For awhile I have wanted to write this, but I was too afraid too. I decided to because people around are sharing their stories and I admire them for it because they bring awareness and say to others struggling that they aren’t alone. I hope that mine will do the same, this is my story with mental health.
I have changed both physically and mentally throughout the almost twenty years of my life. I learned to grow and sometimes even laugh at some of the mistakes I have made. I can laugh at a mistake, but also be caught up in it and overthink it. I was an odd kid in middle school, I’ll admit it. After I did something stupid for attention, when I was thirteen, I instantly regretted it. People would talk about me and what I did, but they didn’t know that I really regretted it. I couldn’t control what they were saying about me, but there was something that I could control. That is when my eating disorder and obsession with my weight developed.

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Panic attacks, anxiety, depression and self harm. I let those define me over a year ago. That was my reality, and it still is, but this time I am defining myself trough the experiences that I have acquired trough getting healthy. 

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I suffer from depression and anxiety.  I have been treated for it for about 20 year’s.  With trying MANY different medication’s over the year’s has been a VERY depressing in itself.  After being depressed for a full year (which was horrifying) my doctor who I had seen for about 17 year’s and had tried MANY different meds finally talked to me about trying a older antidepressant (MAIO).  There can be many side effect’s if you eat and drink certain thing’s.  After being on this med for about 2 week’s I began to feel better and I have continued to take this med now for about 2 year’s.  I have had episode’s with depression and anxiety within these two year’s due to dealing with my Dad who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had to watch him slip away right in front of my own eye’s until his death a couple of week’s ago.  Now I have to deal with my Mom who is 75 and in bad health.  I never thought these day’s would come where I lose my parent’s and it is VERY had for me to deal with it.  I continue to take my meds and I have reached out to NAMI to attend the group’s that they offer.  I just finished my first group session and will continue to attend future group’s to get the support I need to deal with my illness.  I have ask my husband to attend a family to family group. He ask me what it was for and I explained to him it is a group for the family of someone who has mental illness to learn more about the illness.  He said you don’t have a mental illness.  I said to him yes I do the depression and anxiety that I go through is a mental illness  He didn’t act like he was interested in it so I just gave him the paper with the information of a up coming group for families and said to him if you want to go here is the number to call.  With MUCH surprise the same day I gave him the flier on a group that is for family to family he said he called and he would go to at least one group.  I hope he attends some of the group’s so he can learn what I am going through and how to support me and how to deal with my mental illness.  If not that is his choice but I WILL continue to go to the different group’s that NAMI offer’s for support for myself.  Thank you for listening to my story.  I hope people out there with a mental illness search until they get the help they need.  NAMI is a GREAT support group.

I am a 20-something female with diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder, and newly diagnosed with depression. I’ve been in therapy on and off over the years since I was five years old, when my parents divorced. The anxiety intensified as I grew older, and was only diagnosed about 2 years ago. I was so lucky to have a supportive partner, and with his love and support, I was able to find a wonderful psychotherapist who has been able to help me grow more introspective and learn about who I truly am. 3 months ago, that beautiful relationship ended abruptly, as my partner told me he could not see a future with me, and he felt like he was “taking too much care of me”. It has absolutely devastated me, and along with other stressors in my life, I was pushed over the emotional edge, and experienced with the doctors are calling a hypo manic episode. For the first time in my life, I felt truly out of control and so terribly frightened; I wanted to crawl outside of  my skin. I couldn’t believe I had ended up here - sitting in my doctor’s office sobbing and shaking while he asked me questions about self harm and suicide. I am now being treated with a combination of anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medication to hopefully get to a point where I can climb out of this seemingly never ending hole of despair. Sometimes I think that death would be such a sweet relief. But I have to keep going - I want to feel like myself again. Whole again. And you can too. Mental illness is a scary beast, but we can all get better. 

I have a family member with Bipolar Disorder and myself have been dealing with depression and anxiety. As well, I have been getting support with a prayer group and friends at my church. Doing research and studies to have knowledge about it. God is our strength and can get us through this..

I’m a 19 year old college student who suffers from anxiety and depression. Reading that sentence probably didn’t stand out to anyone, but I’m here to speak about my unique journey with mental health. The first 14 or so years of my life were good. In fact, my childhood was great. I had your average family with a mom, dad, and a younger brother who would support me through everything and give me the resources to have a high quality of life. None of that changed as I transitioned into high school… but still, my brain suffered.

From a young age, I had very high expectations for myself. I constantly worried about not being good enough, even though I was a fantastic student. The pressure became almost unbearable as I began to take AP courses. Not only that, but I did many extracurricular activities that I barely gave myself time to breathe. I would spiral into anxiety attacks and sometimes panic attacks and not sleep for whole nights just for one assignment. I thought this was the life of a normal high school student until my parents showed concern for my mental and physical health.

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I come from a long line of abuse. Mental, emotional, and sexual. It has taken years of therapy to realize none of it is my fault. I live with bipolar, anxiety, PTSD, depression, OCD, and an eating disorder. I’m terrified for my life because of this, however; I have a wonderful support system that helps me get through the rough patches. It’s important to take baby steps and allow myself time to heal, confront, or survive this thing that is my life. Such a wondrous journey. Don’t give in to that which harms you. A bit hypocritical I know because of my eating disorder. But this is a fight worth fighting. The light at the end of the tunnel isn’t always a train.

As I am writing this, I go back to the high school years where life wasn’t always easy. It was hard in this small town of Warrensburg Missouri. Not knowing what the future would hold. As I began high school it was an OK experience. I mean I thought too. But then anxiety and depression, hallucinations began to conquer my life. I didn’t know what it was. I thought that I HAD a support system but by the time I had realized that it was hard to make friends and then be judged by having theses symptoms even by teachers and administrators in the high school, I felt very taunted. Finally I sought help and was first hospitalized at the age of 16 with Bipolar Depression. As a patient, and someone who is smart with science and biology I knew that wasn’t right. As I graduated high school in 2004 (not making if far in class rank) but DID graduate, I ventured off into working into the retail world. Was that a bad decision. By the time I had reached my early 20’s I was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder Bipolar Type Mixed. And that wasn’t the turning point. What was the turning point was when I was convicted of check forgery and credit card theft and was released after 3 and a half months in prison, got out served 2 and a half years in parole and was released on January 1st 2013 from Parole and it was then that taking responsibility for actions that I never saw before now mattered. As I look back and have been stable for nearly 5 years, my support team has been my life savor. As I continue to grow as a person, and all the battles I have fought I remain at the forefront of change. No one likes change but it sure looks pretty in the end :)

Anxiety and depression is real. I am one of them. Don’t be afraid to seek help. A lot of people go years without seeking professional help. I was one of them. At the age of 37 I was hospitalized for a week I was officially diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Losing my children in the midst isn’t making it easier. Please seek out a local psyc hospital or mental health professional. I hope me coming out publicly will encourage others to do the same.

My name is Casey Crowe, I’m a 19 year old female living in the great state of Minnesota. I have been suffering symptoms of depression/anxiety for 5 years. My depression started in middle school, which as many know, can be hell. I was going through puberty hard, acne, awkward developing body, greasy and socially awkward with everyone. I had few friends, and was picked on by classmates. Flash forward a year and I’m in my first year of high school.

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