Mr. Wrong Companionship is something we all crave so deeply. Even the tiniest preemie babies will grow stronger if they are held often. Most of us still feel that deep pull to other people on lonely nights, long after childhood. We are desperate not to be alone. My first serious relationship, like so many other [...]
On Listening to Schizophrenia by Robert Wertzler The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone: He cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. From: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1798 I have written elsewhere on the subject of listening to those afflicted with mental illness, especially [...]
Is admitting being a victim of child sexual abuse courageous? There are times I doubt this power as I look at myself in the mirror. I am still remarkably human. The hair fades in color and quantity. The waist still expands as if my stomach had a mind of its own. I still have flaws, [...]
The world was spinning again. It was as though I could hear everything and nothing all at once. A constant buzzing of sound. A voice that I didn’t recognize was trying to explain something, but what was that voice trying to say? It was important, very important. Why didn’t they understand? Why was she looking [...]
This Is What Depression Looks Like Earlier this year, I came off of my antidepressant medication. It was a poorly thought out decision, (I have a pretty difficult history with depression and mental illness), and I did it cold turkey, even though I knew better. Still, I thought I’d be okay. I wasn’t okay. The [...]
The Delusional Thinking Process: To the Victor Go the Spoils In the old days of war, the winning army pretty much got to loot the countryside and take what they wanted—wealth, crops, women, whatever. These would be the spoils of victory. In a relatively civilized setting, we tend to use this term symbolically or [...]
A trigger warning to those whose lives have been touched by suicide. This is a very raw, honest account of my suicide attempt in mid-2012. These are thoughts and feelings I had in the moments leading up to my suicide attempt. This in no way, shape, or form represents my current state of mind today. [...]
Anxious All Over I’m anxious all over. You can’t know me without seeing it. You don’t really need to know me to see it. I am told frequently to calm down. Strangers reassure me that “everything is okay.” And I know they mean well, but it hurts sometimes. I’ve been guilty of this myself—looking at [...]
To The Journey: My Road to Understanding Mental Illness Despite many people perceiving bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses as a struggle or hardship, over time, I have come to embrace the life lessons that they can teach. I would briefly like to elucidate and describe these lessons. I have truly been touched by a [...]
Hey, my name's Josh. I go by the name of Smiiffy. I'm a twenty year old musician from Birmingham in the UK. I aim to stop the stigma on mental health and in order to do this, I speak about my own mental health issues. For around 4 years I've suffered with severe anxiety and [...]
