Suicidal thoughts are common among teens and young adults. If we can identify and support young people who are experiencing mental health symptoms, including thinking about suicide, we have an opportunity to help prevent tragedy.
Planning ahead with your loved, staying calm and knowing what to say to police are the best ways to help your loved one make it through a crisis.
I’ve been living in Los Angeles and working in West Hollywood, LA’s gay neighborhood, for 10 years. In that time, I’ve unfortunately known far too many people who have overdosed from drugs or alcohol or who have died by suicide. Recently, I was told a young man I once...
I always felt that there was something different about me, but I was too afraid to face it. If I had known what I do now, I could have easily skipped the dark years, which involved lots of self-destruction with heavy drug usage and self-harm.
Like many who have social media accounts, I regularly check my timelines and feeds for intriguing articles, updates and happenings. Two years ago, I was mindlessly scrolling through one of my accounts before going to bed and one post immediately stood out among the rest...
Ashamed and made guilty by my diagnosis and bad habits, I felt like I hit the bottom of a valley. I got stuck and felt like I was sinking into quicksand with no way out.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe, unstable mood swings, impulsivity and instability, poor self-image and stormy relationships.
I first experienced mania during my sophomore year of college. My highs were mountaintop experiences filled with euphoria, drama, risky behavior, gambling, substance use and poor judgment calls. Mania is intoxicating and can feel like a force binding all your physicality ...
Confident. Capable. Honest. Expressive. Invincible. These were my defining characteristics as a 17-year-old junior in high school in 1995. I played Anna in “The King and I,” ran cross-country and participated in bands and choirs, among other things. Then, I had a manic ...
I am 54 years old and I struggled with the intense pain and chaos of borderline personality disorder for decades…I felt that I was too old to heal.
A new study has found that people who believe in a higher power are more responsive to short-term treatment of depression.
I was two hours away from home in a hospital where I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I was relieved, but scared because I had only heard horrible things about this condition.
NAMI believes that gun violence is a public health crisis that endangers the life, safety and mental health of people throughout the U.S. NAMI supports laws and public policies that promote the safe storage of firearms to prevent unwanted use and self-harm.
I hit rock bottom and I hit it hard. The most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do was make my way back up.
Many of us living with autism are left feeling trapped when our instincts and behaviors don’t fit into the narrow confines of what is deemed “normal.”
If you are thinking of harming yourself or others, or are having thoughts of suicide, d on’t be afraid to speak openly and honestly if you need help. You are not alone and there is support available.
Selfish. Manipulative. Untreatable. Clingy. This is how people (even mental health professionals) describe those who live with Borderline Personality Disorder ( BPD ). But considering what a person experiencing BPD deals with daily, these labels aren’t fair. “People with...
The summer going into my junior year of high school, I started to feel different…A month or two after being diagnosed, the thoughts came. I had a plan to end my life.
It’s like flicking on a light switch. If you’ve struggled with your mental health, then you know what I’m talking about. Triggers. And once the light is on, sometimes you feel like you’re suddenly flying the Millennium Falcon, and you don’t know what you’re doing or how to t...
I still find it difficult to do a lot of things, but as the weather warms up and the sun comes out, I find myself smiling. Recovery is hard, but it’s worth it.