Stories

Hopelessly Bipolar
The weather is so bipolar. My sister-in-law is bipolar. My son is divorced. Well, his mother-in-law is bipolar. What can ...

Sharing My Story, Hoping for Change
" For how can I bear to see the evil which is happening to (me and) my people, and I ...

On G-d, Spirituality, Mental Health, and Suicide
Dedicated in memory of the author's sister, Susan Sarah Baron It has been a long time since I wrote anything ...

The Experience of Talking About Healing in Mental Illness
[Hello My Name Is...] Swirling snow;serpents at our heels.My body buzzes;muscles shivering. Tension crawls -beneath my skin,and my mask -begins ...

The Physical Pain of Mental Illness
Message from the author: Dear fellow sisters and brothers, I wrote the following poem to validate my shame and pain ...

From Silhouette to Songbird: Surviving Childhood Sexual Abuse
I was the one in the shadows, blending in with the wallpaper hoping no one would notice me. The silhouette ...

Metamorphosis
A caterpillar so small and slowNo one thinks he can blossom or growHe doesn't knowWhy he was created without shine ...

Letter to my Body
Dearest Precious Body, This is a long overdue letter, and I thank you for patiently waiting. I have so much ...

My Medication Meditation
Author's Note: Do you struggle with taking your meds? I did too: I hope this will help you come to ...

Living with OCD: My Time in Israel
Editor's Note: Before reading this piece, it is recommended that you read Max's first piece, "Living with OCD", for important ...

Seminary, Abuse, and My Healing Journey
My Story In the middle of a very chilly winter, I took a big step in my frum (religious) journey ...

Bias within The Medical Treatment System
I am a Pediatrician, a mother of four, and I have Bipolar 2. I was hospitalized this year for something ...

Living with OCD
“Sorry, I’m a little OCD and like to keep my room clean.” “Woah, why are you being so OCD; who ...

Why Mental Illness Hurts More than Physical Illness
I’ve had my share of both physical and mental anguish. Well, I’ve never had a physical, diagnosed illness, but I’ve ...

Why I Tell My Story
I always tell my story like this: I was born with generalized anxiety disorder: a genetic, textbook case. Because of ...

I Tried Reaching Out
I tried reaching out to you, my sister. Calling to see how you were feeling. Just a simple call that ...

I Wish You Knew
I wish you knew how hard some days are for me. I wish you knew how frustrated I feel when ...

On Therapy
Where Therapy Is Sometimes I hate therapy and what it brings up for me. I hate facing my failures, challenges, ...

Halacha Hoodwinked: How I Recognized OCD in my Religious Life
For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to stay out of trouble. I was always a good boy ...

A Journey To Understanding
Do you know why I'm this sad? So angry, and tired with life? Why I'm abusive towards myself in ways ...

The Orange
The Orange I flip a page, and then another. My eyes scan the words, desperately looking for a spark of ...

My Tisha B’Av Journey
When I mourn the Beis HaMikdash (The Temple), I find myself mourning my own losses. I know that our world is one ...

You’ll Be Okay
Poetry has, for a while, been one of my healthier coping mechanisms. Many an anxious spiral or panic attack have ...

On Not Fasting
Today is the 17th of Tammuz, and I feel guilty for not being able to fast. Most days we, as ...

But You Look So Normal!
I recently had a doctor’s appointment with a new doctor who seemed to be in a rush and did not ...

Singlehood in the Life of a Rabbinical Student
As I walk into minyan, I put down my still-steaming coffee, roll up my sleeve, and start wrapping my tefillin.*Whack* ...

Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May: A Father’s Thoughts on Physician-Assisted Suicide
For several years after my daughter was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, she regularly told me she wanted to die ...

If You Want To Understand
If you want to understand my pain Look at your children and imagine them being overwhelmed by an illness that ...

Rebuilding Myself Through Broken Glass
One of the most meaningful wedding gifts that my husband and I received was a mezuzah case that contained some ...

Waiting For a Miracle
They say it is a holiday of freedom Celebrate Remember Rejoice in redemption But I do not need to taste ...

I Don’t Want + I Want = I Will
I don’t want to feel like a fish with no water. I want to feel the water’s pulse as I ...

My High School Failed My Mental Health
I have battled depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and ADHD for much of my life. My first diagnoses came in the ...

What I Wish I Would Have Shared with my Family
I sit here like everyone else, eating our Friday night Shabbos meal which Ima (my mother) prepared for us. I ...

No Laughing Matter
A friend of mine recently posted a meme on social media about how her home sometimes feels like an insane ...

A King in Kingsville, a Prince in Pain
Author's Note: I write this piece from an awareness of how necessary it is to admit my struggle with mental ...

First Experiences with Psychiatry
I don't know anybody who is as happy as I am tonight, as I sit down to google and try ...

What is Depression (a poem)
Depression is crying all day, filling a daily bucket that must be emptied. Depression is checking for messages, waiting for ...

My OCD Intrusive Thoughts
Gripping thoughts, Haunt my mind.Causing me,To act in kind.Why are they so intrusive,Bossing me around.Forcing me to be immoral,Why ...

Understanding My Bipolar 2
They say normal is a setting on the washing machine. My normal is a constant swing from feeling irritable, and ...

Depression Daydreams
When Depression Overwhelms Me I was hearing loud noises and seeing bright lights swirling in different colors. I felt like ...

I Wish I Could Have Told You This Before You Killed Yourself
Today’s been, long. A 16-year-old in my community ended her life yesterday. It makes me sad for her. Sad for ...

Bringing The Inside Out – My Story
Happy on The Outside, Struggling on The Inside I had a wonderful, happy childhood: I loved school and camp, and ...

Mental Health Antibodies
Over the past several months, words and terms which were hardly ever used by the common person have all of ...

Trauma (a poem)
Loosely definedDeeply disturbingIn my mindPerpetually hurting Furthermore, Psychoanalysis dissectsPicks at the psycheEntitles intellectConforming clinically But I, Vitally dissolveTerminology abusePositively dis-involveDiagnostic ...

The High Holidays Trigger My Depression
My first eating-disordered thought that led to my relapse happened on Rosh Hashana last year. This spiraled into a full-blown ...

Empty Chairs at Empty Tables
I'll always remember the first panic attack that I experienced in reaction to my child's mental health issues. Don't get ...

On Moving Past
when you are a new arrival to the mental health world, the road is long, the night is dark. it's ...

Dear Bipolar
You came into my life when I was all of seventeen years old. You wreaked havoc on my simple and ...

The Megillas Eicha for Those with Mental Illness
Living in the world of trauma and mental illness, I have a special place in my heart for Tisha B'Av ...

I Kept an Anxiety Journal for a Month, and Now I Can’t Stop Laughing
I’m an anxious person. Actually, let me rephrase that. I’m a very anxious person. I worry about anything and everything ...

Sexaholics Anonymous
Editor's Note: This piece contains descriptions of the author's Sexaholism symptoms in general terms, which some readers may find uncomfortable ...

Happy Birthday To Me
I just recently turned 22. A birthday is always a good time to stop and reflect on the previous year ...

NBC’s This is Us: Randall’s Not Okay
When I first started watching This Is Us, I immediately fell in love with the relatable and compelling storyline: the ...

To Cover or Not to Cover Self-Harm Scars?
Every morning when I get dressed (especially in the summer), I have a battle in my head, pondering this dilemma: ...

The Anniversary That Nearly Wasn’t
PART 1: Today, I had an anniversary. It wasn’t a wedding anniversary or friendaversary. It wasn’t one of the “six ...

A Bitter Pill To Swallow
Editor’s Note: There is more to the stigma of psychiatric medication than one may think: There are the stigmas of ...

A Night In The Life of Anorexia Part 2: Living In The Jewish World
Editor's Note: This is part two of a two-part post. The first part discussed the tribulations of the author making ...

Autism Mental Health
It is understood today that people with autism are a common part of life. What isn't understood is how they ...

Illness, Not Weakness
Dear World: There are so many things I wish I could tell you, but I don’t out of fear that ...

Piercing The Stigma of Psychiatric Hospitals
We all have heard, in some form or another, the horrors that occur within the walls of the psychiatric unit ...

A Daughter’s Story
I remember just staring. Staring at her so helplessly. They don't teach you in kindergarten how to deal with your ...

Searching For Godliness After My Sexual Assault
Editor's Note: For victims of sexual assault, the recovery includes mentally healing in addition to physically healing. The following is ...

Panic Attack
I couldn’t catch my breath. “It’s all in my head,” I told myself. “I just need to relax, take a ...

My First Siren
Editor's Note: In addition to inflicting physical damage, the goal of the recurring missile attacks on Israel from the neighboring ...

View From a Mom
I Didn't Know It started with small things. My daughter would take a nail clipper and pick at her skin ...

Removing The Mask From Postpartum Depression
Being postpartum is a confusing experience. You’re overwhelmed by mazal tov texts, calls, and visits, recovering from labor and delivery, ...

A Night In The Life of Anorexia Part 1: Surviving The Night
Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part post. The first part, below, discusses the tribulations of the author ...

I Was Wrong About Therapy
I remember my first day in treatment... I walked into the group therapy room, and I couldn't stop crying. I ...

Releasing The Chains
I stand there, pacing along the length of my bathroom. I can feel the cool tile on my bare feet, ...

On Being One Year Clean
One year ago, I was covered with bruises and cuts that never seemed to heal. One year ago, I was ...

A Letter To My Family and Community About Mental Illness and Isolation
Author's Note: I’m a single girl in my mid-twenties struggling with mental illness. I’ve struggled with mental illness nearly all ...

I Should Have
Editor’s Note: The following is written by a brave and determined girl describing her experiences trying to make sense of ...

Take Me Home
Post-Miscarriage I wrote this after I had a miscarriage that triggered some strange mental health symptoms. I was having extreme ...

Editorial: I’m In Your Corner
People often ask me why. Why do I put myself out there, on the frontlines of mental health advocacy, disregarding ...

Dear Instagram World
What's Not in The Picture See this picture I just posted? Me, out with friends, celebrating my birthday, laughing, looking ...

Song: I Believe in You
I’d like to share something close to my heart. I’ve struggled with mental health all my life. I’ve had long ...

My Dear Brother
My Dear Brother, Words cannot express the pain I feel as you go through these tough times. I remember the ...

OCD Stigma
I’m embarrassed. I have been embarrassed for a long time because of the stigma surrounding mental health, and I still ...

I Will Get Up
Author's Note: Upon graduation, each senior must write and deliver a speech on a given topic. This year’s was growth ...

My Trip to The Mental Hospital
Going to a psychiatric hospital, or mental hospital as I refer to it doesn’t mean you’re “crazy” (whatever “crazy” means) ...

Are You My Mother?
Sometimes, a book can provide the clarity needed to understand one's life. I discovered the story of my life in ...

Hidden Sorrows
I live with a sorrow that is buried deep inside that I competently hide most of the time. My life ...

Two Sisters Clearing The One Bedroom
Sifting through the detritus of his life how much stuff there can be in a one bedroom we curse and ...

Your World
I couldn’t live in your world exist in the shadows where you dwell your reality covered in mist like a ...

Black and White Photo, 1953
Older brother first born, golden child cosseted and loved posed on the front steps shining brightly reflecting hopes and dreams ...

My Brother’s Keeper
I call you on the phone every few months fulfilling my duty with my uh-huhs you are verbose and tell ...

My Mental Illness Does Not Take a Vacation
It's pretty easy to count the challenges I face, battling through each day with anxiety, depression, and Sensory Processing Disorder ...

Editorial: Two Key Questions for Those with Mental Illness
I am often asked how I moved past being in the weeds of mental illness. How did I learn to ...

Emotions Matter
Push away; push away. Exile my emotions as far away as they will go. "They aren’t there,” I insist. Push ...

Carrying The Yolk of Your Friend
When I was young, I was selfish, narcissistic even. I thought the world revolved around me. Yet, within that self-centered ...

Editorial: Secrecy Kills
As a society, we have an initiative in which we try to remove killers. One way we achieve this is ...

To Hear or Here, That is The Question: Detailing my Battle with ADP
As you know, my name is Eliana Sidlow. I am 18 years old. What you don't know is that I ...

If You DON’T Have a Mental Illness, It is Critical That You Read This Article
I am about to tell you why you should NOT care at all about mental illness. Yes, you read that ...

What’s Under The Mask?
The mask I wear is a pretty thick one. My mask is so intricate that no one would ever perceive ...

BMI- Body Mass Index (My-Body My Image)
How Society Views Women As a four-year-old, I vividly remember myself wishing to look as marvelous as Disney female characters ...

Addiction, Acceptance, Approval
Below is a poem about addiction. I know there are many many angles to view addiction from, but I'm coming from ...

Dear Suicide
Dear Suicide, We’ve known each other for a long time. I’d say going on 20 years. We have quite the ...

Anxiety Attacks Even The Brightest Moments
My name is unimportant. My exact age is too. Just because I'm sure you're curious, I'm in my late teens, ...

One Year Later: Reflecting on my Mental Illness Diagnosis
I was diagnosed with depression a few weeks after my 17th birthday. The months leading up to my diagnosis had ...

Anxiety Doesn’t Need to Have a Deep Meaning
Here are some things you should know about me: I am 18 years old. I love to sing, draw, find random ...

Depression and DBT: Now I Break The Silence
I listened to a lot of music when I had depression, and played a lot of word games on my ...

Peace of Mind
Ever since I was little, I've been a positive person. As I grew up, I became capable of some degree ...

Making A Difference Together
I’ll tell you a secret: My real name is not Bruce Wayne. I’m not a billionaire who lives in a ...

We Are All Responsible: Break The Silence On Mental Illness
Therapy therapy therapy therapy therapy. I am an Orthodox Jew who goes to therapy. Maybe if I keep repeating the ...