Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
My Great Escape
When the burden of the conversation became too great, I quickly made the necessary excuses and ended the call, allowed the tears to dampen my face—and it seems my spirit—for only a moment longer after that. The darkness of the night blanketed me in more ways than one. I was in a foreign country where I didn't speak the native language, with foreign people who didn’t understand me much. That thought was acceptable to me though. That’s been mostly the tune of the song that is my life. This is exactly why I was here all by my lonesome on one of the Thousand Islands. It was small enough for me to walk its perimeter in a couple of hours. There was a beautiful feeling in that realisation. It was only the beginning of an illustrious rap sheet of mental health (I use the phrase sarcastically of course). The depression had already started and the social contracts that dictated normalcy were becoming harder with each passing day. I put the phone where I couldn’t hear it any longer, took my shoes off, and started walking the length of the beach.
By Ayesha Javed8 years ago in Psyche
Understanding
I’ve had to be an “adult” since I was 7. I’ve had to put on my big girl pants and put on a brave face since my parents split up when I was three. Not to be dramatic or anything but it sort of ruined my childhood. I was stuck between two people who seemed like they just hated each other, or maybe didn’t understand each other. I had to pick sides and listen to each one bad mouth the other, and a part of me always understood. At first I thought love was forever, and then I saw it disappear within my parents first few years here. It sucked.
By Tamara Nicotra8 years ago in Psyche
Living with Anxiety
I am 36 yrs old, single mother and recently diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety. I want to share my story because so many people think that adults diagnosed with ADHD are full of crap and people with anxiety need to "chill out". Well, living with anxiety and having your mind constantly going and worrying is not easy to shut off. I didn't realize I had ADHD until my 5-year-old son needed to be evaluated for it. I started researching the symptoms and finding out I had a lot of the symptoms but I never told anyone. My best friend and mother is the only one who could tame anxiety attacks I would have or the overthinking and constant worry that plagued me every single day. I needed to find a way to get ahold of it so I could help my son as he was officially diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 7. One fact I did not know was that this is hereditary and my mother was diagnosed with ADHD in her 60s! I now have two jobs, bought a house for my children and I. The anxiety has gotten so much worse with all the stress that comes from owning a home as a single mother, but it is manageable. Sharing my story will hopefully shed light on the stigma that is given to adults living with ADHD and anxiety. We suffer and fight it everyday. As a mother we HAVE to be strong for our children and I do not want to let them down in the future.
By Marina Turpin8 years ago in Psyche
How I Got Over...
We never can understand the effects we have on people. Just being kind or rude can change a person's life at least for the moment. In the world we live in we are very judgemental. Cultural bullies who will crush an individual just to reinforce social norms and belief of how people should be and what they should do. Worst of all is the negative force of the family.
By I AM. Master of Arts8 years ago in Psyche
Bullies Owe Me Money
I feel that people who bullied me in the past owe me money in the present since emotional, verbal, physical, and psychological abuse do harm to your mental health with anxiety or PTSD symptoms. In this case, I feel that since I have limited income, my bullies owe me big time. I didn’t know for many years that I had pediatric-onset schizoaffective disorder. Nobody bothered to tell me about my schizophrenia. When they finally did, I lost self-confidence, but that was only because I was an insecure 20-year old who had just found out about my genetic disability. I have 22q, which I’m trying to be more forthcoming with telling people about it.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez8 years ago in Psyche
The Hospital Food is Practically Gourmet Compared to This
I’m Not Crazy, I swear I was told not to try, but to succeed by a very straightforward nurse in the Children’s Mental Ward of the Fort Walton Beach hospital. He told me that if he ever saw me there again, he would cause significant bodily harm. And that’s putting it nicely. After gathering up whatever dignity and morality I had left after my numerous breakdowns, I walked out of the hospital’s double doors wrapped in my white sheet, closely resembling a blanket goblin and sat in the back of the ambulance, unaware of what was to come. (Cue sad violin music)
By Maddy Black8 years ago in Psyche
The Closure Generalized Anxiety Disorder Gave Me
The entirety of my childhood, I had this nagging feeling sitting at the edge of my brain. It started small, almost unnoticeable, like a papercut almost. I could easily ignore it and go about my day, but at the end of the day it was still surely there. However, the more time passed, it didn't heal up or go away, it just continued to get worse. What started as slight nervousness and restlessness had fully evolved to an impending sense of doom that came to control every aspect of my life. At the drop of a needle, I would be having a full-blown meltdown about things as small as ordering dinner in the drive-thru. But at the time, I never realized that this was anything but normal. My parents had always told me that it was okay to worry a little, or feel nervous, or feel restless, and so forth. Every time I brought up this feeling to try and find answers, I was given the same script of answers every time: "...it's all in your head..." or "...you're overreacting..." or "...just get over it..." or "...it'll pass..." So I coped. I made it day to day, even with this feeling dragging me down with the iron grip it had on me.
By Bailey Theismann8 years ago in Psyche
A Socially Acceptable Addiction
On February 14, 2012, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I was 15-years-old, a sophomore in high school, and I was perpetually moody, or rather, as my mother likes to say, “temporarily insane.” I was fortunate enough to have been surrounded by diabetes my whole life, as my father, uncle, and aunt are all Type 1 diabetics, so this diagnosis did not force me to completely change my lifestyle. The diagnosis itself was just shocking. After all, I was post-puberty and the disease was supposed to skip generations. I’m usually a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” type of person, but I just could not do it this time. I tail-spun into a deep depression and began comforting myself with food. Not only was I now officially a diabetic, but also a compulsive overeater.
By Olivia Cox8 years ago in Psyche
Such Very Good Advice
There's a scene in the original 1951 Alice in Wonderland movie that always used to upset me when I was little. It's when Alice is lost in the forest and sits down in the middle of a clearing. She sings a lovely little song about how if she'd only follow the good advice she gave herself, then she wouldn't get into so much trouble. You can watch it on YouTube and it always used to get to me as a child. Alice bursts into tears, the strange animals burst into tears, and everything seems totally hopeless. Poor Alice is lost and confused and frustrated with herself. The animals can't do anything to help and so just fade away.
By Harriet Christabel8 years ago in Psyche
