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Tonianne has lived with physical and mental health conditions since childhood. These are their frank, empathetic words about coping and learning over time — a valuable message all the more appropriate during this Mental Health Awareness Month. This story mentions self-harm and other…
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Heidi’s health challenges began when she was very young and only compounded in her teenage years and early adulthood. Today, she continues to manage multiple physical and mental conditions — some with effective treatments and others through guesswork and specialist appointments. This is…
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The holidays around this time of year tend to be a joyous time, but for many this may be a time of mourning, triggering thoughts and unpleasant feelings. We’re here to remind you that it’s okay to not be okay, today and any…
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Karen’s health conditions have not only led to hospitalizations and life-threatening circumstances, but have acted as a wedge between her and her daughter over the years. Feeling alone and that she had nowhere to turn for support, Karen shared her experience and feelings…
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Several years ago, Sarah found herself in an extremely difficult situation involving family bonds and financial challenges. The life of one of her children was at stake, yet so was the livelihood of herself and two of her other children. No one should…
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Angela B. is most passionate about overcoming the stigma associated with bipolar II disorder and all other mental health diseases. She puts forth effort by educating and speaking out about her own struggles with these conditions. Here Angela shares who and what have…
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Jamie, who has managed multiple mental health conditions — and HIV — for many years, reflects on the importance of support and self-care. Growing & Learning Growing up, I knew I was a little different than other kids. When I was a teenager,…
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It wasn’t that long ago that bipolar disorder was believed to be another condition like depression or schizophrenia. “Manic Depression” was first recognized in 1854 by Jules Falret, but it wasn’t until the early 1970s that it was recognized by the U.S. Congress…
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Editor’s note: If you or a loved one are living with depression, bipolar, and/or thoughts of self harm the following post could be potentially triggering. If you are overwhelmed or in pain you can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741. Meet Jen……
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Before she was diagnosed with ADHD, Terry Matlen spent a lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong with her. “I felt like a failure,” she says. “I wondered how come I couldn’t do what every other woman I knew could…
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On paper, Kitt O’Malley is a typical overachiever. She loved school as a kid and attended Berkeley, earning a bachelor’s degree in legal studies. She went on to earn a master’s in psychology from a private college and studied theology at Fuller Seminary….
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Editor’s note: If you or a loved one are living with eating disorder(s), borderline personality disorder, or have experience with self harm the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741 or call…
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This comic by Tatiana Gill was inspired by comments and stories from Health Stories Project community members who are living with mental illness. Sign up to share your experiences with Health Stories Project!
Editor’s note: If you or a loved one are living with depression the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Jennifer shares…
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Editor’s note: If you or a loved are living depression the following post could be potentially triggering. You can contact the Crisis Text Line by texting “HOME” to 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. A new project from award-winning photographer Walter Smith…
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Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was once called “multiple personality disorder.” It’s a serious, rare condition in which a person’s identity is fragmented into distinct personalities. This post about life with DID was submitted by a Health Stories Project community member. Click here to…
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Rain Blu was a young mother working as an emergency services dispatcher when she began to experience debilitating anxiety and bouts of dissociation. She’d get stuck in high panic mode for days on end. She started to wonder if she were going crazy….
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If someone you love is dealing with depression, you might feel helpless, confused, overwhelmed, hopeless, frustrated, or even angry. You simply might not know what to do. This is fairly normal, people don’t know how to help people with these issues. One of…
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For people with schizophrenia, diagnosis can be a relief — all those symptoms finally start to make sense – but also a devastating and life-altering moment. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder characterized by thoughts and experiences that are out of…
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About a month ago we published a post called Why Don’t Colleges Offer Depression 101? that received quite a few negative comments on Facebook. It was an interview with college professor, Jennifer Ganyo, about her experiences with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), the stigma…
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Health Stories Project was created to give people opportunities to share their personal health experiences and to learn from the experiences of others.