“Mental Illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all’ Hi I’m Audrey and this is my story. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder, Panic disorder, major depression and somatization almost one year ago in the hospital, but because of the stigma that people with mental illness face, I thought I was crazy. Since then I have received much support from family, friends, professionals and even strangers who have each changed my life in small and big ways. I now know I am not crazy: I am one of every four Americans that face mental health challenges. I no longer fake my smile, and I can tell you that I like myself more like this with my real smile, even if it doesn’t always shine through. Anxiety and depression told me I couldn’t so I did. They told me not to get out of bed: not to risk it. So I defied them. I jumped to soaring heights above anything I believed. I now feel joy to be me even on hard days. I wish you a wonderful day filled with hope, and the knowledge that you are not alone.  Love,  Audrey(:

The pain that’s associated with the diagnosis of a loved one with Mental illness, such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Suicide, Self Harm, Substance Abuse is and can be very stressful and depleting on the loved ones caring for the individuals with the diagnosis. I have learned from my experiences with my daughter that it takes a lot of Love, Patience and Compassion in order to be their support system which is not at all an easy task, for the simple fact that they perceive you to be against them in spite of you trying your hardest to help and support them. by the way i’ve experienced all these diagnosis with my daughter who was 17 when I began to see these behaviors began to unfold. She’s now 21 and have had many hospitalization and so many issues with staying out of trouble with the law as a result of making poor choices. The treatment options that was offered for her didn’t work because she wouldn’t participate unless she was in the hospital, so after she was released from the hospital the cycle would just repeat itself. There  were times when I didn’t know where to turn for help, I felt desperate so I would search for answers and resources on websites that’s designed for mental health just to find none or ending back to starting point. 

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I have been affected by mental illness since the age of 15. You see, that is when I was first diagnosed with Severe Clinical Depression. I am now going on 43. Through the years I have been diagnosed with anxiety, PTSD, and Bipolar Disorder. It has been a long road. It hasn’t been easy. There are days that I want to give up. But my message for you is this:

YOU CAN DO IT!

YOU can live a life with a mental illness. YOU CAN have a family. YOU CAN have friends. YOU CAN have children if you choose. YOU CAN have a successful career. YOU CAN have a successful LIFE!

It won’t come easy. Even people who don’t have a mental illness have it rough at times. But it is possible. It might take a little more work, but if you are determined, you can make things happen!

Bipolar disorder has made my life interesting for sure. And I am not ashamed that I am still trying to find my way in the world. But I am doing it. I am living life, one day at a time. I am dealing with my moods and managing my illness with medication. Not many people understand, but if you talk about it [your illness], and explain it in a way people will understand, we can break the stigma that surrounds Mental Illness.  

Since I can remember, I’ve had mental illness all around me. My mother deals with Anxiety and sometimes Depression, though she doesn’t want to admit it. My sister has gone through horrible situations leading to issues I can’t imagine. Then there’s me. I’ve had Anxiety and Depression almost all my life. I never knew what it was and I didn’t know how to deal with it until the 9th grade. Since then I’ve been on a rollercoaster of Downs…sometimes Ups too. It wasn’t until my Sophomore year that things got really bad. I suffer from sexual violence, my first experience being with a girl. That raised my anxiety to heights I didn’t know I could reach. For a long time I didn’t like myself because of it. When things finally started feeling a little better, I was sexually assaulted once again my Senior year of high school, by a boy this time. I spiraled deeply and I didn’t think there was a way out. I am learning everyday how to cope with it still, some days I can tell you are better than others. Surrounding myself with people who are here for me has been the first step in helping myself grow. Now that I am graduated, I’m looking for ways to use my voice and reach out to those who are suffering, just like me. We can do this and I am proud of where we are headed. 

Navigating a world that often feels cold, insensitive, and unaccepting of mental illness is lifelong work, a healing journey with ups and downs that has no end. As a highly sensitive person who has lived with anxiety/depression/OCD/ADHD since childhood, struggled with self-harm, substance abuse, and eating disorders, and is a rape and domestic abuse survivor, I have sought out many forms of therapy over my lifetime, both traditional and alternative.

One concept that I became familiar with in Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is having a toolbox. Every individual’s toolbox looks different and will evolve over time. It is essentially a list of our skills and techniques for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. I would like to share some of my go-to tools for self-soothing and traversing times of heightened anxiety/the unknown: 

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My name is Abbey and mental illness is something that I’ve struggled with for years. I’ve been diagnosed with several mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and Bipolar II. I’ve found peace and comfort from sharing my story through writing blogs and poetry, and sharing my story on social media sites. My goal in life is to inspore someone, anyone, and let them know that they are not alone in their struggles and that I want to support anyone in need of support and to be a mentor and someone others can look to for guidance. Even though I  still struggle greatly, I find hope and comfort from sharing my story. I hope that I can be a light in someone else’s life and be there for someone in the same way others have been for me. Support from friends and family that I can relate to truly has saved my life and made me feel safe when talking about my struggles, and I would love to pass down my personal struggles to help guide others through their struggles as well.

I have struggled a majority of my life with mental illness. I have been diagnosed with the following: depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, severe generalized anxiety disorder, postpartum depression, and bipolar disorder. I stand my ground with my battles as they are constantly attacking me, but I am still here. If you or someone needs help, please do not be afraid! I have fought hard to find the right doctors and the right cocktail, do not ever give up! We are all In this battle together, nobody is alone. With love from a battler of this mental madness.  

Hello! My name is Mary, and my journey with mental illness began in 2010 during my second pregnancy. I struggled with perinatal depression, and then postpartum depression after my daughter was born. In the six years since, I have also developed generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depersonalization disorder, health anxiety, and am sure clinical depression is rearing its ugly head somewhere in there. It has definitely been difficult, but life still remains beautiful. I may have more bad days than good at this point in my recovery (and I do say recovery, because I fully intend to do just that), but those few good days shine so bright that when the bad days come they are a little brighter each time. I know that my body is trying to heal; I can feel it. My mind and body are quite extraordinary, and at the end of the day I know they are on my side. In a world so full of anger and hate and ugliness, I believe we make it through due to the light inside of us. Whenever that light is dimmed, we have to work just a little harder, but we must never forget that the light exists in all of us. God put it there when we entered this world, and the world can never take it away. So I would like to say to each and every person who is suffering right now, or who has a loved one who suffers, or anyone for that matter who is dealing with a hardship or illness in their life….WE are STRONGER than ANY obstacle we may face, and as long as we keep the good fight going, we will always prevail. Prayers and hugs to each and every soul reading this. You are going to make it.

There is hope. I never thought in a million years that I would feel normal again and not depressed. I just knew depression would be the death of me. I saw no hope. Today I’m happy, not depressed feel normal again. Not crying, not staying in bed all day I feel like a new person. I just want to encourage people with a mental illness that it does get better. Keep fighting!!!!!