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Surviving the Bed Shortage in Mental Health Treatment Facilities: A Teenager’s Experience
This is an unprecedented crisis in mental health facilities — and it needs to be addressed. -
Clinging to Hope During My Son’s Battle with Addiction
"I have found in my years as a mother, blind faith is better than no faith." -
Overcoming Barriers to Recovery
"When we band together as a set of people with lived experiences and allies within the community, we can change public opinion on substance use disorders and recovery. Together, we can move from shame to celebration and become a powerful, positive force for lasting recovery." -
Showing Strength in the Face of Mental Illness
"After three decades of battling my brain, I thought it was time for me to do something to help people understand. That’s why I decided last year to use my annual PlanksGiving event to support mental health advocacy and NAMI." -
Substance Use Carries Mental Health Risks—Yes, Even Marijuana
"We know serious mental illness and substance use disorders often co-occur. And I believe there is room for researching the medical potential of marijuana’s components. But pretending that marijuana is a harmless substance is not the way to help our loved ones." -
You Can’t Always See an Eating Disorder
"Eating disorders can cause weight gain, weight loss or they can have no effect on weight at all. And all these eating disorder diagnoses are valid; one does not have to 'look sick' to be struggling."
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Reshaping My Relationship with Myself
"As a dancer, my world has always been full of mixed messages about bodies. The 'ballerina body' was often discussed, and attaining that body type was a goal for many. As I got serious about dance, I felt pressure to change my body." -
Recovery Took Me More Than One Try
In this year alone, I’ve had a suicide attempt, a drug overdose accompanied with a felony possession charge, a reckless driving conviction, a DUI conviction, I lost my job, and a host of other difficult situations.
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Imperfectly Perfect
For so many years of my life, my greatest wish was to not exist… I believed that my feelings of hopelessness, shame, and guilt were all of my own doing. It was all my fault.