The Reasons Why I Am Untreatableonline

I was over at The Hopeful Borderline who has come back after a brief absence and she was talking about reasons why it is important for people with mental illnesses to speak out but at the same time realize the fall out that may come from running a blog. At one time I started another blog using my real name and it didn't work for a number of reasons so here is why I chose to try again under the name untreatableonline.

1. When I was using my real name I had to take into consideration how the stories I told would effect other family members and it really hampered the information that I tried to share. As untreableonline that is not a concern so I am able to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth without a worry how others would see my family as the reader does not know who they are. Strangely I really do not care if people like me or not but I do care how others treat my family especially when it comes to something that I did or said.

2. Mental Health Professionals - I am not the easiest client on the block and to be quite honest I have no idea if the way my doctor or a past therapists treated me is normal to the way they handle other clients. The last thing I want is someone to walk into my doctors office and think well Doctor X treated untreatable this way so I need to watch out for whatever as by doing so the reader is basically shooting them self in the foot. The other concern is one day I hope to find a therapist who is willing to take me on as a client and I want them to see me and not untreatableonline as there is a lot more to me then what I write about here. Therapy is difficult enough and if my diagnosis don't scare them away the potential of seeing their name attached to this blog will. As for the professionals who have already dealt with me it will not take much effort to match me to this blog but I have to hope they will see what I am trying to accomplish here and not as a personal attack against them.

3. Who I am is really not important. I did not start this blog in the hope that it would lead to better care for me but better care for everyone who is in a similar position. I get a lot of comments about my courage and strength for speaking out which my brain really does not handle well (it is a BPD thing)as I see it like this: I am in a bad position so I can sit here and mope or I can speak out which provides me with a form of self therapy and there is also the chance it may help someone else.

For the readers out there who have been debating whether or not to start their own blog regarding mental illness I would say go for it but really consider the fallout when it comes to using your real name. There is a sort of freedom knowing that a lot of people know your story but none of them would be able to pick you out of a crowd in the "real" world. The goal is to lift the veil off of mental health but not to become the poster boy in the process.