Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
5 Practices That Can Improve Your Mental Health
After being diagnosed with a major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern, my therapist suggested scheduling an appointment with a psychiatrist to explore the possibility of going on medication. I reflected on the struggles of everyone I knew personally who had taken medication for depression and decided to try every possible treatment before embarking on the long and sometimes very difficult journey that is finding the correct antidepressant.
By Leticia Gabbi9 years ago in Psyche
Inside the Deep Hold of the Mind
My mind it's a rather curious thing. Constant interactions with myself. This might make me sound crazy. Don't ponder on it too much, because I am crazy. I've come to terms with my mental illness these past few years. Just because I have a better grasp on how to control my mental illness does not mean I'm not crazy. If you were to look inside my mind and see the thousands of things that I think about on a daily basis, you too would agree with me. One good thing I can say about having these mental illnesses is that it has made me the person I am today. If anything it is made me become a stronger human being and much more patient and understanding.
By Jude Augustine9 years ago in Psyche
The Stigma Attached to EUPD and PTSD
When I tell people that I have Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder, they look at me as if I am crazy and often avoid me like the plague. They assume that I am violent or dangerous to be around. This conception is just two of the stigmas attached to my illness. It also gets mistaken for Emotionally Unstable Borderline Personality Disorder, which is the same thing but a different type of illness.
By Carol Ann Townend9 years ago in Psyche
I Failed My Own Assassination Attempt
The day I tried to kill myself was the last of three days living in complete hell unlike any I’d ever known. I’d spent three days in a dissociated state, floating through my day with zombie eyes and a catatonic stride. I was barely able to function. I’d walk into the bathroom and wonder why I was there. I’d stare at the eggs cooking in my frying pan and wonder what I was supposed to do with them. I’d look at the sender of a text message and wonder, Who the hell is Momma Dukes?
By Regina Longwell9 years ago in Psyche
Adult Child of Alcoholics
My honest journey from dysfunctional adult child of alcoholics to functioning adult. Chapter One We live in a world where drinking alcohol is part of our social makeup. You go out with friends, go to social occasions, christenings, weddings or funerals and alcohol is always readily available. It’s human nature. We grow up witnessing our parents drinking socially with friends. Everyone is happy and laughing and you grow up thinking that having an alcoholic drink is fun. As a young child these were certainly sights I witnessed, alcohol to me was just something my parents and relatives did. Every adult I knew drank alcohol. That was the way of our world. I’m sure past generations behaved no differently and I don’t believe at this time my parents behaved any different from a lot of my peers' parents and relatives but what happens if in the blink of an eye if tragedy strikes your family and your once happy social parents don’t drink to have fun anymore? They instead drink to numb the pain of an unbearable tragedy that took them from loving functioning parents to alcoholics.
By Claire dyson9 years ago in Psyche
Snapshot
It’s been five years since I first stepped foot into a treatment center and received my diagnoses of Bulimia Nervosa and Bipolar II. Through these last five years, I have suffered the lowest of lows and enjoyed some pretty euphoric and satisfying high points. I have faced relapses, stared down my illnesses in the eyes, taken countless losses, but yet I managed to stay strong and come back more resilient each day. I get questions from strangers asking me what it’s like to live with an eating disorder and a mood disorder. The simple answer would be a rollercoaster that is on fire, primarily consisting of loops, making you dizzy and sick, that teases you with momentary pauses, that never ends. This is the more detailed answer to that question. This is, at five years into recovery, a snapshot of a day living with an eating disorder and a mood disorder.
By Chris Monda9 years ago in Psyche
