Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Why my Sibling was Diagnosed with the Condition Known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSP)
The definition of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP); a disorder in which the caretaker of a child either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it appear as though the child is injured or ill. The term “by proxy” means “through a substitute.” Though MSP is primarily a mental illness, it is also considered a form of child abuse.
By Alexandria Hypatia5 years ago in Psyche
Waiting for MAID or a drastic change
My decision to seek medical assistance in dying (MAID) is not one that I made hastily or lightly. It has been years of trying to fix myself, but I only seem to be getting worse. This is something that I do not want, but I feel needs to be done. Unless something can drastically change for the better from now until 2023, I do not see a great future for myself. It is one of loneliness and health struggles. My quality of life is only declining. I will still give life a chance until then, however doing this over 30 years now and it only hurts more. I do not see change happening.
By The Bastard Jack5 years ago in Psyche
Being in denial and fighting for survival
Have you ever known a sweet and caring person that is receiving treatment they do not deserve? Whether you like to admit or or not I would probably guess that most of you have. Why do so many caring people let themselves be the subject of this treatment? Are they insecure and just think they deserve it or do they decide to deal with the treatment because, they are afraid of conflict? Perhaps they are just in denial of what is happening to them. Even if a person in an abusive situation subconsciously knows what is going on they still do not want to believe it a lot of the time. Do they feel this way because, the fear of being hurt more? We can ask as many questions as we want to but, the truth is we do not know what others are thinking or feeling.
By Karly Krull5 years ago in Psyche
A Journey Into The Past
A Journey Into The Past Mike stood in the cold, puzzled, confused, and to his dismay, was left alone. Struck by the wind of the past, a gloomy cloud came close, unfolding the memory of a pale orphanage. The orphanage was as dull as a pencil worn out from writing. Mike was young then, just turned ten, and the little one, Stanley, was only five years old. Mike’s eyes were piercing the sky, trying to escape his abandoned memories.
By Manel Abroug5 years ago in Psyche
Hyperbaric Therapy For autism: Everything You Need To Know
Autism always gets misinterpreted. You would be astonished to know that until the 1960s, the researcher started analyzing that autism is a treatable condition. Even today, people’s understanding of autism is it is an untreatable disease. In this post, you are progressing to uncover everything about hyperbaric therapy for autism.
By Writescuration5 years ago in Psyche
Daily Meds Vol II: Survival
Anxiety, nervous energy, or any form of mental discomfort are remarkable phenomena when you really stop to consider them. They first manifest as survival responses, meant to keep us safe in new or threatening situations; but slowly, they become natural states of being for most people as self-awareness grows with age. The fact that we can even feel these responses is itself amazing; we are so highly tuned to the world that your chemistry constantly varies based on the slightest changes in threat level. But therein lies the problem: we all want to survive for as long as possible, but nobody wants to live a life in a state of emotional captivity. The problem is that we are very rarely under any real threat, and yet the mind treats all threats in a similar way. We have to learn to be more discerning in our analysis of that which enters our life.
By T.K. Sanders5 years ago in Psyche
My Trauma's Got A Trigger Finger
My trauma has a very active trigger finger. It fires when I least expect it, and long after I thought I'd dealt with the pain and repercussions of my past relationship. I know my experience isn't unique, but the old adage of 'a problem shared...' might prove to be somewhat true if I get my thoughts out into the ether of the internet. Or so my thinking goes.
By Nati Saednejad5 years ago in Psyche
Living With Depression
Everyone knows that depression is a lifelong "disease". Everyone also knows that there's a stigma behind depression as well. I'm essentially here to tell you how I've been dealing with it and how I'm able to still maintain a normal lifestyle. Growing up I was always very shy and introverted. I had a small group of friends and we were all the same: quiet, shy and smart. However, I was the only one who was bullied relentlessly in school. For one reason only: BECAUSE OF THE WAY I LOOKED. Of course when you're a child you don't see anything wrong with the way you look until others point it out. from literally first grade up until high school I was bullied simply because of the way that I looked. I was a little short and pretty thin. Also I wore glasses and needed braces. My family couldn't afford to pu for braces so I was essentially the short, skinny girl with glasses, who had crooked teeth. For years I was bullied verbally and physically by a group of girls. Constantly hearing all the negative things about the way that I looked lowered my self-esteem until I had no self-esteem at all. Which in turn, made me isolate myself from the world. I wouldn't hang out with family or friends and stayed in my room. I was pretty moody. (Still kinda moody too lol). It got to a point when I was in high school that I started self harming and contemplating suicide. I genuinely felt like my family would be better off not having to worry about me anymore if I was no longer here and I could finally be at peace. However, when my family found out about these things I was put into a mental institution twice for teenagers who dealt with things like anxiety and depression. The first time I was at the institution I didn't really want to learn or better myself so it was pointless. But the second time I actually put forth an effort to better myself and stay on my medication and talk about my problems and channel all my negative energy into doing what I love which is reading, writing, and singing. Fast forward to now at 26 years old. Yes I still deal with depression. Yes I still have moments when I don't have energy to do the things that I love. But I don't let it define me. I found a few ways to help me build up my self-esteem and just make myself feel good even if it's just for the day. For example, listening to K-pop music makes me happy so when I'm feeling down I just listen to music and sing along. Also, even if I don't have any plans for the day I still fix my hair and dress nicely just so that when I walk past a mirror in my home I can look at myself and tell myself that I am beautiful. I've also started working out this year and that takes my mind off of a lot of the depression that I'm sometimes feeling. Sometimes I'll just cook a nice meal for dinner even though I live alone and I sit in front of the TV and watch a good movie and that helps me as well. It's the little things that can change your day. Whether you like to write, sing, draw or cook. Taking time out of your day to do something that you like to do even when you don't have the energy definitely helps. Even if you aren't an avid writer, writing down how you're feeling when you're feeling both bad and good helps because you can express how you feel and then close your journal and essentially close the door on those emotions and go do something positive. It's not going to be easy and it is something you'll have to deal with for your entire life. Depression doesn't just go away with medication but it does help you IF that's the route you choose to go down. I'm not exactly sure how to end this so I will just say this one last thing: you are not alone. There are people who are willing to listen to your problems and give advice if you want it or just be there so you can vent to them. You don't have to deal with all your problems by yourself. You are NOT a burden even if it sometimes feel that way. Even if you don't want to immediately seek help from a professional and be put on medication and have the stigma surrounding you. You can always just start by trying to do little things here and there every day to make yourself happier and should be at peace. I'm still dealing with depression and I follow the advice that I give. I'm living proof that it works. Things will get better.
By Kadeejah Franklin5 years ago in Psyche
Awareness
I am at this stage in life where I am struggling to define who, and what for that matter, I am. I know I am all the basic things that you think of when asked to define yourself. I am a daughter of Shirley and James, I am the mother of Scarlett and Noah, I am the sister of Michael, I am the girlfriend to Tripp, and a friend to many. The list goes on. Those only define my relationships though, not ME. I know I can define myself by what I look like. I am short at only five foot tall. I have dyed red hair although my natural color is black as the night. Most people would call my eyes brown but, in the light, they are mostly green. I have a good bit of random tattoos that go from the side of my head to my ankles. I have scars, so many scars. I could go on describing every inch of me in detail, but that is not really me. At one point I was six pounds, with fresh skin and dark hair and eyes and that was still me. My body is everchanging, growing, expanding (sometimes in ways I don’t care for), taking beatings and eventually breaking. It does not define me.
By Megan Traina5 years ago in Psyche
What is the meaning of ascetic ideals?
In this essay, the meaning of ascetic ideals becomes far clearer through the use of Nietzsche’s account on the subject in his third essay in On The Genealogy of Morals, this is not surprising due to Nietzsche being influenced by Schopenhauer before moving on to develop his own views. A similar thing happened with Socrates who Nietzsche was very critical of and, after attacking his ideas fiercely moved on in much the same fashion as he did with Schopenhauer to formulate his own. I will, however, not neglect Schopenhauer and Socrates in this essay, I will look at them in more detail in the later stages as I will Kierkegaard and Weil, though not in quite so much detail.
By JoJoBonetto5 years ago in Psyche
