Hi my name is Robbi I’m a 43year-old mother of 3 at 32 I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mental illness runs in my family.   My mother and grandfather were not diagnosed So unfortunately due to lack of awareness of the disease resources and lack of proper medications at 8 I lost my mother and witnessed  her suicide . At 10 I  witnessed  the  death of my grandfather to suicide also I’m a twin. Despite my extreme trauma and my losses I continue to fight for those like me who need support resources hope love kindness caring respect…most of all stop the stigma. I do not drink nor do drugs. I have no criminal  record. I have an Associate degree as an Licenced Optician. I want to do what ever I can to help who ever I can. God has seen me thru and I feel like this organization will help me achieve those goals as well as I feel thats my purpose. It brings me great joy to give others hope. I want to become a motivational speaker like Les Brown.  With Gods help I will❤

The idea of having a Bipolar Disorder stung me for a long time. When I’m feeling down, sometimes I feel the pressures of the stigma revolving around my mental illness. I always felt like there was a “normal” Valerie or a status quo that I had to

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Hello,   My name is Minyon Bond. This composition is about my life as a mental patient and as a subscriber to NAMI.  NAMI has asked for stories from persons involved with mental illness. I have been a NAMI member and subscriber for many years. The comprehensive overview which NAMI provides has been of frequent value. It is my hope that this story may help others like me.    I am one of those people. I am a Consumer.  I am BIPOLAR. I am a 73 year old woman with BIPOLAR 1 DISORDER. I have been under psychiatric care for 42 years.  I have taken many psychiatric medications. I’ve had three psychiatrists, my current one for over 35 years. Along the way I worked in field research with plants, in basic research in spinal cord injury regeneration and for 33 years as a professor of Biology/Botany in a local Community College.  I have been retired for six years.

I spent my best 35 years with Denise, my dearest friend and deepest love. There were good times and bad times but she was there for ALL times. In 2014 she died of Swine flu. Last year my friend David  introduced me to Tim. Tim produces music. Because of his patient coaching, Tim now also produces my music. Most of my time is spent writing, composing, playing, singing and recording our songs.  Life is good again. Different but good.

How did I get here?  In January, 1975, I entered a mental hospital. This was labelled as a failed suicide attempt. Why failed? My friend David hauled me out of my swimming pool. My original diagnosis: SCHIZOPHRENIA. I was treated with several medications from the Thorazine family.  These ultimately resulted in profound depression.  None of the several varieties of antidepressants helped.

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            My name is Jennifer and I am a recovered mental illness survivor—

            I have endured severe mental illness for over half my life.  During that time, I suffered from clinical depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

            Due to the depression, my behaviors ranged from excessive crying to excessive sleeping to suicide attempts.  I felt feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness.  All I thought I wanted to do was die.   But in fact, what I really wanted was help with overcoming my severe sadness.

            During my manic states, I endured impulsive, spontaneous, and irresponsible behaviors.  I felt on top of world.  I felt excessive amounts of energy.  I had racing thoughts.  I had delusions of grandeur.  I’ll be honest.  It felt great to be so high, but it is also very dangerous.  Risky behaviors can lead to much endangerment of self and others.

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Hello my name is Silvia Bures Brownlow. I am from Barcelona, Spain. As you can hear I have a big accent so please stop me if you don’t understand and I will be happy to repeat it.

I am taking a class to be Family and Peer Support Specialist from NAMI California. NAMI stands for National Alliance in Mental illness.

I am here today because I want to help you. Also, I can give you some information and services that you or your family can use.

I have a life experience living with a mental heath diagnoses.

I was diagnosed 10 years ago. I felt confused, scared and lonely.

 I used to be so ashamed of being mentally ill that I try to hard to hide it until I realize that I am who I am with my ups and downs, happy or sad.

Also, I can relate with you and your experience of being hospitalized because I was too.  I thought that I will never be able to come back to be a productive person to society and work again.

Being in a mental Hospital change me.

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Enough is enough!  The challenge of living with a mental illness has struck me and many members of my family, female and male, and today, I am taking a stand. I will be their voice…for anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and more. I will not walk in shame and defeat for my head is lifted to the sky. I will not let society put us in a category, define us, or mark us as “crazy” or “half cracked”. We have to address mental illness in our global society and aim to defeat it like any other illness of the body. It has no perspective race, gender, or culture and it comes to steal the joy of living on this beautiful earth.

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My Story (super short version!):

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in my early teens. Spent the rest of my life up until four years ago being ashamed of who I was.

But I am not my illness, my illness is not me. I don’t need nor do I want sympathy. What I need and want is help to stop the stigma of mental illness.

I’m also selfless to a fault, which is very debilitating (to say the least!).. but it is also, ironically enough, part of why I’m still alive and in the place I am today.

With that being said, I don’t ask for help a lot. I’m getting better at that though & making sure I’m asking when I truly need it - like today. I’m asking for your help.

Please help me stop the stigma once and for all. 🙏🏻❤️

 #KNOWBETTER #DOBETTER #BEBETTER #MENTALWELLNESS

My mother is a victim of her father. She protects him to this day. Her family and ours has been through a lot of pain associated with his actions and her subseguent diagnosis of bipolar disorder with psychosis. I don’t know if the 2 things are related but suspect it.

Speaking out recently has been very helpful to me. Joining a NAMI educational workshop for family members of those with mental illness has been helpful in understanding the illness and that I am not alone. Isolation and shame for being the daughter of the town “crazy lady” and fear I would be like my Mom have taken a toll on me. It has been therapeutic to talk about my story…

My mother had a complete break with reality when I was 12 years old. In and out of hospitals, my police officer father, in the early 80’s,  was unaware of how to help my mother. During a psychotic episode in the early hours of a March morning she turned the gas on our stove and blew out the pilot light. What she was thinking we will never know.  In her mania, she could not sleep and decided instead to unlock my father’s gun cabinet and take out his loaded service revolver. He, while he and the rest of us slept, was her only target that morning. Our lives have been forever changed. 

My mother was imprisoned for 8 years, a light sentence, due to her state of mind. We 3 children found our own level of forgiveness and proceeded to “manage” and continued to be raised by our paternal grandmother.

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I discovered NAMI in 2015 when I saw a flier in my psychiatrist’s office.
Hi. My name is Nicholas Lima and I am 31 years old. I was diagnosed in 2002 at 16 years old. I have struggled with bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression. After years of being a psych patient, I feel amazing, thank God.
Together we can!

I am 32, a United States Marine Corps veteran, an auditor and I am living with bipolar disorder II, which causes symptoms of anxiety and depression episodes.

I never truly understood what it meant to have a mental illness until I realized that I was constantly worrying and feeling down. My depression episodes manifested as days of extreme lows where I struggled to get out of bed and perform day-to-day tasks and activities. I spoke to some friends who were dealing with similar symptoms, and they encouraged me to seek professional help. My bipolar diagnosis was identified when I was in a serious car accident while experiencing a manic episode.

Discovering a mental illness while recovering from a major accident was not easy. Here is what helped me accept my diagnosis and recover from my physical and mental injuries:

• My family and friends stepped up tremendously ready to assist and encourage me. I was an emotional and mental mess, and they helped put me back together.
• I had to position myself to receive advice from my family and friends who are familiar with mental illness and are actively managing their own mental illnesses. I also had to remain open to receiving information regarding coping strategies, being mindful of my mood and warning signs of a potential manic episode or manic depression.
• Setting small goals helped me find my way back to myself. I am not the same person I was before the accident, and trying to get back to that person is not realistic. I had to accept the now me in order to move forward.   

Today, I am different because I am living with my diagnosis and my diagnosis is not controlling me. I see my therapist and psychologist on a regular basis. I am mindful of my mood on a daily basis and aware of the warning signs of manic and depressive episodes. I ultimately have taken charge of my life and my health.

There is a need for mental illness to be recognized as a real and serious condition in community specifically the African American community. People need to be educated on the various mental illness diagnoses and symptoms and see a therapist at least 2-4 times a year to maintain their mental health. Education and therapy ensure they are not putting themselves or others in danger. Many people are unaware of their mental illness and choose to suffer in silence. We need to end this process of thinking and encourage people to seek support.

Mental illness screenings should be done 2-4 times a year for preventative reasons, just like an annual physical examinations and biannual dental cleanings. Mental illness screenings should be no different.

My hope is that people who live with mental illness and the people who love them will eventually see all health as equally important.