Mental Health Aloud

Living with schizoaffective disorder and anxiety, Leif Gregersen was hospitalized numerous times. Now he is a compassionate and vocal advocate for those in need of a voice. The post Vivid Memories of My Recovery Journey with Anxiety and Schizoaffective Disorder (Part 1) appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Amy's journey with intergenerational trauma, suicidality and addiction. Amy eventually found support that helped her to heal, read more here! The post Victory Over Suicidal Tendencies: Fostering the Human Connection appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Lots of people are scared of death, but having thanatophobia—a clinical, often crippling fear of death—is quite different than what most people experience. Join Sibgha Akbar as she writes about recovering and accepting; all at the age of 17. The post How a 17-year-old Struggled with Thanatophobia and Learned to Accept and Recover appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Like so many people who try to take their own lives, Sandra Stevens came from trauma; wishing she had never been born. She took many steps to achieve the desire to stay in this world; this is her story. The post Following Childhood & Adult Suicide Attempts: A Vow to Get Better appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Sarah Myers understands her schizophrenia. That is, she challenges it with logic, and develops healthy coping mechanisms to respond to her symptoms. In Sarah's opinion, this is more than the medical industry can claim. The post How Modern Schizophrenia Treatment Steals Our Autonomy appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

For his whole life, Jacques Damhuis was confronted with, “What's wrong with you?” After decades of self-discovery, and some EMDR, he is learning that the answer is “nothing.” The post “What's Wrong with You?” — the Question Trauma Asks appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Eleni Stephanides was skeptical that going back on antidepressants would help, but she soon felt the clouds lift, and her vitality return. The post What Reason Do I Have to be Depressed? appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Ana's journey with Complex PTSD, and intergenerational trauma. Ana eventually cut ties with family to begin her healing journey. Read to learn more about how Ana learned to ask for help and recover from trauma. The post Was I the Black Sheep? Discovering, Understanding and Healing my Trauma and CPTSD appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

As Max Guttman puts it, there is little to do in psych hospitals except pace the hallway and swallow pills. The most worthwhile way to spend his time, then, was hearing his neighbors' stories. The post What I Learned Socializing With The “Insane” in Psychiatric Units appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Jason Schreurs would sit with his eyes bloodshot against the computer screen late into the night, forging connections on social media. Eventually, this obsession put him in the hospital. The post Social Media – Recovering from the Drug Addiction of the Nation appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

The mental health impact of sudden vision loss can be dramatic, as Christopher Dale explores in this essay. The post Looking Down – The Mental Health Impact of Vision Loss appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Megan Fisher wonders whether or not there is room in her life, and in people's minds, for the child she was, with OCD, and the adult she is, with OCD. The post Shiny Rocks; OCD is Always in My Pocket, Even all Grown Up appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Javier Ortega-Araiza was feeling suicidal, and it wasn't the first time that happened. His essay talks about his mental health recovery. The post Surviving Suicidality to Live in a Wonderful World appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

After ten years of fighting a wrenching addiction to heroin, Stacey Anne Quin is winning herself back from the brink of mental illness and addiction. The post Back on Track: Recovering from Mental Illness and Addiction appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Alan Caldwell has been collecting stories about his history of abuse and trauma and family for years, but only recently begun writing them down. The post Throw Pillows and Coffee Mugs: Accoutrements of Trauma, Abuse, and Recovery appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Amanda's journey with OCD, Anorexia, Complex PTSD, trauma and grooming. Amanda had to cut off her mother in order to heal. Read to learn more about how Amanda learned to ask for help and recover from trauma. The post Losing Her Saved Me: How I Healed From Trauma appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Lena Walton was always shushed by society—no talking about her undiagnosed bipolar disorder, nor about independence as a woman. Only now, following a breakdown, is Lena finally beginning to understand herself. The post Bipolar Disorder, Independence, and Living in the 21st Century as a 20th Century Woman appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Men in the Black community are viewed as weak if they seek mental health treatment, but Derrick McQueen, a Black man with bipolar schizophrenia, didn't let stigma stop him from getting help. The post For this African American Man; there is Light, Even with Bipolar Schizophrenia appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Sheila O'Shea triumphantly shouted, “I called it!” when she was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder II; a mental health diagnosis she always kind of knew she had. The post How I Learned I had Bipolar Disorder, or, “The Unpleasantness” appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Julia Tannenbaum's adolescence was taken from her by a series of teenage traumas and mental health challenges; but she is only looking forward as she thrives in her twenties. The post Overcoming My Teenage Traumas Allowed Me to Find Freedom in My Twenties appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Lindsey's journey through abuse and childhood trauma, gaslighting, and hospitalizations, where Lindsey learned to trust her intuition and find practices around caring for herself. Read more in this mental health essay! The post We'll Leave The Gaslight on For You appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Alexis Zinkerman writes about the intersectionality between bipolar disorder, spirituality, and creativity. The post From Manic Insights to a Holistic Truth; Moving Towards Healing with Bipolar Disorder appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Taking Xanax to help Maria Palmer cope with her sometimes debilitating anxiety had serious limitations and, eventually, Maria realized she needed more help. The post Anxiety's Magical Little Pill appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Carissa Chesanek's father experienced undiagnosed PTSD from his experience in Vietnam. His daughter never went to war, but was diagnosed with the same illness. The post PTSD: The Unlikely Disease that Brought my Father and I Together appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Leif's journey through hospitals, homelessness, and diagnosis. Leif learned to advocate for himself and now finds ways to do so for others. Read more in this two-part essay! The post Life Has Become Wonderful: My Life with Schizoaffective Disorder (PART 2 OF 2) appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Leif's journey through hospitals, homelessness, and diagnosis. Leif learned to advocate for himself and now finds ways to do so for others. Read more in this two-part essay! The post Life Has Become Wonderful: My Life with Schizoaffective Disorder (PART 1 OF 2) appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Bipolar mania told Erika Nichols-Frazer that sex was love, that Stephen Colbert and John Oliver would want to interview her, and that gibberish was genius; these are the lies mania told her. The post Lies Mania has Told Me appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Brian Marshall has seen the same therapist for decades, and his relationship with her has been a key element to his recovery from depression. The post Decades-long Relationship with Therapist Truly a Gift appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Anne Marie Malloy had trouble loving who she saw in the mirror after facing childhood trauma, so she's reclaimed control over self-identity with piercings, Doc Martens, and a rebellious attitude to match. The post All The Colors Of Me Only Some Will See: Relearning to Love Your Body After a Trauma appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

This mental health recovery story focuses on Andrea's journey after an incident of unwanted touch in a public place. Andrea felt anger, confused, uncertain how to go on. Through mental health care and re-prioritizing her needs, read how Andrea learned to heal from her trauma. The post Learning to Prioritize Mental Health and Self-Care through a Traumatic Experience appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Eleni Stephanides has learned how to run with depression, instead of running from it. The post Long-Distance Running and Long-Running Depression: An Enduring Partnership appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

As someone who lives with panic disorder, OCD and anxiety, Caitlin Irish is uniquely positioned to help people as a psychiatric nurse, and uniquely challenged. The post A New Psychiatric RN Faces Her Career, and her own Mental Health appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Losing people is always hard; for Amanda Wolf, the grief and loss following the deaths of a close friend and her grandfather threatened to overcome her. The post Walking through Life with Grief appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Faced with traumas before unimagined, Laura turned to the tool of magical thinking to create safety after ongoing experiences of trauma. The post Magical Thinking as Trauma Response: How I Created Safety through Imagination appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Faced with trauma and grief, writer Laura Farrell turned to poetry to process her experiences. The post Anxiety & Trauma Poems appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Jules Aukerman, a budding pharmacist, confronts her sexuality and her eating disorder in this genuine, compassionate essay. The post Done Running: a Budding Pharmacist Confronts Her Eating Disorder & Sexuality appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Christina faced issues with addiction and the law, due to underlying mental issues, eventually with the proper help and diagnosis she learned to tackle these issues. The post Misunderstood, Misdiagnosed, Misled: My Story of Illness and Addiction appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Megan Fisher tried in vain to conceal her OCD behaviors from those closest to her, and therapy wasn't the magic cure-all, until she found hope and help, compassion and change. The post Knock, Knock. Who's There? OCD. appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Khadija grew up with two hard-working, loving parents, it was later in life that she experienced the impact of her father's depression. The post Mind Games: Depression & Anxiety Gripped My Father; COVID Nearly Took Him Away appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Avis Yarbrough considers herself “shy” and “timid,” someone who stays at home. But when she first started hearing voices in her late twenties, she was catapulted on a trip she would have never taken otherwise. The post When Running From The Voices In Your Head Takes You Someplace New appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

A man wrestles with whether his depression and suicidality are diseases or conditions in this introspective and far-reaching essay. The post Depression and Mental Illness: Disease or Condition? appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Alicia McClendon has been parsing out the word “forgiveness” for some time now. Can you forgive your own mother for causing you childhood trauma? And what does it mean to forgive while still holding on to your truth? The post Forgiving the Hurt: What Does it Mean to Forgive Our Abusers? appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Gabrielle Guillon has come a long way from growing up with depression and abuse as her constant companions; poetry has helped her heal. The post Melancholy & Cinnamon; A Journey through Mental Hell, and How Poetry Saved my Life appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Onome felt a lack of support in her childhood, which quickly spiraled into depression, although it was hard to find treatment in Nigeria and Ghan, she eventually got the help she needed. The post How Living With Depression Influences My Personal Growth appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Cheyenne Ruiz spent much of her adolescence fighting panic attacks, working through depression, and pretending hallucinations weren't happening. One hallucination pushed her to take recovery into her own hands. The post Deciding to Get Better: The Choice to Fight Schizoaffective Disorder appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

When her uncle called trying to give a cryptic goodbye, Thaís Freita noticed suicide warning signs and saved a life. The post A Goodbye Call in a Summer Afternoon: Noticing Suicide Warning Signs May Be the Difference Between Life and Death appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Two people with borderline personality disorder begin a romantic relationship that quickly becomes toxic, out-of-control, desperate, and dangerous. The post Labeling Abuse in a Borderline Relationship appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Aneta Dabrowska felt the ups and downs of bipolar type II as a teenager, but no one around her knew how to react. When she entered adulthood, Aneta set on a journey to understand her illness on her own terms. The post Is This What Normal Feels Like? Finding the Right Treatment for Bipolar Disorder appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Being a Marine is supposed to put you through Hell and test your will, but not by subjecting you to rape by two different superior officers. Years later, Joyce Villeta is recovering and living through her trauma. The post Sincerely, Madness: A Marine Confronts Rape and Self-Harm to find Strength and Hope appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Kate's eating disorder started with a desire to control her body and quickly spiraled into something else, learning to reconnect to her body, Kate found her way to healing. The post Sanguine: Attempting to Control Everything through Disordered Eating appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.

Shannon McBride has felt the fog of depression and anxiety nearly her whole life, until an accidental run-in with a pamphlet at the post-office changed her life. The post Postnatal Depression, Regular Old Depression, and How Mindfulness Saved Me appeared first on OC87 Recovery Diaries.