SOMETIMES YOU EAT THE BEAR, AND WELL, SOMETIMES HE EATS YOU BY LARRY WEINER It was over six years ago that I found myself in a psych ward, my long struggle with depression having come to a head. This wouldn’t be the last time, but there was always the desire to get better and that [...]
I was diagnosed with Borderline personality, severe depression and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Less like Chris Cuomo...more like Trump which to compare myself to Trump is...well Narcissistic lol) This occurred in Sept. of 2014 at age 47. I had walked away from about my 10th job, many professional ones, in 15-20 years. Every time I got [...]
I am not a tragedy. I am not incomplete. The first thing people say to me when they find out I have a mental illness is usually along the lines of “Oh, you poor thing!” or something of that ilk. I smile politely and try to explain that it's okay; they don't have to be [...]
Rachel Griffin, a passionate mental health advocate, and Sarah Fader, CEO of Stigma Fighters, made a video recently about the worse friend ever to a friend struggling with depression. The dynamic duo calls themselves "Anxiety Gals." As people living with mental illness, we've heard our fair share of advice on how to cope with our [...]
I've often wondered what depression would look like from the inside out. If we could use a microscope and snap a photo of what it looked like festering and burning inside someone's body, I would submit that it would be a frightening sight and one that we would never forget. So, why is it that [...]
Why does he hate me? Why do I care so much that he hates me? He's my father-in-law. I always thought he would love me and I would love him back. For the longest time, I felt that way. I don't know how long he has felt this way though. He thinks I'm a puppet [...]
The Wind. By Valarie Savage Kinney It didn’t happen right away. After my second daughter was born, I was elated. Absolutely over the moon. My baby was beautiful. My baby was perfect. My baby screamed. She screamed through the night, and kept my one year old daughter – and me – awake. She screamed after [...]
I Have Schizophrenia, But Schizophrenia Does Not Have Me by Jonathan Harnisch My name is Jonathan Harnisch. I have schizophrenia with psychotic features, but schizophrenia and psychosis do not have me. I cannot distinguish what is real and what is not real. My thoughts, mood and behavior are altered, and they change frequently. Sometimes I [...]
3 Things All Certified Peer Supporters Need to Know I have been an official peer supporter (completed course work, passed the test for the state of Ohio) for almost a year. Before that, I was trained to facilitate support groups and teach certain courses, and before that, I was a volunteer for a mental health [...]
August 24, 2006. Who knew that when I woke up that morning, it would change my life forever. We all have lots of dates that change our lives. Our birthday, date of marriage, date of divorce, date of graduation, date of children's births, date of deaths, and the list goes on. Having a mental illness, [...]
