http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm This is the Real Lives Blog from Mental Health America en-us Wed, 22 May 2013 00:19:35 -0400 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:29:00 -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/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 -0400 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/With-therapy-I-have-learned-to-cope-better by Cathrine in Michigan My name is Cathrine. My birth was traumatic and a root cause of my mental and physical conditions. I suffer from BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), Depression, ADD, Anxiety and panic disorders. Some of my mental problems I have suffered from all my life and some have gotten worse and developed due to my hypothyroidism and my environment. [More] Depression Hospitalization Unemployment Uninsured Borderline Personality Disorder ADHD Anxiety Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:18:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/4/10/With-therapy-I-have-learned-to-cope-better 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/2009/1/10/God-spared-my-life-for-a-reason by Renee in Pennsylvania My search for the meaning of life began at the age of 14 when drugs and alcohol became a way of life for me to cope with the years of abuse and the nightmarish memories of my past. I became a high school drop-out and ran away from home, looking for love in all the wrong places. I had been consumed body, soul and spirit by overexposure to alcohol, drugs and sexual abuse by the time I was 17. [More] Hospitalization Substance Abuse Recovery Uninsured Depression Alcoholism Bipolar Disorder Self-Injury Homeless Unemployment Suicidal Ideation Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:17:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/God-spared-my-life-for-a-reason 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/Dedicated-to-making-the-world-a-better-place-for-people-with-mental-illnesses 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. [More] Hospitalization Substance Abuse Suicidal Ideation Eating Disorder Uninsured Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Homeless Unemployment Schizoaffective Disorder Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:53:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/1/10/Dedicated-to-making-the-world-a-better-place-for-people-with-mental-illnesses http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Mother-struggles-everyday-to-keep-up-with-medical-bills by Bi-polar Momma in Kentucky First of all, I have struggled with more than one mental illness. I am Bipolar 1, I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Substance Abuse, Post-Partum Depression, and Self Injury. I have been hospitalized recently for all of these things. I was diagnosed a few years ago for most of those mental illnesses and haven't been medicated up until now. [More] Self-Injury Unemployment Uninsured Bipolar Disorder Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:47:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Mother-struggles-everyday-to-keep-up-with-medical-bills http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Struggling-and-surviving by Leya in West Virginia Manic depression has ruined my life in so many ways. I have suffered a divorce, lost many jobs and had to change my life path because of this disorder. I planned as an adolescent to become an attorney. I was an honor student with real potential. Then manic depression set in. As a result, I became a failing student and was left to attend a business school rather than a four-year university. [More] Depression Uninsured Bipolar Disorder Suicidal Ideation Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:35:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Struggling-and-surviving http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Good-health-insurance-is-key by Kathy in North Carolina Several years ago, I experienced chronic depression in which I could no longer function at work and at home. The painful symptoms of depression were so extreme that I tried to take my own life. Months before this happened, I sought out professional help, but without insurance I ended up in a mental health system being treated with no understanding and no empathy from the counselor who assisted me. I walked out of the counselor's office even more depressed. [More] Recovery Depression Self-Injury Uninsured Family History Suicidal Ideation Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:18:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Good-health-insurance-is-key http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/4/Discrimination-hinders-employments-opportunities by Zach in Nebraska As far as how has mental illness affected my life, it has completely changed my life. Growing up I was almost never sick and never had to go to doctors. Now I go to my nurse practitioner once a month to monitor how I m doing with my mental illness. I don't have many friends and I haven't dated in almost a year, but the friends that I do have are amazing. I also get a lot of support from family members more so than I could have ever imagined. [More] Uninsured Anxiety Schizophrenia Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:56:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/4/Discrimination-hinders-employments-opportunities http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Overcoming-DepressionMedication-and-Counseling-Are-Key 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. [More] Recovery Depression Divorce Uninsured Suicidal Ideation Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:32:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Overcoming-DepressionMedication-and-Counseling-Are-Key http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/All-of-Our-Walks-in-Recovery-Look-and-Feel-Different 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. [More] Abuse Recovery Depression Anxiety Family History Uninsured Suicidal Ideation Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:28:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/All-of-Our-Walks-in-Recovery-Look-and-Feel-Different http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Struggling-to-Pay-for-Treatment 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. [More] Uninsured Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:25:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Struggling-to-Pay-for-Treatment http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Hope-for-the-Future-After-an-Abusive-Past by Mary 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. [More] Abuse PTSD Depression Hospitalization Uninsured Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:21:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Hope-for-the-Future-After-an-Abusive-Past