Saturday 27 July 2013

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is an amazing person I think.
I can identify with him in 2 main ways. He is gay and he has mental health issues. As am/do I.
I've just started reading his blog, and one post about loneliness caught my eye. Fry comments on how he is often lonely, which for such a famous person seems absurd. He says he does not like his own company. Which is also absurd because he is an amazing person.
Stephen uploaded a video to YouTube about how he is proud to be proud to be gay (no that's not a typo, he is PROUD to be PROUD OF BEING GAY).
He says he will never apologise for being gay as why should anyone apologise for love?
Last month there was hype about Fry attempting suicide via overdose. I am so glad he did not succeed, as the world would be at huge loss without such a great man.
I will leave you with this quote from Stephen Fry - one of the greatest celebrities their is:
“At least 260 species of animal have been noted exhibiting homosexual behaviour but only one species of animal ever, so far as we know, has exhibited homophobic behaviour — and that’s the human being. So ask which is really natural.”
Stephen Fry



Friday 26 July 2013

Society's View On Women

Society has a warped view on women.
It views them as sex objects or possessions.
Women have so many expectations to live up to. They have to have perfect hair, perfect make-up and smooth hair-free skin.
The constant pressure can cause mental illnesses such as eating disorders and body dysmorphia.
Why are women forced to be so 'perfect'?
Teenage girls as young as thirteen are wearing make-up, dyeing their hair and shaving their legs.
They are CHILDREN not WOMEN.
Not that the perception of men is completely fine, but generally men are not stereotyped or labelled as much as women are.
Society should accept people the way they are, not shove them into a box.


Tuesday 23 July 2013

Just 'OCD'


With BBC Three's 'It's A Mad World' season being on lately, I have come across a lot of prejudice against OCD.
People use it the context of it being a mild psychiatric disorder, when in fact it can completely ruin people's lives.
OCD controls my life. I do not currently control my OCD.
OCD can be as bad as schizophrenia or other severe mental disorders, just because someone has OCD, does not mean they are OK.
OCD is not something EVERYONE has or something that people can just 'grow out of'. Yes they can get better: but it takes time and effort.
The stigma surrounding OCD is terrible.
Not everyone with OCD is overly hygienic (not that they're unhygienic) nor do they all hoard things. There are many types of OCD. My OCD is more in my mind that some types of OCD. For example: I 'go over' objects with my mind, like a checklist rather than touching certain things or washing my hands hundreds of times a day.
STOP THE STIGMA surrounding OCD.


If you or anyone you know is affected by OCD please visit your GP or go to http://www.ocduk.org/ for more information.


Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Image of upset child

Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a serious anxiety-related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessional thoughts, often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges.
The illness affects as many as 12 in every 1000 people (1.2% of the population) from young children to adults, regardless of gender or social or cultural background. In fact, it can be so debilitating and disabling that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has actually ranked OCD in the top ten of the most disabling illnesses of any kind, in terms of lost earnings and diminished quality of life.
Based on current estimates for the UK population, there are potentially around 741,504 people living with OCD at any one time.   But it is worth noting that a disproportionately high number, 50% of all these cases, will fall into the severe category, with less than a quarter being classed as mild cases.
OCD presents itself in many guises, and certainly goes far beyond the common perception that OCD is merely hand washing or checking light switches. In general, OCD sufferers experience obsessions which take the form of persistent and uncontrollable thoughts, images, impulses, worries, fears or doubts. They are often intrusive, unwanted, disturbing, significantly interfere with the ability to function on a day-to-day basis as they are incredibly difficult to ignore. People with OCD often realise that their obsessional thoughts are irrational, but they believe the only way to relieve the anxiety caused by them is to perform compulsive behaviours, often to prevent perceived harm happening to themselves or, more often than not, to a loved one.


REMEMBER: YOU CONTROL YOUR ILLNESS, YOUR ILLNESS DOES NOT CONTROL YOU.



Saturday 20 July 2013

Realising You Are Gay

When I was twelve I realised I was gay and I know how scary it is to realise this, and how you wish you had someone there to talk to, but sometimes there isn’t. I am writing this post for all those teenagers out there who are discovering who they are and need a bit of help with it.
The world has changed for the better since I was twelve, which wasn’t that long ago, now that gay marriage is approved, equality seems to finally be becoming something real.
I wish I had had something to help me in my two confused years. Between the ages of twelve and fourteen I came to terms with my sexuality and I vividly remember googling ‘coming out stories’ and hungrily reading what I found to assure myself I was not the only one feeling this way. When you realise you are different, you are gay, the world suddenly appears alien. Everything you thought and had planned might have changed, your parent’s plans for you will have to change, your life as you know it has changed forever, you are suddenly this alien person, with alien feelings.

Realising you are gay
For me this revelation came when I was twelve years old. It was a bit of a shock but it happened when I gave my friend a Christmas card and she smiled at me, and that was it, I was in love, I knew I was gay. Also the other indicators were my feelings towards female celebrities. When watching films or just TV in general I noticed that I felt attracted to the women, not the men. When my friends discussed guys I just sat there bored, waiting for the subject to change.

You might have known you were gay since you were born, or very young. It may have been something that you just knew. You might discover this fact about yourself when you are a child, or a teenager, or even an adult.
Some people don’t even realise they are gay, they get a partner of the opposite sex and get married and have children and it is then that realise. Some people hide who they are and get married and have children and then find they cannot cope hiding their feelings and come out then. A lot of gay people find that they realise it when they are teenager because that is when most people discover their sexuality, during puberty, when your feelings are starting to make some sense (even though it doesn’t feel like it).

Accepting you are gay is tough. You might not want to believe it. You might be from a strict religious homophobic family, or you might have two mums. Whatever your circumstance you will probably find realising and accepting you are gay is a scary thing to do.

Whatever triggers you to realise you are gay is something you will remember for the rest of your life. It could be an innocent crush on someone of the same sex, or a poster of a celebrity that makes you stop and think, or a TV advert showing a girl in a bikini that makes your head spin

You have to accept yourself before other people can accept you.

If you want other people to accept who you are you have to have accepted it yourself first.

If you are unhappy about the fact that you are gay, this is only a natural reaction. Life will be different and generally a little bit harder, but it’s not all doom and gloom, you can have a civil partnership, maybe get married soon, you have basically the same rights as straight people, it is no longer illegal to be gay like it used to be before 1967.

There are loads of famous celebrities who are gay and living happy full lives and there are masses of ordinary people who are living full and happy lives who just happen to be gay.

Although there are negative attachments like more chance of suffering from mental illness, bullying and isolation from society and fewer rights, being gay is not as depressing as you might be thinking it is. You get to go to gay pride and wave a rainbow coloured flag listening to Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Am Who I Am’.

This post was featured on When Sally Met Sally on 29th August 2013.
http://www.whensallymetsally.co.uk/features/blogs/coming-out-gay-lesbian-bisexual-teenagers-advice

Thursday 18 July 2013

Gay Marriage Is Legal

Yesterday - Wednesday 17th July 2013 was a historic day. The same-sex marriage bill passed and the Queen of England granted it. Now marriages could be taking place by summer 2014. I, along with thousand of other people, am so happy to have experienced this change. I can soon legally marry, just like everyone else. All the battles myself and others fought have now paid off. This is a magnificent piece of news for not just LGBT people, but all those who believe in equal love.
David Cameran says 'I am so proud we have had the courage to make love equal.': http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/07/18/exclusive-i-am-so-proud-we-have-had-the-courage-to-make-love-equal-by-david-cameron/
The Queen of England gives Royal asset to the same-sex marriage bill 2013: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/07/17/breaking-equal-marriage-bill-for-england-and-wales-given-royal-assent-and-is-now-law/

Wednesday 3 July 2013

Abortion

Abortion is a very sensitive subject.
Some people believe it is wrong, it is the killing of human life, and it is murder. These people are pro-life.
Other people believe it is okay to abort a foetus, that it is after all just a foetus, not yet a baby. These people are pro-choice.
I am pro-choice, yet I'm not okay with it.
I think abortion is very sad. The killing of cells that have the potential to lead to human life, however it is sometimes necessary.
For example: when a woman has been raped, it is morally wrong to make her keep the baby. After all, when she sees the baby's face, won't it just remind her of her attacker?
When teenagers fall pregnant irresponsibly, I believe abortion is necessary. The baby may not have a very good quality life living with a mother who has not got her life sorted out (however it may have a perfectly good life).
Although contraception is necessary and there are almost no excuses, with the wide range of contraception around these days, to fall pregnant.
Abortion should not be done swiftly and without thought. It is a sensitive and emotional subject. It is not killing of life, just destroying the possibility of life.
There should, and is, a limit on when a woman can have an abortion. After a certain amount of time the foetus is a baby and then an abortion should not be carried out, as this is plain murder.
But when the 'baby' is just a mass of cells, I do not believe this is murder.
Women should have the right to their own body and their own decisions. Abortion is a personal choice, not the killing of life. But choose wisely, as you are still destroying the potential for life. I am pro-choice but I do not wish to promote or glorify abortion in any shape or form.

Tuesday 2 July 2013

Chin Up: Depression

A depressed person cannot put their chin up and just be happy. You can say to them "But you're loved, you have a job, a good life, family and friends" and that won't change anything. Someone who is down because of a job loss, bereavement or relationship problems has a reason to be down and they are down not depressed.
Depression does not care whether you are ugly or pretty, fat or thin, poor or rich. 
As Stephen Fry claims, mood is like the weather. It can change, it will get better, it cannot be controlled.
Depression is the thunderstorm, the rain, the snow. Happiness is the sunshine. 
Bipolar disorder/manic depression is the two extremes of moods. The dark dismal depression, where everything is rubbish and life is not worth living, and then the mania - when you are filled with thoughts and ideas, you believe you can solve the world's problems, become famous, write a book, you have loads of energy and cannot stay still, your mood elevates.
There is no point in getting annoyed at a depressed person for being depressed.
You wouldn't get annoyed at someone for having heart disease or cancer. There's no reason for someone to have cancer, just like there is no reason for someone to have depression. They just do.
                                         Stephen Fry talking about bipolar disorder

If you know someone who’s depressed, please resolve to never ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather. Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side.
It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it’s one of the kindest, noblest, and best things you’ll ever do.
-Stephen Fry


http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/23/best-and-worst-things-depression-help_n_3802904.html