And crawling on the planet’s face Some insects called the human race Lost in time, and lost in space And meaning –“Super Heroes” in The Rocky Horror Picture Show [1] I remember, as a child, looking up at the stars and thinking how very small and insignificant we on earth are compared to the vastness of […]
Drinking Alcohol
November 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The Christian world – or at least those parts of it I have come into contact with – has a funny view of alcohol. It ranges from those who do not drink at all and consider it a sin to drink alcohol, to those who say to have very little alcohol, to those who say […]
I Can’t Help You
November 13, 2012 by 9 Comments
I want to help you in your time of trouble. I really do. My heart burns for people suffering, for all suffering, for myself in times of illness. I long to answer the question “Why?” I wish I knew the words that would make everything all right, that would explain why we suffer for no […]
Review: Religion and Suicide
November 12, 2012 by 1 Comment
This is a review of the research paper “Religion and Suicide: An exploratory study of the role of the Church in deaths by suicide in Highland, Scotland” by Harriet Mowat, Cameron Stark, John Swinton and Donald Mowat (2006). I haven’t been able to locate a copy online, although the University of Aberdeen has a summary […]
Labels and Identity
November 10, 2012 by 4 Comments
Sometimes it is tempting to label myself, to claim the title “bipolar”, “anxious”, “depressive” and “self harmer” as being me. I went without declared diagnosis for some time, and I remember being keen to know what was wrong with me, to understand – to have some anchor point that I could read about. I was […]
#Headroom conference
November 5, 2012 by 7 Comments
Note: I may have got some of the details wrong about speeches – I was transcribing on the day so if you think something sounds weird, it’ll be me not them! These are my recollections, any mistakes mine! Well, I’m back from my trip up to Edinburgh. I went to attend the Premier Mind and […]
Creativity and Mental Health
October 31, 2012 by 3 Comments
It has long been thought that there is a correlation between mental ill-health and creativity. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the idea of the “mad artist” or “tortured genius” where the person’s “madness” is the supposed fuel for their genius. I am no scientist, so I don’t know how whether people in creative professions […]
8 Ways You Can Help When Someone is Mentally Ill
October 29, 2012 by 5 Comments
Perhaps your friend, relative or someone else you know is having an episode of mental illness. Mental illness affects 1 in 4 people in the course of a year. Chances are that you know someone who is, or has been mentally ill. So what do you do when you find out? Firstly, it is really, […]
8 Steps to a Mental Health Friendly Church
October 27, 2012 by 4 Comments
These are things I would like to see in churches, things that would help me and, I think, others who are experiencing mental health difficulties. I will also point you to the excellent Mind and Soul listing of mental health friendly churches which has their draft ideas for what churches can do, and also the list […]
“It’s Ok, You Can’t Help It”
October 24, 2012 by 2 Comments
Remembering a comment my mother made some time ago when I was depressed has made me think a little. She said, “We didn’t know whether you were ill, or just being unpleasant.” It led me to question how much responsibility I really bear for my behaviour when I am ill. It is true that my […]
Believer's Brain 