Month: December 2018

News & Media · Uncategorized

2018 in Review: Mental Health, Society, and Me

Olivia Epley1 Comment

Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

This year’s been wild, hasn’t it? I hear this every year, but so many people have proclaimed that 2018 was a terrible year for them. This could be due to my own bias, for this was near the hardest year of my life, or it could have something to do with our collective societal mood.… Continue reading 2018 in Review: Mental Health, Society, and Me

Eating

Eating Disorders in a Bikini

Olivia Epley1 Comment

Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

It’s winter break, which means that plenty of families, at least around where I live, are making a mad dash for the warmer escapes of the world. My family is one of those; we’re staying on a Florida beach for my school system’s allotted break time. It’s manageable for me now, but when my eating… Continue reading Eating Disorders in a Bikini

OCD

I’m so OCD: Sitting in Uncertainty

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Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

I am absolutely intolerant of uncertainty. This statement applies to me when I’m gripped by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s at the crux of the disorder, but it affects every sufferer differently. OCD, particularly of the checking variety, is all about creating a certain outcome with the same compulsion, a compulsion that is alleviating the same… Continue reading I’m so OCD: Sitting in Uncertainty

Eating

Catching Up to an Eating Disorder

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Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

By cruel design, a person who is in Anorexia recovery must eat much more than an average person of their BMI in order to maintain their weight. This is a fact that is the result of the condition called Hypermetabolism. My metabolism was so inactive and askew before treatment that once I started consistently eating… Continue reading Catching Up to an Eating Disorder

Relationships · Uncategorized

Parenting Mentally Ill Children: Part 1

Katie Suss1 Comment

In the ages-old clash between nature and nurture, when it comes to mental illness, there is no right answer. Mental illness is often genetic; I’ve been asked by every doctor I’ve ever seen about family history of mental illness. Almost every disorder, too, is at least somehow affected by a person’s upbringing, from infancy to… Continue reading Parenting Mentally Ill Children: Part 1

News & Media

Pete Davidson and Socially Acceptable Mental Illness

Olivia Epley1 Comment

Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

Over this past weekend, I perceived one of my fundamental understandings of mental illness to be challenged. I watched as someone posted about their active suicidal ideations on social media, bare for all to see, and got a near-unanimously positive reaction. Every article, tweet, comment section that I read was heaping on the comfort and… Continue reading Pete Davidson and Socially Acceptable Mental Illness

Illness · School

Reflections on Bullying

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Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

My town has a Facebook page that is appropriately named “Town, State.” It’s a reliable source of middle aged drama and news of town happenings, good for the occasional laugh, eye roll, or sigh. Recently, my attention was caught by some postings by adults and parents within the group who were seemingly aghast to have… Continue reading Reflections on Bullying

Illness · Relationships · Uncategorized

2 Well-Meaning Things NOT to Say to Struggling Friends

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Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

In general, it’s better to say something than to say nothing at all. When I was in middle school, I didn’t understand this. I saw friends struggling in the sixth and seventh grade and I froze. I figured that if I said anything to them, they’d be triggered (this, before “triggered” was such a buzzword)… Continue reading 2 Well-Meaning Things NOT to Say to Struggling Friends

Illness · Relationships

A Mental Health Gift Guide

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Olivia Epley

Founder of Millennial Girl, Interrupted, a senior in a small Connecticut high school. I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!

Latest posts by Olivia Epley (see all)

Gift giving usually needn’t be much different for those with mental health issues. The essentials- paying close attention to their likes, dislikes, being appropriate, making it personalized and meaningful- all still apply. If you follow those rules, you’ll likely create a great gift experience for your recipient who is struggling with their mental health. However,… Continue reading A Mental Health Gift Guide