“I grabbed this object, one of those things used to scrap art or whatever it’s called, and I went crazy. I swore I’d never cut again, never try again. I’m sure you can imagine how that went”
‘I begged my parents for help. I showed my mom my cut arms and nothing happened. I was in seventh grade.’: Woman dealing with self-harm, depression since childhood, is ‘hopeful’ for a time where ‘I don’t need medicine to help me anymore’
‘I left my husband, started drinking alcohol daily, was incarcerated 3 times, and became homeless.’: Woman finally gets diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder after long struggle
“I lost many friends while all of this played out. It was his word against mine. ‘You’re so hot and beautiful.’ I knew because I was in a psych ward, I had no credibility.”
‘I was scared she’d die. They said it’s ‘new mom jitters.’ I didn’t want to be the ‘depressed, baby-less mom’: Mother experiences postpartum depression, PTSD after first son born still, ‘I was hiding it well’
“I was losing clumps of hair. I assumed it was stress because we just moved for my husband’s job. My doctor asked about my children. She was the first doctor who actually had a conversation with me. Then she dropped a bomb. ‘I’m prescribing you an anti depressant.’ I left the appointment bawling. ‘Who does she think she is!? She didn’t know everything I’ve been through!'”
‘The nurse asked my husband, ‘Do you know your wife is an alcoholic?’ He knew. ‘Was the cop there for me?,’ I thought, frozen in fear.’
“I ended up buying a $1,500 puppy at the mall, taking a picture on the mall Santa’s lap by myself and checking into a hotel. Apparently, I walked from the hotel to an outdoor mall where I was arrested in a blackout for ‘drunk walking’ in public. Yes, I was arrested by the mall cops.”
‘My doctor treated me like I was a drug addict for asking for a prescription. ‘Don’t ever ask me for this again. I won’t keep giving it to you.’ I walked away feeling like I needed to shut up and deal with my anxiety on my own.’
“No one else was breaking down in tears, so I assumed I was the only one struggling.”
