psychology

Few people have really considered how their sexuality and sexual identity are constructed, and how this sexual identity can influence everything from the obvious (how many partners they have) to the subtle (their self-esteem).

Depression and mood disorders like bipolar types one and two are definitely not choices or weaknesses. They should be seen as diseases like any others, and there is no need for silence.

A few days ago, my friend’s little sister killed herself. I hadn’t seen my friend in awhile—her family moved away from Michigan, my home state, some years ago. I still think of her sister as a bouncy 12-year-old who loved 4-H, with a special fondness for pigs (the smartest domesticated animal, she said).