Bipolar? Yes, you say… Then this Mental Health Humor cartoon just might ring a bell with you.  As many of us know, “mania varies in intensity, from mild mania (known as hypomania) to full-blown mania with psychotic features including hallucinations and delusions.”

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I received this e-mail the other day with some funny tips on writing from a good friend!  I’m sure it has been passed around a lot, since it was fowarded to me and another 50 email addresses… Yes, he is one of those friends that just forwards stuff he likes.  Never saying hello or ever writing why he is sending it.  Well, other than writing in the Subject line, “you gut to see this”… OR ” this is really funny.”  When reading it, I got a bit of a chuckle because I’m sure my writing resembles a lot of it.

I thought I would do a little research on this list to see if I could find out where it originated. After a number of different searches, I found 3 sites. One attributed the list to William Safire’s Fumble rules.   “William Safire compiled these quotes in his October 7 and November 4, 1979 “On Language” columns in The New York Times.”

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Are you gullible? I tend to see right through jokes and it’s hard to pull a prank on me since I’m so cynical.  To the people that do catch me …it ticks me off!!

Well, here goes.  Mind you, the video below is a well executed prank declaring via the “Newsroom White House” that President Obama Is Bipolar, Has Entered Depressive Phase.  The video, released on August 17, 2009 from the FAKE Politics News Room, reported that Barack Obama was Bipolar.

I’m not sure of the comedy vs. the stigma, however, I did laugh a bit… But at first, I thought it was real!!  It wasn’t till 27 seconds into the video I heard the word “onion news” that I knew this was a joke!!  The clip talked about Obama’s health care and that he is now depressed. It has governmental-looking people giving you blow by blow socialism reports.

Yes, I like satire and fake news, but why does it have to be about mental illness…?  Well, you watch it and be the judge.

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Do YOU need a Quick Cure for Mental Health Blues? I say Gopher It! I found this old photo of me then other dayand thought I would share it with everyone.  The Gopher Turtle of the “Tortoises (family Testudinidae) live on land. They are medium to large with a large, heavy shell and stumpy feet. Gopher Tortoises are the only tortoises native to the United States and the only tortoise found in Florida.”

They are “protected” and so seeing them nowadays around here is quite a sight…

So many of God’s little creatures don’t stand much of a chance against a car or truck, but this guy got a few extra days!  I was told by a Fish and Game Officer that if I see one in danger of getting hit then and only then can someone intercede and help out.

The officer told me to move the Gopher Turtle out of danger in the direction he was going… Or they will just try and cross again after I leave…

This is a pic of me helping the little guy across a very busy road… The Officer never said I couldn’t take a picture!

You know, I do remember this day with smile.  See if you can follow my logic here… whether we have a mental illness or not, we all have the power to help something or someone! In this case, it was helping  a Gopher Turtle from being  road kill.  When I did this, it brought me so much joy.  If today we can just do one thing for someone else, I guarantee, you will really be helping yourself, too…  YES! Even when it is as simple as helping a turtle cross the street!

These are my Words Of The Wisdomless for today:

“In a race, even the slow runners can help speed up the slowest runner!”

- By Chato B Stewart

Go now and help someone do something then come back here and tell me Who was your “turtle” you helped today and how did that make you feel?

Just Gopher It!

Chato B Stewart

Agoraphobia? Secret Mental Health Issues? GET to the POINT! These are the “taboo” topics Dr. Bob Bob tackles today!!

Perhaps you or a loved one can personally relate to these serious issues that may go unaddressed.  Many factors contribute to our over-all Good Mental Health!!  Identifying and changing habits that may “negatively” affect us is crucial. Are you or a loved one hiding at home?  From time to time, it is “productive” to examine our daily habits? How much time do we spend with objects vs. people we love?  Hopefully, Dr. Bob Bob will open some honest self-examination & positive dialog…share Dr. Bob Bob with family and friends as a conversation starter!!  A shared laugh breaks silence!!

Although I don’t recommend following his advice!!!

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What is mental health?  The term itself has a stigmatic connotation to it referring more to mental disorders or mental health problems. The truth is, it’s “relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality” associated to both good and bad mentality. Even though this is true, most people tend to use the alternate mentalism definition “relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder : mentally disordered : mad, crazy b: intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders”.

Merriam Webster online dictionary definition:

MENTAL : men·tal : Pronunciation: \ˈmen-təl\ Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin mentalis, from Latin ment-, mens mind — more at mind

1 a : of or relating to the mind; specifically : of or relating to the total emotional and intellectual response of an individual to external reality b : of or relating to intellectual as contrasted with emotional activity c : of, relating to, or being intellectual as contrasted with overt physical activity d : occurring or experienced in the mind : inner e : relating to the mind, its activity, or its products as an object of study : ideological f : relating to spirit or idea as opposed to matter
2 a (1) : of, relating to, or affected by a psychiatric disorder (2) : mentally disordered : mad, crazy b : intended for the care or treatment of persons affected by psychiatric disorders

Brain Disorders

Right here on the Psych Central network, there are many valuable resources on the subject of  Alcoholism, Sexual Issues, Child Disorders, Eating Disorders, Sleep Problems, Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Personality Disorders, PTSD, Attention Deficit (ADHD), and Anxiety & Panic. I encourage my readers to take advantage of them and to get  to know all the other bloggers here… Just make sure, you bookmark my site and come back for a laugh or two now and again!!

Another good place is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.  It’s a great site to research a lot of different types of mental disorders… It’s like mental floss for the brain!! Here is a example of some of the defined terms:

AIDS – Neurological Complications
Alzheimer’s Disease
Asperger Syndrome

Cerebral Aneurysm
Cerebral Arteriosclerosis
Cerebral Atrophy

Fibromuscular Dysplasia
Fisher Syndrome
Floppy Infant Syndrome

Meningitis and Encephalitis
Mental Retardation
Meralgia Paresthetica

Nonetheless, the word “mental” is over-used in places like mental health clinic or mental health service… True, it is needed to describe the type of service provided, but when was the last time you told someone you went to check your mental illness issue at a mental hospital…Yet, we would readily tell anyone if we were in the E.R.  or had surgery or just went to the doctor.

This disproportionate terminology really shows me how much work is ahead… Still, the acceptance of “mental”  will come down to the individual then  society will follow suit.

So, to you I will say, (instead of Bon Sante: French for good health to you) ‘Bon Mental Sante’!!  The french word for mental is the same in English…

We live in a time where there seems to be a pill for everything… One to medicate if you can’t sleep and one to medicate so you can stay up.  From pain to happiness there is a pill! I wonder, are we living in an OVER medicated world? What are your thoughts on this subject?

OK, if you have seen any of my mental health cartoons comics by now, you may have concluded my drawing style is that of a ‘gag’ cartoonist.  Also know as a magazine or single cell cartoonist. I was ‘drawn’ to this style from my love of Gary Larson’s The FAR SIDE series. I would read his books over and over again almost to the point of obsession! My favorites were “The Far Side Observer,” “ The Chickens Are Restless,” and of course, “Last Chapter and Worse: A Far Side Collection.”

Gary Larson’s sense of humor resonated within me and evoked a feeling of shared humorous comradery.  Larson’s work came into my life when I was a young boy just hitting the awkward tween years.  I was around 12 when I saw my first Far Side in the Sunday Paper in Boston.  Living in a dysfunctional family filled with violence, verbal and physical abuse, I found comfort within his humor.

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Time to give you a little break 4 UR mental health! Often, we may feel anxiety and dread dealing with our daily challenges.  I know sometimes “I can’t seem to shake this feeling of dread!” You know what?  Deep down a part of me believes my intuition is right!

I guess it’s part of dealing with Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

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