http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm This is the Real Lives Blog from Mental Health America en-us Wed, 22 May 2013 23:56:10 -0400 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:39:00 -0400 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/Recovery-brings-confidence-joy-and-peace by Cheryl in Virginia As a Child, I was sexually abused and had an alcoholic parent. I was an anxious child and as I grew up I had many depressed and manic episodes throughout my life. [More] Abuse Recovery Hospitalization Bipolar Disorder Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:39:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/9/4/Recovery-brings-confidence-joy-and-peace http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/24/Take-your-mental-health-as-serious-as-your-physical-health by Yolanda in South Carolina "Mental illness" is not a welcoming word, and I never labeled myself as mentally ill. However, a lot of what I was dealing with did, in fact, affect my professional life, spiritual-self, and my relationship with my spouse. My schoolwork on the PhD level actually provided an open door for me to research, and get the therapy, counseling, EMDR therapy, and support group counseling services I needed. [More] Abuse Social Anxiety Depression Anxiety Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:27:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/24/Take-your-mental-health-as-serious-as-your-physical-health http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/24/Dont-do-it-alone--use-the-resources-you-have-around-you by Stephanie in Maine I suffer from a variety of things. The first is being brought up in a household totally unaware of 'Mental Illness' and being 'disciplined' as my father was disciplined. My grandmother on my dad's side was the first person I believed to have a problem. My father has always had a very 'hard' way of living and was always the very first to tell us, 'stop crying' if we were being punished. [More] Abuse PTSD Depression Hospitalization Family History Post partum depression Suicidal Ideation Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:18:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/24/Dont-do-it-alone--use-the-resources-you-have-around-you http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/24/Mothers-struggle-with-schizophrenia-weighs-heavily-on-daughter by Neecee in Alabama My mother was a very attractive woman at one time-- she almost resembled a model. Something was wrong with her thinking; it drove her and whoever came in contact with her away. I can remember when I was eleven years old and my mother accused me of going with her boyfriend and calling me names. When I was thirteen, my mother would tell us lies all the time. She would make up these bizarre stories about these children to keep us in line. It took me years to shake the majority of this thinking. [More] Abuse Trauma Anxiety Family History Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:03:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/24/Mothers-struggle-with-schizophrenia-weighs-heavily-on-daughter http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Recovery-Is-Possible by Serena in Pennsylvania I was 14. My home life was privileged but chaotic and negative. After a sexual assault I could tell no one about, I suffered over a year of severe depression. After I began to appear functional, I still struggled against the anxiety and depression. [More] Abuse Depression Trauma Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:56:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Recovery-Is-Possible http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Know-that-there-is-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel by Jeanne in North Carolina I lived, or should I say, existed with depression (dysthymia) for over 30 years. I know that my depression started as a child, though no one ever considered this possible back then. We moved a lot when I was a child, so starting new schools didn't help. My mother was very angry back then and often took it out on me. This, plus no friends led to a lonely childhood. [More] Abuse PTSD Depression Trauma Recovery Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:50:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Know-that-there-is-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Writing--the-best-therapy-and-its-free by Deborah in California From childhood, I vividly remember sitting on top of my shoes inside of the closet, as I hid away and cried. I would cry for hours, if no one caught me and yelled at me to stop. Sadness was my existence; I did not have the words to articulate my experience. Almost every day, I went through an inexplicable pain; not only did I suffer with depression, but also I was being sexually abused, and I did not have the words to voice my experience. Living in a small, rural town during the 70's meant that family secrets prevailed. A book about molestation did not exist in the town library. [More] Hospitalization Trauma Borderline Personality Disorder Recovery Abuse PTSD Self-Injury Depression Anxiety Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:45:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/Writing--the-best-therapy-and-its-free 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 -0400 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/2009/2/10/Carrying-a-Torch-of-Hope by Michelle in Virginia Mental illness has affected my life in that it has changed it forever. The things I aspired to do before I got ill have been hard to achieve. I always have a tougher obstacle to climb than others. Sometimes life seems so impossible and other times it seems too easy, until I crash. [More] Abuse PTSD Schizoaffective Disorder Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:09:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/2/10/Carrying-a-Torch-of-Hope 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 -0400 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/Its-a-battle-we-have-to-fight-EVERDAY by Jamie in Tennessee I'm not sure when it all started, but I think I've always dealt with depression. I just didn't always understand it. The first memory I have of it was when I was six and my grandfather died. I remember trying to hide my feelings because I thought I felt different than everyone else. I wouldn't even cry. Everyone thought I was too young for it to bother me, so I didn't let them know it did. I was always socially withdrawn because we moved around a lot, so I didn't have any friends except my sisters and brother. When I was seven, my oldest sister (who is 10 years older than me) started to molest me. [More] Hospitalization Substance Abuse Anxiety Family History Uninsured Abuse Alcoholism Depression Self-Injury Unemployment Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:08:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/Its-a-battle-we-have-to-fight-EVERDAY http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/I-fear-that-I-will-be-scorned-laughed-at-or-not-taken-seriously by Amy in Kentucky I was diagnosed with severe depression at the age of 17. I can remember the day I was admitted into the hospital as if it were yesterday. It was 1992 and in hindsight it had been a downward spiral for me for a very long time! My mother at the time was married to my stepfather who had emotionally, and at times, physically abused me. My mother was mostly absent at home as she was pursuing her master's degree at night and worked full time during the day. [More] Abuse Depression Anxiety Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:01:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/I-fear-that-I-will-be-scorned-laughed-at-or-not-taken-seriously http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/Years-of-depression-and-struggle-continue-for-mother by Florence in Arizona I was shy all through school until high school when I started drinking and partying with friends. That was the only way I would come out of my shell. I ran away from home at 16 because my dad was very strict and would not let me go anywhere, which left me home to take care of my other three siblings a lot. I ended up pregnant at 17 and all alone because the baby's father went to prison. [More] Abuse Depression Unemployment Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:11:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/Years-of-depression-and-struggle-continue-for-mother 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 -0400 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/2009/1/9/Changes-made-in-life-for-sons-sake by Kathleen in Florida I was molested sexually by my father, who murdered my mother when I was four and my brother was five. Yes, we witnessed it, but I just remembered all the details in the past two years. The molestation continued all my life. I was forced to choose between my father or a physically abusive boy friend at the age of 13. [More] Abuse PTSD Depression Family History Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:53:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/9/Changes-made-in-life-for-sons-sake