Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
Hysterika on the Run
“All and all it’s just another brick in the wall” (Waters). For every burdensome thought or idea that weighs on one’s shoulders, the mind adds another brick to its wall of defenses. Mental illnesses manifest themselves in many ways. The mind tries to protect itself against undesirable thoughts. More often than not this onslaught of thoughts becomes too much for the mind and its walls come crumbling down. The narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” loses this decisive battle within her subconscious. When applying a psychoanalytic lens to “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator’s mental issues become evident, and her delusions can be explained by theories on psychological projection, postpartum depression, and early misconstrued beliefs pertaining to women’s mental illnesses and treatments.
By Almárëa Laurësil8 years ago in Psyche
National Addictions Awareness Week 2017: Addiction Affects All of Us
I am the daughter of an alcoholic. I am not in unique company, but certainly those of us who are related to someone who struggles with addiction know for sure the baggage that comes with it. There are certain character traits that appear to be universal, and we all have our own ways of coping with the challenges that come with having an addict in our lives.
By Christina St-Jean8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
Having a mental disorder can be really hard. It makes it harder to cure because so many people suffer from mental disorders such as depression but everyone copes with it differently. You often feel like you are the only one in the entire world feeling the way you are when in actual fact there are 350 million reported cases of depression.
By Emily Royal8 years ago in Psyche
The Man with 1000 Masks
What's the point? That is a question I find myself asking myself often. Why should I get out of bed when all I really want to do is drown in the covers of safety? Safety from the outside world the people in it, the people I'm supposed to care about. Safety from the constant fears of being labelled a failure for the entirety of my life, from never accomplishing anything. Safety from another day wasted sitting in my room doing nothing because I don't have the energy or motivation to go out and make something of myself. Awaiting the inevitable text or call to go out and see my friends or loved ones, knowing I'll have to go in my closet and grab a few masks so they never have to know and worry about what is really going on. Being too afraid of social rejection to tell anyone how serious this is in order to get proper help. Everyday pretending to smile and laugh, pretending to care about the new social trends that we're supposed to care about. Realizing how screwed I am when I don't even care who's supposed to be leading our nation. Because who can really lead us? No one has any answers here, we're all just guessing and doing our best to bullshit to the top of the food chain. You sprint through your lives like cheetah chasing a gazelle, while I relate more to the tortoise in a constant state of impending danger. If we must fear the indifference of good men above all else, then I am this worlds greatest threat with my indifference.
By Sloan Kettering8 years ago in Psyche
The Diagnosed 'Crazy'
There are people amongst us all who've suffered some form of childhood trauma and as a result of that they're now strong, wise individuals who've become the opposite of their perpetrators, and that's amazing. However, there are also people who have absorbed the behaviours they found themselves victim to as a child and it now reflects in their everyday lives, and that's okay too. Does this make the latter group weaker than their counterparts? Of course not. Everybody grows and learns differently; a lot of who we are today is a result of how our experiences have affected us and more often than not, people don't just get to choose how certain events effect them, especially not as children.
By Shanelle ♔8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
The thing I’ve learned since I was diagnosed is that everyone suffers from depression in very different ways and it affects everyone differently. Some people think of it as dark clouds and rain, but you know what? I love the rain. I could literally stand in the rain for hours and be perfectly content. Some people see it as a creature that sits on their back, dragging them down. In this piece, I’m going to tell you all how it affects me and some of the ways I try to overcome it.
By Den1c Macleod8 years ago in Psyche
Just Listen
You ever feel stuck? As if life is just passing you by yet you’re just standing still? People tend to say “oh you’re just not living enough, live in the moment, risk it all, blah blah blah” but what they fail to realize it may go deeper than just lack of motivation. Personally, I have been battling depression for the past 4 years and to be honest it’s even harder to overcome it as an adult simply because life is so stressful for most of us and everyday is another challenge. I didn’t want to get hooked on Psyche meds, so I decided I was going to fight this depression along with my anxiety ALONE! What's even worse is that no one understands how you feel because, in their mind, you’re just being crazy or overdramatic; they tell you to just get up and brush it off and that the grass is greener on the other side, no one really takes the time to sit down and hear how you really feel and try to understand your thought process, so now you feel all alone which makes your depression worsen. I didn’t understand why I felt so overwhelmed with sadness all the time, I mean, part of my problems were that I was always arguing with my mom and my boyfriend as well (and I mean real hardcore arguing). They didn’t understand how I felt, my anxiety would manifest itself as anger and rage and frustration, I hated my life but I hated myself more; always felt like I wasn’t good enough, that no matter how hard I tried, my efforts to please everyone and make them happy were never enough. I got to a point where I started contemplating suicide, didn’t care if I hurt people around me with my death; they didn’t care about me while I was alive right? I started to binge eat and purge, I became so bulimic that my body would just automatically vomit by itself everytime I ate something. My physical health and my mental health were severely declining and I had no one there for me but my faith. I would be at work just sitting there when my anxiety would kick in for no reason. I would get an overwhelming nervous feeling, my heart started to race, i couldn’t handle this anymore, this had to stop! So I started writing down all the negativity in my head and one night I realized what my REAL problem was: I was living for others and not living for myself. I was so programmed to live to satisfy other people that I was leaving myself behind, I wasn’t doing anything that made me happy at all!! So I decided things were going to change, that I was going to do things I always wanted to do, like dancing , working out and losing all the weight I gained from eating my feelings while I was depressed, I started living for ME! And let me tell you how amazing it felt to break away from those chains, I began to Love myself again, I began to see the beautiful part of me! I didn’t want to die anymore I wanted to live. I know our main goal in life is to find true happiness but you will never find it unless you have it within you, because that’s where happiness truly lives. Now I'm not saying mental health isn’t a real thing, not everyone is capable of overcoming certain mental disorders, that is why I want people who read this to know that whether it’s them or someone they know with a mental health disorder, you are NOT ALONE ! Please read the signs and if anyone you know says they want to kill themselves, I beg you don’t dismiss those words, take them very seriously because some people mean what they say: Always listen because you might just save someones life!
By Jey Hernandez8 years ago in Psyche
Only Human
Naturally, we are inclined to draw near to others. Even making small efforts of contact with another is seemingly innate, holding a loved one’s hand, leaning on a shoulder for comfort, or simply a shared and warm embrace. Intimate relationships are considered an essential component in the composition of a happy life. The mutual dependency of friends, family, and romantic partners provides a respite in times of heartache or grief, often encouraging feelings of comfort. Many of us go about our daily lives without thinking twice about whether our loved ones will always be around. When we need reassurance we can pick up a phone and call a friend and procure console. Be that as it may, life for those living with a condition called "Autophobia" from the Greek word “Auto” meaning ‘self’ — suffer from the unusual and certain fear that they will be abandoned. People who suffer from Autophobia struggle to maintain deep personal connections, resulting in a perpetual state of grievance, due to the effects of this condition — which include: depression, crippling fear of intimacy, and low self-esteem.
By Sam Sapien8 years ago in Psyche
Words from a Survivor
Someone once asked me what it’s like being a survivor. Here’s what it’s like. Some days I’m full of life. I can feel pure happiness coursing through my veins. On days like these I dream of a future so beautiful it makes me tear up. A future where I have a purpose. A future where dark days are few and far between. On days like these I start writing my vows to my future wife. I dream of a house filled with love and lots of dogs. Days like these are what makes surviving so worth it.
By Madison Jackson8 years ago in Psyche
Drowning the Moon
One day, the sun didn't come up. I walked to school under the silver moonlight with my backpack on one shoulder and tried to remember if I'd locked the door. I wasn't sure but it was too late to go back anyway. The street was busy and there was a traffic of umbrellas which seemed to whisper as they rubbed past each other, although the rain had stopped a while ago. As I gazed at all their different colours, the feel of wood under my fingers made me realise I was holding one, too.
By Eva May Juez8 years ago in Psyche
