depression
It is not just a matter of feeling sad; discover an honest view of the mental, emotional and physical toll of clinical depression.
Speaking My Truth: Living with Mental Illness
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and I am here to share my story of my personal experiences with mental illness. Before I tell my story, I want to share some statistics with everyone. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), mental illness affects tens of millions of people every year and half of them with mental illnesses receive treatment. So here's my personal story of mental illness. It is August 1993: I was five years old and started my first day of Pre-K. Being the new kid was difficult and troublesome. Interacting with the rest of the students was not easy. Growing up in Texas was great, but unfortunately, my parents were not the loving people that I expected them to be. Almost on a daily basis, I was ridiculed by them for numerous things, such as my thin appearance and not being able to communicate with people. My self-esteem went down and I became isolated, withdrawn, and unconnected. Within a week, my teacher noticed that something was not right about me. I was seen by counselors and my parents told me that I was diagnosed with autism. I didn't know what it was at the time, but one of the symptoms of the developmental disorder is having difficulties interacting with others. As a result of my diagnosis, I was put in special education classes from Pre-K through my junior year of high school. During that time, I was constantly bullied and my peers called me the worst names you can think of. It's hard to be upbeat when you're feeling worthless and defeated.
By Mark Wesley Pritchard 8 years ago in Psyche
What Is Loneliness
What is loneliness? What it is officially is alone; solitary; without company; companionless. But for me, it’s more than that. To me, it’s more than being without a person, because you can feel so alone with the weight of the world on your shoulders with a room of people. Even with people you love or trust you can feel so lonely, like you're longing for some unknown thing.
By Jennifer Martinez8 years ago in Psyche
What Depression Is Really Like
Depression; a horrible, horrible mental illness. Many people see it as sadness or negative feelings; no, it is way more than that. Depression is like a war going on inside your head. You never know how to feel. There's days where you are happy, then there's days where you never even want to get out of bed because you are so drained with the constant war going on in your head.
By Savanna Moore8 years ago in Psyche
The Pain of Depression
It hurts. It physically hurts in ways you can’t even think about if you don’t know it. My arms hurt. The bones in them, like they’re filled with lava, and they’re cracking. I’m amazed you can’t see it, burning through my skin, marking, scarring me from all the pain I can’t say out loud because if I did it would just be one long scream, no breathing, no pausing, no words, just sound, one long, agonised yell. Even if there were words to say it, I couldn’t articulate my brain long enough to do it.
By Lizy Carey8 years ago in Psyche
My Last Words to Society
Dear society, I am a fifteen year old high school student, and I’m sorry, but I cannot live like this anymore. The expectations you place on us, the pressure you put us under, the lessons you teach us, the terror you put us through. It is unbearable. Almost everyone I know in school is depressed because of modern society. I don’t get the point of living in this damned world if all it brings me is suffering. The number of teenagers that I personally know that have self harmed, considered suicide, or even attempted it is way too high. I am doing this because I can’t handle it anymore, but also to spread a message. Things need to change. Now.
By A high school student In modern society8 years ago in Psyche
How My Illness Changed My Life
I haven't been able to work for a while due to my diagnosis six months ago. This is something I am not at all accustomed to, and it has been very hard for me to adjust to an unproductive lifestyle. Once I was an independent woman, up before the sun, picture perfect, and ready to take on the twenty-first century—though for now, this has been stripped away from me and I am currently playing housewife. The days can feel endless sitting alone in this new environment, and sometimes even longer when friends or family grace me with their company. But that's the nature of the illness.
By Sophia Merici8 years ago in Psyche
Why Depression Will Make You Question Everything
If you've ever been depressed, you know how hard it can be to continue on with your life. Depression affects your motivation, energy levels, and your whole persona in general. One of the worst parts of depression is how unsure you feel. For me, depression was knowing I was sad, but not knowing why. All of a sudden, I had all of these worries about the world around me that appeared to come out of nowhere. What am I doing with my life? Does anyone even like me? What am I contributing to the world?
By Amanda Doyle8 years ago in Psyche
Reasons Why
Suicide awareness: What are your reasons why? If you’re reading this article, you’ve likely thought about it, attempted it, or know someone who has. It is estimated that one person dies every 40 seconds from suicide globally. That is over 800,000 deaths per year. There is no way to factor in how many people have considered the act.
By What's Up Warrior8 years ago in Psyche
