I’m a mental health advocate but I struggle to talk to my family about mental health. I’m a mental health advocate, I literally live to be honest and candid about my own mental health. My raw approach to talking about mental health not only helps me understand myself but it has also helped others and [...]
What are Kate Spade's and Anthony Bourdain's Tragic Suicides Trying to Teach Us? In the wake of Kate Spade and now Anthony Bourdain’s tragic suicides, many of us are contemplating why depression and suicide are so prevalent in our society. Healthcare, though expensive, is readily available and is better than any other time in our [...]
“Imagine if something in your brain was telling you to act a certain way, a way that you knew in hindsight was dangerous but you still didn’t know know what to do. Imagine being at your lowest, being seduced by this voice that sucks you in, makes you feel valued, takes all that pain away… [...]
Fall in love with your future self By Tristan Miller A problem often faced by those who have mental health issues is that investing in your future. For those who have ADHD, PTSD, and depression, this is particularly difficult. When one has these issues, it is difficult to imagine a future, let alone a pleasant [...]
Reflections on Depression Writing, like everything else in this complex web of life, must find a state of balance. While I do believe that it is important for me to document my experiences with depression, I also know the wonders that come from writing in the present tense and with the purpose of practicing gratitude. [...]
The hardest thing to do after being inpatient is to return to the real world. Everything is so different whether you are in there for months, weeks or just a few days. My first in-patient stay, in 2006 after the birth of my daughter, lasted 12 days within two bleak corridors designated for the mentally [...]
I’ve always been the quiet kid. I was always described as “shy” or “bashful.” I rarely volunteered to read to the class or present my project. I had to be strong-armed into doing a lot of social events. School. Church. Work. If there was going to be people there, then I was terrified to go. [...]
My name is Heather, and I am on a journey to improve my mental health by exploring my past to try to understand how past events and traumas have ultimately affected my life. I am a registered nurse on a postpartum unit, taking care of new mothers and their babies, and I also work closely [...]
I Wasn't a Bitch; I Was Schizophrenic -Michelle Hammer I didn't want to speak. I didn't want to be noticed. I didn't want to be bothered. I wanted to be completely ignored. It was high school, and I was an undiagnosed paranoid Schizophrenic. I remember thinking, “What's the point?” What was the point of doing [...]
dear bipolar, you’d think after 18 years together we’d know each other pretty well. but yet there are still parts of you that are unknown to me. you are like my innermost organs, always there but i didn’t learn about you till later on. this body isn’t mine anymore bipolar, it’s ours. i can’t see [...]
