Bipolar Perspective on Mental Illness
“Doctor, I just want to say that I chose you to be my physician because you have an impressive educational background.” I hear this statement often from new patients coming in to establish care with me, and while I smile and say thank you in response, internally I shudder and cringe. It is not Stanford …
Mountains or Molehills: Depression, Suicide, and Your Help
Depression. One of the most commonly used terms to describe a number of emotions: sadness, apathy, or just the blahs. True depression, however, is mostly misunderstood. Depression includes symptoms such as a reduced interest in normal activities, insomnia, fatigue, diminished ability to think clearly, and recurrent thoughts of death, which may include suicidal ideation (DSM-V, …
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Mental Health Stigmatized Among Health Professionals
Mental Health Stigmatized Among Health Professionals I recently received a message from a friend struggling with anxiety and ADHD, who had been prescribed medication by her doctor. Coming from a South Asian Muslim background, her family was not supportive of her decision to take antidepressants and felt she just needed to strengthen her iman (faith). …
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Bottled Up: Mental Health and American Muslims
“Shhh, we don’t talk about that.” “People will think I’m crazy.” I often hear these statements in reference to a number of things within Muslim communities but none so often as seeking mental health services. The notion of telling a stranger your deepest thoughts and feelings when we have a hard enough time telling our …
