I developed harming obsessions when I was 10 years old. The year was 1984 and virtually nothing was publicly known or discussed about the phenomena that today we know to be obsessive compulsive disorder. I was a grubby farm kid walking barefoot through pastures dotted with piles of cow manure and playing with the new batches [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
I may be in the minority here, but I think living with mental illness is a blessing in disguise. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder (II) in 2008 (I have been diagnosed with bipolar I as well, so who really knows!). Prior to the diagnosis, I battled depression and severe anxiety for years. Since my [...]
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 [...]
Last Saturday I attended a birthday party for a friend of mine. At first, I was excited at the idea of a night out without the kids. But, as it got closer to go I started to panic. My thoughts ran wild- a new place, people I don't know, the inevitable dancing that resembles that [...]
The minute she was born I knew she was special. She had a full shock of dark hair and a wise air about her as if she'd done this many times before. I instantly fell in love with her. I wanted her so badly that I stopped the anti-depressants I was on after the birth [...]
