by Kate in Pennsylvania

As a child I had severe mood swings, making my childhood an unhappy one. But my father didn't believe in psychology so I never received help. My first encounter with mental health care was during the failure of my first marriage. I was hospitalized for deep depression. There was no follow up and no medications prescribed after leaving the hospital. As a single mother with an undiagnosed mental illness, I was not functioning well. I moved to live near my sister and started working part-time. Her support was the only thing that made this possible.

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by Amber in Oklahoma

There is not a time that I can remember that I was not depressed. As a small child, I can remember crying and crying, but not knowing why I felt the way I did. Other children did not seem to have the same feelings that I did. I became known as "sensitive." By the time I was 17, I was not only sensitive, I was suicidal. I had decided on a plan and was scared. I told my mom that I was planning on killing myself if things in my life didn't change. She immediately sought mental health care for me from our primary care doctor.

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by Anne in Tennessee

I was brought up in a broken home and ended up in an orphanage. I started having blackouts in junior high. There was little or no care for me, so I quit school and got a job in a small dress shop. I ended up having a teenage pregnancy. I did the best I could to raise my daughter, but around 1972, I started having psychotic breaks. I ended up in the state hospital several times. I was put on medication, and was able to get on disability.

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