Mental Health Stories and Tips From Patients

What it means to be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP), and why it matters to understand as much as possible about this trait.

What does it mean to be mentally ill? How many people suffer from this ailment? It’s more common than you think.

Many twins suffer from separation anxiety. Written by a twin, this article provides tips for how to cope with this anxiety.

I never believed I could quit smoking. I was wrong.

Support groups can be a helpful tool for people experiencing a difficult life struggle. Here are some things to look for in a good support group.

As a highly sensitive person, I regularly scour the Internet and bookshops for more material that may shed light on this wonderful gift we highly sensitive people know as the HSP trait.

The Food Network and their stars were there for me through some very hard times. It helped me cope with difficult times and learn how to show love and taught me a very important skill that was key for my survival.

I was invincible! I was determined, unstoppable, and with energy to spare. Then, it all came crashing down around me. In this article, I discuss my experience with cyclothymia, including my symptoms and treatment.

Do you have a friend with misophonia, or a sensitivity to certain sounds? Here are some tips to be a good, supportive friend to them, from a misophonia-sufferer.

Stuck in anger, shame or guilt? Stuck in a negative emotion? This book might help. Learn to process negative emotions.

I was finally motivated to quit smoking not because of health concerns but because of sheer vanity and self-interest. Here are five good reasons to quit that you may not have considered.

Living with and being supportive of a person with PTSD can be one of the most difficult things you will ever experience. My ex-girlfriend can attest to that.

Studies show that it may take several attempts to successfully kick the smoking habit. For one person it may take only 5 quits to succeed; for another, it may take 10. For me, it was more than that.

Why does my face turn red at the most inopportune times? Is there any way I can stop, or am I doomed to spend the rest of my life hearing, "Oh, she's blushing?" Written by a fellow frequent-blusher.

Have you ever wondered how to fake confidence for a job interview, first date or just in general when you suffer from anxiety? Here's my tips for acting more outwardly secure, even when I don't feel that way inside.

I am most often a watcher not a participant but alike a tiny computer I digest images and vocal tones. I am intuitive, empathetic, an introvert, and highly analytical. These are qualities that are often present in shy individuals. There are detrimental aspects of shyness but there are also benefits

Do you still dwell on a comment someone made to you years ago? Are you still wondering whether you were in the wrong by acting as you did, even years later? Well, I can tell you why, and how to stop.

My life with OCD, and the tips and tricks I use to control it.

Here is the life of someone with anxiety. It's written by someone who was diagnosed with high-functioning anxiety.

Revenge is a powerful drive, possibly second only to success—and success is the best revenge, so they say. Here are some therapeutic (and safe) ways to work through revenge.

Wondering if online therapy is an effective way to seek counseling? Here's my experience talking to a therapist using BetterHelp.

Sometimes depression means feeling too much and other times it means the inability to feel anything but numb. As somone who embraced a whole body approach to begin healing from severe depression, I explore the problem of apathy in this article.

Panic attacks are much more than just feeling stressed or afraid. They also affect each person differently. This is an account of what panic attacks were like for me, and how I managed to overcome them.

I suffered from social anxiety since puberty. As an adult, I took an anti-anxiety drug for seven years. I now regret taking it for so long, and I want to promote ways to overcome anxiety without drugs.

There are many ways to understand depression. The allegory of Plato's cave can illustrate depression's devastating impact, as well as a pathway toward recovery. For me, this is a personal story.

Anxiety is more common than you think; a lot of people are diagnosed with panic disorder. However, speaking from experience, there are simple ways to reduce your anxiety. I'll share my experience and suggestions with you in this article.

These are the strategies I use to cope with lack of motivation when I am experiencing a major depressive episode.

Do you have a loved one who is an alcoholic? Understand the nature of alcoholism, as well as your codependent role. I write from personal experience, having lived both sides of the equation.

It is very difficult watching a loved one struggle with an addiction, especially an eating disorder. While they first need to want to help themselves, there are ways you can help a friend with anorexia or bulimia, regardless of where they are in recovery.

This is a true story about my young friend who died from methamphetamine use. Hopefully, this story will save someone else's life. I've provided a helpful list of the signs and symptoms of someone using meth and how to get help.

These are the steps I took to finally quit smoking for good—after eight failed attempts.

Borderline personality disorder is probably one of the least understood mental illnesses. I hope sharing my experience can help you gain a better understanding of BPD.

The messages you believe about yourself are powerful. With clinical depression, many people get caught in an endless cycle of negative self-talk that only makes their symptoms worse. The good news is that you can challenge those faulty assumptions and turn your life around for good.

Do you ever feel bummed out or just downright depressed when Christmas is over? I know I feel a little sad when all the festivities have passed. Ways to lift our moods once the holidays have passed.

Many assumptions are made about therapy, which can cause people who could benefit from the service to distrust it. This article will attempt to dissuade the negative mindset surrounding how therapy fits into the mental health industry.

My father was a compulsive gambler. This article is about how loved ones can protect themselves from the ravages of a gambling addiction.

Bipolar disorder is more than difficult for the person diagnosed with the disorder, but it is often not discussed that it may be even harder on their family and friends. There are ways to cope with someone who is bipolar.

A look at the latest research on the effects of childhood bullying that can last into adulthood, as well as my own story as a bullying survivor.

Prior to 1995, I thought I would be hooked on cigarettes until the end of my life. This article is the story of how I miraculously quit smoking.

Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a medical condition involving unpredictable, uncontrollable episodes of laughter, tears, or both. It involves a mismatch between feelings and outward emotional displays.

When you're feeling anxious, you don't need someone to pet you or roll their eyes at you. Sometimes, the quickest way home is just for someone to act like you are normal because somewhere inside you are, and it helps to be reminded of what that feels like.

I want to share my experience with Trichotillomania to show myself and my fellow trichsters that we are not alone. Most importantly, I want to start a discussion based on experience that can help all of us trichsters find solutions together!

Depression turns us inward and cuts us off from genuine connection with others. Finding faith and deciding to live passionately helps to propel us outwards towards dynamic service to others.

Learn how to stop drinking alcohol for a month, regain control of your consumption, and improve your well-being.

Alcoholism is not just an addiction, it's a disease. A disease of the brain. And just like with any other disease, it develops and progresses over time if left untreated. Drinking excessively is indicative of alcohol-dependency and could be diagnosed as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Electronic cigarette, e-cig, and vapor cigarette are common names for a personal vaporizer that allows one to smoke without the health hazards of regular cigarettes.

Hypomania may not appear as extreme as classic mania, but it is still a symptom of bipolar disorder and can often precede a period of depression. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to identify hypomania and distinguish it from normal, healthy happiness.

From the time I was a small child, I experienced bouts of depression, or "the plague," as I always thought of it. When I was a child, those dark days were worse than any boogey-man.

Are drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes ruling your life? Have you tried quitting only to pick back up again -- even though you really, really want to stop? Stop beating yourself up. You are not a failure. You're an addict.

The seven deadly sins and gambling go together perfectly. Learn how gambling addiction progresses through each of the seven stages of sin.

Have you recently quit smoking? Do you think you may slip up and start again? I have some tips that may help you along the way.

A true story based on my experience living with a bipolar mother. Contains graphic content.

Prosopagnosia is a disorder that makes it difficult to recognize faces. I have this condition. This article is based on my research to understand it better.

“How do you think that makes ME feel?” That’s how most of us react when someone smaller than us complains about their body. How insulting, and more importantly, how should you respond?

Recently, I approached my doctor about taking some stress leave from my job. I was given 12 weeks of stress leave and used the time to clean, exercise, work on projects, and try new things.

Are you feeling scared about going to work because you're anxious there? You're not alone! Here's some quick tips for dealing with anxiety before and during work.

350 million people worldwide suffer from depression—that equates to roughly 7% in the United States. Chances are you have loved and even lived with someone who's had experience with depression.

Smokeless tobacco is a tough habit to give up, but it can be done!

Emetophobia, the fear of throwing up, is the fifth most common phobia in the world. A mother shares her daughter's journey through this paralyzing fear and how, eventually through exposure therapy, her daughter finds relief and hope to pursue her dreams.

An in-depth insight into anorexia nervosa—a life-threatening eating disorder that attacks the body mentally, physically, and spiritually. Written by someone who struggles with the disease.

Depression in midlife women often looks much different than it does in younger women. Here's what I have learned from personal experience.

Read about my experience with dissociation, including an explanation of what dissociation is, how I diagnosed myself, and my road to recovery.

Overusing nasal decongestant sprays may actually cause more congestion rather than relieving it. This is how I developed an addiction to Afrin and how I was able to stop using it.

I am a shy person and have improved a lot with the simple techniques discussed here. If you are shy and aren't sure what to do, please read on...

Anxiety has stopped me doing so many things; then I noticed that those things might have helped me cope with my anxiety, and therefore I'm trapped in an endless cycle. But recently I decided to push through the initial 'I can't' to determine if that is really true.

When Al-Anon members do their Ninth Step amends, they often have to apologize and change their behavior towards the alcoholics in their life, as well as towards friends and family members. It is not as hard as you may have feared. Find out how to get started.

Sometimes a Highly Sensitive Person gets overstimulated by even simple and small things. Here are a few examples—as well as some tips to deal with this challenge.

How alcoholism damaged my family and marriage.

Depression is common, especially among those with early traumatic experiences. Unfortunately, the emotional pain of life can sometimes cause people to seek comfort through something like drugs or food that quickly becomes an addiction. Treating the addiction first is often necessary.

Quitting smoking is just the beginning. Staying quit is much harder. Here are the tips and tricks that helped me stay off cigarettes and quit smoking permanently. I hope they will help you, too.

If you are a highly sensitive person (HSP), you may have faced a variety of struggles with work. This article examines some of the challenges and difficulties HSPs face at work and why they exist.

Noise can be a source of great distress and frustration for an HSP. This article explores some of the ways we can manage the noise input around us.

After spending a week back home alone catching up with DIY projects and gardening, I would like to share some of my hurdles and how I overcame them.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide. While medication helps many people, it's not for everyone. These three tips help me manage my symptoms in times of stress.

Social anxiety can affect all aspects of your life—but it can be overcome. Many sufferers turn to anxiety medication, although this isn't the only option to consider.

Serious clinical depression affects the mind, body, spirit, and every aspect of a person's life. This article explores how exercise can aid in recovery.

Living with borderline personality disorder is extremely painful and confusing, and it is a topic everyone should approach with tact and understanding. This article sheds light on the topic from a personal perspective, while providing important information on the disorder itself.

Highly Sensitive Persons (or HSPs) make up 15% of the population. Learn about the joys and challenges of living with this trait.

Have you ever had a panic attack? Do you think you could be having one now? Panic attacks are characterized by dysphoria and can happen anywhere and at any time. There is usually an underlying cause or trigger. It's important that you figure out what is causing your stress in order to treat it.

Not all drugs or treatments effect people the same way. In this case, taking dexamethasone as part of my chemo treatment led to symptoms of depression.

Each person experiences trauma differently. When it occurs within a family, it can shake your foundation, affect you on a daily basis, and even impact generations of family members in the future until someone decides to heal it.

As highly sensitive people, we sense everything—though we might not always want to. At those times when we need to retreat but can't, are we at risk of developing social anxiety?

Nicotine gum and lozenges can be useful when you're trying to quit smoking, but they can create a new, hard-to-kick addiction themselves. Are you addicted?

The love affair between bipolar and fatigue is overwhelming to the person living with this condition, as well as to everyone around him or her.

A skinny woman's battle with stereotypes. How American culture makes being thin synonymous with anorexia. "Skinny girls have no right to complain."

Have you been fighting your panic disorder for years without success? Learn how I overcame it and you can too.

What a lot of people don't want to talk about, and what your doctor won't tell you. Xanax addiction is serious, and so are the withdrawal symptoms. Here I share my experience.

Having a bipolar dad can feel like a total rollercoaster of emotion as you fare the mania and depression of your parent. Here's how I handled living with my own bipolar dad until my mid-twenties.

You don't have to lose your fight with depression. You can make changes every day to improve both your life and the lives of those around you.

I have been taking the antidepressant Fluoxetine for 1 year now. Here is my experience with the medication and how it has affected my depression symptoms.

A travel phobia can limit a person's life to a great degree. Are you scared to use public transportation?

As the daughter of an emotionally absent mother, I've struggled with sadness and anxiety most of my life. After taking anti-depressants for 7 years, I was ready to get off the medication and take control of my own well-being. By embracing my inner child, I finally found peace and joy.

Anxiety can make us insomniac. If you can't sleep because of anxiety, read on for a few simple tips on how to get some zzz's. These are the techniques that work for me.

Highly sensitive people often struggle with friendships and relationships. This article explores where the difficulties arise and offers thoughts on how an HSP can form more lasting friendships.

Highly sensitive people make up 15-20% of the population, which translates to millions of people. Why then are they so widely misunderstood? Here are 25 gifts HSPs share with the world.

My anxiety will probably look different than yours. That's a promise.

During my time as a psychiatric patient, I was subject to all levels of prescribed safety measures put in place to reduce my risk of being successful in suicide. Here, I try to explain how these felt more like punishments and how unjust this felt when I had committed no crime.

Trying to understand an alcoholic is an impossible task for most non-alcoholics. I used to be an alcoholic, and in this article I will attempt to take you inside the mind of someone who is dependent.

Podophobia, or the fear of bare feet, affects many people. Learn about the symptoms of and treatment for this phobia.