Am I crazy?! Do I have some kind of mental problem?...

We are all 'crazy' to some degree. Don't you agree with me?

Sometimes we 'talk to ourselves', other times we doubt whether we did something or didn't. So to some degree, we doubt in our own ability to think clearly, like a 'normal person'.

Read the articles below if you are interested in particular aspects of mental health - e.g. depression, anxiety, etc. And email me if you have any questions or concerns (through the About Me page). I'll be glad to help. 

by Elia Strange

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Mental Health (Articles)


Mental Health (or "am I crazy?!")

What is Bipolar Disorder

Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder

How to deal with SAD: Autumn depression



How is Bipolar Disorder diagnosed

I am depressed... What to do?

Why people commit suicide



What is OCD

Do I have OCD?

Do I have Anxiety Disorder?



What is Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder

What is Social Anxiety

I have Social Anxiety...

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When I was studying Abnormal Psychology at University, we were taught that psychological disorders should not be seen as a separate box (i.e. either you are in it or you are not!). Rather, they should be seen as a continuum. Let me explain.

Let’s take ‘depression’. In Psychology it’s called ‘Depressive Episode’. To be diagnosed with this disorder you need to be depressed for no less than 2 months and have certain symptoms, such as absence of interest in activities, loss of appetite (or eating too much), lack of sleep (or sleeping too much), and so on.


But how many of us actually have these ‘symptoms’ when we are under typical stress? For example, after a ‘bad’ day at work, argument with someone in the family, or standing in a long queue in a shop or a petrol station after a long day at work.


Have you ever experienced feeling ‘low’, being sad, loosing interest in activities, having difficulties with sleep and your appetite? See where I’m getting at? Everyone can have ‘symptoms’ of various psychological disorders to a certain degree.


Do you know what are the symptoms of ‘bi-polar mood disorder’? The symptoms are - the alternating moods of the person, i.e. the person feels low mood some days, and a massive ‘excitement’ in other days. I think I can relate to having different moods at different days, and so can you.


How about ‘OCD’ (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)? Have you ever checked and re-checked whether you closed the door or switched the light off in the room?

Or have you ever imagined swearing at your boss or someone you don’t like? Well, these are some of the symptoms of OCD.


Ok, I’m not saying that we all can be diagnosed now with psychological disorders. But what I’m saying is that most of us have various ‘symptoms’ most of our lives. We are all somewhere on a continuum of being 'sane' Vs 'insane'.


If you take ‘no symptoms’ as ‘0’ on that continuum and having lots of ‘symptoms’ as ‘100’, where you are on this continuum? Well, it depends on what’s going on in your life right now.

If you have a bad day, you might feel ‘confusion’ in your head, which feels like fog. May be even your body would become numb to some degree. Well, these are some of the symptoms of ‘break-down’ or severe psychological stress.


So, why am I saying all of this to you? Because when you, or someone you know, has (ever) been ‘labelled’ as one having ‘depression’, ‘anxiety’, ‘OCD’, ‘bi-polar’, and so on, this doesn’t make you any different from the rest of society.

If you have been diagnosed with a psychological problem, then it means that your point on the continuum went a bit further than that of your neighbour or a friend. But it still is, just a point. A dot. On that continuum.


Read the articles that interest you, see whether you ‘suffer’ from depression or anxiety, but remember ‘we are all on the same continuum’.

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