http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm This is the Real Lives Blog from Mental Health America en-us Sun, 19 May 2013 02:12:41 -0400 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:54:00 -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/Learning-to-trust-others-and-forgive-himself by Forgotten Dad in Washington First and foremost, I am a survivor. How has this disease affected my life? I have had difficult times with relationships. I keep everyone at a distance. Even those who I know I can trust. Trust is a big issue. I can count the number of people I trust on one hand. And even with those people there are doubts of trust. [More] Self-Injury Depression Hospitalization Anxiety Suicidal Ideation Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:54:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2009/9/4/Learning-to-trust-others-and-forgive-himself 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/2009/1/10/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/2008/12/15/Mental-illness-is-not-a-personal-illness-it-affects-everyone-close-to-that-person by Louise in Nevada I was in high school when I first remember thinking that killing myself would solve my problems. Back then, I had never heard of depression or even knew mental illness was anything other than what was shown in the movies. [More] PTSD Depression Hospitalization Divorce Anxiety Self-Injury Suicidal Ideation Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:24:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/Mental-illness-is-not-a-personal-illness-it-affects-everyone-close-to-that-person http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/My-illness-has-disrupted-my-life-and-the-lives-of-those-around-me by Jacki in New Jersey I have had mental illness starting at age 14. My illness has disrupted my life and the lives of those around me. At any given time, I have been very disruptive to myself. At the young at of 15, I was not the child you wanted to be sitting in your child's math class. [More] Self-Injury Borderline Personality Disorder Bipolar Disorder Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:15:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/My-illness-has-disrupted-my-life-and-the-lives-of-those-around-me http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/A-lot-of-people-crying-out-for-help-stop-and-really-listen-to-them by Skittlz in Maryland I was 16 years old was when my depression really started to kick in. My grandfather had passed away four days after Christmas in 2004, and it really hit me hard. I locked myself in my room and did not want to come out. I was terrified that all of my friends in school were after me because it seemed like they just did nothing but talk about me behind my back. Two weeks after my grandfather's death, I slit my wrists trying to kill myself. I didn't tell anybody because I figured everyone would be happier without me being around. I tried slitting my throat so I would die faster, I tried popping a whole bunch of pills to die faster, but nothing seemed to work. [More] Self-Injury Hospitalization Bipolar Disorder Suicidal Ideation Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:51:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/15/A-lot-of-people-crying-out-for-help-stop-and-really-listen-to-them 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/2008/12/14/I-fight--I-fight-everyday 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. [More] PTSD Depression Self-Injury Borderline Personality Disorder Eating Disorder Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:30:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/I-fight--I-fight-everyday http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Outreaching-to-other-mental-health-consumers-a-cry-for-quality-care by Laura in Florida My Name is Laura, and I have had this awful disorder since I was a young child. At the time, my family had no idea what was wrong with me, I was just different. I did not have many friends and wanted to be by myself all the time. As I got older, I was in and out of facilities in Central Florida. They treated me like a dog, and that is the complete truth. I did not realize how they hurt you instead of helping you. I lost almost 20 years of my life and did not really realizing what was going on around me. [More] Schizophrenia PTSD Hospitalization Self-Injury Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Bipolar Disorder Anxiety Sun, 14 Dec 2008 23:24:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/14/Outreaching-to-other-mental-health-consumers-a-cry-for-quality-care http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Believing-in-myself 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. [More] PTSD Depression Trauma Eating Disorder Self-Injury Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:49:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/Believing-in-myself 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/2008/12/9/One-Day-at-a-Time by Shannon in New York I have been struggling with mental illness since I was a child. At the age of seven, my mother and father separated. I started pulling chunks of hair out of my head. I would wake up with a pillow filled with hair or the way I saw it, shame. Shame has been my biggest M/O for relapse or suicidal thoughts. My mother and father took me to a dermatologist where they diagnosed me with alopecia arietta. I lied and said the hair fell out. I held on to that secret until years later. [More] Abuse Alcoholism Self-Injury Borderline Personality Disorder Substance Abuse Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:10:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/9/One-Day-at-a-Time http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/5/Mother-struggles-and-worries-for-her-childrens-health by Elizabeth in Florida My mental illness has affected me in so many ways. My relationship is what is hurting the most. I have a fiancé and two kids - a 2 two-year old and an infant of 4 months. I love my fiancé so much, but I'm afraid that if I don't do something about this that he will give up on me and leave. [More] PTSD Bipolar Disorder Anxiety Family History Self-Injury Suicidal Ideation Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:10:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/5/Mother-struggles-and-worries-for-her-childrens-health http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/4/Passion-to-educate-others-in-mental-health-quality-of-care by Melody in Illinois My journey with mental illness was a result of severe stress related to work. I dealt with severe depression, including isolation, crying, self-mutilation, hyper-insomnia and much more. For the first six months of my illness, I was in and out of the hospital over 20 times. I have attempted suicide numerous times, but failed. I had been on every medication prescribed for bipolar disorder. [More] Self-Injury Depression Hospitalization Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:06:00 -0400 http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/reallives/index.cfm/2008/12/4/Passion-to-educate-others-in-mental-health-quality-of-care