Wounded healers: from clinical psychology to fiction There’s a vivid and visceral description of self-harm in the opening chapter of my novel, Sugar and Snails. When I read it to people who know I’m a former clinical psychologist, I’m often asked if this scene stems from my work. While it’s true that past patients and [...]
Whispers Brains on the bathroom floor Gloating Consciousness above me Floating Despair at life unlived Responsibility relieved Bucket made of bone A sieve Whispers of all doubt Believed. Copyright © 2009, 2014, 2015 Bill Friday * * * Bill Friday is a very much living Fictionary, 8 Megapixel Artist, and Bloody Awful Poet, [...]
I took a bottle of pills when I was fifteen. It wasn’t the right kind, or maybe it was, depending on the desired result. But I was trying to die and I didn’t, so I guess it was the wrong or right kind of pills. I took them to drown out the guilt, the anger. [...]
“The person who completes suicide, dies once. Those left behind die a thousand deaths, trying to relive those terrible moments and understand … Why?” – Clark (2001) I cry every time I speak in public about Jerry’s suicide. Jerry was my little brother. He was 35 and left behind his wife and two little boys. [...]
Once upon a time, there was a woman who recognized a need for a centralized place where people affected by mental illnesses could come together and tell their stories. That woman's name is Sarah Fader, and her international non-profit organization is called Stigma Fighters. A grand community was built from such an idea that encouraged [...]
I have Trichotillomania. Trichotillomania (Trich for short; also known as TTM or hair pulling disorder) is an impulse control disorder characterized by the compulsive urge to pull out one's hair. I've had Trich ever since I was either 16 or just turned 17, my junior year of high school. I'm not sure why or when [...]
No-No’s Things NOT to say to someone who is Bipolar There is a list of things that you should NOT say to someone who is Bipolar. There are so many that to name them all would turn this book into a series. There are some that should be no brainers and considering all the people [...]
In a world without stigma, the last four years of my family’s lives would have been very different. In late 2011 we had lost our family business which was tough but we quickly began the process of rebuilding our lives, my wife Jm found employment whilst I worked from home. Jm was previously diagnosed with [...]
I was sitting in my favorite professor's class (abnormal psychology) ready to learn all about various mental illnesses. My professor spoke loudly when she said, "Now don't be surprised if you read a chapter and feel as if you have that mental illness the next day. The mind is a powerful thing." We chuckled and [...]
In October of 2004, I was the first police officer on the scene of a fatal motor vehicle collision. Within the first few minutes of being at the scene, I quickly discovered that the seriously injured driver was a close friend. He died in my arms as I was performing CPR on him. I coped [...]
