“I am what I am and that’s all that I am.” –Popeye It’s not politically correct, but I have two terms I use when talking about mental illness: depressives and norms. Yes, I’m sure some find this offensive, but I assure you, that’s not my intent. It developed from trying to help my husband understand [...]
On the surface, 2014 was an amazing year. Here are some of the highlights: I realized my dream of becoming a published author I secured a second book deal with one of the most-respected publishers in the world (MacMillan) I became a contributing writer for HuffPost Parents, AskMen, Parents Magazine, TODAY Parents, HLN, and The [...]
I'll Never Tell *Trigger Warning* this post contains mature situations that may trigger some people/survivors of assault or abuse. I don’t make a regular habit of addressing issues, but lately the news and social media keep hammering me with things that hit me hard emotionally, and I really have something to say. I’ve never written [...]
A quick glance at my Facebook page will tell you I’m a writer and a suburban mom. You’ll see that I love music, books, movies, and certain TV shows. And my friend list is fairly typical; it includes family members, people I’ve known since kindergarten, people from high school and college, and a bunch of [...]
I don't know where my story will end as I start writing, and I'm worried it'll be too long, but the first time I can remember threatening suicide, I was ten or eleven years old. I don't remember why, but I was on the second floor landing of our house, screaming to my mum that [...]
Cynthia's Story Where does it really begin? That’s the million-dollar question. I’m pretty sure the doctors and therapists consider the beginning as the date of diagnosis – which was September 2005. But then some doctors reflect back to my teen years (when I had a rather manic episode) as the origin of the illness. But [...]
Hussein’s Story Hussein was born November 5, 1996. His parents were happy to have him. They had tried for years to get pregnant and his older brother was born just over 12 months prior to Hussein. His parents separated when he was three and he lived with his biological mother and grandmother until he was six. [...]
The Pendulum Even now I can hear the grandfather clock’s pendulum swinging. It is more difficult for me to pull up the other sounds that once made up a more detailed and rich soundtrack but this loss is what my therapist would call a gain. For a significant part of my life I would have [...]
Misunderstood Ever since I can remember I have always felt very different to the environment & surroundings that I was brought up in. I was always feeling like I didn’t ‘fit in’ or that people, family members & my peers accepted me. I had multiple bouts of depression, but the first experience I was still [...]