Mental health in adolescents with or without special needs is a growing concern and a particular interest of mine. I found an article on MedPage Today about a survey of teens who had been treated for suicidal thoughts and mental health problems that indicates they are still at risk of attempting suicide. This, to me, [...]

I recently wrote about the questions you should ask yourself before you embark on any project, particularly one involving life changes. One of the most vital is ‘where am I starting from?’ You need to answer that before you dive in to your resolutions. If you don’t know where you’re starting from how do you [...]

Then it struck. Like a tide of suffocating black sludge filling my arteries and lungs so I could barely walk or breathe. I stop and gasp for breath as the rising panic reaches my brain…. Like this?Read more… Recommended by Looking for Blue Sky

Well, I knew it was coming. It’s January (a month I dislike anyway), we’re back into our routine of getting up in what feels like the middle of the night and having to wake the children. My eldest, at the age of 6 ‘hates’ school, which makes for interesting walks to school in the morning [...]

I used to run a sort of intuitive Agony Aunt column for a local paper years ago and a blog like this invites questions that people are not alone in asking, so I thought why not give it a go here. You can e mail me privately and we can publish it here on the [...]

I used to be incredibly sceptical about mediation. How on earth was I supposed to just turn my brain off and stop all that constant chatter? I mean I talk a lot as it is but even when I’m not, my brain is constantly working. Tom always finds it amusing if he ever asks me [...]

It’s 2013 and I have spent the past few days thinking about what I want out of this new year. I’ve made my brain hurt with that and so many other things running through it, but I think I’ve started to see light at the other side. It is going to sound selfish to some [...]

‘I think it’s right’ vs. ‘It just feels right.’ ‘I think it’s wrong’ vs. ‘It just feels wrong.’ How much harder work is first option vs. the second one? When you are struggling with yourself – or, more likely, over a point with someone else and you tell them what you’re thinking, they’re probably going [...]

Petit Mom has suffered with depression for 10 years. Here’s an insight on what she feels it is like to have this mental health problem. Like this?Read more… Recommended by The Petit Mom

Let me tell you about my first love, how it took a hold of me with a grasp so strong that many years later it still moulds every day of my life. I don’t recall the first time he kissed me but I’m sure it was soft, delicate and sweet, full of his growing love [...]

There have been times over the festive period when things have not gone to plan, we have fallen out, the kids have been yelling at each other, or we have actually been bored. There have also been times when my own depression has surfaced to such an extent I didn’t know if I could keep [...]

This last year I have been a total nightmare to live with, what with the impending loss of my job, my constant mood swings due to medication, the fact I can be a total nightmare to live with because of my constant nagging, if things aren’t done just so because of the O.C.D and the [...]

Yip, it’s hitting me again. The world is a big place, that I don’t want to explore. I like my own company, I’m a generally happy person. However, socially, I’m supposed to go out more, interact with other adults, outside of my mum and hubby. But why??? What’s wrong with wanting to get fatter and [...]

So, this is Christmas… And I completely underestimated the impact this time of year would have on me. When I say “impact”, I mean panic, anxiety, a deep-seeded fear of going back to that awful “dark” place which was the norm for me at this time last year. I didn’t think for a second the [...]

I have already written about Christmas and the kids; and being worried about not getting into the Christmas Spirit. However, Christmas is still a wonderful time, but for me it always seems to be spent away from my other family *one, two, three, ahhhh* Like this?Read more… Recommended by Mummy’s Little Stars

Over the years my children have been to far to many funerals. There have been funerals for their great-grandmas, great-aunt, great-uncle, grandma and grandpa, the little girl from school and most recently their aunt. When they were young, they read passages for their great-aunt, great-grandmother and great-uncle. Like this?Read more… Recommended by AlwaysARedhead

Only two and a half more shifts to go at work and next Wednesday I officially become a retired person Eekk!  I’m only 47 years old, but they say I’m not fit enough to work there anymore so that will be that. It has been quite an emotional week.  Because of the way the shift system [...]

I went over a few of my observations about Emily’s behaviour at home. There are times, I feel, that she is trying to get my attention. One of my pet hates is the leg shaking. We are all in agreement that this is not an involuntary reaction to stress. To be honest it drives me [...]

As a family we have had a huge amount to deal with in the last year. Redundancy, illness, relocating, illness, new job, losing job, illness, debt, more debt, illness, losing our home. And so it continues. Like this?Read more… Recommended by Mummy Glitzer

At 26 I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I‘d been treated for depression since the age of 15, but had never found relief. I first spoke to my family doctor about it when I was 15, but it started when I was around 12. I experienced regular, crashing mood-swings, so intense they altered my [...]