Stories

Welcome To My Depression Social Issues Welcome To My Depression I’m writing this in the midst of a deep, horrific depressive episode. This doesn’t happen all that much anymore. Though I’ve been a depressive all my life, 95 percent of the time I’m now able to manage it. Meditation, aerobic exercise, gardening, reading, writing. Oh, and living on a seven-mile ocean beach is a pretty sweet factor as well. But when it hits, when the black, rock-hard comet comes out of nowhere and clobbers the hell out of me, no guided missile is gonna knock this alien celestial intruder off its path. Read The challenges of discontinuing antidepressants were never adequately conveyed to me. Social Issues The challenges of discontinuing antidepressants were never adequately conveyed to me. When I decided to stop taking antidepressants, the withdrawal symptoms hit me hard. I experienced daily panic attacks, vertigo, brain zaps, and intense anxiety for the initial three months. Tasks as simple as holding a cup of coffee became precarious, with tears a daily occurrence. The challenges of discontinuing antidepressants were never adequately conveyed to me. Read Unpacking the Impact of Mental Health Awareness: Could It Be Making Things Worse? Social Issues Unpacking the Impact of Mental Health Awareness: Could It Be Making Things Worse? A new study called "A Closer Look at the Mental Health Awareness Effect" delves into the potential consequences of recent campaigns aiming to shed light on mental health issues. Researchers Lucy Foulkes and Jack L. Andrews suggest that these campaigns, while trying to help, might actually be part of the reason why more people are reporting mental health problems. Read Surge in SSRI Prescriptions Raises Concerns for Youth Mental Health Social Issues Surge in SSRI Prescriptions Raises Concerns for Youth Mental Health Disturbing trends have emerged from recent data provided by the Ministry of Health in New Zealand revealing a fourfold increase in SSRI prescriptions for children aged 19 and under from 2010 to 2021. Read The Psychedelic Prescription PoliticsSocial IssuesCulture The Psychedelic Prescription Every year in Autumn, Magic Mushroom 'Fairies' go foraging for the many of the psychedelic mushroom varieties native to New Zealand Aotearoa. One such individual is "John". We have masked John's identity to protect him from prosecution. Read In Hindsight: The Heartbreak & Tragedy Of The Vaccine Mandates PoliticsSocial IssuesTechnologyCulture In Hindsight: The Heartbreak & Tragedy Of The Vaccine Mandates At the end of 2021, my trauma clinic began to be overwhelmed by a new category of clients: those traumatised by the government's COVID vaccine mandate. Here are some of the stories… Read An Interview with Whitty Whitmore - WW2 & Hiroshima Social IssuesCulture An Interview with Whitty Whitmore - WW2 & Hiroshima Whitty Whitmore was born in Tauranga in 1924. He lost his father at 11 and at 15 signed up to fight in WW2, where he was sent to Italy where he fought in The Battle of Monte Cassino. He has battled and overcome mental health struggles. A true survivor, we are honoured to be able to share his story with you now. Read Breaking Point: The Mental Health Crisis of Kiwi Firefighters Social Issues Breaking Point: The Mental Health Crisis of Kiwi Firefighters Why are the firefighters striking? In 2013 a memorandum of understanding was signed between FENZ and St John meaning firefighters were ordered to act as co-responders to ambulance call-outs. This has meant that since 2013 our firemen and women now attend all stabbings, shootings, drownings, suicides, cot deaths, choking and more. This has resulted in a 1000% increase in call-outs for firefighters. Read What are Depression & Anxiety? Social IssuesCulture What are Depression & Anxiety? There is a desperate and growing need in NZ for children and parents alike to understand what depression and anxiety actually are. This short animation was made with the oversight of a child psychiatrist and counsellors. It presents these emotions in a way that removes the stigma and brings about clarity for the child so that when he or she does inevitably feel these feelings, they can see it as a normal part of life. Read As the Narcissist grows old. Social IssuesCulture As the Narcissist grows old. There are 3 things that The Narcissist needs for their best possible survival. Narcissistic supply, ability to obtain that supply, and ability to maintain it too. Each of these requirements becomes more and more elusive, to the narcissist, as the years pass. Read Tim Baker - The Early Years. Social IssuesCulture Tim Baker - The Early Years. I was four years old. We were packing the car with stuff, more stuff than just the usual groceries or a trip to the dump. Mum was calm, dad seemed sombre... Read Don't Forget Your Roots, My Friend. The Lost Art of Rongoa For Healing Trauma. Social IssuesCulture Don't Forget Your Roots, My Friend. The Lost Art of Rongoa For Healing Trauma. We recently decided to investigate a little-known practice of healing known as Romiromi - a sacred massage performed by Maori healers specifically for releasing unresolved trauma in the body. Our thinking was that since this practice is unique to Maori culture, it may... Read
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