by Lauren in Colorado

July 7, 2007 was the best and the worst day of my entire life. After spending a week and a half in a medically-induced coma, I awoke to learn that I had walked away from everything and everyone I had ever loved or cared for. With absolutely no memory of the nearly fatal suicide attempt that took me through complete kidney and liver failure, I came to learn that the lies of my eating disorder had convinced me I was not worth the air I needed to breathe.

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by Karen in Wisconsin

I am 30 years old, married, with one son. We are a happy family, but I still struggle from time to time with mental illness. It's something that runs in my family - my grandmother was one of the most severe cases, and had multiple suicide attempts; my grandfather committed suicide when he was 82.

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by Morgan in Illinois

As far back as I can remember, mental illness has affected my life. My diagnosis, like many, is one of many disorders. I can remember the fights my parents had because my father, who suffered from bi-polar disorder, refused to seek help but self-medicated with drugs, alcohol, and countless women. My mother overcompensated by keeping an immaculate home and starving herself to meet the unattainable expectations of my father...always with a smile on her face. Even at 4-years old, I felt like there was something I should be doing differently, that it was my job to fix everything, and mostly, that it was all my fault in the first place.

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by Jennifer in Florida

At the age of 12, I began to have trouble with depression. This became a chronic problem for me, which eventually resulted in a suicide attempt at age 15. At the same time, I was developing anorexia nervosa, which I struggled with for many years. I was hospitalized for my eating disorder at age 17. I had also developed an addiction to self-injury as a teenager, something that I was able to completely stop doing when I was in my twenties.

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by Rayelle in Minnesota

My mental illness has affected my life since I was around five years old. I grew up in a very violent and abusive home in Minnesota, as have a lot of my mentally ill friends. I have five siblings who grew up there with me and we all suffered the wrath of alcoholic parents who used us as punching bags. I was beaten regularly and even have memories of a sibling that was murdered in our kitchen, but no one ever talks about it or acknowledges it even happened. That caused a lot of anger and rage towards most of my direct family members, and I have cut most of them completely out of my life. That, I believe, was the healthiest thing I have ever done.

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by Joshua in Arkansas

Yesterday I was discharged from a health care center, where 4 ½ days earlier I was voluntarily admitted because of an emotional and overall mental break down – one of many I have experienced over the course of the past year. My discharge diagnosis was bipolar, manic depressive, attention deficit disordered and bulimia. I continue to battle these things everyday of my life.

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by Stacy in New York

I am 22 years old. I have been fighting this battle successfully since I was 14. I have attempted to quit many times. I believe God has been trying to tell me something by keeping me here. I fight against the depression every day and win. Thank God for big miracles. It isn't easy. I try to eat 3 to 4 balanced meals a day. I try to sleep regularly. It is hard. Just when life is tough enough, something else comes along to test my abilities to stay sane.

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by Kristen in Maryland

My story of mental illness began when I was 18 years-old. I am now 32 years-old. Due to my bulimia and depression, I was unable to teach to the best of my abilities after only three strong years of teaching. I have been to several therapists, have taken many medications, and have been in programs to help me achieve wellness.

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by Mary Theresa in Pennsylvania

For much of my life I did not realize I had worth as a person. It prevented me from using and improving my talents. I was always living in fear even in the most common situations. In my relationships, I was undemanding. I felt I didn't have any rights. I did not know I had the right to have wants. I did not have the ability to resolve any differences or conflict. Instead, I would be resentful and not recognize that I was pushing down anger.

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by Bonnie in Pennsylvania

I have lived a life that I would not want anyone to live. At the age of 13, I went on my first diet even though I was not overweight. This was when my life began spiraling out of control. It took about four years to get a diagnosis and that diagnosis was anorexia nervosa. I went from 110 pounds to 90 pounds to 69 pounds over an eight-year period.

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