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Stigma sucks
What’s the first impression you want to give people? The first impression I want to give people is that I am absolutely normal. And it’s the impression I usually give. It isn’t written on my face that I have the tendency for psychoses, and the majority of people find me pleasant, empathetic and friendly. I… Continue reading
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Bipolar and writing
What’s a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind? I often changed my mind about how I approach my ‘bipolar disorder’. A recent example is when decided to write openly about my diagnosis and my experience with ‘psychoses’. I thought hard about it and reached the conclusion that if I, a university lecturer,… Continue reading
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Stigma and bipolar disorder
Tell us about a time when you felt out of place. I feel out of place quite often. I have a bipolar disorder (I experienced psychoses), something that I don’t hide, and therefore, I often feel like an imposter in the society as a whole. The most difficult moment was after my last psychosis over… Continue reading
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Work and bipolar disorder
In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled? Work fulfils me in many ways, and I like working. It’s an essential part of being human. Karl Marx distinguished between labour and work. Labour is when you end up being exploited, like, for instance, in a factory where all work could finish in seven… Continue reading
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Agency and ‘Severe mental illness’
In social science, agency is the ability of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfil their potential. It’s one independent ability to act on one’s will. John Locke pointed out that the concept of agency is the capacity of individual beings to shape circumstances in which they live. And Jacques Rousseau called it… Continue reading
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Live your life fully
What things give you energy? It’s an interesting question to ask: what things give you energy? By answering this question I would like to first make an observation that there are people who derive you off energy (psychic vampires) and those who give you energy. I am a donor of energy. I give energy to… Continue reading
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Magical Amsterdam
And so, at the age of 23/24 I ended up living in Amsterdam, where I stayed for seven years in total. But before I tell you more about my adventures there (such as ending up in a psychosis at the age of twenty-seven), let’s look at Amsterdam at first. From all the places where I… Continue reading
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Relaxing with bipolar disorder
How do you relax? Here I am again, talking about my bipolar disorder. My friends advice me to stop analysing my life via a psychiatric diagnosis but what can I do, if the psychiatric label sits firmly above my head? In my daily life you wouldn’t notice that something is wrong with me. I am… Continue reading
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Live the life to the fullest
What motivates you? I have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, given to me because of my vulnerability to psychoses. Since getting the diagnosis and being on and off some heavy medication with disastrous side effects, I have promised myself that my diagnosis doesn’t define me. Yes, if I end in a psychosis I act weird… Continue reading
About Me
I am a doctor of philosophy, a university lecturer, and a lover of cats, fine wine, dancing, theatre, and human eccentricity. I was born in the Soviet Union (Moscow). I am fluent in four languages, and have spent all my adult life studying (except from 18 to 19) working and living throughout Western Europe. Despite a surname-Netchitailova- that translates from Russian into English as “unreadable”, my greatest passions in life are reading and writing. My personal struggles have made me appreciate the manifestations of weirdness that exist everywhere.