I Didn’t Know It started with small things. My daughter would take a nail clipper and pick at her skin. I didn’t know that was considered cutting. She was a sweet girl but from the time she was young, occasionally she seemed so negative. I didn’t know that was considered depression. We had her in Read More …
May is Mental Health Month. It is also a time of counting the omer, the 49 day, 7 week period of self-improvement, between Pesach and Shavuos. Both Mental Health Month and the omer period highlight the importance of treating each other properly and caution that our failure to do so may be fatal. Read More …
Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part post. The first part, below, discusses the tribulations of the author making it through a night with anorexia, OCD and suicidal ideation. The second part, which can be found here, discusses the author’s experiences in superficial Jewish culture as a demonstration of how Jewish society fosters Read More …
What is your time worth to you? I ask because it is my unfortunate position to be the one to inform many of you that you are getting about ten cents on the dollar for your time. I am speaking to those of you who in looking to be a difference maker got involved with Read More …
I stand there, pacing along the length of my bathroom. I can feel the cool tile on my bare feet, and the sweatpants that I have had since middle school drape along my legs. I stop walking and look in the mirror. My face is red and baby hairs that do not fit in my Read More …
One year ago, I was covered with bruises and cuts that never seemed to heal. One year ago, I was living off of one hundred calories maximum per day. One year ago, I was weak, cold, tired, sore, and sad every moment of every day. One year ago, I decided to finally start to turn Read More …
Editor’s Note: The following is written by a brave and determined girl describing her experiences trying to make sense of everything after returning home following a suicide attempt. The detail is important and lifelike. She wants to make sure nobody has to feel alone and to send a message about what people need who are Read More …
What’s Not in The Picture See this picture I just posted? Me, out with friends, celebrating my birthday, laughing, looking cute, appearing that I am fine. No sign of an illness. But what you don’t see is the anxiety I was paralyzed with moments before my friends came to pick me up. Was Read More …
The following piece was selected as one of the winners of this year’s Refuat Hanefesh Creative Expression Contest. Age group: College And Up. It has been lightly edited. When I came back from my first stay at an inpatient hospital, I was scared to leave my house. I was scared of the questions people would Read More …