I knew a family, once, in which both of the parents came from privileged financial backgrounds and met at Harvard. Fast forward to today, they bask in unimaginable and wasteful wealth. Oblivious to the privilege they bear, they have a personal driver on call and a room in their mansion that can’t even be entered,… Continue reading College Admissions and Mental Illness
Author: oliviaepley
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!
My brush with the “lying disorder”
Having been through the ringer in terms of therapeutic exposure, that exposure being both to therapies and to fellow patients, I feel that it’s important for me to share some of the darker sides of what I’ve seen with you all. What feels perfectly normal to you is like floating on cloud nine to myself… Continue reading My brush with the “lying disorder”
Honesty: Therapeutic and Interpersonal
Honesty is a crucial tenet of recovery from mental illness. It’s important to be honest with those around you, and I’ll discuss precisely why. It’s perhaps more important to be honest with yourself, however. Self awareness is a saving grace, and is a prerequisite to healing from mental illness. I consider myself to be a… Continue reading Honesty: Therapeutic and Interpersonal
I’m So OCD: Thought-Action Fusion
I was watching the marvelous show The Blacklist a few nights ago. In that particular episode, a criminal the Feds are hunting is known as the Genie. The Genie grants cruel and dark revenge fantasies to those with legitimate cause and fat wallets to pay up. It got my mom and I talking about our… Continue reading I’m So OCD: Thought-Action Fusion
R. Kelly, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Familiar Cry of Abusers
I saw this in the comments section of a news article first (The New Yorker, so there’s gotta be something intellectual to it, right? Maybe?), so much credit to that thoughtful woman. I’ve been on a bit of a spree with talking about various nefarious actors I’ve encountered- I previously had wanted to steer clear,… Continue reading R. Kelly, Brett Kavanaugh, and the Familiar Cry of Abusers
In Defense of Blocking
I never used to be someone who would block others out of my life. Whether it be over social media or some kind of in person shunning, I wasn’t quite capable of writing someone off. There was always room for someone to redeem themselves or to apologize. Now, I see blocking very differently. My therapist… Continue reading In Defense of Blocking
This is Gaslighting
Gaslighting is a form of abuse, but it isn’t often seen that way. It’s a subtle art, and I’ve experienced it in droves, especially in a former relationship of mine. I’ve reviewed the typically abusive relationship I endured before, on this site. What of the more nuanced, manipulative, emotional one? If you’re looking for a… Continue reading This is Gaslighting
6 Books That Will Enhance Your Understanding of Mental Illness
By now, if you’re a recurrent visitor, you’ve probably seen the short list of books I keep perched on the front page of this site. If you haven’t, every book there will be on this list, so no need to click out. I thought it might be worthwhile to expand upon it, as well as… Continue reading 6 Books That Will Enhance Your Understanding of Mental Illness
Mental illness isn’t a personality trait, and it definitely isn’t a relationship maker
“Just because she likes the same bizarro crap you do, doesn’t mean she’s your soulmate.”- 500 Days of Summer I used to hate this quote. I thought that same-ness was what made two people compatible. The more the better, pile on the similarities. If myself and another person could melt into each other as seeming… Continue reading Mental illness isn’t a personality trait, and it definitely isn’t a relationship maker
VIDEO: Mental Illness Assumptions
I've made a video with a list of assumptions that people often make about mental illness, and their refutations. Below that is a brief summary of what I said. I hope it's informative! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIdvtdfa8NY Mentally ill people are violent.So around 60% of Americans believe that there is a correlation between violence and mental illness. In… Continue reading VIDEO: Mental Illness Assumptions