From Amanda_HP, Leader of HealthyPlace Support Network

HealthyPlace Mental Health TV Show Blog

The blog is associated with HealthyPlace TV, an online mental health tv show airing Tuesday nights at 8:30p ET, 7:30 CT.

Listening to People Sharing Their Mental Health Experiences

Published in Untagged by Amanda_HP | 06 Oct, 2009

If you haven't had a chance to listen to some of the mental health experiences shared by HealthyPlace.com members, I encourage you to do so. Many are intimate portraits of different facets of living with a mental illness.

It was the opening day of our "Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences" feature on HealthyPlace.com. Among the 40 or so people who called in are:

Janis, who has a neice with Schizophrenia. She talked about the unfairness of how the mentally ill are treated by the criminal justice system.
Isabel told us that she suffers from depression over the loss of her son; a depression so deep, even antidepressant medications don't take away the emotional pain.
Russ sent in a song he wrote about his son who suffered from Bipolar Disorder and addictions and died from an overdose of his bipolar medications and other drugs.
Sam Vaknin, author of Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited, and a narcissist himself, shared how he's emotionally invested in his narcissism and how important his narcissistic traits are to him.
Jill feels helpless and hopeless, mired in her depression and self-injury.
Kim provided hope, saying recovery is possible and shared her own journey in managing and recovering from self-injury.
Deb has Dissociative Identity Disorder and discussed her decision to integrate the dozens of personalities that lived inside her.

These are just a random sample of the many poignant stories that were shared today; snipets in the life of people who come to HealthyPlace.com in search of information and support, but wanting to let others know they are not alone in what they are going through.

Whether you have a mental health condition, or you're a family member or loved one, we hope you'll share your experiences and insights. You can also respond to people who have already made recordings.

Our toll-free number is: 1-888-883-8045. Or you may record directly from the "Sharing Your Mental Health Experiences" homepage by using the recording widget at the bottom of the page and your computer microphone.

Finally, a thank you to all the people who contributed today. As Deborah, who writes our newsletter said, "it's the people who come to HealthyPlace.com that make it such a special place."

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Comments (2) add comment

October 28, 2009

Help 4 Mom said:

I'm looking for anyone who has experienced a teenager with ADD and anxiety issues. My daughter is being treated with lexapro, vyvanse and guanfucine. She is still struggling in college and will either not work on homework and pick at her face, or work and often gets obsessive about her work,(perfection) she gets stuck and writes one sentence in 2 hours! Any encouragement would be helpful!!!

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November 20, 2009

LAG said:

This is quite new to me, expressing my emotions on mental health issues about a loved one and how i am coping with it all.
A few years ago my partner was diagnosed with a mental illness. It was quite frightening the first time but after phoning the crisis team for help they assured me that it was the right thing to do. At that time i had absolutely no choice, i was pregnant and i did fear for my life and the life of my unborn child then.
Throughout this whole time i feel that at most i have been supportive but also at times impatient.
It has been a rough ride for me personally, only because i feel mostly alone but not alone. I feel like i have done all i can to help but it is still not enough. My love i feel is wearing thin. Living with schizophrenia is difficult but one can only try to be patient and understanding.
At times i feel aggravated and i tend to lash out only to have it turn into a very heated disagreement. A very loud disagreement. We now have 2 kids together and i sit and think whether or not i have just added more pressure to the relationship.
My partner has been in and out of hospital since the first time he was diagnosed. The most recent time was just before giving birth to our 2nd child. Seriously, i just feel that the pills and whatever else, help a little but strongly disagree of how they treated his mental illness. I struggle each day to try and keep it together but being with someone with a mental illness plus raising kids, trying my best to stretch out one govt pay cheque to provide for my family plus bills and other things to help us get by is very depressing. It doesnt help either when i lose control of my temper and just want to end the relationship and concentrate on raising my kids. Then the guilt sets in and i just think to myself, how selfish am i to think that way when it is not my partners fault to have been diagnosed with a mental illness.

If there is anyone feeling the same as i am. Would like to hear your comments.

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