Since 2008 inclusive, the wonderfully entertaining and informative Mental Nurse (MN) website has been running its annual This Week in Mentalists (TWIM) Awards. The awards are voted on by the readership of the blog; many are featured regularly in the weekly TWIM round-ups that highlight each week’s writing in the Madosphere, though some – such as a few that I nominated in this year’s awards – are fairly new to the site.
Last year, I was placed third in the “Best Personality Disorder Blog” category, which was a complete shock – but of the most delightful nature, of course. I’ve picked up a few awards since, but it was still the one that mattered most to me, given as it was awarded based on the votes of people who are the authors of some really brilliant blogs. To be recognised by them was astonishing, and incredibly flattering.
This year the words Confessions of a Serial Insomniac once again appeared on MN’s awards nominations thread. And this time, to my utterly thrilled bewilderment, I have won the “Personality Disorders” category. WON it!!! Really WON it!
2010's Best Personality Disorder Blog - Amazing!
What’s more, not only have I won the “Personality Disorders” category, I have also won the “Best Psychotherapy Blog” award! Not claimed a runners-up position but, again, won it.
2010's Best Psychotherapy Blog - Amazing in Duplicate!
I am pathetically dumbstruck; completely at a loss for something adequate to say. I knew I’d picked up a few votes from when I last checked the nominations thread, but I really didn’t expect to win either – never mind both – category/ies.
The runners-up in the “Personality Disorder” category are two of my favourite blogs, namely Bippidee and that of my oldest Twitter friend, Conversations With My Head. In the “Therapy” category, the brilliant Discussing Dissociation (by trauma therapist Kathy Broady) and a new blog to me, that of Dr Deb, share the award. It is an honour to even be mentioned in the same breath as Kathy Broady, as her blog has been one of the most personally helpful to me over the past couple of years. I was also thrilled to see Blooming Lotus, one of the most heart-wrenching but inspirational blogs I’ve ever read, take the winning position in the “Stress-Related” category.
I could go on and on – other great blogs did well, a number of my blogging friends did well, but instead I’ll just tell you to go and check the results out for yourself 
Congratulations to all winners, runners-up and nominees. All of the wonderful blogs mentioned are making their mark on the mental health blogosphere, and as such are helping to break down barriers and stigma. Here’s to the Madosphere!
Also, can I just say a huge thanks to both Mental Nurse himself, now retired alas, and of course Zarathustra, for their tireless devotion to the Mental Nurse blog, in which so many of us have found found fun, information and even solace over recent months and years. You folks are teh r0ck.
I don’t think I’ll ever stop being amazed and surprised by the fact that anyone – never mind that ‘anyone’ includes such a wonderfully smart and supportive group of people – care what I have to say. But I am extremely grateful and deeply honoured, and it is a pleasure to know you all.
With love
Pandora <3 xxxxx
(I should also add that last week I was placed in the “Top Ten Health Blogs” over at Blogger’s Choice Awards. This was great to receive as it, like the Mental Nurse awards, was based on votes, rather than the popular ‘meme’ type awards that permeate the blogosphere at times. Nonetheless, I didn’t really acknowledge it here, as it’s not as important to me as the above recognition, nor the PTSD award I received in August, are. The reason? Because I know the blogs I was ((for want of a better term)) ‘competing against’ in the TWIM and PTSD awards are excellent and deserve much praise, whereas I am not familiar with the others in Blogger’s Choice. It’s still a pleasure, though, and one for which I’m grateful ).
New Post » Lovely Shiny Awards of Much Joy & Happiness http://j.mp/fyPMGC #mentalhealth #mhuk #ukmh #blogging #therapy #borderline #ptsd
Congrats Pan. Well deserved.
Congratulations
! – And yes I’m totally with you, in this award meaning a hell of a lot…
Take care,
Differently
RT @serialinsomniac: New Post » Lovely Shiny Awards of Much Joy & Happiness http://j.mp/fyPMGC #mentalhealth #mhuk #ukmh #blogging #ther …
Congrats Pan, well deserved on both counts. Here’s to much more in 2011.
All The Best
Well done Pan, well deserved.xx
Yay congrats Pan
Well done you… excellent to pick up two awards! All the best for the NY! X
Aww, thank you all very much indeed, and many congratulations to Karita, Diff and Cassie for your own awards – well deserved on all counts
And you too MsLeftie – as the nominations thread attests, many people are missing your old blog and enjoying your new one 
Thanks again everyone, and best wishes for 2011.
Hugs
P x
Many Congrats Pandora very well deserved (((you)))
New Post: Lovely Shiny Awards of Much Joy and Happiness http://bit.ly/fHKBy6 #borderline #PTSD
RT @serialinsomniac: New Post: Lovely Shiny Awards of Much Joy and Happiness http://bit.ly/fHKBy6 #borderline #PTSD
Congratulations, so good to see all the bloggers who have helped and meant so much to me being recognized – narcissim rules.
BoP
Congrats! So fantastic. And very well deserved.
Well done Pandora. You deserve this and all the other awards you’ve received–you’re one of my favourite bloggers, and write with great spirit and humor in the face of much adversity.
Congratulations. You deserve this. Reflects that you do, in
fact, give to the world and you are not, as you often feel, wasting
your life. You are (efficiently) using your illness (along with
your talent) to do much good. It’ s awesome.
congratulations pan! from what i’ve read so far its is more
x x x
than deserved! It’s good to see your blog being recognised for the
amazing blog it is
I was a voter =] Very well deserved, Pandora.
Sincerely
Robert
Awards – you gotta love em. And this blog is a great find for me. There is a new linky starting today at http://wordsinsync.blogspot.com/2011/02/monday-madness-week-1.html called Monday Madness – and it’s in support of the bloggers out there who are involved in mental health/illness. I’d like it to grow steadily, to allow for a solid support community for those of us who could use it/those of us who can help/those of us to tackle stigma and awareness. Do pop by. Be great to have you with us. Shah .X