Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
PTSD in Family Life
When I was 24 years old, I decided to make a change in my life that would lead me down a completely different path. I was a single mother of two boys. I was living at home in my parent's house, working two part time jobs just trying to get by. I was wishing for anything that would allow me to provide a good life for my boys. I decided to go back to school, and become an Emergency Medical Technician. My first time through the program I had a hard time focusing; I ended up not making it past my midterm and had to start the program again. I worked harder the second time and managed to pass everything leaving the program with an A, and feeling really good about myself. I managed to land a job right out of school, with a private ambulance company, that handled emergency calls as well as general transport for the hospitals. I loved it. I was making good money in overtime, and was finally able to save up enough money to move out on my own with my boys. A year after I started working in EMS, I met the man I call my husband, he is a paramedic with 14 years in EMS and has seen more things than I could even imagine. We used to work on an ambulance together from time to time, and between the strokes, gun shots, abuse calls, codes, calls for children, and so many more bad calls, we still managed to make it through the shift. EMS isn't for the faint of heart, you have to control your own emotions for the people you are trying to help. There are those calls in EMS that will forever stick with you. The faces of those that you just couldn't save, that you just couldn't help, that you wish you could of done more for. Almost every EMT and paramedic in the field, no matter what town, state, or country they are in, suffers from some type of PTSD. Trying to manage a home life with a spouse and children while dealing with the effects of PTSD is a challenge within itself. Most EMS providers won't even admit that they have PTSD, or they will say they have it under control. I would know, my husband suffers from PTSD every day, and still tells me he doesn't have it. I have been woken up in the middle of the night to him screaming from having a nightmare of a call that still haunts him, or from him screaming a patient's name repeatedly and telling them in his sleep to stay with him. There are days you can see in his face that something has him looking back in those memories, those memories that could be triggered from anything as simple as something that is being said to something that was just seen on TV. Even on medication the effects of PTSD can still be seen in many EMS providers; effect such as burn out, distancing themselves, and sometimes even aggression towards the people around them. PTSD isn't something that should be taken likely, it should be addressed, and those suffering from it should seek help. Friends and family members of all EMS providers should be made aware of the signs and symptoms of PTSD, and should offer a safe place for EMS providers that may be suffering from PTSD.
By Wendi Simpson7 years ago in Psyche
I Just Need to Let It All Out!
It has been a really bad few weeks. I just feel like the whole world is against me. Nothing is going my way and I feel like I can't cope. No one seems to understand how bad it is getting. I have no one I can really confide it, no one who is willing to give me that kind of attention. I know that sounds selfish, but sometimes that is what you need. Just someone to pay constant attention to you, to make you feel like you matter, and that you are wanted and loved. I mean, I am surrounded by people who love me, but I can't tell them what I'm really feeling. They just don't understand. I just feel like the whole world is passing by and I am in slow motion.
By Crazy Unicorn7 years ago in Psyche
The Ultimate Guide to Produce Valuable Content and Fight Depression!
Why is it that the most influential, sought-after influencers are burning out? This article is not just about YouTubers, but people in general. Everyone faces depression at some point in their life, which mainly stems from being attached to an expected outcome or attachment to something from the past.
By Silena Le Beau7 years ago in Psyche
Dealing with Trauma
Affecting people in numerous ways, a traumatic event can highlight all mental flaws that might have been easing into your life and leave you incapacitated. It packs you full of emotions, so your normal is an extreme. Maybe you'll end up sleeping ten to 12 hours per night, still feeling drained in need of multiple cups of caffeine just to not crumble, and/or you begin sleeping so little, unable to calm into sleep until into the next day.
By 'Toto' (Aleksina Teto)7 years ago in Psyche
Anxiety: Causes, Symptoms, Therapy
When I was in kindergarten, my teacher and parents agreed to put me in a speech class. My teacher had noticed I tended to shy away from the other children, refusing to participate in class activities, lunch, or cooperate in general. I wasn’t lashing out or causing problems, but I didn’t want to participate in anything. When I did speak up—after much coaxing—it was a quiet, mumble of words that made it hard for anyone to understand me. After a year, a final verdict was called and I attended speech class for about two years.
By Michelle Stone7 years ago in Psyche
The Diary of a Broke, Anxious Woman Living with Depression
As a kid, I never knew. Sadly, mental health does not get covered in schools nearly enough, or at least it didn't when I was there. That's why I never even knew I was plagued with mental illness at such a young age. I just assumed what everyone assumed. I was a weird kid. There was no way I could've known any better.
By Waverleigh Rose Garlington7 years ago in Psyche
Trauma Part One
Diagnosis I was diagnosed with PTSD today. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I went to see a licensed psychologist after searching on Google and speaking to my former therapist because I knew I was dealing with something other than just anxiety and depression. I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression since age 13. I called a behavioral healthcare clinic and asked specifically to be evaluated because the treatments and interventions for PTSD are different and I felt I needed something more than psychotherapy.
By Hecate Jones7 years ago in Psyche
Live a Little
Sara was the most popular girl in school, the valedictorian, but most of all, my best friend. Sara also liked to party quite a bit and had her fair share of one-night stands before I could even summon up the courage to talk to a boy. In the town that we grew up in, in the middle of nowhere Missouri, we would get in cars with boys that we knew from school and would drive around looking for trouble most nights.
By Christina Hendry7 years ago in Psyche
