|
|
|
Andy Alt - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Andy Alt is a freelance writer who has been treated for mental health issues since 1992. Most of his articles deal with humor related to mental health, and writing provides him an outlet for clinical depression and anxiety. During the last four years Andy's interest and education in politics has increased, so he now also writes political satire and commentary.
[View Andy Alt's Extended Author Bio]
[Display Categories] Sort By [Title] [Newest] [Oldest]
- Addiction and SSRI Medications
[Self-Improvement:Addictions] TIME magazine's June 16, 2008 cover story by Mark Thompson was a detailed article about US troops being given antidepressant drugs to deal with battlefield stress. A quote from the article (p 41) states "The newer drugs have fewer side effects and, unlike earlier drugs, are generally not addictive or toxic, even when taken in large quantities." This is false, and easily disproved. Ask current and former patients if they've ever had physical withdrawal symptoms after stopping use of an SSRI, or search the Internet for posts and articles written by patients about addiction to SSRI medication.
- Treat Yourself to Depression, Anxiety, Or Other Mental Illness Today
[Health-and-Fitness:Mental-Health] Earlier tonight, I was watching some of the vandalism and violence that happened in St. Paul, MN today. I had a sudden revelation: "People are crazy." It's a thought that brought much comfort to me, because I too have been diagnosed with various mental illnesses. After my revelation, I thought of myself. To people who know me well, I'm regarded as kind, decent, honest, ethical, fair, and generous. I'm speaking in general terms - no one thinks I'm perfect, not even me. There are, however, also a few people who know me and see ugly character traits. Some adjectives that have been used against me are: weak, cowardly, lazy, weird, odd, strange, and overly-impulsive...
- Steamy Wisdom Served With a Side of Salt
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Not a day goes by when I don't think a thought. I have something on my mind - I think it's mold. I promise to avoid any rough cleaning agents, but I hope my thoughts are sufficiently abrasive to scrape it away.
- Instant Run-Off Voting and a Plurality Needed to Win Elections
[News-and-Society:Politics] A commonly-held belief is that Ralph Nader siphoned votes in 2000 and cost Vice-President Al Gore the election. The only reason I have trouble with that view is the fact that there were over 2,000,000 people that voted for him. Ralph Nader had, and has, the right to run for President. And anyone who votes had the right to vote for him. Let us not allow politicians, the media, our neighbors, and ourselves to create any more animosity, or perpetuate the brainwashing and conditioning that perpetuates the acceptance a two-party system as the sole form of Democracy. That's not what our country is based on, and that is not the idea for which people have fought and died.
- McCain Reconsiders Palin For Vice-Presidential Running Mate
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Oct 4, 2008 - Bowing to the request of many of his supporters, Senator John McCain has asked Governor Sarah Palin to step aside. Palin agreed, stating she understood his reasons and didn't want to divide the party. She turned to Senator Hillary Clinton, who said, "You should just stay in the race, regardless. 'The more the merrier', I always say." Two hours later, McCain called a press conference to announce his new vice-presidential running mate, Representative McAbel.
- American Versus American, Putting it Into Perspective
[News-and-Society:Politics] Oct 1, 2008 - Some people seem to think that because Republican candidates say they are pro-life, that means they are actually pro-life. Earlier tonight on CBS, I heard Sarah Palin say that she's pro-life, but believes it should be up to the states to decide. That's fine, but why not just say that about every single issue? If I were a politician, I would completely see that position as politically expedient: Pass the buck on a controversial issue to avoid any backlash by potential supporters. The Supreme Court decided on Roe versus Wade on January 22, 1973. Has there been a serious attempt to overturn it since then?
- Appearing Naked in Other People's Dreams
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Appearing naked in other people's dreams is a concept which occurred to me as I woke up this morning from a dream in which I was naked. It's about time someone added this important idea to our literary and cultural heritage. Advantages to appearing naked in other people's dreams seem infinitely numerous, but I'll limit the possibilities. When appearing naked in other people's dreams, it's preferable to use one's "power" for good and not evil.
- Line of Air-Related Products
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] For a limited time only, you may read this ad. This ad is guaranteed to contain everything you ever wanted in an ad; it comes complete with vowels, consonants, and punctuation. If you're not completely satisfied reading this ad, return your eyes for a full refund - or if you prefer, send us the routing and account number of your grandmother's checking account.
- My Personal Voyage of Discovery
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] On a recent voyage via auto vehicle, several discoveries were made. Passing gas when trapped inside a car doesn't mean you give gas to someone in need of roadside assistance. If there happens to be four people in a very small car, only a DNA analysis can confirm the culprit of the new gaseous cloud looming overhead. The cloud may potentially be seen if it's dark outside, and the dome light is turned on...
- NSA May Be Wagging the Dog With New Spying Policies
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] White House spokesman Tony Snow has announced three new policy changes which will be enacted by the National Security Agency. His announcement, however, is not causing much concern about invasion of privacy. The NSA will start monitoring all messages contained within fortune cookies.
- Scary Survey Issued From the Department of Homeland Security
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] In yet another futile attempt to quell threats to the homeland, the Department of Homeland Security has recently mailed out millions of surveys to Americans. The survey is not without criticism, however, and Representative John Murtha from Pennsylvania has voiced his strong disapproval. He liked some aspects of the survey though, and stated "if we had something similar to this in Vietnam, it would have been a heckuva lot easier to track movements of the Viet Cong while in-country."
- Advancing Technology Through Mice
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] It's become very clear that when technology advances, so do mouse buttons. For instance, a long time ago there were mice with only one button. A second button scurried after the first; our lives became easier with the ability to right click. A short time later, a third button was found to be necessary. After a while, the wheel was invented.
- Uplifting and Explaining Politics - The Road to 2008, Part One
[News-and-Society:Pure-Opinion] Apr 6, 2008 - The Road to 2008 is paved before us. Irritation and aggravation will soon set into the hearts and minds of most reasonable Americans. As the campaign ads invade our homes - and soon our cellphones - we will be presented to choose whom we believe is most qualified to be granted the title of Resident of the United States of America. As a Resident myself, I always look forward to each election.
- Advertising Ingenuity
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] An observation I've had recently is about the commercialization of... everything. There are advertisements for curing depression/anxiety, and advertisements for learning to speak and write better; or as I like to say, "write more weller better good."
- Lemons Are Sour, Relief is Sweet
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] One annoyance I suffer is from people with the same disorders as myself. Sleeping hard the other night at two in the morning, I was awakened by my accursed telephone. It was my best friend, John Smith. He was crying and told me that he couldn't sleep. I angrily replied, "Well... I can!" and hung up...
- Financial Wizardry at Work - Frozen Money Technology
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Thanks to the ingenuity of Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson, several innovations have been introduced to keep your money safe. Jefferson expanded the idea of cold, hard cash, and took it one step further by freezing it, thereby causing his own cash to become even colder and harder.
- Stuck in the Past
[Self-Improvement:Positive-Attitude] Technology has advanced, why can't greeting cards advance as well? It's already very agonizing trying to find a greeting card stating something to the effect of, "I'm extremely happy for you, Mother. I wish for you all the joys and happiness possible. Congratulations on your second marriage..."
- Mark Foley's Treatment Stirs Debate in Congress, Logic Optional
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Initiating an emergency protocol today, the House of Representatives enacted a policy whereby all suspected pedophiles in Congress will enter themselves into rehab for alcoholism. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi commented, "Mark Foley has set a good example to all pedophiles today when he essentially admitted he had an alcohol problem. We hope that with some follow-up Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Representative Foley won't want to have sex with boys anymore."
- Quit Smoking Or at Least Think About Quitting
[Health-and-Fitness:Quit-Smoking] Quitting smoking now greatly reduces chances of your premature death. It's difficult to quit smoking, sometimes as difficult as getting out of bed in the morning. Getting out of bed every day and quitting smoking is important for maintaining good health; that's why I'm providing a motivational article to help you in your endeavors to better yourself.
- On Switch, Off Switch
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] I don't like being mentally ill because it means that sometimes my mind can't understand things as well as healthy minds. I know that I am inferior to the big Incorporated Corporated Conglomerated Companies who are successful and whose minds are not ill. Personally, I don't think of myself as being mentally ill, but rather I have a brain that has a mild cold or is allergic to normalcy.
- You Won't Find Sesame Street on MapQuest
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Sesame Street must exist in an alternate universe. I recently asked a fellow, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street, where the air is sweet?" He gazed at me rather curiously and quickly walked away. I searched today, but couldn't find Sesame Street on Google Earth or MapQuest. I would like to find this wondrous street, and perhaps live there even as a homeless man.
- How to Properly Deactivate a Bomb
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] Movies have been made for decades -- many of them involve a bomb being deactivated. When I see a scene in which a bomb is deactivated 1-3 seconds before it's about to explode, I'm not impressed by the script writing. If I ever write a screenplay that includes a scene in which a bomb has to be deactivated, creativity will be my primary objective. In my story, the bomb will have one wire. That wire will be cut and the timer will stop. The timer's digital display will read no less than sixteen hundred seconds remaining.
- Being Paranoid is Nothing to Worry About, I Assure You
[Health-and-Fitness:Mental-Health] Paranoia is something I've always worried about contracting. I'm afraid I might have picked it up somewhere in the past few years. I won't even eat chicken nuggets anymore because I'm too worried about getting infected with the Avian Flu.
- Acceptance of Social Anxiety
[Health-and-Fitness:Anxiety] If you suffer from social anxiety, then you are among the millions who have been told by your doctor that you're abnormal and need medication. If you prefer alternative treatment, then this article is worth reading. If you prefer alternative treatment because you already do enough drugs, then it's merely recommended reading. If you get bored and fall asleep by the second paragraph, then it will just be light reading.
- Mount Solation
[Self-Improvement:Inspirational] Once upon a time there was a mountain -- several, in fact. Upon one particular mountain stood a man and he was alone. He was not completely alone; the clouds swarming above were his companions. One day, The Man decided to give them all names. After 100,000 years, giving names to all the clouds became tiresome for The Man, so he changed his mind. After 10,000 years of not naming clouds, he thought to name the raindrops which the clouds produced.
- The Problematic 6000
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] The Problematic 6000 is especially designed with innovation in mind. This device was created to help a person create problems, rather than solve them. Is there someone in your life who has betrayed you, or wronged you in any way imaginable?
- To Save the World, Bugs Bunny Must Rule It
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] The World needs a change of leadership, and I believe that Bugs Bunny is just the person for the job. I realize we already have a gang of crazy animals watching over us and ready to pounce: politicians, corporate executives, corporate-owned media and greeting card companies. Bugs Bunny, on the other hand, is a domesticated and tame animal. His agenda would include tranquilizing this organized animal syndicate in order to prevent them from stampeding over the people whom they refer to as ordinary and average.
- Night at the Beach
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humor] I was sitting on the beach and happened to notice the sun. It was setting, and it was both colorful and awe-inspiring. I decided to walk toward the sun to touch it; I stopped short, however, struck by a sudden temporary bout of logic and blindness in both eyes...
|
|
|
