Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Psyche.
The Moment I Haven't Been Waiting on...
The moment that I’ve been dreading since August 2009 is coming. The moment that seemed so far away is now quickly surfacing in the horizon. What moment might you ask? The moment that my stepdad is getting out of prison. The year of 2019 marks the 10th and final year that my stepdad will be completing in prison. He received a 10-year sentence for unlawful touching of a child despite all the other horrible things that he’s done to my sisters and me.
Maelyn JeffersPublished 5 years ago in PsycheMy Anxiety Changing Medication
So, like many people in the world, I suffer from anxiety, slight PTSD, and depression. My magical cocktail of "joy," we will call it. It all started about 10 years ago after my car accident, to which I was badly injured and in a coma because of. From that point until about five years ago, I was on or had tried almost every anxiety or depression medication on the market. Yup, for most of that time, I felt like a walking, talking zombie—and I was.
Hannah ElliottPublished 5 years ago in PsycheMental Illness Does Not Define You
I just took a shower. Why am I telling you this? Because I didn’t take a shower for a whole week. My house is disorganized. Why do you care? Because I don’t have the energy to actually put things away from when we moved into the apartment a year ago. My in-laws want me to come visit them. I’m scared to leave my house, scared to face the outside world, scared of people. Scared of doing mundane tasks like grocery shopping or paying a bill. These are some of the daily struggles I face with mental illness.
Christina ScanlonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheFinding My Joy
Vision is getting hazy, speech is becoming slower, and heart rate is increasing. Forehead starts to sweat and body is heating up and can't control movements. Out of nowhere, panic is starting to sink in and can't seem to find an exit out of this room as there are too many people around. Take a drink of water as throat starts to feel as if it is closing up. Start taking some deep breaths and keep looking down so no one notices that something is amiss. Just keep breathing and everything will be OK.
Natacha FernandesPublished 5 years ago in PsycheGoing Through Life with Bipolar Disorder
I recently was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder in April. I was in a mental hospital in the capital city. Only 45 minutes away from my home. I came in an ambulance from the emergency room in my hometown. I took the advice from my OBGYN nurse to go to the ER. I was feeling very overwhelmed, and just not me. When they told me I was going to go to a facility, I freaked out. I didn't want to go and that type of hospital scares me. I ran. I ran out of the hospital, straight to my car and went to a friend's house. My friend was watching my younger daughter, and my oldest was at school. I thought I had rights to refuse to go, but I didn't. The cops found me at the school picking up my oldest daughter. They took me back to the hospital and transferred me to the hospital 45 minutes away from home. I didn't know where I was. I just knew the name of the hospital. I spent a week there. The first day I didn't want to come out of my room. I just wanted to call my fiancee. It sucked. That same day, I talked to a nurse practitioner. He diagnosed me with bipolar disorder. How he explained it, I'm in the middle, between manic depression and very low (hardcore) depression. This was part of postpartum depression I was experiencing. Yes, you can have postpartum depression after having a baby (toddler) and being pregnant at the same time. I had a nurse tell me I couldn't and she just looked at me in disgust. She was terrible. I think she was having a bad day at the ER that day...
Jessica SladePublished 5 years ago in PsycheConstructing a Trauma Account
Sometimes it takes a while to figure out if what has happened to you counts as trauma. Not all trauma is capital-T Trauma, and not all trauma causes PTSD. PTSD at its core is a disorder of processing; the brain gets stuck processing the traumatic event(s), and those memories remain active but fragmented. Not everyone who experiences traumatic events gets fully stuck, but processing may be slow and interrupted.
Ashley L. PetersonPublished 5 years ago in PsycheMeet My Friend: Melancholic Smith
I find solace in a dark room. The soft raindrops against my window actually feel comforting, but once again I find myself stuck inside my own mind. I’m racing through hallowed corridors, trying desperately to find a way out. It’s actually darker in there than it is outside right now. I can see through the iris, but can only decipher the numbers on my alarm clock. There’s a sharp pain in the right side of my head and I wince.
Paulina PachelPublished 5 years ago in PsycheYou Are NOT Alone
You are NOT Alone. Hi, My name is Courtney. I have big emotions. I’m incredibly empathic. I have had some really dark days.
Courtney BurnsPublished 5 years ago in PsychePlagued: Living with the Voices
It was like I was in a nightmare. It started when I was first hospitalized. I accidentally overdosed on melatonin tablets, only desperately trying to go to sleep after being sleep-deprived for nearly 20 hours. I ended up unresponsive, unable to move, and my best friend was there at the time. She saw that something was wrong, and she knocked on the door next to mine to tell my aunt what was going on. I remember my aunt squeezing my hand and telling me that if she could hear me, I should squeeze her hand. I did so, just barely. Soon enough, the ambulance came and rushed me to the hospital.
Cynthia B.Published 5 years ago in PsycheMental Health
This is a book that will be focusing on the ins and outs of mental health, and I think it's important to be as educated as possible on these disorders, and I'm hoping this book can maybe help people in discovery of mental health issues.
Analyzing Conflict Between My Different Mental States
To begin this conflict analysis, it would be most suitable to discuss the beginning of the conflict, which was August 11, 1997. Coincidentally enough, it’s also the date of my birth. Though it may seem strange, my conflict analysis won’t be between myself and another person, so to speak, but between myself and myself. While I don’t remember much from this date up until a few years ago, except for a few glimpses and flashes of memories, it’s safe to say that the origin of my internal conflict has been with me since birth. This mysterious origin is a hereditary mental illness, passed down to me by my father, which makes me feel like two or more different people in constant conflict—bipolar disorder.
Sensitive Dude: Trouble Thinking?
Sensory-Processing Sensitivity is a big deal to those living with it (15-20 percent of the population). I have SPS, so my pen name is Sensitive Dude. If you're a highly sensitive person (HSP) or want to learn more about SPS, then I'm writing to you.
Sensitive DudePublished 5 years ago in Psyche