Growing up in a small town that sits in a small county (7000 souls total…or I assume souls-some of the people are iffy) I kept quiet for a long time about my struggle with depression. I didn’t want to be judged or stigmatized because I have something no one can see. Now, at 37, I [...]
Living with Mental Illness is like Playing Tennis with a Flat Ball By: Theresa Larsen, author of “Cutting the Soul” Imagine going onto a tennis court on a sunny day to play a game of tennis. You grab your racquet, stretch your arms, and pick up a ball. As you throw the ball in the [...]
Yesterday was a particularly intense day for Stigma Fighters and mental activists throughout the world. #Cut4Zayn trended on Twitter after Zayn Malik left the band One Direction. Teens posts graphic images of self harm in response to Malik's absence from the band. The images were explicit and painful. Stigma Fighters responded to the global event [...]
My dad was slowly changing before my eyes. He turned inward, he became quieter, more detached. he stopped asking me questions and stopped listening when I told him about my day. Instead of playing with me on the weekends he would take naps. He stopped smiling and the light went out of his eyes. I [...]
“The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” ― Peggy O'Mara We all have those nagging voices in the back of our heads. "The sink splashed me at work and I look like I peed myself! Now I'll never get a promotion." "Get in shape! Preferably one that isn't round and covered [...]
We all know how people talk when there’s news of a suicide; “He was so successful and funny. He must not have known how many people loved him.” Sometimes you’ll hear the less sympathetic words like “cowardly” or oversimplified sayings like the popular “suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” Here’s the thing- [...]
There is nothing more difficult than living with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder Type II, and then adding to that the “loss” of your child. Yes, I adopted my daughter out. I wrote about the adoption before, and you can read that essay here (http://stigmafigters.com/stigma-fighters-bittersweet-love). I have been hesitant to reveal who I am for [...]
My Name is Jasmin Pierre. I am from New Orleans, Louisiana and I am 26 years old. When my parents divorced, I was five. I was raised in Louisville, Kentucky for 12 years by my mother. It wasn't until about the age of 17 I started feeling different. Some days I just didn't feel like myself [...]
At nine-years-old, I began throwing up involuntarily and missed over a month of school. Physicians threw test after test at me to make sure I was medically okay, while a psychologist tossed peculiar questions in my direction and had me play with babyish toys. Such rigorous investigations led experts to conclude that while something was [...]
So they say life’s a ride – a roller-coaster even. And the people saying that are – quote unquote – normal. If my colleagues, friends and family think this is something akin to the Big Dipper, where does that leave me? Three years ago I fell dangerously ill. A life threatening health issue brought me [...]
