Banjo, not sugar, helps the medicine go down

Differential diagnosis work plus @SteveMartinToGo bluegrass. DSM-IV-TR plus sweet banjo for the win!—
Carla Hufstedler (@carlamagpie) April 16, 2011

Hope.

This has been a week of bullying-induced suicides and school shootings.

So I just wanted to write about my bad day. Nothing horrible happened, but I kept forgetting things and messing little things up; I felt like I failed at 10.01.10. But, at the end of the day, my clinical supervisor called with an avenue I can follow to help a client of mine. I told him, since he was on the phone, about one of the few things I managed to achieve today. He said that my action was “extremely brave” and that he was proud of me.

For every critical, ugly word that comes from someone else–or, as in my case today, from within yourself–there is someone just waiting to tell you that you’re loved, that you’re beautiful, that you’re smart, that you’re “extremely brave”. I want you to be there to hear it. Please be safe. I’m just some stranger on the ‘net, but I love you, and I care.

It gets better. It does.

“If you can live through high school, which you can, you’re going to have a great life. And it’s going to be the envy of all those people who picked on you…”

youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject

Books read: November, 2008

1. (NF) When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? * George Carlin
2. (NF/true crime) While They Slept: An Inquiry Into the Murder of a Family * Kathryn Harrison
3. (NF/criminology) Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children * Jonathan Kellerman
4. (NF/criminology) School Shootings: What Every Parent and Educator Needs to Know to Protect Our Children * Joseph A. Lieberman
5. (NF/serial killers) Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer * John Douglas
6. Silent Partner * Jonathan Kellerman (Dr. Alex Delaware series, no. 4)
7. (audio) The Perfect Family * Pamela Lewis
8. (NF/true crime) Because You Loved Me * M. William Phelps
9. (NF/true crime) In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences * Truman Capote
10. (NF) Against Medical Advice: One Family’s Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery * James Patterson and Hal Friedman

An open letter to Ella Travolta

As sent via travolta.com:

This message will hopefully, at least indirectly, reach Ella Travolta. Ella, I too lost my brother and only sibling as a child myself. I was nine years old and he was seven when he died. This time is going to be more than confusing, more than painful. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, don’t be afraid to express feelings that other people do not seem to be having, and don’t put pressure on yourself to either grieve “long enough” or to feel better “soon enough”. Be kind to yourself, above all, and patient with yourself.
Also, please understand that the loss of a sibling is a foreign event to most other children; peers may seem to either not understand, or may actually seem spooked. Just know they’re still your classmates and friends, and they do care about what’s happened to you–they just may not be able to express their feelings in an appropriate manner. I’m praying for you, love. Be strong.

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Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.