jamieleggatt

Do you know the difference between depression and just feeling sad? For the longest time, I didn't. As a teenager I felt as though something was wrong with me, but I didn't ever think it was depression. I knew I was extraordinarily unhappy. I knew I didn't want to be alive. I knew life held no meaning. But I didn't know it was an illness. I thought it was just part of being a teenager, or just Read Full Story

Today the Canucks for Kids Fund (CFKF) in conjunction with Fraser Health and Provincial Health Services Authority, and BC Children’s Hospital announced the launch of Mindcheck.ca, a resource website designed for BC youth and young adults, as well as family members and friends, to recognize symptoms and better understand the challenges of mental illness.  Vancouver Canuck defenceman Kevin Bieksa Read Full Story

When I was younger I rarely watched comedies, never listened to upbeat music or read "light" books. I focused on the depressing, because I thought it was real. Somewhere along the way, I learned that those things brought me down and changed my ways. Today I watch comedies, listen to music that is upbeat and read my fair share of bubble gum books. At first I felt as though that made me shallow. Read Full Story

Here is a guest post by Ashley Davis Bush, LCSW Approximately 10% of Americans -- that’s close to twenty-one million people -- suffer from depression. Some accounts claim that one hundred and twenty million people worldwide suffer from this burdensome disease. While treatments range from medication to meditation, talk therapy to exercise – having an assortment of tools in your tool box is Read Full Story

Just like Christmas, New Year's can be a very difficult time. Some people are able to make resolutions, develop new plans, and feel as though they have started the year anew. Others think back over the past year and ruminate on their failures. They don't feel like there is a point in making resolutions or plans because they will just fail anyway. I'm somewhere in-between these two ends of the Read Full Story

Every year I find Christmas especially difficult. I don't know if it's the stress for perfection, the financial drain, the lack of sunlight, or a combination of all three. But for whatever reason, I always struggle around Christmas time. On Boxing Day (Dec. 26) I always breath a sigh of relief that I survived the holiday once again. This year I tried to make Christmas a bit simpler. Each of my Read Full Story

This morning I was bubbling with energy, and having a generally good morning. I by-passed the coffee for the 5th day in a row and raved about how well I was doing without it. This prompted my husband to ask me if I've been blogging about my eating habits lately (he rarely reads my blog - he just asks me about it instead). When I told him I wasn't, he suggested that share my experience as it might Read Full Story

I just wanted to take a moment to tell each of you what a difference you've made in my life. When I write in my blog, I don't feel like I'm writing my thoughts for strangers to read, but rather I feel like I'm writing to my friends. So many of you regularly comment and I feel a very strong kinship with you. We have gone through many struggles together and I have valued your comments, support and Read Full Story

The lesson I learned in therapy today is that it's okay to ask for help. It's funny how many times I need to be reminded of that and must re-learn that seemingly simple lesson. I'm one of those people that doesn't like to ask for help. It's not that I want to be a super mom, or that I need to do everything on my own, it's just that I don't want to seem weak in any way. And asking for help seems Read Full Story

A while back I tried getting off Paxil and started taking Wellbutrin. I managed to cut my dose of Paxil in half, but stopped there due to anxiety attacks. After seeing a counselor for a few months, I'm getting a handle on my anxiety and decided I was ready to start reducing my dosage of Paxil again. After about a month now, I've cut my dosage in half. So now I'm taking 5 mg of Paxil a day! Read Full Story