Mental Health Advocacy

A proud patient and advocate
A proud advocate, service provider and consumer

mhwgmember2014

MH and advocacy has been on my blog description and it features in most of my posts.

I have been daring huh, and I shared my story both here and on any platform I had access to.

So, when I lost my lone brother, whose illness had got me to research on and discover I needed to be careful with and for my own self, I decided to step out more forcefully with my MH Advocacy.

I know this is a mere ideal, I may just be dreaming
I know this is a mere ideal, I may just be dreaming

I however, have refused to let my brother’s and my struggle, be just one or two more cases. And so, this page is created to add visibility to my posts on the subject.

This is what I will do till my time here on earth is over
This is what I will do till my time here on earth is over

Dear gentle readers and followers, the stats are alarming. The graphics and reports on news are maybe senseless. Today, as a Psychologist and CBT Therapist, mental health advocacy is all the more very important to me.

They speak tons and leave others out
They speak tons and leave others out

We can’t only rely on the ‘mostly screwed systems’ to fix ‘us’ up. It is unfortunate as it currently is, that stigma and shame still steal so much of the show. We have to contribute our mite and hope someday, maybe in the next generation, mental health will be just like dental health.

We don’t have to go to a dentist only when that tooth is rotten. No, we are encouraged to go for yearly checkups. Do same with your mental well being which for me is most primordial.

By now,  you all know that I speak and write in a no nonsense language. I give a damn about what people may think, say or do in that respect. To this extent and given where I come from, I know I am a picture: interview-with-vov

RIP My dearest friend, brother and football mate:

What I lost
What I lost

© Marie Abanga 2014

24 thoughts on “Mental Health Advocacy”

  1. Pingback: Book Review: Leaving the Hall light on by Madeline Sharples | Marie Abanga's Blog

  2. Very sorry for your loss and how wonderful of you to become an advocate. The ‘brain’ photograph above with info on mental health statistics is brilliant – where did you get it and can I copy it on my blog! 🙂

    I came to your site via lovely Dyane Harwood’s blog ‘Proudly Bipolar’ – I just finished a book on Bipolar 1 Disorder (took over 20 years, guess sometimes good things have to wait!) and would love you to read it and possibly do a review if that is something you would be interested in.

    I can gift you a kindle copy. Regardless, glad to meet you and will check out your facebook page too! Molly

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  3. Dear Molly, if I am replying to your comment after all these years, it is sincerely because I didn’t see it when you left it. Looking at the date when you left it, I now know where I was and what was going on in my life back then. My mental health was failing me, I was at one of those my big disturbing and difficult stages or phases in my life, in a very cold and depressing Belgium.
    Thanks so much for your comment. Oh yes please sure, if you still want me to read your book and do a review, I’ll be glad to. Dyane is indeed my captain over at Lose It, and she is a fair lady to me… So brave. Thanks once more Molly for stopping by.

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    1. Hi and no worries! We are all busy and life these days is not the slow road for me either. I would so love to have your input, but I am not sure if you can access it, check out this page and let me know if you can: https://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-Disorder-How-Survive-Thrive-ebook/dp/B00U48LKIE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1485958874&sr=8-1

      I will read more of your stuff and leave you a comment – I’d love it if you do the same, I’m trying to get more interaction on my blog. My advocacy is much different than many… as I am against the bipolar spectrum (so many could be helped and healed from their depression, as opposed to drugged then given a BP-2 or other ‘BP lite’ diagnosis and put on more meds… then often ECT is next – not good medical care).

      I also educate about the ‘chemical imbalance theory’ so many BP advocates still promote and think is medically proven. It’s not, but is so commonly believed it’s become like a fact to these folks, and they get really upset when someone tries to explain it’s not.

      And I get upset when there are people who are writing and educating things about Manic Depression that don’t understand the science and are promoting misinformation. It has got to stop Helps no one and harms many.

      I have severe BP-1 (typical onset, age 19) – now 52 years and off psych meds for 24 years. Long story but you will get to read about it in my book 🙂 Folks can get better, there is exciting new research about many reasons for mood disturbances and ways to treat without toxic psychotropic meds.

      Lot’s of info on my blog: http://www.bipolar1survivor.com

      Sorry, I’m ranting! Thank you for touching back with me. You can email me if you want or reply here – let me know if you an access that Amazon page. I will get some comments up on your posts – want to read and learn more of your story and advocacy.

      best, Molly

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      1. Oh Molly, I’ll rather email you if I find an email address. Thanks for getting back to me. I am glad you are looking at this whole mental health issue that way, because that’s my opinion too. I have never been diagnosed but I know what I have been through. I think if I were in the US I wouldn’t have escaped a label. That’s where my brother got his, got worse, and gave up the ghost. I will check the link you send and get back to you. You don’t have to be sorry to rant, am Ok with that and I do too.

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      2. Thank you, so sad about your brother and that is all too common. But very then nothing done about it… most advocacy is Big Pharma controlled and the awareness of the damage from many of these treatments shoved under the rug.

        My email is: molly@mollymchugh.com. Connect anytime. Hope things are going well for you.

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      3. Dear Molly, thanks for the email. I already found your blog and left you a mail via your contact form. I think your email was clear there. I will share a poem I wrote just this morning as I was reading your oh so generous memoir. So informative. I am much more towards thriving at this stage in my life, and thanks to all am learning, my faith and my kids, I am so Grateful

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    2. And Talasi, I am inviting especially new bloggers to guest post on my blog so maybe you want to do that? Guess what also, I have a friend who has a snake phobia and she once shared a post on my blog how she overcame that. I will be sharing same in a few hours actually

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      1. I would be happy to write a guest post for your blog! Just give me the details 🙂

        What is the link to her blog and the story about overcoming her snake phobia? I should definitely read that! But can you warn me in advance… does it include pictures of snakes?!

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      2. No pictures haha, she don’t have a blog. It’ll be on my blog a few hours from now lol. With regards to the detail for a guest post, please check a blog I did calling for guest posts. It’s last week so not too hard to find

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  5. Greetings and it’s a pleasure to meet you through this blog. I’m so happy I found your blog. It’s just wonderful. It’s passionate, creative, informative, and endearing. You are providing so much inspiration and courage to others, it’s beautiful. Many blessings to you and be well my friend 😀

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      1. That is so annoying. It seems my internet is fine when I really don’t need it. Then when I do, it’s a bust! 🙄

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      2. So you get the drift. And with the guests since I have no TV, I put some youtubes and it was just fine, now they are gone and I want to start reading your blog again but – it starts fumbling again – we’ll see who’s who lol

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      3. That’s so obnoxious and frustrating. When that happens to me, I think it’s the Universe testing my patience 😉

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