humanity
Mental health is a fundamental right; the future of humanity depends on it.
The Magdalene Healer
One of the recurring themes in my psychoses is that I am the reincarnation of Mary Magdalene. I am not sure if it’s residual damage from years of Catholic School, an interest in the Gnostics, studying psychology or being studied by psychologists.
By Diane Bancroft5 years ago in Psyche
Why I broke up with my mentally unwell friend
“Don’t set yourself on fire trying to keep others warm.” - Penny Reid. You might think my story is shocking, and you might think I’m a bad friend, even a bad person. But that’s the point of this story. We are often so afraid of the judgment of others, that we stay in situations that hurt us for way too long.
By Sarah K Brandis5 years ago in Psyche
Drug Psychosis
I was completely unhappy with my situation I got myself into. I had unpaid bills, that I couldn't afford to pay & didn't want to. I was thinking it was unfair the businesses were charging me to use resources that came from natural resources & the way it was delivered to my house had been in place for over ten years. Besides they were adding interest to a bill I couldn't afford to pay in the first place, how does that make any sense? I also had a communications bill, that I had requested to be audited. They had charged me for an access I had not used since they connected me to another access. They also disconnected all my communication & internet access at a certain value, then tried to keep billing me for services unable to be used. I had unanswered questions of how my voice could be heard within my head. A communication company would make some sense. It was as if my inner voice was being projected extreme distances & only they could hear all of my words. Its as if people were able to connect to me if they wanted to be heard. Who else could create a digital signal from a persons mind? Maybe the government, or maybe a privately owned recoveries agency. I believed I was being gaslighted to be bullied into paying my bills. By unhappy voices who thought it was unfair, not to be responsible for your own expenses. Up until this time I had always paid for everything, but my drug addiction was taking priority over essentials. All of my money was budgeted around being able to afford enough methamphetamine to have my shot every day. It was my biggest concern, my whole life revolved around it. A community usually looks down on illicit drug consumers. They are seen as a burden to society, assuming they are responsible for causing most illegal activity. Making a society complacent with disrespectful behaviors & attitudes & judges them as not being able to live a normal life like everyone else. The first voices communicating with me were opinionated & judgemental on my lifestyle, they were interrogating seeking information, trying to make me responsible for my actions. They were humiliating, personal & seemed like they had a hidden agenda. They were trying to control the way I thought, by using sounds to highlight unacceptable words. It was like they were exposing me in every single way with no boundaries. It seemed like some sort of torture treatment, continuous pressure trying to get me to breaking point. Threats of doing the same thing to my family members, with no concern for basic human rights. Obviously these voices did not care for me, they were trying to discredit me & my actions, turning voices against me. This treatment started after I had thoughts of holding the federal government accountable for my drug problem. My thoughts were; well they are not protecting me from the exposure to drugs, how are they doing their jobs if drugs are still easily available from several sources? Surely they would be aware of everything regarding illegal substances, with their resources & task forces, how could they not be? I blamed them for being able to have all the control over the availability of methamphetamine. If I could hear my voices & they could all hear each other, how could it be possible that the law enforces could not gain access to this communication? It seemed real to me. I expressed my opinion on a certain situation I was experiencing, shifting the responsibility from me to someone else. It was like my opinion was not acceptable so I had to be punished for it. I was traveling along the freeway when I noticed a business car from one of the companies I owed money too, they swerved towards me & said pay your bills. I was receiving a lot of spam email requesting money from me. I had debt recovery agencies contacting me, all of my financial issues were building up. It was like I was being approached in all communication forms, I even saw shark patterns in the clouds, I was being circled trapped in. The voices were not concerned for my well being they were in it for themselves. Gaining what they wanted, what they set out to do, like it was a planned attack. A large group of voices came in loud pressuring me, expressing their opinion & wanting me to attend to my swimming pool because it was giving off an odor. They were trying to achieve their objectives together as a team against me, planned with a clear intent. Would it be possible a group of people could come together & gaslight a person in society in this way?
By Tamika Muir5 years ago in Psyche
I will lie to you, that's the truth.
I sit at a table, the sun long set, the friend across from me with an upside-down bottle in hand, watching the last fated drops fall to his very empty glass. As I drink the last of mine, the all too familiar clinking of a semi-melted ice cube rattling around as its bell tolls the end of our conversation. I look at the bottle and think to myself that I have drunk enough, and it’s best to be wise and get a cab home. A lie if ever I heard one. I’ll have just one more I tell myself. This is a thought I will laugh about come sunrise.
By Leonidas Nikiforuk5 years ago in Psyche
My Experiences With Homelessness
How many of us take small things for granted? How often do we take time to stop and appreciate things like toilet paper? Probably more of us since the pandemic struck, but my point remains intact. Many of us would reason that we don't have time to just sit and think about how good we have it, because we're busy making sure it stays that way. As valid as that is, the fact remains that having small comforts in you life brings you security. The fact that you have a bed means you'll have a comfortable place to sleep, four walls protect you, and if you've paid your bills, you'll be warm and dry.
By David Leeson5 years ago in Psyche
my journey
hi, i’m Joanna. over two years ago, while struggling with bouts of depression and a general discontentment with where i was in life, i decided to start writing poetry again (after many years of not writing anything) i didn’t know exactly what it was that i needed besides a creative outlet, so i told no one about the account and began posting anonymously. sharing my poetry with people in the past always felt a little nerve-wracking, like i was baring my soul. it left me feeling exposed and i wasn’t a fan of that feeling. however, my favorite english teacher and my creative writing professor in college praised me for my ability, and often shared my writing with the class. sometimes it’s nice to have an audience. what would i even call the account? well, i started writing haikus in school, so i dug out an old one from college, the last line being “i just hold the pen” yeah, that will work! i wasn’t aware of what my poetry account would actually take the form of, much more than a creative outlet.
By ijustholdthepen5 years ago in Psyche
She
Not judging a book by its cover, as we are often told is an arduous act as one’s facade can be highly pristine, making transparency through correspondence unattainable. If you looked at this woman who graces you with a smile and the most delightful personality, you wouldn’t see the struggle, grief, and pain that lay beyond her eyes. Some people never escape a life of dismay. They become numb to their perils and accept the hand dealt to them. And some make it through the horror, become more robust, and leave the life of treachery behind them. She was a beautiful rose that grew through the strongest of concrete.
By Diana Doubrava5 years ago in Psyche
Cha Cha Changes
I have decided that I am a mess. It took me a while to realize this. I have been given a lot of labels throughout my life but I think this one fits pretty well. I have a complicated past and an uncertain future. I realize this could be anybody, but I can only account for MY MESS. Maybe you want to hear about it although most people don’t. It’s pretty cringy. It’s extremely messy. I have recently understood that good and bad are relative terms. You may think I’m good, you may think I’m bad, I think I’m definitely both, but I am the only ME that I can be. Let me introduce myself.
By OneMooreCrystal5 years ago in Psyche
