http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm This is the Real Lives Blog from Mental Health America en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:54:41 -0500 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:58:00 -0500 BlogCFC http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss webmaster@mentalhealthameica.net webmaster@mentalhealthameica.net webmaster@mentalhealthameica.net http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm no http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/9/4/Emplyers-should-be-more-educated-about-mental-health-conditions by Feeling Worthless in Alabama My life started getting affected by panic disorder and fear when I was in the fourth grade. Bullies from school have ruined my life, both at school and at home,I have severe depression, panic disorder, fear, phobias, behavorial issues and cannot cope hardly at all. All my relationships had failed and all my jobs never worked out well because of my problems. [More] Social Anxiety Panic Disorder Unemployment Anxiety Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:58:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/9/4/Emplyers-should-be-more-educated-about-mental-health-conditions http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/9/4/A-father-struggles-with-hard-times-and-unemployment by Tony in California My name is Anthony, and I was injured while serving in the Gulf of Oman. I served with VFA-97, on board the USS Kitty Hawk CV-63. The reason for this message is very complex, but I will try to summarize. You see, I was discharged from the Navy back in 1995 with a very small severance pay of $5000. Before deployment I met a young lady close to my base. We fell madly in love and couldn't get enough of each other. That was back in 1993. We got married and started our family. [More] Hospitalization Substance Abuse Uninsured Depression PTSD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Panic Disorder Unemployment Suicidal Ideation Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:29:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/9/4/A-father-struggles-with-hard-times-and-unemployment http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Recovery-is-a-life-long-process by Andrew in Michigan I have been affected by mental illness as far back as I can remember. As a child I was so anxious about starting kindergarten, I stayed in pre-school one more year before I started real school. For the rest of my time in school I remember feeling more anxious about new things and situations than my friends, and every so often I'd get depressed and not want to interact with others. [More] Recovery Depression Panic Disorder Anxiety Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:24:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Recovery-is-a-life-long-process http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Never-give-up-on-yourself-or-a-loved-one-with-a-mental-illness by Gail in Florida Thinking in retrospect, I can recall being a shy, nervous little girl. At an early age, I began pulling my own eyelashes out to relieve the pain. Shortly after my 13th birthday, my father took his own life. I was told to "pull myself up by my bootstraps" and to get over it. I received absolutely NO counseling or help. We were poor and in debt. I don't blame my mother. She was suffering in her own hell from his action. The rest of my teenage years were spent running wild. I would drink, smoke cigarettes, and party. I think it was a way to ease the heartache. Even my own grandmother asked me, "What can I do to make you happy? Nothing makes you happy anymore." I suppose she saw what I couldn't. [More] Recovery Social Anxiety Panic Disorder Depression Anxiety Family History Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:01:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Never-give-up-on-yourself-or-a-loved-one-with-a-mental-illness http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Support-needed--do-not-want-to-feel-vulnerable-and-helpless-anymore by Kimberly in Florida I was 8 years old when I had my first panic attack. I was so scared and thought that I was going to die. My mom reassured me that everyone had them. None of my friends were having panic attics nor were they being mentally and physically abused by their dads. As I got older, I became more overwhelmed. I think the only reason I kept it together was because I was so afraid of my dad. [More] Abuse ADHD PTSD Depression Panic Disorder Uninsured Family History Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:32:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Support-needed--do-not-want-to-feel-vulnerable-and-helpless-anymore http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/When-someone-talks-they-are-giving-a-window-to-their-heart-and-their-mind by Karen in Missouri This month marks the one year anniversary of my nervous breakdown. While the journey is certainly not over, I thought this would be a good time to send a message about it. There are several reasons for the message - one is to make one more attempt to convince the jerks that don't believe in mental diseases that IT IS REAL. Another is for awareness. Perhaps I will find the words to describe things that other sufferers like me have been trying to find all along. Perhaps, even if just for a moment, I will help someone else feel like they are not alone. At any rate, a year ago at this time I had hit rock bottom. [More] Recovery Social Anxiety Post partum depression Panic Disorder Depression Anxiety Suicidal Ideation Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:48:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/When-someone-talks-they-are-giving-a-window-to-their-heart-and-their-mind http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/People-wiht-mental-illnes-CAN-recover-I-am-living-proof by Edna in Tennessee My name is Edna. I am a 47-year old single mother. My two children are grown, but have lived a life of confusion with my illnesses. I was a happy child, with a good life. However, in my teen years I started having bouts of sadness, depression, anxiety, and loneliness...even though I had a large family and many friends. [More] Abuse Social Anxiety Panic Disorder Divorce Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Unemployment Anxiety Depression Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:34:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/People-wiht-mental-illnes-CAN-recover-I-am-living-proof http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/All-I-want-to-do-is-be-alone-and-I-sleep-every-change-I-get by Anna in Minnesota Hi my name is Anna. I have struggled with clinical depression for about a good 20 years now. It seems to be getting worse. I don't like being around people at all. I am so edgy just thinking about it, but when I am at work I just fall into the pattern of work and I am fine. [More] Depression Panic Disorder Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:50:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/All-I-want-to-do-is-be-alone-and-I-sleep-every-change-I-get http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/Broken-Inside-Breaking-Free-of-Panic-Disorder-with-Agoraphobia by Michelle in Delaware I suffer from Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia. I've dealt with anxiety all my life. I am 37 years old now with two children and two years ago I was diagnosed. During the time of my disorder, I was working full-time in a school. I suffered a panic attack at work and had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. Not one person told me I was having a panic attack. I literally thought I was going to die. [More] Agoraphobia Panic Disorder Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:40:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/Broken-Inside-Breaking-Free-of-Panic-Disorder-with-Agoraphobia http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/If-something-is-weighing-you-down-build-a-bridge-to-help-you-get-over-it 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. [More] Anxiety Depression Eating Disorder ADHD Abuse Bipolar Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Panic Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Family History Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:03:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/If-something-is-weighing-you-down-build-a-bridge-to-help-you-get-over-it http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/Looking-for-others-who-understand-me-and-my-illness by Brandi in Ohio I can't remember a time when I wasn't depressed. As a child I always felt like I wasn't normal and that something was wrong with me but didn't know what. My parents didn't believe in mental illness or psychiatrists/therapy, so the feelings I was having just kept getting worse. When I was 16 I tried to commit suicide. [More] Panic Disorder Divorce Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Bipolar Disorder Anxiety Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:11:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/Looking-for-others-who-understand-me-and-my-illness http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/There-is-helpout-there-dont-ever-give-up by Sonya in Texas As an adult, I know now what was wrong with me as a teenager, which is wonderful in a way because I thought I was loosing my mind. Was I a weirdo and no one else was like me in the world? No, I found out that I have severe panic and anxiety attacks, along with depression. [More] Panic Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Bipolar Disorder Anxiety Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:01:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/There-is-helpout-there-dont-ever-give-up http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Psychotherapy-and-medications-help-teenager-manager-her-depression by Patricia in California My name is Patricia and I am 16-years-old. On November 28, 2007, when I was at my greatest downfall due to depression, I was admitted into a mental hospital for suicidal behavior. I had been diagnosed with depression and started treatment two months earlier. My depression symptoms started two years earlier. I noticed something was wrong with me. On the outside, I was a regular, popular teenager with a lot of ambitions but inside, I was hurting. [More] Depression Panic Disorder Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:57:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Psychotherapy-and-medications-help-teenager-manager-her-depression http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Help-stop-the-stigma by Linda in Pennsylvania Due to my mental disorders (plural) I've been unemployed since 2001, except for a brief period last year when I attempted but was unable to work full-time. Right now I'm looking for volunteer work so that I can build up my stamina for working so that eventually I will be employable again. [More] PTSD Panic Disorder Anxiety Bipolar Disorder Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:54:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Help-stop-the-stigma http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Fighting-for-the-right-to-work by JoAnne in Illinois I have suffered from mental illness all my life. Up until recently, I was a highly successful professional. I have both a mental illness and a physical illness. I have been to federal court fighting for my ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) rights only to have the judge beat down my case. [More] Trauma Social Anxiety Depression Bipolar Disorder PTSD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Panic Disorder Seasonal Affective Disorder Anxiety Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:46:00 -0500 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Fighting-for-the-right-to-work