I grew up in the nation-state of Boulder, Colorado. In Boulder, many a college student’s idea of “independence” is spending their parents’ money and doing laundry at their parents’ house and texting with their parents’ mobile data. (Okay, so I do all those things.) And while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it does raise… Continue reading Adulting is Hard (With Half-Assed Apologies to Boulder Millennials)

I was (probably) born with borderline personality disorder. When I was four, my mother noticed my obstinate tendency to stay angry long past when it was appropriate. At seven, I started listening to Evanescence religiously; by 11 I was talking about painting my room black. I was 12 when they told me I was sick,… Continue reading An Analysis of Childhood Mental Illness

Dear friend, relative, significant other, or miscellaneous acquaintance, I am weird. Please allow me to elaborate. I have borderline personality disorder. Rather than bore you with the details of what that means in clinical terms (you can look up the symptoms online), I’d rather tell you about what those symptoms do to me specifically, so… Continue reading How To Know When I’m Not Myself: An Open Letter

(Note: I am not a medical doctor and cannot give professional advice. All of the following is my opinion, based on my experience as a patient.) Psychiatric doctors are fascinating people*. They, more than most, are able to understand human consciousness as a function of biology. They see right through the misconception that the mind… Continue reading How To Be a Good Mental Patient, Part 1: Before You’re Medicated