Ever had one of those dreams, where you try to cry out for help but no-one could hear you? That's how I felt, no one could hear me calling out for help. My eyes filled with tears as I thought of my mother. I wondered if I'd ever see her again. I didn't remember what [...]
A pill for happiness Happy Birthday, you have depression What do you do when your teeth hurt from clenching the duvet as you muffle the sounds of crying so no-one will hear? What do you do when your eyes are stinging after constantly wiping them before any tears can fall? What do you do when [...]
Bubble and gurgle Boil and spout These ugly feelings Want to come out Warm acidic pressure Tight eyes and sealed lips it's a wonder they can't tell I'm near falling to bits A quick action A thoughtless mistake Killed all good vibes Quiet animosity overtakes Shut my mouth Glue close my eyes But not my [...]
I have always been the girl with a pen and a pad of paper on hand. I'm a writer. I used to write fiction, but as I grew older I realized that I could write about my emotions too. My diary became my closest companion. For a while I tried to write eloquently, but eventually [...]
Dear Depression, I need you to know that you are not me. Your incessant insults may make me briefly believe that I am all of the terrible things you tell me, but I now know that I am none of them. I am worthy of love. I am strong. I am handsome. I am enough. [...]
Fucking Feelings. I've spent most of my life suppressing my emotions. I don't know when it started or why, but it became as much a part of who I am as my shiny bald head, hairy back and biting sarcasm. For as long as I can remember, I've kept the world at bay. I built [...]
More than anything, I want to help other people around me. Ever since I was young, I’ve always helped others before helping myself. I was under the impression from a young age that if you gave yourself self-love or self-care that you were selfish. This is unfortunately the conditioning that we receive at a very [...]
A Mental Health Autobiography I'm never certain how much of my own experiences are unique to me, and how much of my experiences are universal, shared by everyone: a part of the human condition. Sometimes I think that our feelings are all more or less the same. Sometimes I think it's just me. Sometimes I [...]
As advocates for mental health and help seeking, we often discover that a great chasm separating us from help is gouged open by fear and shame. Treatments have become more effective, and more people in our community voice their support, yet it seems that too many people who need help slip through the cracks and [...]
MORE THAN THE MADNESS My name is John Kaniecki and I suffer from bipolar disorder. Please allow me to present my credentials. I have been hospitalized nine times three of them being committed. I have spent over a year locked away. I even spent a night in jail. When I first started taking the medicine [...]
