Polyamory on Purpose Archive

Category: Mental Health

  • Polyamory and PTSD (and other Trauma and Stress Related Disorders)

    This post and others discussing specific mental disorders will reference the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Psychiatry and Psychology, Edition Five (DSM-5). Apologies to my international readers, I’m just not familiar enough with the ICD to use it as a reference. Trauma and Stress Related Disorders Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Acute Stress disorder Reactive…

  • Polyamory and Mental Illness – The Wrong Diagnosis (Guest Post by Michón Neal)

    Receiving the proper diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death, acceptance and ostracism, understanding and confusion. The right treatment can be an important part of functioning well, forming and maintaining relationships, and finding peace with your limits. However, when you’re a queer and poly female-bodied person of color the lines start to blur…

  • Course of Treatment: The Treatment Roller Coaster

    Here’s the way psych treatment goes in the movies. You’re suffering through some serious shit when you get taken in hand by a quirky doctor with a love of life and some magic pills. Under the doctor’s tutelage you embrace life again, and the magic pills restore you to healthy mental state, where you live…

  • Mental Illness Treatment Intensity and the Impact on Polyamory

    FYI, depression is once again trying to kick my ass. Posts may be delayed while I’m getting it back under control. Thankfully, so far I seem to be winning. Last week I talked about the range of treatment from hospitalization to home care–ie the different levels of intensity of care that is available to people…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options–Treatment Intensity

    In Western medicine, there are varying levels of treatment for mental illness. In theory, the more you are able to take care of and manage your own mental health care, the lower the level of treatment you receive. Hospitalization Hospitalization for mental illness has a bad reputation. A reputation that is historically valid but far…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Home Care

    Let me get this out of the way first. Being able to take care of your mental health at home is pretty awesome, but it isn’t for everyone. As a primary treatment, home care works best for people who have experience dealing with their mental illness. You need to be able to recognize a downturn…

  • Fucked Up Parts of Mental Illness: Punishing Myself for Having Fun

    Okay, once again not the post I was planning on writing. This time I could probably push through and write about home care for mental illness, but I think what’s going on today is kinda relevant to a lot of folks with mental illness. This week has been awesome for me. Depression has been largely…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Alternative Medicine

    Last week, we look at alternative therapies. This week we’ll be looking a bit further afield, at alternative medicine. What’s the difference? Alternative therapies all try to fit within the framework of psychology. Even the alternative therapies you should run like hell from (like rebirthing) use psychology to explain why they are supposed to work.…

  • Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Alternative Therapies

    Sorry for the late post. Next post should be on time tomorrow. Understanding Alternative Therapies For purposes of this discussion, I am using “Alternative therapies” to refer to mental health therapies which are not commonly available and/or are often not covered by insurance. Alternative therapies cover a lot of ground, and I can only begin to introduce…

  • The Course of Treatment: Treatment Options — Talk Therapy

    Understanding Talk Therapy Talk therapy is one of the most popular treatments for mental illness. Usually you will hear talk therapy referred to as counseling or simply “therapy,” but I use the (unpopular) talk therapy to distinguish between talk therapy and other forms of therapy such as music therapy or art therapy. There are many…