Another Snapper Snaps
Posted: Tue 4 April, 2006 Filed under: Depression, Photography 1 Comment »RIP Bob Carlos-Clarke, one of the more influential photographers of the last few decades.
You might not know the name, but his images were fairly well known.
SAD
Posted: Wed 16 November, 2005 Filed under: Depression, Thoughts 3 Comments »It’s a long time since I’ve written anything about Seasonal depression – in fact, having checked, the last post tagged with the “Depression” category was way back in December last year. So I guess that’s a pretty good sign that all’s been going OK.
Over the last couple of weeks, the closing in of nights and mornings has really affected me again. In general we’ve been so busy that I honestly hadn’t noticed it creeping up, but Herself pointed it out last night, and yeah, it’s true.
I feel flatter than I have in ages, mentally and physically exhausted, and just generally blah. The flip-side of that, though, is that I’m starting to get a lot of creative ideas – which is, for me, another sign of the SAD leeching its way into my head. For some reason while I’m still flat and tired the creative juices flow, which is a bit paradoxical as half the time I’ve got the idea and can’t be arsed to do anything about it.
I’d thought I was doing OK this year, actually. (And in a way I am – it’s midway through November before it’s started to hit) While I’m at work I sit by a window, so I should get a fair amount of light from that. At lunch-time I tend to go out and sit outside whenever possible. I haven’t set up daylight bulbs at home this time, which is possibly something I’ll have to look at for next year – but the problem there is that you can’t get eco-friendly daylight bulbs. (or at least, I haven’t found them anywhere yet)
So – I don’t know what else will happen this year with the SAD. If I can keep it at this level then that’ll be a small battle won, and will be A Good Thing. I’m aware of it again now, so I’ll just have to see how things go.
Art for All
Posted: Sun 12 December, 2004 Filed under: Depression, General Leave a comment »I love the story today about Mad for Arts, which according to the BBC story is designed to enable people with experience of mental illness to express themselves through art.
It’s always been said that those with mental illnesses can sometimes be more in touch with their own creative side, and if it helps to express those feelings and thoughts in a ceative and non-destructive way then I think the initiative deserves all the coverage and publicity it can get.
New rules
Posted: Mon 6 December, 2004 Filed under: Depression, News Leave a comment »At long last, I’m pleased to see that GPs are to be given new guidelines about the prescription of anti-depressants such as Seroxat and Prozac. Way back in March 2001 I wrote about the side-effects of the SSRI group of anti-depressants, which were supposedly side-effect free.
Of course, the manufacturers still say “there are less side-effects with these than with previous anti-depressants”, but that’s not quite the same as “no side effects at all”, is it?
Anyway, with luck the new guidelines will see a significant reduction in prescriptions from the current 13 million per year.
Antisocial
Posted: Sun 5 December, 2004 Filed under: Depression Leave a comment »If all were well with the world, this would be a deeply pissed post with letters astray everywhere, and not really much in the way of a thought-train. It’s 2.35am, and I’ve been out drinking (slowly but steadily, although according to the government it’d be seen as a “binge drinking session”) since 2.30pm. To coin a phrase, “oops”.
However, all’s obviously not right with the world. I’m worryingly sober, despite a rather copious amount of alcohol consumed. I wasn’t completely in the mood, and the supposed “send off”, (considering this is my last weekend in Manchester while resident here) while it’s been fun, hasn’t been quite the booze-fuelled chaos it could’ve been.
I don’t know why, but it’s just not clicked yet that I’m moving on. Well, that’s not true – it’s clicked in all the relevant ways, it’s just that I don’t really do “send off”s and the like, same as I don’t really do leaving parties and all that shite.
Yes, there’s a feeling of “Oh, blimey, this is my last official ‘night out’ in the city centre” kind of thing, but I don’t do that all that often anyway. Particularly in the last six months, but more accurately in the last eighteen, I’ve hardly been here of a weekend anyway. “Home” has been four walls within which my stuff resides, and my clothing gets washed and dried. “Home” in my heart has been – well, somewhere else. Where? Pass. But not here.
And now the time to move on is approaching – and doing so at speed. I’m looking forward to it – moving has always been the time when I feel most comfortable, rather than the “putting down roots” phase, although maybe that’s due to happen a bit in ’05.
For now though it’s time for bed, and I’ll write more and think more tomorrow later and see where I go from there. But yes, for now it’s bed, and being worryingly sober about the entire thing…