My journey with mental health has not been an easy one. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2011. I was constantly having panic attacks at bight time which prevented me from sleeping. I finally decided that it was time to get the help I very much so needed. I did, and every since then I can better manage my mental health with the tools that my therapist has given me. There is light and hope even after the darkest of storms. Keep fighting ❤️

So I live with my own mental health issues.

But I have an issue when a group of people bully and harass an individual who struggles more. Lydia is 30 years old and suffers from Complex PTSD. Is Autistic, Bipolar with Anxiety and has Triggers and Panic Attacks. The bullies targeted her for nothing but cause drama. They never met her nor she them. They drove her to a suicide attempt but I am glad I could do an intervention on that attempt. No one was arrested because only Lydia saw them and in pictures or video of the incident. So she is getting stabilized and I hope that these bullies are brought to justice and thrown out of this RV park so Lydia can feel secure and gain some independence. 

  Someone tell me where I can begin. Please!

I am writing this letter to you as a spouse and sibling of mental illness.My brother was never fully diagnosed with depression or bipolar, he suffered several years. As a result of not getting proper treatment, his medication was changed very frequently and he  committed suicide. He left behind three children under the age of 13. It’s been really hard to understand the what and the why, he chose to take his life.

I took the next NAMI Family-to-Family program at our local VA hospital, in 2010 it was the first time I had been educated on any form of mental illness. After taking the class I wanted to let everyone that I know about all the information I learned. I took the teacher program and became an advocate for NAMI and I can honestly say that it helped me to heal from my brothers death. I still would like to know why but that’s something I will never know. 

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My name is Heather, and I’m a teenager from Virginia. Ever since I was a child, anxiety and depression has been a part of my life. I started going to therapists and taking medication at a young age. Thoughts like “What is wrong with me?” and “Why am I not normal?” flooded my brain. It took me a long time to realize that my mental illness wasn’t my fault. I think a lot of people struggle with that.

In 2013, I had an awful bout of depression and struggled with self-injury. I was suicidal. I can’t pinpoint a certain cause, but there were many stressors in my life. I started to spend less time with others and I isolated myself in my room.

Everything changed when I called the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. I called them because I knew that I was dangerous to myself. They helped me calm down and eventually my parents brought me to an inpatient center. I was upset at first, but it was truly what I needed. My medication was changed and I received therapy. It helped me tremendously, and I think being in the inpatient center has taught me how to deal with my mental illness day by day.

A couple years after I became a You Matter blogger for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. I realized that I could share my story. Others who hear it won’t feel so alone. Now I hope to get involved with mental health organizations.

Those who have experienced mental illness firsthand or have family members or friends with mental illness can be voices for those who are struggling. Yes, I still struggle with anxiety and depression. But being a voice for others going through what I’m going through tells me that I matter. You can make a difference.

You are not alone.

I have lived with a mental disorder for years.  I use alcohol as a means of coping and getting rid of the bad thoughts I get in my head.  I am also on medication for my condition of anxiety just so I can work and support myself.  I usually get panic attacks frequently in between being off alcohol. I have gone some time without drinking beer but then I will do it again and I have gotten a recent DWI on Feb 6, 2015 and I had my first one about 25 years ago.  I have to use a court appointed lawyer because I am working in a job that does not operate when the ground is wet from long rain periods and right now my part of Texas is storming every day.  I want help and I want to recover but no one thinks I need help.  I know what I need and I am not sure if it is bi polar or just anxiety and alcoholism.  My Grandparents and Parents on both sides had a time of drinking to excess .  It is what they did growing up to cope with their problems.  I want more than that and I want what I can have to get well.  If I need therapy I need to know where I can go in my county which is Tarrant County to get it.  I am serious about getting help.    Thank You for letting me share my Story.  

Sincerely, Randy(age 48)

Hi my friends, my name is Rachelle and I am bipolar along with a few other illnesses such as: ADD, anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD. I have a controversial subject I would like to share with all of you who have questions about being mentally ill and upholding your 2nd Amendment Rights. I am sick and tired of all the negative stigmatisms that revolve around mental illness and gun control. I have been bipolar my entire life and have been medicated since the very young age of 12. Those of you who go way back as I do (I am 44) remember the type of drugs they had to offer and the awful side effects. The compulsive shaking of the hands, locking jaws, to name a couple. I made it through that horrible period in my life not knowing what lied ahead for my future.

When I went to High School the stigmas attached to mental illness were the same that are attached to “One flew over the cuckoo's nest.” We were frowned upon, people had very little patience with our diseases because of a giant disconnect called ignorance. When people found out you were different and were a “manic depressive” the fabulous name for bipolar back then; the reactions were often unsettling to say the least. You were judged harshly and shamefully. You were thought to be an unequal. Well at least that's what I experienced.

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As many do, I fought the idea of mental illness and medication. At 50, I finally accepted my diagnoses and began the journey towards stability. Learning all I could about my multiple diagnosises and what I could do to help myself I faithfully began treatment, never missing an appointment nor a dose of prescribed medication. 

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Hi I’m Traci.I’m a 39 year old women with mental illnesses. I have been struggling since age 11 and 12.  I thought I was weird, or “crazy”. Each Dr giving me a new diagnosis. 

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I come from a family of people who have struggled with mental illness. I remember my diagnosis of depression like it was yesterday. Next came my son s diagnosis of OCD . Then my daughter battled self injury, depression and panic attacks combined with social anxiety. And my mom has had some form of mental illness all her life, which to this day (she’s now in her 80s) has gone untreated.

As far as my kids and myself, we are and always have been very open about our illnesses. Having come from a family that stigmatized mental illness to the point that people suffered needlessly, I am determined to fight that stigma by sharing my stories with others. 

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It was never about how dirty the house was or how many newspapers you had saved overtime or the amount of magnets you had on both fridges. It was the draining effect of what your mental illness would bring. What mom was I going to see today? Will she be nice and funny? Will she be mean and hurtful? Will she be sad and kept to herself? Everyday was different. Each had a little twist to them. From bipolar to manic to depression the things that are forbidden to be talked about. Yet they take so much away from people. I never hated you I just hated your illness. I hated that you became mean in a blink of an eye or you get sad within seconds and I did love when you were funny because we could crack jokes but all it took was for one little thing and you’d switch. I never wanted this for you. All I wanted was my mom. Your illness took over and it was so hard to love you. When you knew how to take the wound you opened and twist and dig it deeper. I know one day ill look back and be thankful for all the lessons learned and maybe help others one day, but for now I just want to help you.