My name is W. Derek Ratliff, and welcome, welcome, WELCOME to my blog on mental health and other personal issues!! I am very pleased to begin this new chapter in my life – BLOGGING!!!! It is something that I have been interested in for close to two years now, and I have finally decided to take the plunge.
The premise of my blog is to delve into and discuss issues related to mental imbalance or mental illness. Mental illness (or mental “unwellness,” which is how I sometimes refer to it), has become a stigma in this country, and it does not have to be. There are so many people out there suffering from some form of mental “unwellness” – whether it is anxiety, addiction, depression, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), intrusive and/or recurring thoughts, suicidal ideation, etc. I, myself, suffer from recurring or intrusive thoughts that sometimes will not go away, which can be quite troublesome and downright annoying. I have NEVER allowed it to affect my life or what I am doing. However, this has actually plagued me off and on my entire life starting in childhood, and I didn’t even realize what it was or what to call it until a few years ago. Sometimes I can easily brush them aside, and sometimes I cannot. And that was a huge part of the reason for me starting this blog, because I thought maybe there were others out there just like me.
This is a safe space to discuss anything related to mental health and other topics, such as dreams, as in the nighttime kind because I have LOTS of very vivid dreams practically every night. Also, if you wish to delve into astrology, we can do that as well. And vintage soap operas, another of my personal favorites! And of course, issues related to the LGTBQ community, because I am gay, gay, GAY duh!! LOL
There is a comment section at the end of my blog posts. So, feel free to leave a comment, and I will reply to you. It goes without saying that any derogatory, mean-spirited and/or hateful comments will be deleted and blocked.
DEREK’S DISCLAIMER: I am not a medical professional, neither am I giving any medical or legal advice. If you are seeking help from a doctor or an attorney, please consult said professionals. These are my personal thoughts and feelings on the subjects discussed, and my blog is my own personal experiences and journey with mental imbalance. Thanking you in advance!
