Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Cymbalta: Is it Really Worth the Risk?
Cymbalta. Duloxetine. Two different names, one medication. Cymbalta is used to treat anxiety and depression, but can also be used to help treat nerve pain, chronic back pain, and fibromyalgia. You see commercials about Cymbalta on and off on TV, and they list the side effects so fast that it just sounds like a bunch of gibberish. What are the real sideeffects? Well, there is a long, long list of side effects. I won't list them all, but I will list the side effects that I experienced while on it.
By Michelle Brianna8 years ago in Psyche
Internal Dialogue With Anxiety & Depression
Rotting in this vicious cycle. Can't get the noise in my head off of repeat. A constant wrecking ball of unexpected masses smashing my happiness to smithereens. Never have been good enough for others, now it's time for me to be exceptional for myself. I am done having my boundaries dismantled every time I put the last brick in. This isn't the road I anticipated to be on. Filled with potholes of multiple guilt trips. Caring too much for others and never enough for me. Pushed too far over my limits that I've snapped without people noticing. Afraid to ask for help for so many reasons, yet I can't keep everything bottled inside. Needing to find out who I am instead of being told by the ones around me. There are times I wish I no longer existed. In a mind like mine, death doesn't seem selfish with all the pain, hurt, and agony that has been gone through. It's easy to say, "That it can't be that bad." Yet no one knows the hell that I've gone through. Yet, I remain for those who rely on me. That's my problem. I care too damn much for the people that care the least for me. They don't even notice, even when I tell them how much pain and torment I am going through. I haven't been taking care of myself the way I need to be. I have been putting the priorities of others before my own. This suffering in silence needs to end. Tired of being called selfish and inconsiderate for taking time for myself to refresh and take care of me. Filled with emotions that have pushed me to do the right thing for myself and the ones dear to my heart. Things going through my mind on a daily basis. I shouldn't have to apologize for who I am. I'm fully aware that I need to change, not for others, but for myself. So if I don't fit in your perfect mold of who you think I should be, then you should invest in a doll to better accommodate your needs. You don't even know who I am because you are so preoccupied with your assumptions. I am trying so hard to better myself by taking it one day at a time. The things I have been doing lately is for my sanity and overall well being. Tired of being condoned for the faults of others they see in themselves that they don't want to own up to. Want to get past the old ideology of being seen and not heard because it is taking a detrimental impact on my overall well being. Everyone is afraid to tell me the truth because of how I may react. I don't want anyone to hold back what they want to say to me. Lack of communication in my life is causing unnecessary stress. I just want to be normal. Yet what is normal? I've got so much on my shoulders that shouldn't be there that I need to get rid of. Ultimately, I need to stop having this internal dialogue on a daily basis. It's slowly killing me inside, this random torment that comes into my life. Becoming ever so impatient with myself that I don't know what to do. I am so indecisive, that I can't even decide. I'm trying to do what's right for me, yet I've been forced to believe for such a long time to put others first and myself last. Why do I have to be damned to others that don't even care have to be put in front of me? I don't deserve to be treated like I don't belong in this world. It's time that I defy the rules that have been laid in place for me. I shouldn't hold back any longer of what's on my mind and tell it how I see it. I am ready to fight for what I believe in, and not afraid to die for it.
By Joy Ergang8 years ago in Psyche
Being a Bad Bitch with Mental Health Issues
Depression is something I've struggled with for a long time. I've been to many different therapists since I was 13, and I now take anti-depressants to help me cope. Some days are a real struggle to find joy in anything, to even get up out of bed. Some days are amazing and I feel like the most bitchin' power women out there.
By Izzy Galloway8 years ago in Psyche
Everything in Life Happens for a Reason
Why does life give you so many obstacles to overcome? Sometimes it makes it very hard to see its true beauty. Everyone has their ups and downs and sometimes the struggles keep you from doing what you love and enjoying every moment you have. My grandmother once told me that everything in life happens for a reason. At first I didn’t know what that meant. This past year has been really hard for me. But it made me look at life completely differently. All of my questions have been answered and each moment meant something very special.
By Krista Hawkins8 years ago in Psyche
Living with a Diagnosis (or Even More Than One)
When the thought(s) for this little blurb first came to you, I was going to talk specifically about living with more than one diagnosis. Then I began to think that one diagnosis could feel the same way for person A as having six diagnoses can feel to person B. When it all comes down to it, no one diagnosis is greater than another. I am sure right now you may be thinking, “bullshit, many things are far worse than others like a broken leg to fractured leg or terminal diseases, ASDs, stunted mental development, etc.” Truthfully if I was a reader and not the author of this piece that would likely be my first thought(s) as well. But? This is what I mean, a diagnosis in itself (“giving the problem/ailment a name”) does not determine how it feels to each individual that may be given the diagnosis. Susan could have clinical depression but find that she still manages to do pretty well day to day. Then there is Ellen, who also has clinical depression and finds that she can hardly manage to fight herself out of bed every morning. Teresa also has clinical depression but also has “x” other diagnoses as well, and she finds that she has symptoms similar to Susan and Ellen. This could go in for millennia, I am sure, but in hopes of not further muddying the water, I would like to simply move forward and hope that this makes as much sense to you as it does to me.
By Fluffy Morningstarr8 years ago in Psyche
5 Ways to Calm a Panic Attack
Can you feel your heart racing? Finding it difficult to breathe? Feel like the world is closing in? Feeling a loss of control? Chances are, you're having a panic attack. Here are five ways to help calm yourself down and feel at ease again.
By Catherine Watson8 years ago in Psyche
Using a Bullet Journal to Relieve Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety is often paired with depression because the feelings of hopelessness and pointlessness inevitably lead to thoughts of how much worse our lives can get. We imagine our lives falling apart, piece by piece, until we fade away into nothing. For me, this often includes how all my responsibilities will go undone and everyone that relies on me or cares for me will stop caring about me.
By Sean Fraser8 years ago in Psyche
The Ugly Truth
You can find it in the fashion industry, all over social media, and in a great deal of movies and television shows these days. Society has made mental illness into something that is “cool,” “edgy,” or even “glamorous.” We have somehow turned mental illness into the new "must have" "trend," making it more and more difficult to separate the real, truly mentally ill people, from the ones who WANT to be suffering.
By Kaila Elizabeth8 years ago in Psyche
Living With My Grey Cloud
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who prayed every night that she wouldn't wake up. Every morning, she would eat her cereal, put on her school uniform, and struggle through another day of teasing and guilt. She spent playtime crying through loneliness. She ate half her lunch, and lied to her mum about what she ate. She pretended she was okay. She did her homework, read her book instead of going out to play. She went to bed, closed her eyes tight, and prayed that she wouldn't wake up.
By Hannah Bennett8 years ago in Psyche
