Redefining Crazy

Please check out my newest article on serious mental illness, "Redefining Crazy". Here is the link.

Which of these people is the “crazy” one?


A. A person who reads the newspaper everyday, grocery shops, cooks healthy meals and has an immaculately clean house.

B. A person who is petting an imaginary cat and speaks in “word salad”.

C. A person who is a talented creative visual and musical artist.

D. A person who has 12 inch paths through their house due to clutter.

E. A person who loves to talk about cultural history, has a lovely apartment and drives every day.

F. A successful writer with multiple publications and speaking engagements.

Did you pick Person B, or maybe D?

You'll have to read the article to see what the answer is!

Video still of Britney Spears performing "Crazy".

October 6th is National Depression Screening Day

Depression affects many people at some point in their lives. Here is a little assessment you can take to check on your own mental health. If the depression lasts more than two weeks, it's time to get help. Call me if you or someone you love is depressed. I'm happy to chat with you about it. My number is 650-720-0912.

Depression and Melancholy, meet Inflammation

Here is a nice blog article by a rheumatologist at UCLA, Dr. Mark Borigini entitled "Inflammation and Chronic Pain: Influencing Culture". Did you know painter Paul Rubens probably had rheumatoid arthritis?

"A close analysis of Rubens's paintings over the last thirty years of his life reveals the deformities of arthritis depicted in various subjects, chronologically documenting the natural progression of the disease. Look at the painting, "The Holy Family with St. Anne": The left arm of St. Anne, resting on Mary's shoulder, is a classic depiction of a typical swollen wrist seen in an inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis."

Michelangelo, Paul Klee, Frida Khalo and Renoir all likely had autoimmune disorders, too, according to Borigini. Inflammation in the body can cause crippling pain, leading to depression, or as Freud termed it, melancholy.

Dear Women - a short film from ConsciousMen

Here is a lovely, moving, hopeful short 8 minute film wherein men talk about and apologize for the long history of wrongs against women. The film has mostly Euro-American men in it and one African-American man. It would have been nice to see a more diverse cast. But nonetheless, Euro-American men have typically held all the power in our society, so this is a good start.

I remember as a Girl Scout leader some years ago, we were discussing women in political offices and leadership roles. One of the girls asked me, "How many female presidents have there been?" I hope someday we do see equality for men and women on the planet, and for people from every ethnic background.

I decided to include this film in my blog, because although it does not deal with mental health issues overtly, many women suffer from a sort of general malaise that comes from living in a patriarchal society. I felt this was healing.