Writing helps me process my emotions and feelings. I’ve had a lot of growth over the pastfew years, but there are times my secret dark cloud of sorrow comes crashing back into mylife. Speaking your truth also means acknowledging when you struggle and when you fall flaton your face, leaving you stumbling to stand up [...]
Hi, my name is Sarah Fader and I have mental illness. I have lived with panic disorder and depression for my entire adult life. I began having panic attacks as a teenager and they continued into adulthood. I am a mother of two beautiful children. I am a sister, a daughter, a friend and a [...]
So how does a 34-year-old male, who is shy, depressed, and suicidal, begin to address his pessimistic views on life? It has only been four months since I was discharged from a twelve-day voluntary stay in the Psychiatric Emergency Care Centre at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney. If I had not walked into the [...]
I don’t have a good track record for handling Hard Things well. When I was younger, scribbling angry rants in my journal was sufficient enough to handle stress. As I got older, my tendency was to escape rather than confront. Predictably, the older I got, the more serious life became, making it that much harder [...]
OCD By James Gummer Many people think that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is just that hand-washing thing, or a need to tidy up your bedroom. It can be. But most of the time, it's so much more. OCD is a tricky bastard. It's having a meltdown in front of my girlfriend who I haven't seen for [...]
I hope that by sharing my story of mental illness I can raise awareness and encourage others to share their stories. I have post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and mild social anxiety. I have always suffered from social anxiety. As a young child my social anxiety was so bad that I was afraid to ask [...]
There are some things we just have to experience to understand. I couldn’t stand listening to them whine. My classmates, my co-workers, my friends and my family coming to me and sucking my positive energy dry. Those with so called “depression” were always so negative and I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand. I am ashamed [...]
Hi! My name is Rich and I live a happy life. I live with schizophrenia and depression daily, but enjoy my life to the fullest extent I can. It's been a long road to get to this point, but I'd like to share my journey with you. Back in 2001, I was working in a [...]
I follow Stigma Fighters and admire the courage of those who have "come out" before me and shared their stories. This is the first time I've gone public with this and in all honesty I am feeling levels of increased anxiety and vulnerability with literally every letter I type. A firm believer in the idea [...]
I didn't want to have something "wrong" with me. Certainly not a mental disorder. March 1984, The night I opened the doors into a big hotel lounge in Dallas, filled with friends, mostly strangers. All just having a good time. My heart started racing. My hands were sweaty. The walls of the room seemed to [...]