My Amazing friend Ryan Omega put together a book called "Letters To My High School Self". He requested that I contribute to it, and my initial reaction was that since I really didn't attend High School (I had dropped out, had a child, was married, and working two or three jobs at a time during [...]
My name is Becca and I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder four years ago. This is after being misdiagnosed and wrongly treated for 13 years. I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have seven children, one dog and two cats. Even when I was younger, everyone knew there was something a bit [...]
I was about nine I think when it first happened. I was at summer camp in Pennsylvania. I couldn't breathe. I could feel the air slipping away and I couldn't get it back into my lungs. I swore in that moment that my heart was going to stop beating. It was over. I would die [...]
“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 [...]