depression
It is not just a matter of feeling sad; discover an honest view of the mental, emotional and physical toll of clinical depression.
Living with Depression and PTSD
I have thought long and hard regarding writing about my experience with mental health issues. Often, my self-deprecating depression will stay my hand at pressing "publish," or my PTSD will conjure up some crippling flashback to the past. But today, it felt right to talk about it; it felt right to share this with the world. Depression and PTSD take many different forms for many different people, so I don't by any means claim to be an expert. The goal is to show anyone in a dark place, anyone struggling to cope, that they are not alone.
By Catriona Boardman8 years ago in Psyche
Making the Climb
All my life I have struggled with this sensation in my chest, well sort of in my chest. It was really centered right above my stomach and right below my sternum. For my whole life I walked around with this little black ball inside of me, I could feel it there, right underneath the surface of my skin. It always made me feel out of place somehow.
By Brittany Dolliver8 years ago in Psyche
The Total 100% Truth of When (and why) I Tried to Kill Myself
Picture it. Summer, 2014. It was the summer before my senior year in college. I got a job at my university living in a dorm helping out with summer camps. I lived totally on my own for the first time ever, my own private room and free time out the wazoo. And this was the year that the app Tinder was used by everyone. Obviously that included me.
By Sawyer Garrett8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
#DEPRESSION Depression is not the same as sadness, it isn't self-pity or self loathing, it's something far more internal and is usually triggered by emotions that have nothing to do with money, cars, or beautiful partners. In fact many rich, successful people with wondrously beautiful spouses suffer depression and some have even commit suicide because of it, and the worst thing is the outer world saw these people as having perfect lives simply because they owned a lot of material items and had a plush bank account so nobody even cared to notice what was going on internally. This is the problem that we have regarding depression, people think it is about outer self, that it is about not having material items or comparing to others, those are all outer things and you may want and you may very well need these items in your life but they are not enough to trigger depression if you don't have them, because there is no emotion attached to fast cars, money and luxury goods.
By Cordayne Wander8 years ago in Psyche
Coming Out As Mentally Ill; My Story
So, I have had a few 'coming out' moments in my life. Coming out as liberal in a conservative household, a tea drinker amongst coffee lovers, and of course the classic, coming out as gay. All of these things came so naturally to me, I was proud of them, and they helped shape my identity. Don't get me wrong, they were still terrifying moments, but ultimately these comings out, whether they be trivial or life changing, made me feel complete, more fully formed. Coming out as mentally ill was an entirely different kettle of fish.
By EP Jenkins8 years ago in Psyche
What Others Can’t See
Depression. A 10 letter word that over 350 million people are going through as I am typing this. There is a whole variety of different types of depression. But the one type that the majority of the people ignore is major depression. It’s the type where you stay in bed all day, staring at the ceiling. It’s quiet in the room, you can practically hear yourself breathing, but your mind is running wild, with uncalled for thoughts that you let take over. My own depression has me debate if I even wanna get up to use the restroom, because that will require me to get up, that will require me to open my door, and see the little bit of sunlight escaping the curtains in the living room and hitting the hallway that leads to my room. That will require me to drag my feet on the cold floor, and see myself in the mirror. See how messy my hair is because I don’t ever brush it unless I go to work. Otherwise it’s usually in knots after knots in a big bun. Being able to see the dark circles under my eyes from only a couple hours of sleep the night before. See how pale my skin is because I'd rather choose the comfort of my room.
By Catalina Verdugo8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
Depression is one of the most common issues for teens in America. About 30% of teens in America are actually depressed. As a parent with a teen that is depressed you might ask yourself how you can help, and you can help by paying attention to your child's feelings, stay calm when your child becomes anxious about a situation or an event (with this one if you don’t stay calm for your child, and your child can see you aren’t staying calm they might act out even more), recognize and praise small accomplishments, and don’t punish mistakes or lack of purpose.
By Michaela La Brie8 years ago in Psyche
It Is Ok to Be Broken
The word "Broken" has many perspectives, mostly negative. Most of us fear the idea of being broken. I watched myself break into pieces, parts that seems difficult to piece together. I feared that putting my self back together might be impossible and I was never going to be the same again. This thought paralyzed me and crippled my self-esteem. The fear seeped into my being, causing me to feel sad, lonely, unmotivated and ugly. This was depression, the scientific name for my brokenness. How could this have happened to me? This question lingers in the back of the victims' minds. The sheer disappointment in one's self is the preparation for war against one's mind. I felt the war within myself brewing, the anxiety swirling like a tornado.
By Devika Gonsalves8 years ago in Psyche
Depression and Its Effect
The dictionary defines depression as "a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason." Yet, the truth behind depression is more than just a definition. It is like a cloud over your emotions. It isn't pinpointed to just one or two emotions. And, when you do feel something, it is almost amplified. It is like a burning sensation, crushing you from the inside out. There are days where everylittle thing can be blocked out by depression.
By Brianna Fischer8 years ago in Psyche
How Dark Can It Get?
How dark can it get? So dark that you don’t know if your eyes are open or not, but you feel your eyelids blinking right? It doesn't matter. You concentrate and open your eyes wide, "even if it's a small little light," even if it's dim. I don't care, just please. Nothing, tears have been slipping out but you’re too busy thinking to notice. You put your arms in front of you. Reaching for anything to give a sense of where you are. Even if it's the slightest touch, please, nothing but the cold empty air. You start to panic more because you can't see and now there's nothing to grab a hold of. Fear fills your body, can you hear anything? ...gulp. You sit down on the cold hard floor. Your heart beats louder as you listen, pounding like a drum ready to burst. You try to calm your banging heart, your ears adjust to the quiet, ready to hear the faintest sound. You hold your breath and hope with all you’ve got. Closing your eyes hard, wishing for this to end at any moment. Your past the crying and your body is adjusting to nothing. You want to keep on, begging to be saved from this, emptiness. Suddenly you remember that person who liked you last week, the person who wanted to ask you out but you gave no chance. They don't even seem so bad, you cry again. Anything would be better than being here, wherever this is. Your parents, oh Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for being who I've become. I'm so sorry, save me. Take me away from here, I can never get out, it’s so lonely. You hold yourself, you’re all you've got left. But then you start to hear something, it’s faint but it's something. You jolt into action. Where is it? What, is it? You search around with anticipating eyes, your heart is racing and your breath became short and fast. You turn around and see a small little light. It's tiny but you don't care, you start running, you’re racing to it. You feel the adrenaline rushing through your weak body, you trip, it doesn't matter because your already back up and running. The light gets bigger and tears stream down. "A door?" I don't care. Your blood is rushing through your veins, you've been running so hard. Just when you were ready to give up completely. As you are within range to see, there's people waiting for you. They’re shouting, cheering you on as you get closer. They’re yelling for you to make it and you run harder than you’ve ever did before. You bolt past the door and fall to your hands and knees, your feet hurt but that doesn't matter, your blood rushing and you’re out of breath, bones are aching but, I don't care. You feel joy as everyone surrounds you and you notice it's your family, friends and neighbors, everyone who you’ve ever encountered in your life. Your tears can't stop flowing but who gives a shit, you’re free. Your Bestfriend embraces you and you them. As they all walk you home you feel something around your ankle. Ignore it, you’re free now. You’re home safe, you eat and fill that empty stomach of yours. You wash up and get ready for bed, your Mom and Dad hug you goodnight and you tighten it. Their hugs have never felt so good. You’re safe, you’re home, Mom and Dad are there. You get ready for bed and turn out the lights then hesitate. You turn on your lamp, “no more darkness.” You lay down and turn to your side, as you are about to sleep you start thinking, "how long have I been gone?” stop, I'm home now. “How did I end up there?” no, stop it, you’re free. You turn on your back and once again feel a tug on your ankle. You finally decide to see what it is. It’s a thread tied around your ankle. You try to take it off, it's stuck, so you grab a pair of scissors but it's still no use. You get curious so you follow the thread. Taking along your flashlight, it leads to the forrest just up ahead. "What?" You continue to follow the thread that tugs you back to wherever it's going. You have walked quite a bit but finally reach, a door? The sign on the door read "depression." The thread leads through it, no, not there. Stop, I'm not going back. It tugs again and let's you know that at any moment you can be dragged back without a care. You pull the thread and stop it. No, I just got home, I'm not going back. You turn around and walk home, the thought never leaves your mind, "at any moment I will end up there again." You climb onto your bed and wrap yourself in the blanket, I'm staying home. You shut your eyes and fall asleep. Still, at any moment.
By Introv3rted B8 years ago in Psyche
