At age 5, I was raped by a neighbor of whom I have no recollection. My depression began at age 5 and continued. As a child I felt sad, the result of my father’s anger; he physically and emotionally abused me for many years. This violence followed me the rest of my life, in my […]
I have suffered from severe anxiety for as long as I can remember, with clinical depression diagnosed at twelve. My parents divorced when I was seven and, although my mother tried her hardest, we were poverty stricken. I worried all the time and was plagued with stomachaches, shyness, insomnia, anorexia, and terrible self-esteem. In junior […]
When I was younger and living with my parents, my mom always put me down and said a lot of things that hurt a lot. I thought your parents were there to protect you, not hurt you. In high school I was always in trouble. My school was almost like a jail, so I had […]
I moved up north with my mom two years ago for a fresh start, not knowing how difficult it would be. I had no friends up here, no way of meeting anyone without going to a bar. The first year wasn’t so bad. I had a lot to occupy my time with: projects around the […]
My illness began to take its effect on me about 8 or 9 years ago. I managed to get by until around 6 years ago, when I was 43. I had been working an impossible job as a restaurant manager for 23 years and at about the same time my husband asked for a divorce. […]
I got into a bad car wreck in 1987 around February 2nd or 3rd. It must have been around midnight and that’s why two different dates are in question. I ran into a boulder. I broke my right ankle and have a big scar on my belly from an operation as my kidney or liver […]
I knew something wasn’t right because all I did was cry day and night. I was engaged to be married, had a house, a job and reliable transportation. Money wasn’t an issue; I had enough to more than get by. So why then, was I crying continuously? I made an appointment at mental health to […]
I was raised with a very domineering mother. She taught me that looks were more important than brains. When I was 23, my illness began. I barricaded myself in my bedroom. I couldn’t stand the color green. My husband called a doctor. He knew there was something very wrong. the diagnosis was mental illness. For […]
When I was 30 years old, I had a severe nervous breakdown. Afterwards, during our medication reviews my doctors would say, “Quit thinking those crazy thoughts,” or “If you can cope with your emotions, you can control your emotions.” I stayed with that doctor for 27 years with no counseling, just medication reviews and reading […]
I was born with mental illness. At the age of nine and a half I had a seizure. My parents took me to the doctor. He told them I have epilepsy. When growing up and going to school I was picked on and called “stupid” and “retarded.” I used to go home to my room […]
When I was fifty years old, my job was a high pressured, stressful position, causing me to have “stress” related seizures, resulting in me losing my job and my home. I became very depressed and did not want to do anything, such as socializing with family or friends. I went into an “Internal Shell,” blocking […]
Living with bipolar disorder (also called Manic Depression) is difficult. Sit back while I tell you what a wild ride it is and tell you the symptoms in both children and adults. I have had the symptoms of bipolar disorder since I was a child, but was just diagnosed as an adult. The biggest problem […]