The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Life Usually Has Other Plans
For the past week, I’ve been stressing out over an upcoming event:my return to the dating pool. I can’t say that my swim went well. First, I paced back and forth on the pool deck, eyeing the water suspiciously. Then I stuck a toe in, but quickly retreated to a safe distance. Wet! It was much too wet. Then I shook myself off, scheduled my swim, awaited my moment, and dressed for the occasion. I even took a selfie to send to my daughters before I took the plunge.In the photo, I ’m so nervous in my bathing suit, I don’t recognize the man looking back at me. There’s something wrong with his face. He d...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - November 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Family Goodreads Writing Source Type: blogs

The Best-Laid Schemes
This month, no, my life isn ’t going as planned. It brings to mind a certain poem:❝But, Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,In proving foresight may be vain;The best-laid schemes o ’ mice an’ menGang aft agley,An ’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,For promis ’d joy!~“To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plough”, Robert Bruns, November 1785I know. It ’s not the most upbeat outlook, and Steinbeck repurposed it better, but life certainly does have a way of uprooting our carefully built nests. In response, I could get frustrated, or I could get creative. I chose the creative solution, even if it ...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - November 10, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Depression Goodreads Writing Source Type: blogs

Worry Is a Waste of Imagination
(Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey)
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - October 28, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depression Goodreads Visualizing Writing Source Type: blogs

What Do I Get out of Blogging about Mental Health?
I was recently contacted by a college student who requested an email interview. I share the answers below because the interviewer asked excellent questions.If you follow my blog, then you’ll already know that I have been diagnosed withClinical Depression (Major Depressive Disorder),Adult ADHD, andChronic Tic Disorder (Tourette’s). What you may not know is what I get out of blogging about my experiences with these conditions. This was the one of the questions the interviewer asked that made me think.Why on earth do I do this?My family resents my writing or is horrified by it. My friends don’t read it. It&#...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - October 27, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Depression Goodreads Journaling Suicide Writing Source Type: blogs

That Time When Ducks Cured My Depression
Sometimes taking care of your own depression can be accomplished by taking care of somebody else.I ’ve been incrediblystressed and depressed lately, so when my 2nd oldest daughter, Cathryn, suggested last month that we celebrate the birthday of my youngest daughter, the Brownie, with a trip into the mountains, I thought it was a fantastic idea. Fresh air up in the clouds sounded like the perfect salve for my soul.My spirits are often lifted by a change of scenery and some exercise. There was only one problem: the Browniehates hiking.With mild cerebral palsy and a learning disability, “simple” hikes become arduous tas...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - October 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depression Family Goodreads Visualizing Source Type: blogs

Nothing like ADHD …
❝Nothing like ADHD and a good fight to the death to make time fly.” – Rick Riordan,The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1)  (Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey)
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - September 20, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Goodreads Writing Source Type: blogs

Three-Digit Phone Number for Suicide Prevention Signed into Law
A few weeks ago, local Utah politicians (Rep. Chris Stewart and Sen. Orrin Hatch) helped get a suicide prevention bill onto President Trump's desk that he signed into law. It tasks the government with creating a three-digit number that works as a shortcut to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) for suicide and mental health crises, much like 911 for medical emergencies. It also authorizes an investigation into the effectiveness of both the lifeline and the Veteran Crisis Line.If you would like to see changes to either of these services, now is a very good time to contact your congress critters and give...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - September 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Goodreads Suicide Source Type: blogs

Helping to Prevent Suicide Only Takes Moments
September isNational Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This means that your social media timelines will suddenly be filled with celebrities sharing the national hotline. The cynic in you may roll your eyes. These celebrities will care very, very deeply in 280 characters; lots of their "show somebody you care" posts will gets thousands of likes and reposts, but where were they on August 31st? Where will they be on October 1st? Chasing a new cause, probably. Mounting their social media steed and charging to the next virtue signal over the hill beyond while shouting, "Don't forget to like and retweet!"With the sea of hotlin...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - September 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depression Family Goodreads Suicide Source Type: blogs

Begins to Hope Again
“But a sanguine temper, though forever expecting more good than occurs, does not always pay for its hopes by any proportionate depression. It soon flies over the present failure, and begins to hope again.” – Jane Austen, Emma ch.18 (Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey)
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - September 4, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depression Goodreads Writing Source Type: blogs

Shaking Things Up to Fight Depression
*Feeling like the daily grind is getting you down? I felt that way lately, and here’s how I turned things around. *One sign of depression is that you lose interest in things that you used to find engaging. This is different thanan ADHD whiplash pivot into a new pursuit. It’s more like your love for a favorite pastime dies with a weary sigh. I’ve been through that type of phase many times in my life. I gave up reading Science Fiction& Fantasy once. Stopped enjoying anime for many years. Stopped watching favorite TV programs here and there. I even stopped playing the tinwhistle, something I have enjoyed...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - August 31, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Depression Family Goodreads Journaling Source Type: blogs

Six Steps to Tame Way Too Many Projects
Too tight; too long. With added arch supports, they fit even worse. I bought these Rowley Slims Vans in the 00s because they looked cool, and I thought I ’d get back into skateboarding, but I never bought a skateboard. I couldn’t even wear the shoes more than every once in a while. They hurt my arches because they are a size 11, and I wear a 9½–10. I was too impatient to special order ones that fit me. I was going to start skateboarding with c lown shoes on a skateboard I hadn’t purchased yet. What was I thinking? My life has been filled with false starts like this. Intentions the size of mountains, but follow...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - August 3, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Depression Family Goodreads Source Type: blogs

Accolades, Attributions & Awards
Over the years I have received various awards for my efforts here, as well as interviews. Unfortunately, I've been blogging longer than some of the sites that featured me! I've updated this page with archive links so you can see what the award pages looked like when the award was issued. This is important because each one of these awards leads to a list of excellent sites and wonderful writers who have their own things to say about ADHD, depression, and mental health. Now you can discover them, and, with luck, access them again.Enjoy!~D ˢ2018Healthline2017Healthline2016Healthline2014Top Ten ADHD Blogs2013☞ ShareCar...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - July 17, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Spinning Source Type: blogs

Dreams Mean My Efforts Are Working, but Do They Have to Be so Weird ‽
One of the nice upsides tofixing my insomnia is that I’m suddenly dreaming again. I had forgotten how weird they could get, so of course, I have to share one of them with you! Hang in there for the plot twist.The other night I dreamed that I met a girl and her young daughter at my book signing. I’ve never done a book signing, but there she was. She was 24. This is important information, because she invited me to her home for dinner. In real life, I don’t believe something like this could ever happen even if I became so rich that I wore pants made up of $100 bills sewn together. Also, my oldest daughter is...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - July 13, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Family Goodreads Somnambulating Spinning Source Type: blogs

Best Depression Blog Three Years Running
Duringmy whirlwind Spring, I noticed that I received another award fromHealthline.com. That’s the third year in a row. I was, and still am, greatly honored. I posted about it onTwitter, but haven’t had a chance to share the news with you here.I don’t expect my advice on this blog to be helpful for everybody, but maybe something I write is just what somebody else needed to read that day. It’s all I can hope for, and I am humbled that Healthline recognizes my efforts. My journey here is a personal one. I am not an expert with a degree. I just share my experiences in a humorous and earnest way that I h...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - July 12, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Depression Goodreads Source Type: blogs

Obstinance or Brilliance
I am still paying the price for pushing myself in June, and I thought it was time to share with you what I’ve been up to, how it went, what worked, and what I could have done better. The TL;DR version is that I did too much, loved almost every moment of it, and then I ended up feeling like a haggard and disheveled octogenarian who had dragged a couch up a mountain trail.To give you an idea of what I’ve been up to, here’s a concise whirlwind from April to present. I have left out my daily duties and medical care for my daughter:I signed up for the conference in April, had to write 6000 words in two days, t...
Source: The Splintered Mind by Douglas Cootey - July 11, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Tags: ADHD Depression Family Goodreads Writing Source Type: blogs