Women’s mental health is under serious strain. One in six Australian women experience depression and a further one in three have Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Women are also more likely than men to develop an eating disorder and are at a heightened risk of PTSD. Things are even worse for Indigenous women in Australia. 33.2%…
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Alcoholism and drug abuse have become a major problem for women in the United States. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), nearly 5.3 million women in the United States consume alcohol to a point where their health and safety is compromised. Of that 5.3 million, over 4 million are dependent…
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Thinking about it all, every last drop of it. She kind of died in a way, without actually ceasing to exist. Without a funeral. Without a kiss goodbye. Not a black dress in sight. Instead, a slow, heart-breaking realisation she wasn’t who she once was and never would be again. Dead, at least to…
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Honor Jane Newman is a psychologist currently living in Melbourne who has penned a short and easy-to-understand self-help book for women living with perfectionism, anxiety and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Killing the Perfectionist Within is a simple little book that gives the reader an insight into the various symptoms of these conditions and then delves…
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Sophie Hardcastle is an inspiring young author who has written a memoir called Running Like China about her struggles with mental health. Lip’s Bridget Conway had a chat with Sophie and found out about how she chose to push through the stigma to write the book in the hopes that it would inspire others to…
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*Trigger Warning: This post contains writing which may upset those with mental health issues* Imagine waking up in a cold, grey room all by yourself. You have a few of your clothes shoved into a shelf next to your bed and a plastic cup of water sits on the floor. There is no…
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I recently wrote this article for Lip to analyse the findings of a study into youth mental health in Australia. The results sent me reeling, though I’m not sure if it was to do with the uncomfortably high numbers or the sickening feeling that came over me when I considered a child as young as…
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With a recent survey revealing that one in thirteen teenagers have contemplated suicide, it is clear that humanising mental illness is more important than ever. This is the goal of Project UROK (you-are-okay), which uses personal testimonials to normalise these struggles and offer support. Public figures, such as Wil Wheaton and Bobby Long,…
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Trigger Warning: mental ill-health, suicide The largest ever federally funded survey on youth mental health and well-being in Australia has delivered some shocking results. There can no longer be a question as to whether or not our young women are facing a crisis. In the two year survey, titled Young Minds Matter, one in 10…
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Hey, guys! Guess what? I totes have depression! Starting Lexapro tomorrow. #woo #ontrack #letsdothis This is the tits-out status update Nikita*, 26, never posted, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and taking her first round of meds for resulting depression earlier this year. ‘A friend and I were talking about this recently. Some of the…
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Kim Kardashian is surprising everyone with her recent involvement as Executive Producer in upcoming documentary, #RedFlag. The hour-long special will air during US Mental Health Awareness Month to explore mental health and its relationship to social media. After its premiere, Producer, Dr Drew Pinsky also plans to have an interactive follow-up and similarly themed programming…
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November 20 is the 15th annual International Transgender Day of Remembrance, set up to emphasise the impact of prejudiced violence on the global trans community. Australian TDOR vigils will be particularly elegiac following the brutal murder of Indonesian-born trans woman Mayang Prasetyo by her Australian husband in October. But the day has also been used…
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Sometimes I wonder if my grandmother really existed or if I made her up in my head. All I have are constructed and reconstructed memories of a mythical woman and her illness and the inter-generational impact of her life. My grandmother’s photographs hang in my mother’s bedroom. Ten photographs of different sizes; some in colour,…
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It can difficult to explain panic attacks to people that have never experienced them before. Yes, I could rattle off the symptoms that are such a big part of them, like trembling, a sense of unreality, stomach pains, dizziness, a tight chest, difficulty swallowing, heart palpitations and numbness; but this doesn’t give anyone a real…
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