Top Stories
Stories in Psyche that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
Facebook in the Wake of Anthony Bourdain's Suicide
My Facebook newsfeed is usually comedians making jokes or sharing articles that highlight the wretched state of the world. But as news of Anthony Bourdain's suicide spread, my news feed was radically transformed into a place where people spoke candidly about their mental illness. My feed was transformed into a place where people were emotionally vulnerable and receptive to emotional vulnerability, and I can think of no more beautiful a sendoff for Anthony Bourdain than that. I only wish that it would last more than one day.
Ben KharakhPublished 6 years ago in PsycheWhat to Say to a Friend With Depression
Depression is like a dark cloud that won't go away. It has its days when the sun wants to come in but, the clouds are so thick that it blocks the light and its nutrients from getting to the places we need it most, our mind, body, and soul.
Crystal E.Published 6 years ago in PsycheMental Health Discord Helped Me Recover from Mental Illness
I spent the majority of this year looking for support groups for those living with mental health disorders. When I couldn't find a support group that aligned with my needs, I decided to create a mental health discord server where I could meet others with similar issues. I call it The House of Misfits, and use it as a space where those with mental health disorders could vent and support each other during the dark times.
Fiona MayhemPublished 6 years ago in PsycheOrthorexia: The Eating Disorder You've Never Heard Of
Nowadays, fuel for a negative body image is everywhere. We see it in magazines, store windows, TV ads, social media, basically everywhere we look there’s another photo shopped body telling us we aren’t worthy as we are. For a lot of young women and girls, and even men and boys, this concept can be very damaging emotionally. So, we turn to diet trends, eating less calories, working out more, trying diet pills, some even going so far as to starve themselves or purge after bingeing. As unhealthy as the latter are, we can recognize those as eating disorders: Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, respectively. They are very obviously not diet trends, they are a mental illness. On the opposite end of the scale, there are eating disorders that cause excess weight gain such as binge eating disorders. On both ends, there are very visible ways to tell if a person is affected by one of these illnesses; excessive weight loss, refusal to eat, eating too much, excessive weight gain, bad breath from purging, wearing baggier clothes, etc. Now what if in order to lose weight a person decides to take the route of proper diet and exercise? They completely change their diet, make sure to stay active, are very careful to eat proper portions and only eat the right things. That sounds perfectly healthy when done in moderation, but what about when it entirely consumes an individual’s life and becomes just as destructive as the other three? This is the life of someone struggling with orthorexia nervosa.
Heather TeresePublished 6 years ago in PsycheMy Mind at the Movies
The first movie I can ever recall seeing was Free Willy. I was only 3-years-old and I have this memory of sitting on the carpet, neck craned, staring directly up at the television as the movie played out. I was completely in awe of everything I was looking at. That may have started my life long love of whales, but I believe it also started my stronger obsession with film. I used to watch that movie over and over again on repeat, sometimes getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning to sneak downstairs and put the tape in the VCR. Eventually, the sound became worn out on all three Free Willy VHS tapes I had.
Sarah FranchiPublished 6 years ago in PsycheTherapy Isn't Selfish
Recently, someone boldly announced that therapy was senseless in that it was simply a time where the patient got to talk about themselves for an hour. They went on to imply that this was a selfish act by saying things like, "If you're a person that needs to pay someone to listen to you talk about yourself for an hour... *shrugs* that just seems weird and unnecessary." I didn't know what to say...so I didn't say anything, and then I felt even worse.
Francis GracePublished 6 years ago in PsycheMental Health at the Movies
It's no secret that the topic of mental health is becoming a more talked about subject in today's society. The media, in particular, is doing a good job of shining a light on the subject and helping remove any stigma that still remains. Over time, the representation of mental health in film has evolved and become arguably more truthful. There are plenty of films that include storylines based on a mental health disorder. Let's take a look at some.
Rowan EaglesPublished 6 years ago in PsycheMy Own Unhappiness
PMA Growing up, my father used to tell me that the only person making me unhappy was myself. It was infuriating. Some situation or another had me wallowing in self pity, and here comes dear ole dad telling me to get over myself. Getting over yourself is not an easy feat for a sullen teenager. So I shrugged off his advice and continued on my self destructive path, blaming everyone but myself for my discontent.
Shelby SchultenPublished 6 years ago in PsycheOn Rekindling a Lost Love
Three years ago, I would have laughed in your face if you had told me I would be studying languages at a university less than an hour away from my hometown. I would have found it absolutely hilarious if you told me I hadn't sang, really sang, for two years.
Emily HeanPublished 6 years ago in PsycheBulimia: The Shame, The Guilt, and the Life-Threatening Damage
Bulimia is not proud! It doesn’t care how rich you are, how old you are, or where you live; it doesn’t even care whether you’re married or single, a Uni student, stay-at-home Mum, or in charge of a huge corporation.
Mari-Louise SpeirsPublished 6 years ago in PsycheDepressive Episode Relief
Sometimes when you're depressed, you just need to take a moment to look at the positives. I know it can definitely feel like there are no positive aspects at this exact moment in time, so just think about your good days. Maybe there has been a day when you just laid in bed with your cat/dog and simply watched movies. Or maybe there's been a time when you got a good grade on something you worked really hard on and felt proud of yourself. At this moment, you might be feeling really sad. You also might be feeling a lot of mixed emotions, including, but not limited to: sadness, fear, and anger. You might also not know what you are feeling currently, which is the first step of recovering from this depressive episode: understanding what you're feeling and the thoughts/events that may have contributed to your current mental state. I know that doing so may result in more feelings or fears, as I suffer from depression as well, but feelings are not something that just go away. They are sometimes difficult to cope with, I'll admit, but once you learn to be able to live happy and have a friend named Feelings, you will come to the realization that feelings, though they can be very difficult to handle at times, are something that is a part of what makes you human and not a robot. But I do agree, sometimes feelings can be really annoying, since everyone would rather be feeling content than feeling depressed.
I Just Want to Be Happy. Or Do I?
As a society, we have accepted the belief that emotions disrupt rational thought, and any state other than happiness is a mental inconvenience or imbalance. This causes us to chase after pleasure, instant gratification and external validation instead of examining our inner world and what it is that we truly want. When something upsets us, we distract ourselves. We rarely face the issue and figure out a way to fix it.
Sarah McDanielPublished 6 years ago in Psyche