Bipolar Questions #7

No, but I kinda want to do all sorts of colors. I used to but I bite my nails a lot so I stopped.

do you keep a mood journal/chart/something along those lines?

not anymore

it drained me rather than helped me so I stopped (though to be fair I tried for quite a long time to get something out of it)

favorite comfort food?

chocolate

what was/is it about your favourite therapist that you like? (list as many things as you want to)

my favorite therapist was called jane

Il iked her because:

- she was prompt to start and end sessions

- she listened more than talk over me

- she didn't bring her phone or any other distractions in to the office

- she had a cheery voice

- she'd sense when I was upset and would change the subject quickly

how many diffrent therapists have you seen?

Not sure, maybe 4

I'm curious, how long did you see Jane for?

I just got bumped to my fourth therapist this year! Not a one of them came anywhere close to the way you describe Jane. I had one once a long time ago but she moved on.
Is burn-out an occupational hazard for all therapists???

I'm still curious about this question

Also, it is kind of her to change the subject when you're upset... I'm not sure if this is always helpful though. It depends on what the goals in therapy are, imo

I saw her for a couple months

my mother found out and basically threatened her if she didn't stop seeing me

ever since then, my therapists have been crap

Question:
how many diffrent therapists have you seen?

2 good ones, both for a long time
1 ok one for a few years
maybe 5 in grad school when I bounced around a lot and never clicked with anyone
1 from children's protective services when I was in high school

How many pdocs have you had?

I think I've had 4 or 5 pdocs (I have ECT treatments so my memory is not great). The important thing is I have been with current pdoc for more than 10 years and he is fantastic!!!

Question: How old were you when you realized that you had a mental health issue?

hmm, maybe my early teens

I remember



but then I didn't know it was a mental health issue at the time.. I guess I've always been diffrent though

what event caused you to go and seek help?

The first time I saw a therapist, I was 17. I went because my mother was severely mentally ill...somehow one of her MD's hooked me up with a therapist. I guess they knew abuse was going on in my home.

First saw a pdoc when I was 23 for extreme anxiety.



When you go to a movie do you sit close or further back?

It depends. I suppose we're usually somewhere in the middle, but will sit further back if it is quite crowded. I don't like sitting too close to the screen. We do seek seats close to an aisle. My husband is tall, so he needs the leg room in some theaters. Also, I don't like feeling trapped in the middle of an aisle. I like an easy access for escape, if necessary. There was even a period when I had a mild case of agoraphobia. My husband tried to get me to the movies, but for a while I often left early. That has changed, luckily, but I still like being near an aisle.

What was your favorite movie (or movies) you saw on a big screen at a movie theater?

That's an easy one..."Gone With the Wind". I've seen it 15? 20? times, but seeing it on the big screen is glorious!



You walk into a well-known deli in NYC. What do you order?

Well, there are a lot of delis in NJ and eastern PA that are almost (or as good as) some of the ones in NYC. I think a popular choice in NYC would be a hot pastrami sandwich, but I'm not overly fond of pastrami. My choice would therefore be a Corned Beef Special. Of course reubens (I prefer corned beef in them over pastrami) are also extremely good, but I don't like them as a sandwich. I prefer them open-faced and heated under a broiler, then eaten with a fork and knife. The Corned Beef Specials, however, are best in sandwich form. They are basically just rye bread (preferably seeded rye) with corned beef, coleslaw, Thousand Island or Russian dressing, and sometimes Swiss cheese. People who think sauerkraut is in Corned Beef Specials, are wrong. Sauerkraut is meant for reubens. I'm a little biased in thinking eastern PA and NJ have the best sandwiches. Who can beat a real (I mean real) hoagie or cheesesteak? However, though PA and NJ can have great bagels, NYC is still likely the Mecca for them, and many there do like the traditional toasted bagel. Often poppy or sesame seed, with cream cheese and lox (also sometimes "Nova" or smoked salmon, all of which are salmon, but lox is made a little differently and Nova is supposed to be from Nova Scotia), plus sometimes some herb (i.e dill) and/or capers. Or if the bagel is totally fresh, it need not even be toasted since it will already be hot and crispy on the outside. NJ does have one of the best breakfast sandwiches. Some people call it the NJ Breakfast Sandwich, but central New Jerseyans call it "Pork Roll Egg & Cheese Sandwich". Central New Jerseyans are the ones who have the authority to really name it. Calling pork roll "Taylor Ham", in central or southern NJ, can inspire some ire, even though the first pork roll (Taylor brand) was invented in central New Jersey (Hamilton Square/Trenton area) and the second most popular brand (Case's), my family's favorite, was created in Belle Mead, which is also in central New Jersey.

I just looked it up, and it seems that the Corned Beef Special may be more of a Philadelphia sandwich than a New York City one. Sorry. I'm a native of the Delaware Valley, which includes Philly and a bit north and south, including the western part of New Jersey, in those areas.

Is there something about your town (or state) that they are famous for? Need not be a food (or could be).

My town isn’t really famous for anything. My state however recorded the highest recorded wind gust and held that record from the 30s until 1996. It’s still the highest wind gust ever recorded outside of a tropical storm situation at 231mph at the mount washington observatory, known for the “worst weather in the world”

are you more “right-brained” or “left-brained?”

New Hampshire is a lovely state! And I've been up there at Mount Washington.

Right. That's the creative one (it's commonly mixed up).

(Been up Mount Washington too. I remember the plaque listing all the people who've died not taking it seriously. (In case that is confusing, the weather can be perfectly nice and warm at the bottom and an entirely different situation at the top. They die of hypothermia.)

What is your #1 favorite thing about autumn?

weather is a lot cooler

what are you doing on thanksgiving?

Watching a couple of movies online, hanging out here on PC, taking covid very seriously.



It's a gorgeous spring day and you walk into the zoo. Which animal do you visit first?

the lions

do you think their's an animal that matches your personality?. what is it

Well, to a degree perhaps a parrot. However, having lived with three parrots in the past, I can say that individual parrots do have a bit of their own personalities. They're not all the same. I think the same can be said about other animals.

Can you laugh on demand?

I don't think so. I guess actors do this all the time...interesting question. I'll repeat it:

Can you laugh on demand?

Yes

What was the last dream you remembered?

I dreamt I was thrift shopping with Barbara Knox. I was childishly upset because she found a beautiful fluffy cardigan with many shades of orange and kept it for herself. She found it first, but I was convinced she should let me have it because my favourite colour is orange. She argued I didn't wear the cardigans I already owned, therefore she should not give it to me, no matter how much I wanted it. Ha ha, such a fun dream. I would never behave so greedily in real life, and the cardigan looked much nicer on her than it ever would on me. It was just so lovely to meet her (if only in a dream) and to have a silly shopping dream instead of a nightmare.

Have you had any nice dreams lately?