YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Thank you! I wrote a reply twice and tried to post it, only to have the text disappear due to 1) not being logged in the first time and 2) somehow inadvertently deleting it the second time. I considered abandoning the reply. Writing those words out 3 times this morning was its own form of therapy! H...

Hi! I read your intro post in the other thread and it sounds as though you are quite a bit younger than me. I'm 50, female, and have a career as an academic. I majored in journalism as an undergraduate. I worked for the school newspaper for a year and then quit because the deadlines in addition to c...

Stress affects the immune system so there are a LOT of physical manifestations...I have allergies, and it turns out that they become more severe when I am stressed, including skin rashes due to eczema. I also tend to get more acid reflux when I am stressed. And canker sores. And herpes outbreaks. An...

I really heard what Susan had to say about sibling incest and the entangled power/sexual dynamics that must be happening with the parents. In a nutshell, this clarified so much for me about the dynamics in my own sexual relationships and my sexual socialization. I could never figure out why there wa...

Hi Verlaine, I want to second all the congratulations from Oak. That is a huge step to end a controlling, abusive relationship. Speaking from my own experience, it has taken a long time for me to unlearn the judgment and criticism I internalized during my 14 year marriage to my ex. One day, not long...

Hey! So, in the spirit of internalized stigma about mental illness, I registered as a man, when in fact I am a woman. I don't recall if I said I was straight or gay. For the record, I'm straight with bi tendencies. I've recently turned 50. What does that mean? Hot flashes, bursts of rage, a relation...

Hey everyone, Just offering an update. I did end the romantic relationship with my partner a couple months ago. One of the precipitating factors was a comment Paul offered on one of his podcasts. He was reading an e-mail from someone who had a relationship with someone who was actively addicted to s...

Hi Oak! You asked a simple open question and I have not really had a clear idea about how to reply. I've shared a lot of my story in my replies to catpantsphd. The simplest answer is that the experience has ultimately led to more and better intimacy with my partner, because it has required me to be ...

Hi Dr.CatPants! Sorry for the long delay before responding. I haven't visited the forum for a while. For clarification, I am a straight woman with bi-sexual tendencies. First, the point I was making about disclosure had to do with how some people frame discussion about HSV in terms of absolute discl...

DrCatPants, I totally relate to all that you wrote with the exception that when I was first tested for herpes, which as you note is not usually something that is tested for in the absence of having an outbreak, my doctor told me "you have been exposed to the herpes virus." By not saying &q...