Mental Health

OCD in Faith Spaces: OCD Awareness Week

17 Oct 2024

CW: religious OCD, but no specifics of obsessions or compulsions

When I was about 14 I remember telling a friend that it felt like I couldn’t control my mind. These thoughts that I didn’t like would stick around, and I couldn’t do anything but give in to their demands if I wanted to get...

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Mental Illness vs Mental Wellbeing: What's the Difference?

15 May 2019

Contrary to popular belief, Caitlin is not a medical professional, and the first aid training she received does not equate to medical advice. If you are struggling with mental illness or your mental wellbeing, please seek help from your GP or a certified counsellor.

Last week I...

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The Strength to Remain (A Blog for Black History Month)

25 Oct 2017

Another black history month almost ends and it is still a good thing to honour and discover black historical figures that have been whitewashed from history pages. Though erased, they contributed to earth’s development. Although an excellent endeavour, black people have bigger fish to fry....

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The Gift of the Present: Dealing with Mental Health During Lent

5 Apr 2017

I’ve written for SCM before about my schizoaffective disorder and how religious buildings are a major trigger for it. What I did not mention was that my symptoms tend to flare up hugely during Lent. From 2011 to 2016, every Lent without...

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Dealing with Depression at Christmas

20 Dec 2016

It is slightly farcical that I should be writing for SCM at all. I dropped out of university. At the time of dropping out I did not want anything to do with academia ever again. For a brief period, I flirted with the idea of going back- but then I remembered and was reminded of...

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My Mental Health and University

3 Oct 2016

University is hard.  Whichever way you look at it, it throws a whole load of firsts at you in a very short space of time.  You start living away from home, with new people, a brand new place, a new environment and you have to cook for yourself, in a new kitchen with a band new set of cooking...

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Time to Talk

4 Feb 2016

I am writing this blog as part of Time to Talk Day 2016, a day to get the nation talking about mental health issues and end the misconceptions surrounding people with mental health issues. I have schizoaffective disorder, which is a...

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