January 25, 2013

I saw this cutie on a dog rescue site. If we didn't already have
two dogs, this furry ball of cuteness would be adopted by me!

I went to a new psychiatrist today because the one I had been seeing for five or six years isn't accepting United Healthcare insurance anymore. It's hard to go to a new doctor and answer questions about family history and medical concerns. Many people, including my own family, don't believe mental illness is a sickness. For example, I tried to explain to my mother before she died that taking medication for depression or anxiety was the same as taking medication for thyroid problems. She never got the connection. In fact, she was diagnosed with depression after she lost her leg to diabetes, but she refused to take the medication saying, "I'm not crazy."

There's such a stigma attached to mental illness. I will tell people that I take Synthroid because my thyroid hormone levels are out of balance. Yet I rarely mention that I take Cymbalta to increase the serotonin level in my brain. In truth, both are medical conditions. Why should one be taboo to talk about? I wonder after writing about taking medication for depression, if some people who read my blog will think less of me. Or think I'm crazy. And crazy not in a fun way.

Today I'm creating research on a company for a press release. I'm excited that I got another referral to a small design firm that does mainly business-to-business work. New clients are always fun.