Written by Tea Jay. There's a lot of things I have to do because of my mental illness. I have to make sure to take my medications to insure that I will be stable. I have to keep my drinking to a minimum because alcohol can be a catalyst for episodes. I have to [...]

Written by Tea Jay. It came on suddenly. Suicidal thoughts had been lingering for weeks now, but I had no actual plan to attempt to take my life. Then, just like that, something switched. Nothing in the world mattered. I was slipping into darkness and I was allowing it to take me. I was [...]

Written by Tea Jay. I didn't always like medications. In fact, I spent the majority of my life protesting them. I started taking medications for my ADHD diagnosis; a diagnosis that I would later find out in my twenties was completely bogus (I have come to find out I have BPD with Dissociative Amnesia). [...]

Written by Tea Jay. I have spent my whole life trying to be normal. I just want to fit in, and blend with the crowd. Unfortunately for me, I'm out of the ordinary, because I am the 1 in 5 adults with mental illness in the United States. My life is all about management [...]

Written by Tea Jay. Medications have been a part of my life for 13 years. I haven't always taken them as prescribed, and at some points I just haven't even taken them. Now, I'm in a good place with my medications. My anti-psychotics and I have a good relationship. But some people, including those [...]

Written by Tea Jay. For a long time I had issues with my anxiety; I still do. Anxiety is something that rules my life. It has made me look like a fool, and do stupid things, and it's made me miss out on opportunities and trapped me in bed. Anxiety can be a real [...]

Written by Tea Jay. I was first diagnosed with ADHD; that diagnosis was bogus and it turns out I have Borderline Personality Disorder with Dissociative episodes. My original diagnosis came in the 7th grade when my teachers couldn't stand how spacey I was in class. My parents took me to my pediatrician and they [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. My father used to say if you could count all your true friends on one hand, consider yourself the luckiest person in the world. I never really believed it in my younger years, being the girl with a million friends. Recently, however, his advice has been very important after a [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. The quirky friend and the villain; these are the two stereotypes we commonly see in movies with characters who have a mental illness. Girls who have mental illness in romantic comedies are often seen as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Manic Pixie Dream Girls are quirky and fun. They’re often [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. I'm a pretty happy person...for someone with severe depression. That being said I'm still very sad for most of the time. It's not my fault that I'm sick. But it will be my fault when I show up to happy events acting the way I feel. So a lot of [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. There are a lot of relationship milestones that can seem kind of intimidating. The first date, the first kiss, the first time saying I love you. However, for me, there's one relationship milestone that terrifies me. That is, the first time I disclose my mental illness.   I know it's [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. Lately mental illness has been in the news...however it's not always in the best light. Lately I've been seeing a lot of reports concerning mental health in relation to the mass shootings that have taken place. And quite frankly, I'm really sick of it.   There's a lot I could [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. I have been mentally ill my whole life. For as long as I can remember I've been struggling with psychotic episodes, panic attacks, depression periods, and so much more. My life is ruled by mental illness. Although I try not to let it define me, I try not to be [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. There has to be more than life than this. There has to be more to life than this crippling anxiety and this deep, dark depression. There has to be more to life than my mental illness.    Yet it seems like my mental illness always consumes me.   Yet it seems [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. I'm a people pleaser. It's hard for me to say no to others. I believe in the good in people. When I make friends I'm hoping it's for life, and if I call you family that means you matter so much to me I couldn't stand to live without you. [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. The summer of 2014 hit me like a ton of bricks. I was in serious treatment for my mental health. I was at my lowest of the low. And just when it seemed like it couldn't get any worse, my hero, Robin Williams, died by suicide. I was a wreck. [...]

Written by Taylor Nicole. I have been out of the mental health closet for two years now; I had to be, as a mental health advocate. It was weird not telling people what I was passionate about and not sharing my blog posts. I'm a very open person and I felt like I was [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. I hate my self harm scars. Every time I see the now faint lines it brings me back to that moment. The moment where my life didn't matter anymore and all I could think about was hurting myself. Those scars bring me back to a mindset I once had. I [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. "Did you take your meds today?" This question used to make me cringe. Every time I was acting out of the ordinary my mother would ask me this. The truth was, I wasn't taking my medications regularly. She was in the right to ask me this. But it still annoyed [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. When I was adopted at the age of seven my parents didn't quite know what to expect. When I first met them at the age of six they didn't know who to expect. My parents expected me to have a good life; that was easily managed. They cared deeply about [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. Every month at my local grocery store there is a promotion for the pharmacy where you can raise money for the month and whatever illness has association with that month. I was excited for May, being (among many things) Mental Health Awareness Month. I was hoping that my pharmacy would [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. I think there's a point in everyone's life where they think about what life would be like without a mental illness. I too, have thought of this question. So here's my question today; if you could take a magic pill to cure yourself of mental illness, would you?   Why [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. Depressed mornings are always the hardest for me. I'm tired; I don't want to get out of bed for the life of me. I wish I didn't wake up from my slumber, and I have no motivation to go on throughout my day. I want to curl up and stay [...]

Written by Taylor Jones. When I first was diagnosed with a mental illness I thought my life is over. Everything had to change. I couldn't drink anymore because of my medications, I couldn't stay up late in case it altered my moods. I had to be cautious of the way I was acting, and [...]