I was born in 1980 into a family that had a long history of mental illness and disability, most notably severe Bi-Polar Disorders, clinical depression, and GAD. Two relatives committed suicide in the last 80 years, one to a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the other by throwing himself under a train (my grandmother has been in [...]
I've always thought of it as having a skin too few. The stupidest things upset me. I can be happy and content but one prick and I deflate with a sick feeling of futility and inadequacy acidic in my stomach. As a child I never seemed to get it right. I would greet beloved relatives [...]
She was weak. He didn't try hard enough. She was lazy. He didn't appreciate his life. She's not sick. She doesn't look sick. He gave up. She gave up. He wasn't thinking about his family. She was only thinking of herself. He had a choice, he chose to be depressed. Smile. Fake it. Act happy [...]
"My name is Ethan Michael Carter, and I don’t belong on this site." At least thats what I feel I should write, before I close down my Mac and get on with the ‘normal,’ things in my day. But the truth is, I do belong here, and I do have a story to tell. Maybe [...]
I have lived with depression and anxiety for nearly as long as I can remember. For years I would not fully acknowledge that simple fact. During my teenage years I turned to drugs and alcohol to help me cope with the pain and shame I felt. In my twenties and thirties I was on and [...]
The Pain without a Name by Sarah Griffith Lund We didn’t know. We never knew what to call it. We didn’t have a diagnosis then. If you had a mood disorder or a mental illness before the 21st century, then it was understood and treated within the limitations based on the research, knowledge and resources [...]
I am passionate and extremely involved in mental health engagement in my community. I launched www.bipolarbabe.com in May of 2009 and created a logo with a talented artist titled ‘Bipolar Babe: Stomping out Stigma.’ Thereafter, I designed and distributed bipolar babe postcards, which read “Creating a World of Understanding, Empathy, and Acceptance for Those that Have a Mental Health Condition.” [...]
In my eyes, it is the anticipation that is the toughest part about anxiety. We build up the worries and stressors in our minds to the point that they become almost impossible to deal with. Most of anxiety is irrational in that we know these concerns are not as bad as we make them out [...]
I was diagnosed bipolar in August of 2008. The diagnoses made so much sense out of the life I was living, out of the lows and highs I kept jumping between. It made sense out of the crazy stories from my early 20’s, out of the jobs I quit over and over, out of the [...]
Especially Love I sat in my favorite chair. The sun warmed me as I sipped my morning coffee. Tears began to stream down my cheeks. Suddenly my breath became more rapid. What was wrong with me I sobbed. I thought I was am past this… The years before my mother’s death were filled with incredible [...]