“I became homeless, left my husband, and was incarcerated 3 times. Many people thought I was going to die because of my reckless behavior. I easily could have.”
‘You’re too SEXY to be depressed.’: Woman with bipolar disorder urges ‘don’t be afraid to ask for help’
‘He raged, ‘Just STOP eating.’ Shocked and embarrassed, I did. I learned to eat quietly or not at all.’: Woman seeks recovery from eating disorder, trauma, ‘I’m reclaiming my joy’
“‘STOP scraping your teeth on your fork!’ he yelled. I feared family meals. I became strong when skinny and untouchable when numb.”
‘We’re being secretly recorded for a reality show!’ There was something wrong with me. I was completely paranoid.’: Woman with Bipolar Disorder becomes advocate, ‘It’s a constant battle’
“I was in a shoe store with my mom, talking to strangers in what I thought was Spanish. I’m not bilingual, but in my mind, I thought I knew the language. I’d been off my whole life, but I never knew why.”
‘Something happened,’ I sobbed. ‘We had a fight and she called the police. I’m going to the hospital.’ I was convinced my boyfriend would break up with me on the spot.’: Woman with Bipolar Disorder details eye-opening journey to acceptance
“I was so afraid of being ‘crazy’ I couldn’t admit I needed help when I was literally in the hospital for psych evaluation. Today, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been in my life. But it came at a price. I lost my best friend. My soul sister. I live every day in fear of the monster who lives within me.”
‘You don’t deserve better than him.’ I saw texts with a girl we both knew. My thoughts ate me alive.’: Woman diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder shares mental health journey, urges others to ‘accept help’
“‘How could I let this happen to me?’ My family looked so hurt. My mother, holding back tears, and my father, who is one of the bravest people I know, both looked terrified. My thoughts were eating me alive.”
‘I went on Tinder to find a snowboarding buddy. ‘May I ask you on a real date?’ My Visa was about to expire, we didn’t speak the same language, and I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend!’: Long-distance couple tie the knot, ‘Never give up on love’
“We both didn’t believe in marriage. But here I was, before my flight back to Germany, talking marriage to a guy from the other side of the world I’d only known a little over a year. I couldn’t picture life without him. I couldn’t ask myself in 10 years, ‘What would have happened?'”
‘I explained my past. ‘The man took photographs. He was 57 years old.’ I hated myself and turned to drugs.’: Woman with BPD gets sober, changes life, ‘I love how far I’ve come’
“I struggled to talk to the therapist. I explained what I went through when I was 12. I encountered a child predator. Having my son pushed me to find the answers as to what happened.”
‘I just want you to know, we are the family who adopted your son.’ She hadn’t gone a single day without thinking about him. ‘Can you be here in 2 weeks?!’: Adopted boy surprised with biological mom, now part of beautiful open adoption
“I told my son, ‘Your present is in the van, you can go get it.’ He stopped dead in his tracks and exhaled, ‘Mom?’ He took off sprinting into her arms, sobbing.”
‘I made a choice after he died. I chose to stop being silent about the truth.’: Widow who lost husband to suicide advocates for mental health, ‘I promise, with every heartbeat, there is hope’
“Surviving the suicide of my first love and my kids’ father was a twist I never thought my life would take. But here we are, three years later, still living on after the whiplash of the tragedy which changed our lives forever.”
‘My little sister came into my room bawling her eyes out. ‘Something is wrong in Mommy’s room. I heard screaming, a thud, and then nothing.’: Son reflects on mother’s domestic abuse ordeal, ‘No matter what demons you’re battling, you can overcome’
“Jay was a youth minister who had a church in my hometown. Everyone loved him. The only thing I heard was, ‘Don’t ever accuse me of anything ever again.’ I called the cops and grabbed my baseball bat. My shirt was soaked with my sweat and blood.”
