illness

High-Strung

Posted on by elemonated

The trials of the high-strung person are so vividly captured in another one of Lev Yilmaz’s super-relatable Tales of Mere Existence.

It’s worse if you were raised to keep it quiet. Then when you can’t, and because you’ve been taught to keep it quiet you also have no idea how to express it all in a way that makes sense to anyone, your friends and family have no idea why you’re suddenly freaking out and all fronts of being a calm, cool, collected person go out the door.

Coping mechanisms?

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Psychology

Greek mythology helps veterans fight PTSD

Link | Posted on by elemonated

Greek mythology helps veterans fight PTSD

Ajax Defending Greek Ships Against Trojans (Bettmann/CORBIS)

PTSD and all of the polarizing emotions of going into and coming out of war is a struggle not recognized enough.

I am heartened by this sharing of stories and communication between those who understand. I think it’s a great step towards openly talking about mental illness and the effects of trauma. In all aspects of mental illness, I think the emphasis on being open, aware, and understanding is one of the best ways to help someone towards recovery.

Our veterans are routinely silenced, either by their own fear of disappointment, or by the well-meaning who believe it isn’t good to dwell on bad things. And just to reiterate:

  • “57,849 veterans are homeless on any given night.”
  • 12% of the homeless adult population are veterans
  • 20% of the male homeless population are veterans
  • 68% reside in principal cities
  • 32% reside in suburban/rural areas
  • 51% of individual homeless veterans have disabilities
  • 50% have serious mental illness
  • 70% have substance abuse problems
  • 51% are white males, compared to 38% of non-veterans
  • 50% are age 51 or older, compared to 19% non-veterans
  • “In addition to the complex set of factors influencing all homelessness – extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care – a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks. Additionally, military occupations and training are not always transferable to the civilian workforce, placing some veterans at a disadvantage when competing for employment.”
  • “The most effective programs for homeless and at-risk veterans are community-based, nonprofit, “veterans helping veterans” groups. Programs that seem to work best feature transitional housing with the camaraderie of living in structured, substance-free environments with fellow veterans who are succeeding at bettering themselves.”

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Psychology

Why I haven’t posted in a week or so…

Link | Posted on by elemonated

Why I haven’t posted in a week or so…

Well. 

  1. Finals. Did shitty on those, don’t want to talk about it.
  2. Went to DC with a few friends and attempted to party like sorority girls which didn’t work out for me either, haha.
  3. Got sick.
  4. Had internship to go to and friends to see despite the sickness and still being sick.
  5. The above.

I don’t know. I want to find out more, but I also don’t ever want to be surprised like that or sad like that or angry like that again. I feel like I was duped. I was naive and silly to believe that people are more than just people. Why did I think watching someone on YouTube for years mean anything? That as long as I kept off tumblr, I would be able to keep out of the drama that makes the internet run? I don’t know Carrie, but I think it’s still safe to say that she deserves better.

Here’s a post documenting the many internet confessions that have been coming out.