Don’t Talk to a Blogger: Action Steps for Mental Health Help
I know it sounds weird when a blogger says “don’t talk to a blogger for help.” After all, aren’t we in it to help? Don’t we want comments? In fact, it’s true; I do hope to help people and I do love to see the comments of my readers. But if you’re in serious mental illness distress, you need to take an action step and not talk to a bipolar blogger.
Why Do People Talk to Bloggers for Mental Health Help?
I can tell you why people reach out to me for help. They do it because they think they know me through my writing and they feel it is safe to reach out for help in the places where I write. I get this; I totally do. When a person like me lays her heart on the page, it can be easy to feel like you know me intimately. It’s a natural reaction.
But what you need to understand is that I am not someone you know intimately. I am a writer. Yes, I pour my heart out onto the page and, yes, I talk about my struggles with bipolar and, yes, you and I may even share the same struggles, but that doesn’t mean that I’m the right one to help you.
In all honesty, my hands are tied when it comes to helping my readers. All I can do is encourage you to reach out to real help – someone in your life that can really help you. All I can do is encourage you to take an action step.
What Is an Action Step for Mental Health Help?
When I say an “action step” what I mean is any step that can lead to real, honest-to-goodness help in your life. Actions steps could be:
- Contacting a helpline
- Talking to a school counselor
- Talking to someone you love
- Getting therapy
- Seeing a doctor
- Walking into an Emergency Room or calling 9-1-1 if you're in immediate danger
These are all ways to get real help for your mental illness distress. I know that it might feel like reaching out to me is taking an action step but it just isn’t. I can’t be your support and I can’t offer you help. I’m a writer on the other end of the Internet. That’s all.
Understand that I’m not saying don’t leave comments and I’m not saying don’t be open in those comments I’m just saying that in addition to leaving your thoughts and concerns here, you need to take real action in your life. Because no one can help you, and things can’t get any better, unless you seek out help and treatment. Talking to me might be your first step, but it can’t be your only step because that just won’t work.
I want you to get better. I want you to feel good. I want you to feel the peace you deserve, so, please, take an action step in your real life. That is how you will get there.
You can find Natasha Tracy on Facebook or Google+ or @Natasha_Tracy on Twitter or at Bipolar Burble, her blog.
APA Reference
Tracy, N.
(2016, February 18). Don’t Talk to a Blogger: Action Steps for Mental Health Help, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 3 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/breakingbipolar/2016/02/dont-talk-to-a-blogger-for-help-take-an-action-step
Author: Natasha Tracy
~N, You are being a responsible blogger when you tell people, "my hands are tied when it comes to helping my readers. All I can do is encourage you to reach out to real help..." You are not a doctor, a licensed therapist or, even a social worker; not telling people to seek professional help could lead to tragic consequences and, get you sued. I disagree however, with your analysis that people ask you for help because, " They do it because they think they know me through my writing..., When a person like me lays her heart on the page, it can be easy to feel like you know me intimately." You do bare your soul in your writing and I am sure that some people do feel that they know you intimately, (those are the stalkers.) The people who reach out for help and advice do it because you are a peer. Someone who has lived what they are experiencing. It is precisely because you are not a doctor, clinician or social worker that they seek you out. They know that you will not judge them, talk over them or, talk down to them or send them a bill. They don't have to wait months to get an appointment or sit for hours in a crowded, noisy ER to see you.
In the states, the peer counselor model is catching on. Peer Counselors are people who have lived experience with mental health challenges. They are vetted by the state, given training and are tested prior to becoming certified. They work in public and private mental health treatment centers and agencies, in hospitals or in peer-run centers where people struggling with their mental health issues can go and just talk. Like you they are not doctors, clinicians or social workers and don't try to be. They are there primarily to establish a trusting relationship between the mental health professional and the person seeking help, but can also be an advocate if necessary.
I currently work as a Certified Peer Counselor for a local mental health agency on their Crisis Prevention and Intervention Team (CPIT). We get referrals from hot-lines, hospitals, other mental heath agencies, law enforcement or, family members and friends about people who are in a mental health crisis. We dispatch a clinician and a peer to wherever the individual in crisis wants to meet us. We evaluate their safety, arrange for voluntary hospital admission if desired or placement in another mental health treatment facility. Once the person is no-longer in crisis the peer will assist them in finding and accessing the mental health resources they will need to maintain their recovery. We are reimbursed by the state/county and never ask or receive payment from the individual. I encourage your readers to look in their local area to see if someone is providing CPIT services and add that to the list of action steps you provided. Keep up the good work, people are happier, healthier and in some cases, alive because of you.
Mike Hudson, CPC
Natasha Tracy Fan Club Member #1
You are correct. Information should be carefully given out, or not at all. My blog, for those with bipolar disorder, is only for expression and sharing feelings and thoughts for encouragement and hope. It should, however, always mention that if you have an emergency, you must get help immediately.
I had the blood test for MTHFR, this is abbreviation for the long name.
I am a two copy carrier of this mutated gene and have been seeing a genetesist.
Two are the most copies a person can carry, your parents pass it on.
I would advise all mental health patients to Google this and/or ask for a blood test.
This genetic mutation can be the root cause of many people's issues with mental health.
it is also related to many other dangerous health problems for which you can seek help.
For instance giving birth to a child way too early . My daughter was born nine weeks early and has problems to this day.
I read the long list of health problems and premature birth is but one.
MTHFR is a perfect way to describe it. It is my sincere hope that this gene and is serious effects become widely known to the public.
May you find solace and happiness, your illness is not your fault.