For a long time I felt guilty. I felt guilty for having ADHD and needing medication to feel somewhat close to “normal”. I went through elementary school and high-school being labeled “lazy” and being accused of “not applying myself”. I even had a teacher sign my yearbook- where he said I was “a nice girl, [...]
My mother. My beautiful, sweet mother took her last breath on July 31, 2013. My mother, who had loved me more than anything in this world, absolutely unconditionally. She managed to love me when I wasn't always loveable-thru my surly and difficult teenage years. Thru my highs and lows. She was there for me throughout [...]
My name is Richard and my encounter with mental health is twofold. Firstly, I was the carer for my wife for over twelve years. She has bipolar disorder that only became apparent when we were on honeymoon. At first, it started as obsessive and strange behaviour and odd conversations that seemed destined to go to [...]
I grew up in a broken home with an abusive, drug addicted father, and a mother who only held on because she knew nothing else. When she finally found the courage to leave, we were gone for good. I never saw my father past age 6 until I was an adult. Soon after leaving I [...]
When I was 12, I thought a monster lived inside of me. That was the only logical explanation my child's brain could come up with to make sense of the crushing, debilitating pain that ripped through my chest on a constant basis. The pain never ended. It completely consumed me. My every waking moment was [...]
February 14, 2013 I finally got home after a 15 hour day managing several restaurants. It was around 10pm. I fed my cats, ate something and got showered. I watched the news for a few and then got into bed and turned out the light. I guess it was 10 minutes and I had this [...]
Perfect We were the family with the white picket fence around our house and the smell of baking permanently wafting from the kitchen. In our drive way were three newish cars always polished even though there only two of us to drive them. Our house had more bedrooms than we needed, our wardrobes more clothes [...]
I remember growing up feeling like I wasn't like most people. I used to cry about it, over every little thing. I have always felt it was a huge release for me when I was unable to say my thoughts or express my wishes... a stall tactic if you will. Fortunately, I grew up with understanding [...]
Imagine my surprise when one nice afternoon after I had gotten home from my job as a teacher, a job I might add that I have held for over 30 years,, I heard a knock on my door and looked out to see a policeman on my porch. Of course all kinds of thoughts flooded [...]
My Journey Though I struggled with depression for much of my adolescence, my mental illness journey began not with me, but with my sister. She was battling bipolar disorder when the only things that I was concerned about were Pop Warner football and video games. In the span of two years during high school, she [...]
