Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Saying I'm Fine When I'M Not
I try to educate most people around me into understanding that I have a mental illness, because I do not want to have to pretend I'm fine when I'm not. This was something people did in the 1990s, when saying you took medication was not as common as it is in the present. The thing is, many expect a lie to be told. I believe that this gets to ridiculous levels since nobody mentally ill wants to be felt sorry for so we try to hide our feelings around you normal people who manage to sleep by just shutting your brain off, although for some reason, you guys seriously drink a lot of coffee.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez6 years ago in Psyche
5 Tips for Being a Good Friend With Someone With PTSD
Full disclosure: I do not have a post-traumatic stress injury or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What I do have, however, are a lot of friends dealing with this serious set of sometimes debilitating symptoms. I do not pretend to know what it is like to live with this somewhat hidden disorder, but through the years I have utilized 5 guiding principles that have helped me be a better friend to those dealing with post-traumatic stress.
By Heather Down6 years ago in Psyche
Anorexia
It's your life. You can't let your mental illness control it. I've been there. Struggled, but at the same time became friends with Anorexia. She was my best friend. She was my only friend. She controlled what I ate, but not only; she controlled my thoughts and every aspect of my life.
By Tatiana B.6 years ago in Psyche
Adapting to a new reality.
T.B.I. is short for Traumatic Brain Injury. Most are under the impression that only those who have served their country get these injuries. However this is far from true. I am 35 and never served. Yet I live with this invisible illness daily. I am writing this to inform and help others like myself understand this injury and also help their loved ones. Having a T.B.I can have a big impact on loved ones, especially significant others.
By Second shot Shea6 years ago in Psyche
Journal of a Depressed Nurse
Hi, I use to writer journals about how I'm feeling but its fallen by the wayside due to life and multiple other excuses. For those who play games and are familiar with Kill Monday's debut game, Fran Bow, you'll recognise the subtitle of my entry as the title of Chapter 1 of the game.
By Sui Fireheart6 years ago in Psyche
SMALL BIT OF GAS LIGHTING THAT IS A BIG DEAL
A child asks 'why aren't we changing the channel,' or 'why are we eating this and not that,' and is given a response like 'there are no other channels that post anything else' or 'there's no other kind of food available.' A few hours later, or at any later point, the kid passes by and you're eating that thing or have changed the channel to something different they were told didn't exist.
By Yasmeen Dahdah6 years ago in Psyche
How Criticizing My Emotions in Childhood Created an 'Emotional Storm' Inside Me
When I was growing up, I was labeled as a “shy” and “sensitive” child. I would cry often, and I would be criticized for it, which contributed to my quiet demeanor. Whenever I would express anger, I was told I wasn’t allowed to be mad, or that being angry was wrong. I learned that sadness and anger were “bad” emotions, and whenever I experienced either emotion, I felt ashamed as though something was wrong with me for feeling them. Throughout my life, I learned to internalize my sadness and anger, which has led to chronic self-harm and digestion issues. Soon into adolescence, the inability to express sadness or anger led me to lose the ability to express any emotion properly — even feelings such as happiness. In my life, I have also experienced relationships where my feelings were invalidated and gaslighting was a factor, which only contributed to my internalization of emotions and my distrust of my emotional experience.
By Ashley Nestler, MSW6 years ago in Psyche
Mental health in college
College is hard. It's a lot harder with a disability, especially one that a lot of people like to pretend doesn't count. I've struggled with a generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder for years. Sure, that's been a challenge for what feels like my entire life, but I was never willing to call it a disability. At least, I wasn't until about a year ago.
By Kay Husnick6 years ago in Psyche
Pretty & Motivated
I am a 15 year old girl who suffers from post tramatic stress disorder among a few other mental illnesses and this a piece of my long story. When PTSD comes up people think about military dads that come home changed, broken, but it can be so much more than that. In my short life I have lived I’ve made it through being molested and raped, physically and verbally abused by the people who I called my parents. Watched drug deals and angry people. Heard sirens and called the rescue teams to help save the ones who were supposed to keep me safe. Parents aren’t supposed to tear you down and scare you, but sometimes kids can be placed in the wrong hands but I can tell you right now there is not one stuggle in your life that you can’t find a healthy solution to without enough knowledge. Knowledge you can gain from reading and researching, become familiar with your demons and tame them. This disorder isn’t always easy to cope with, it’s hard to focas on school and boys and making it out of high school with the rest of my graduating class to be a role model to the 4 younger of my 5 siblings despite not knowing where I’ll come up with the money to pay for drivers ed. or college afterword. But that’s just a part of life and we can’t just sit in self pity because you will get stuck there. I try to breathe when I start shaking in class trying to forget a scary thought that pops into my head when I see a guy with a hat or a pair of purple pajama pants some girl is wearing or even just a soothing lamp in the guidence counsilors office that brings me back to these horrible times and almost sufficates me in the memories. How am I supposed to read about World War I when I got World War III’s beginning on my mind?
By Arianna Rose6 years ago in Psyche
The State of Mental Illness in America
The hard truth is that mental illness occurrences are significantly higher than what is reported by research studies. The Surgeon General expresses that very few people in a population are untouched by mental illness either directly or indirectly in their lifetime. More importantly, mental illness is often the underlying cause of many other healthcare-related events.
By Angela Harper6 years ago in Psyche
