I’m jealous of those with smooth skin, not on their faces but everywhere else. Clean flesh, delicate, never maimed. My ...

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

" For how can I bear to see the evil which is happening to (me and) my people, and I ...

Dedicated in memory of the author's sister, Susan Sarah Baron It has been a long time since I wrote anything ...

[Hello My Name Is...] Swirling snow;serpents at our heels.My body buzzes;muscles shivering. Tension crawls -beneath my skin,and my mask -begins ...

Message from the author: Dear fellow sisters and brothers, I wrote the following poem to validate my shame and pain ...

I was the one in the shadows, blending in with the wallpaper hoping no one would notice me. The silhouette ...

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

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

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

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

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

I am a Pediatrician, a mother of four, and I have Bipolar 2. I was hospitalized this year for something ...

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

In the prison called my mind, grey clouds of mush rush up against one another, thundering loudly above my eyes ...

I’ve had my share of both physical and mental anguish. Well, I’ve never had a physical, diagnosed illness, but I’ve ...

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

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

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

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

For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to stay out of trouble. I was always a good boy ...

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

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

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

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

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

I recently had a doctor’s appointment with a new doctor who seemed to be in a rush and did not ...

As I walk into minyan, I put down my still-steaming coffee, roll up my sleeve, and start wrapping my tefillin.*Whack* ...

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 my pain Look at your children and imagine them being overwhelmed by an illness that ...

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

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

I don’t want to feel like a fish with no water. I want to feel the water’s pulse as I ...

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

I sit here like everyone else, eating our Friday night Shabbos meal which Ima (my mother) prepared for us. I ...

A friend of mine recently posted a meme on social media about how her home sometimes feels like an insane ...

Author's Note: I write this piece from an awareness of how necessary it is to admit my struggle with mental ...

I never thought I’d be here. I’ve always had a ‘Type A’ personality. As a student, I was an over ...

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

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

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 ...

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

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

Today’s been, long. A 16-year-old in my community ended her life yesterday. It makes me sad for her. Sad for ...

Happy on The Outside, Struggling on The Inside I had a wonderful, happy childhood: I loved school and camp, and ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in the world of trauma and mental illness, I have a special place in my heart for Tisha B'Av ...

I’m an anxious person. Actually, let me rephrase that. I’m a very anxious person. I worry about anything and everything ...

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

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

When I first started watching This Is Us, I immediately fell in love with the relatable and compelling storyline: the ...

Every morning when I get dressed (especially in the summer), I have a battle in my head, pondering this dilemma: ...

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

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

Editor's Note: This is part two of a two-part post. The first part discussed the tribulations of the author making ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Being postpartum is a confusing experience. You’re overwhelmed by mazal tov texts, calls, and visits, recovering from labor and delivery, ...

Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part post. The first part, below, discusses the tribulations of the author ...

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

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

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

Author's Note: I’m a single girl in my mid-twenties struggling with mental illness. I’ve struggled with mental illness nearly all ...

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

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

People often ask me why. Why do I put myself out there, on the frontlines of mental health advocacy, disregarding ...

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

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

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

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

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

you regale me with how you solved the crisis du jour your theories and declarations nonsensical my own mind spins ...

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

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

Sifting through the detritus of his life how much stuff there can be in a one bedroom we curse and ...

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

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

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

It's pretty easy to count the challenges I face, battling through each day with anxiety, depression, and Sensory Processing Disorder ...

I am often asked how I moved past being in the weeds of mental illness. How did I learn to ...

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

When I was young, I was selfish, narcissistic even. I thought the world revolved around me. Yet, within that self-centered ...

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

As you know, my name is Eliana Sidlow. I am 18 years old. What you don't know is that I ...

I am about to tell you why you should NOT care at all about mental illness. Yes, you read that ...

The mask I wear is a pretty thick one. My mask is so intricate that no one would ever perceive ...

How Society Views Women As a four-year-old, I vividly remember myself wishing to look as marvelous as Disney female characters ...

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

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

My name is unimportant. My exact age is too. Just because I'm sure you're curious, I'm in my late teens, ...

I was diagnosed with depression a few weeks after my 17th birthday. The months leading up to my diagnosis had ...

Here are some things you should know about me: I am 18 years old. I love to sing, draw, find random ...

I listened to a lot of music when I had depression, and played a lot of word games on my ...

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

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

Therapy therapy therapy therapy therapy. I am an Orthodox Jew who goes to therapy. Maybe if I keep repeating the ...