Mind you read my first post?

What we achieve inwardly will change our outer reality.

— Plutarch.

Hello! My name is Kara House, and I am currently a sophomore psychology major and communications minor at Marian University. Along with being a full time student, I am extremely involved in our sorority, Theta Phi Alpha. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out with friends, going to the gym, watching Netflix, and of course, writing. I have always loved writing and have kept multiple journals over the years. In high school, I joined newspaper my sophomore year and was appointed as editor my senior year. Our paper won a national competition and multiple regional awards. This drive for journalism allowed me to easily make the decision of pursuing a communications minor. However, psychology has always been my primary passion, and I aspire to be a clinical psychologist with a focus on anxiety and depression. This blog serves as a creative outlet for two of my most prominent passions- writing and psychology. 

This blog began as an assignment for my digital journalism class. We were given free range to choose any topic, so picking psychology was quite literally a no-brainer. The area of psychology that I have chosen to focus on is mental health disorders. I suffer from both anxiety and depression myself, which fuels my fire for mental health. In today’s society, a negative stigma has been created around those suffering with mental health disorders. The main goals of this blog are to eliminate the negative stigma, create a supportive community for those with mental health disorders, and produce positive conversations about mental health. My blog will include success stories of students battling mental health disorders, ways to appropriately speak to and about people with mental health disorders, as well as explanations of some common disorders. Mental health disorders can be difficult to discuss, but with the right terminology and positive communication, we can create healthy conversations. 

In the field of psychology, there are multiple other bloggers that are also focused on the field of mental health disorders. I love to follow other psychology blogs to stay up to date on recent news, get ideas for writing, and ensure that I am not copying a post that’s already been done before. One of my favorite psychology blogs is titled The Mighty. This blog describes itself as “a digital health community created to empower and connect people facing health challenges and disabilities”. The Mighty has allowed those suffering from mental health disorders to recognize that they are not alone in the battle and can find comfort in shared struggles. This blog prides itself in representing over 2 million users, a new one being added every 20 seconds. A few of the health topics covered, amongst a list of over 600, include depression and suicide, PTSD, and depression. 

Another blog that covers the topic of mental health is titled Rethink Mental Illness. Their mission statement is to provide “equality, rights, the fair treatment and maximum quality of life for all those affected by mental illness, their carers, family and friends”. Not only does Rethink Mental Illness post success stories of mental health survivors, but blogs also cover advice on living with a mental health disorder. In a blog story titled “Telling your partner you live with a mental illness”, author Ellie offer insight into the best time to disclose a mental illness to someone new. Visitors of this blog can connect with others suffering from the same mental health disorder and gain a deeper understanding of those suffering from different  mental health disorders. This blog also includes a news section where information regarding mental health is kept up to date. For

example, a blog post published on April 4, 2019 includes details of the largest study done on thoughts of self-harm, loneliness, and anxiety amongst students. 

Unlike the other blogs aforementioned, The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive is a more personal blog run by a girl named Seaneen. She began the blog in 2007 after being hospitalised and diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The blog was started as a way to rant about mental health and has amassed into a community of supporters. Seaneen’s style of blogging is moreso a personal diary of life event published for anyone interested to read. In one of the blog posts, titled Dear Me- A letter to my mental teenage self, Seaneen speaks to her younger self about how she will eventually find a home and no longer feel ashamed of her mental health issues. She reminds herself, and readers, that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Another blog that is focused on changing the negative stigma around mental health is titled Time to Change. This blog focuses on the fact that “no one should have to fear being treated differently because of a mental health problem”. Time to Change has the mission of normalizing mental health disorders and creating positive conversation. Blog posts are focused on changing attitudes in the workplace, in communities, in young adults, and in children.  Time to Change publishes personal accounts of mental health stories to end the stigma around a problem that affects 1 in 4 people. The most recent blog, published on January 23, 2020 by Waverley tells how speaking openly about mental health changed the author’s life. 

MQ, the first major mental health research charity, manages a blog about transforming mental health through research. This blog is different from others as it focuses on the impact of research and studies in the field of mental health. A recent blog post by MQ informs readers that researchers are taking steps towards a global risk predictor for depression. This blog is creating positive dialogue about treatments for mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Readers can stay up to date on developing treatments and conclusive results from different mental health studies. 

So you might be wondering, if there are already multiple blogs about mental health, how is yours going to be any different?  

I will strive to bring new and innovative story ideas to the blogosphere. My primary audience will be college students as the majority of my audience is projected to be in this age range. I want to create yet another supportive community for those suffering from mental health disorders. I will offer my voice and passion for psychology through Mind Your Mind.