Dissociation and You: Making a Grounding Kit. If you ever find yourself unable to remember what you have recently done, be it for five minutes or hours at a time, you may be dissociating. Being unable to remember recent events is called amnesia or memory loss. For some people this is a medical condition but for others is due to dissociation. If you know or think you are dissociating, it is very important to tell a health professional as it may be indicative of severe trauma or a...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 2, Issue 11 (May 2009). The Pros and Cons of Understanding your Mental Disorder By Gidig About 9.5% of all adults in the United States have a diagnosable mood disorder. Mental disorders include major depressive disorder, bipolar depressive disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, eating disorders, ADHD, and others. Psychiatrists, doctors, and other health professionals can give you information on these disorders but thanks to the Internet we are now...

The Gun vs. The Needle Your Guide to Piercings By Marionette. ** Please go to a professional when getting any part of your body pierced, lobes or otherwise. ** All piercings, besides the lobes, should be done with a needle and NOT a gun. Guns are typically cheaper, but there are so many more risks involved. Piercing guns have been used for years for piercing people of all ages. Today, though, professional body piercers want to see the gun banned. Why?

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 1, Issue 4 (September 2007). What To Do If You Are Feeling Suicidal by Xamed (Jas) If you are feeling suicidal right now, I want you to first ask yourself the following questions: Have you thought about how you would do it? Do you have what you need to carry out your plan?

A Guide to Eating Disorders According to statistics, Anorexia and bulimia affect nearly 10 million women and one million men; sometimes they can be fatal if nothing is done about them. Please don’t suffer in silence, there is always someone to support you though any difficulties you may be having. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss. Symptoms of anorexia include: Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for height,...

A Guide to Depression Statistics indicate that one in eight adolescents may struggle with some form of depression. This thread contains information on dealing with and overcoming depression. Although everyone feels fed up, sad, unhappy, or miserable at times, depression is a more extreme form of these emotions. Sometimes, we feel there is a cause for our depression: the end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, a failed exam, or an illness. Other times, however, there doesn't...

Know Your Rights - Bullying at Work Written by: Casey, Katrina, Jessie, and Shaz We have all heard about students being bullied at school, but many of us do not realize that bullying is also quite common in the "real world". We assume adults would put a stop to bullying, right? What if they were the ones bullying? What if they were encouraging others to bully, leading by example? What can you do? Bullying can happen anywhere, not only in the form of physical assault but also as verbal...

An interview with someone who has Bipolar II Anonymous and Chantal (MsNobleEleanor) I had the privilege to interview someone who is diagnosed with Bipolar ll and while discussing the questions we hope that it sheds some light on how Bipolar ll is challenging for someone just like it is for others facing with it today. 1) What are you diagnosed with? I am diagnosed with Bipolar II, Borderline Personality Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and PTSD. 2) Did you know you had...
1 Comments

How to incorporate more steps into your daily routine By Cassie (cynefin) Ten thousand steps per day is considered the 'golden rule' for some. However, many of us have difficulty reaching that amount, especially if we have specific conditions or sedentary lifestyles such as spending a lot of time in school or the office. Below are a few ways to add some extra steps to your routine. To begin with, it may help to figure out the amount if steps you already take each day. Many devices such...
1 Comments

Peer Pressure By Sabrina “Come on! Just try it. It’s only one joint. What do you have to lose? Hey, I’m giving it to you free here. Why won’t you just take it?” There are many people who have been in a situation where they have either been the one saying something similar to this, have been the one someone was saying it to or could have heard someone else saying it to someone. As you can see, this particular situation is talking about smoking marijuana (weed, pot, etc.) If I asked you...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 2, Issue 12 (June 2009). Thyroid and Mood Disorders By Gidig (Maria) You go and talk to your doctor about depression, and they do a blood test to check your thyroid function. This may sound off the wall, but evidence and research is beginning to show that your thyroid and mood may be linked. Many people who have a mood disorder, such as manic depression especially, seem to have thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid dysfunction could be caused by your...

Teen to Teen. Let's talk. By Kaylee. High school, the hardest time in a teenager’s life. With the schoolwork, preparing for college, parents, and the stress of finals can really make us feel the pressure. We feel out of control, but imagine dealing with all of the above mentioned, and also dealing with the battle of your own body. Some teenagers do just that, and some even develop an eating disorder in the process. I am one of those teenagers who deal with body image issues. My name is...

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 3, Issue 4 (October 2009). Top Ten Homemade Halloween Costumes: Affordable but fun. by Jessie, Katrina, and Nat (Strider) Halloween is just a month away and, let’s face it, you’re never too old to dress up! Whether you are going trick-or-treating or to a costume party, we have some fun and inexpensive costume ideas for you! In alphabetical order, here they are: Alice in Wonderland. We all wanted to fall down the rabbit hole when we were kids....

Signs you might be autistic (and not know it) By Holly (Celyn) Many people go through their life without knowing they might be autistic. This might be because family members, teachers and friends might not know much about autism or might only know about the autistic stereotype (usually a boy, who has few friends, isn’t particularly verbal and is ‘obsessed’ with particular topics for example, trains) and therefore might not see you as being autistic. This is especially true if you are...
1 Comments

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 2, Issue 12 (June 2009). Communicating With Your Doctor By drowningangel The following article contains tips and answers on: