Mental Illness: The attack, and the PTSD that followed
We opened this series on mental illness with Hermine Hull’s touching piece about her struggles with depression (bit.ly/HHDepression). Last month, Martha’s Vineyard Times contributor Jonathan Burke, who lives with mental illness himself, reported on...
Mental Illness on Martha’s Vineyard: In the bunker
We opened this series on mental illness with Hermine Hull’s touching piece about her struggles with depression (bit.ly/HHDepression). Martha’s Vineyard Times contributor Jonathan Burke, who lives with mental illness himself, has been writing about...
Mental illness on Martha’s Vineyard: Life and death with severe bipolar disorder
The Times has run several stories on Vineyarders suffering with mental illness. For others, see: bit.ly/MVMentalillness
Leslie’s husband suffered from bipolar disorder — a mental illness that can cause inexhaustible exuberance in someone, but also...
Mental Illness on Martha’s Vineyard: My anxiety disorder
What word should I say? “Big” or “large”? Have I turned off the stove? Did I leave the door open? Is it locked at night? Am I wearing the “right” sweater? Did I drive...
An anxiety story: He just doesn’t talk
Sam is 23 years old, and does not speak.
He has an anxiety disorder called selective mutism (SM). He understands language, but he is unable to speak to anyone other than his parents. A...
Mental Illness on Martha’s Vineyard: On the run with schizophrenia
In his book, “People and Predicaments,” Dr. Milton Mazer described the study he conducted on Martha’s Vineyard beginning in 1961, which showed that incidences of mental illnesses were much higher on the Island than...
Mental illness on Martha’s Vineyard: Losing one’s life to food
In his book, “People and Predicaments,” Dr. Milton Mazer described the study he conducted on Martha’s Vineyard beginning in 1961, which showed that incidences of mental illnesses were much higher on the Island than...
Depression: My story
“For most Islanders, January to March are the difficult months,” wrote Milton Mazer 40 years ago in his book “People and Predicaments: Life and Distress on Martha’s Vineyard.” “There are periods when day after day, heavy low clouds oppress the Island, the sun gone, the night sky moonless and starless …”