Two beautiful young women who had everything to live for were shot and killed in a movie theatre in Lafayette, LA on Thursday night, July 23rd.  News reports differ on whether it was seven or nine others wounded in the shooting.  The perpetrator was described as a “gunman [who] had a history of mental illness”…

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I’m excited about the publication of my memoir on July 20th and the first event at the Garden District Book Shop on July 30th, 6:00 till 7:30 PM, a Thursday night. Light snacks, soft drinks, water and wine will be served. I have been practicing my speech as I hope and pray that you will enjoy…

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If you or someone you know suffers from depression, bipolar disorder, or the like, I urge you to review this Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. We must show kindness, to ourselves and others. This is an important first step toward ending the stigma that plagues those suffering with mental illness (and other types of illnesses). I…

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A First-Rate Madness:  Uncovering the Links between Leadership and Mental Illness By Nasir Ghaemi, M. D. Review by John E. Wade II This is a fascinating book, explaining in a compelling manner how some of the greatest leaders of the past two centuries—Abraham Lincoln, Gen. William T. Sherman, Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, Franklin D. Roosevelt,…

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I recently sent my final draft of the manuscript of my memoir to my publisher. The book is broad – everything from my childhood to adult history of overcoming bipolar disorder. One of my objectives is that this book helps to remove the stigma of mental illness from both the patient and everyone else.  When…

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Here is an essay that I wrote for a writing class that I am taking at Loyola University. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into my personal life. Daddy and Me Daddy was the silent controller of our family, a circumstance that I only learned explicitly late in Mother’s life. She told me that he…

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I have for some time written and spoken about my “internalized stigma.”  That concept could also be applied to race and religion, for all sorts of people, from the caste system in India to poor people globally. It’s a matter of low self-esteem due to society’s view of you, or more pertinently, your own view…

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