depression

It is not just a matter of feeling sad; discover an honest view of the mental, emotional and physical toll of clinical depression.

The Space Between
Prologue Everything is dark in the space between. All of it, except for the slivers of light that reflect off the honeysuckles here and there in the spots where the crowded trees allow the moon to filter through. But the things that live here, the ones that occupy that place on the precipice of sleep,where the conditioned air of the bedroom bleeds into the breeze of dreams, don’t need light. In the inky blackness of semiconciousness, sight is unnecessary. Because, she thinks, they can smell you all the same.
By D.A. Williams5 years ago in Psyche
Shrödinger's Suicide
I'm not suicidal, I'm just standing on the edge of a cliff waiting to be pushed off. This is a phrase that came to my mind recently. I've suffered with varying degrees of depression for more than half my life. Whilst I was first initially diagnosed with 'mild' depression at 18, I was writing poetry at 13 that could have been dismissed as teen angst. I also admitted to a friend that I sometimes scratched at my arm with a compass. Not to mention that I developed chronic fatigue as I started high school, an illness that can be a result of great stress (read: mental breakdown).
By Luke Elliott5 years ago in Psyche
Electroconvulsive Therapy & Me
The first time I heard of ECT(1) was under circumstances I can’t really talk about. Suffice it to say that someone I knew, who I very much identified with, was choosing to undergo treatments. I can’t really say more than that about the circumstances. But the circumstances, while important to me, are not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about was my response.
By Melissa Klinginsmith5 years ago in Psyche
Marina
Content Warning: Postpartum mental illness, depression, and suicide. Oizys was an old ship. Charles’ family had bought her in pristine condition off a Greek immigrant back in the ‘80s. Now her wooden frame was littered with dents, the copper plating turned green, and smelled like hell. The once brightly painted OIZYS now only read O ZY and Katrina would sometimes call her Ozymandian. In spite of these many flaws, she could be steered by amateurs and was what they had. All they had isolated in the Gulf of Mexico.
By Lucy Richardson5 years ago in Psyche
Coping with Minor Depression
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor! I have experienced my own depression and I lived with someone that had major depression. Before you make a plan to deal with your depression, please talk to your doctor, no matter how minor you think it is. Let your doctor work out a plan with you.
By Dani McGaw5 years ago in Psyche
When It Gets Hard.
Just tell them how you feel. "Tell them that you're lonely." I feel alone. Not so much in my physical space but more so within my own head. I feel alone. My thoughts feel similar yet foreign to what really lays beneath the surface, the things that tug at the strings of my heart. It's hard wanting to be understood when you don't even understand the things you do and say sometimes. I find in my lowest moments is when I'm really forced to confront myself. When you're genuinely happy, it's easy to live with your happiness because it feels good to feel good. It's hard to sit with those other emotions that make you feel small, make you feel unhappy, or uncomfortable. I struggle to figure it out.
By Sorae 5 years ago in Psyche
Experiences from the pit.
We were all completely shocked at the heart breaking news, last year, when we heard that Caroline Flack, beautiful, accomplished, successful Caroline Flack, embroiled in a media nightmare, had resorted to taking her own life.
By Deborah Robinson5 years ago in Psyche
You Can Fight The Pain!!
In the depths of the darkness depression knocks on the door, slowly pushing it open by force into the many tracks of your life. The pain is damaging, life threatening.
By Alicia Lenea5 years ago in Psyche
Depressed Does Not Mean Unhappy
What I am about to say stems from years of experience dealing with depression. I am not a clinical professional, but I felt the need to share my experience related to this topic because there seems to be a lot of confusion related to it. Over the years I have heard people use the phrase unhappy and depression interchangeably, but I wanted to take a moment of your time to explain why these two words are not the same.
By Gray Beard Nerd5 years ago in Psyche
Drowning
I’ve struggled with depression on and off for about nine years. Sometimes it’s brief, a day or two of feeling down. Sometimes it’s months of feeling hopeless. It’s like a rollercoaster where suddenly I just drop. I’ve been proud of the fact that throughout most of this pandemic, I’ve been pretty good mood wise. I haven’t necessarily been happy, but I haven’t felt completely hopeless, I haven’t felt hollow. Last night I had one of those rollercoaster drops. I was suddenly overcome with this feeling of hopelessness, like I was pointless, and had no purpose.
By Erin O'Neil5 years ago in Psyche
Better Now
Today I am very happy. I see a light and I’m following it and smiling every day. I want to write a book, I've started but theres not really a great central focus point. I hope one day I’ll be able to tie it together to help people who go through things like what I went through in my head.
By 5 years ago in Psyche
A Pandemic Story
Sitting in a smoke-filled biker bar, alone in a corner, I have my eyes closed in an attempt to zone out and let my mind wander away from the current space. Thoughts bounce in and out until I am suddenly jerked back to the present by someone pulling my mask down to my chin. My senses focus with the boisterous chatter and music spilling out of the jukebox speakers. A leathery woman with dyed black hair stands inches from me and in a quasi-flirtatious drunk stammer asks “what’s wrong, you scared of the air?” I yank my mask back up over the bridge of my nose and turn my face and simply say “no.” The woman glances over her shoulder making direct eye contact with the friend who brought me to this place. The friend smirks back. The two have obviously become quick acquaintances over drags of cigarettes and shots of the bar’s special syrupy sweet green tea concoction.
By Ro Anya5 years ago in Psyche