People often say a picture is worth a thousand words, in my opinion, living with mental illness is much the same. Our wellness may be non-linear but one thing that being a part of CHANNAL has brought to my life is consistent support. Peer support is the foundation on which I build when times are [...]
I was always a nervous child but to me, that was normal. It stopped feeling normal at 25 when an unrelenting wave of panic attacks landed me in the local crisis center. Well-intentioned friends dragged me there, against my will, after I barricaded myself in the house—for weeks. Anxiety. Panic disorder. Agoraphobia. Those were the [...]
I AM NOT THE DRAGON A boy arrives in the world with a punch-drunk eye, a congenital defect called myelinated retina that impacts his depth perception, his balance, and his sense of spatial placement. His parents, fearing he is ill-equipped to maneuver life’s landscapes, keep him close to the bosom, forbidding him to participate in [...]
Knowledge is Power For many of us it starts when we are small. For many of us it continues through adolescent and teen years. For many of us we grow up unscathed from childhood issues, taunting, or typical “rites of passage” intended to mold us into adulthood. For many of us, this is not the [...]
PTSD - My Own Personal Human Bondage I may not have went to war to have the traumatic effects of PTSD, but I do have the emotional capacity to be a bit broken down by them. My life started out dramatically to two parents who never really gave a shit of whether I lived or [...]
Professional Anxiety: Unmedicated, Unapologetic and Successful Hello, my name is Bri Clark and I suffer from anxiety and depression. Because they are like twins. Only they are like ying and yang twins. Moreover, they are totally female because only women can ride someone like these two bitches do me. Beyond that, I have four beautiful [...]
First of all, howdy y'all! My name is Carisa. I'm 38 years old. Before we get too deep into the sludge of shit I constantly weigh through daily, I'd like to tell you how and why I chose to submit this essay to Stigma Fighters. I was asked by a dear friend, whom is also [...]
In an instant I finally felt life being restored to my body. It felt like volts of electricity coursing through my veins. As the bright lights begin to come into focus, I hear faint voices becoming stronger. Did I make into the other dimension? I feel suffocated by the tube in my throat and taste [...]
Take My Hand I have decided to write about some of my own experience regarding depression. I've had it from about the age of 11, but not diagnosed officially until well into my 20's and had children of my own. I can't remember a time when depression wasn't there. People who have never had it [...]
Dare to Share! My Bipolar Disorder Mood Swing Success Story By Julie A. Fast I’ve only been introduced to myself over the past few years. Up until then, it was a daily struggle to keep my constant, chronic, overwhelming and downright vicious bipolar disorder under control. From my diagnosis of ultradian rapid cycling bipolar 2 [...]
