Disclaimer

Self-help is useful, but it is not a substitute for professional assistance. Emotional and behavioral problems can be debilitating and dangerous. Please seek professional help: 

if you have thoughts of killing yourself or harming others; if you feel depressed, anxious, guilty or down on yourself frequently; if you are abusing substances; if your performance or interpersonal relationships are impaired.

"Our purpose is to give information.. We can not, and are not, assuming the role of your physician or therapist in any of our replies. 

We also do not know your other medical problems and psychiatric diagnoses, which usually have a dramatic effect on medication (and other treatment) recommendations. You must make a medical and treatment plan with your physician and therapist(s).

Feel free to write any of the volunteers below.

1) Hi! My name’s Brenda (aka seanchai). I’m 29 and I have been battling mental illness for as long as I can remember. As a child I tried telling my parents I was different but lacked the knowledge to communicate what I instinctively knew. 

I deal with anxiety and depression on a regular basis (both recurrent major depression and dysthymia which is a constant low grade depression); panic attacks are not uncommon for me. I am also in the beginning stages of overcoming binge eating disorder. My mother and sister both struggled with anorexia. 

In 1991 I was misdiagnosed with bipolar II disorder, as is somewhat common with people who have borderline personality disorder, which I was finally diagnosed with in 1999. When I was first diagnosed with bpd, I had absolutely no clue about what it was. No one seemed to be able to explain it to me or wanted me to know, I guess. I ended up doing research on my own. What I found out made so much sense to me. I finally understood why I did what I did, self-injury (si), and the several suicide (su) attempts that I have made. 

I have read quite a bit about anxiety, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, self-injury and bpd. I'm one of those bookworm types who actually enjoys research. I don't know all there is to know, at least not yet! :) But I’m still learning. 

I grew up in a very dysfunctional home. My father abandoned us when I was little. Even before then, I had severe abandonment issues. At the age of 4 I was sexually abused. My step-father was extremely emotionally/mentally abusive. My mom suffered from severe depression, which started long before I was born. My ex-husband was emotionally/mentally abusive as well as physically abusive. I had gone from the pot to the fire. My mother died in 1999 from breast cancer and never knew what it was like to not be depressed.

That was the year my world came crashing down. My ex-husband had an affair and then left me. My mom died. I lost my job. I had a bad injury. I lost my apartment. My car died. My divorce was finalized. All within a six month period. I was hospitalized for the first time in a psych hospital after this

I was fortunate in that I was able to go through a grief group, which helped me cope immensely with all of my losses.

Currently, I am on disability. I'm in DBT, dialectical behavior therapy - designed by Dr. Marsha Linehan specifically for borderline personality disorder. I've been in dbt for about a year. I want to make a difference for other people like me. This is something I am very passionate about.  You can email me at [email protected].

I'm Lisa; I'm 36, I live in San Diego, I've been married for 4.5 years, I'm a college graduate (UCSD), I'm a housewife... and I've suffered from depression, anxiety and panic attacks my entire life. 

I'm a "genetic depressive" (my whole family's got it, with or without the anxiety), and I've been everywhere on the functionality spectrum from doing really well to needing meds to prevent a breakdown to being actively suicidal. I've endured most of the "side effects" of depression; insomnia, nightmares, eating disorders, warped body image, phobias, social problems, etc. My everyday level of anxiety gets me labeled "high-strung," "tightly wound" and even "neurotic," and my level of anxiety when I'm actually UPSET would drop an elephant in its tracks. 

I have no professional credentials, but I've been studying mental illness most of my life, and have 2 years of experience helping people with depression, anxiety and related ailments online in clubs, on message boards, through email and in chats. I've educated sufferers, their families and everyone I meet in "real life" about emotional disorders, and dedicate a big chunk of each day to people who need help. 

If you're in pain, or just need someone to talk to who'll understand, I'm here for you.
[email protected]

3) Hi, My name is Terri and i am a 41 year old female who has been through the rampant of the mental health illnesses.  I live in Ohio, and have a house filled with animals, to me they are good therapy, and i also have a very supportive husband.  My illness have consisted of Major Depression, panic disorder, anorexia, OCD, which is under control for about 10 years now, Schizoaffective bipolar and alcoholism.  I was once misdiagnosed as borderline personality disorder, i had a bad experience with that diagnosis, a misinformed doctor.

At this point in my life i battle mainly with the schizoaffective bipolar and also PTSD from childhood abuse, which i forgot to add, sorry.  I have been managing my panic disorder and am not longer practicing any anorexic behavior in 15 years.  One thing i have been doing for a long time is researching all of these mental illnesses and others to find out as much as i can to help myself and keep up on new treatments.  I have spent time in the hospitals, mainly the Veterans Administration hospital, I was in the Air Force for 6 years where I began to drink heavily to cover up the depression and anxiety i was feeling.  I have also been going to college for a long time studying social work and psychology and am at a senior level but the courses don't go towards one degree and i do not have the money to finish.  Someday i know i will.

At one point in time i was a drug/alcohol counselor in the military, if you can believe it and a peer counselor when i got out.  By the way i no longer drink for a number of years.  It was strange, but once i finally got the right treatment i just quit drinking, i never tried to quit, it just happened, and now the smell of it makes me sick.   I am here to answer the questions i can, and if i don't know i will try and find them for you, or if you just want to chat about an mental health issue also.

We all need to become knowledgeable of mental health issues so society will hopefully someday remove the stigma that still exists. With that have a good day. [email protected]