Month: March 2019

I’ve never wanted to die

Illness
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

I’ve never wanted to die. Sure, I’ve tried to kill myself. I’ve done so three times, and with varying degrees of severity. But I never was fully committed, though I was as committed as anyone can be. Let me explain. The first time I tried to kill myself is an occasion that I don’t like…

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VIDEO: 3 Days in a Mentally Ill Life

Videos
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

Below is a video I made documenting 3 days in my life. I discuss panic attacks, PTSD, anxiety, dermatillomania, and my eating disorder. If seeing tears is unpalatable to you, steer clear, but otherwise I hope this is informative and offers good insight!

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I’m So OCD: Inflated Sense of Responsibility

OCD
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

For my whole life, I’ve been the mom friend. Lots of people describe themselves this way. I’ve long been the good influence friend, the alcohol and drug free one who obeyed all traffic signs and only crossed at the crosswalk. It’s said that with every mental disorder, there is a degree of sensibility, and the…

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Nature and Therapy

Treatment
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

Anyone who knows me knows, too, that aside from my parents’ apartments in the Connecticut suburbs, I call a few acres in the middle of the lush woods of Vesuvius, Virginia, home. In a similar manner, I call the mental hospital I’ve spent the most time at my home, too. I was inspired to make…

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I’m So OCD: Powerlessness

OCD
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

I’ve recently been diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. It’s somewhat common in its form of PMS, but more severe. In my case, I only experience one kind of premenstrual symptom. No cramps or irritability for me. Instead, I am intensely, cripplingly hopeless and desperate for a week. It’s a pattern I’ve been noticing for a…

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Wealth and Mental Health

Treatment
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

Boy, am I lucky. I’ve been privy to some of the most elite treatment centers in the country. My family may  not be particularly well off, but I happen to live in a geographic area that allows for my placement in the best programs. When I was sent to the emergency room, on three occasions…

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College Admissions and Mental Illness

School
Olivia
A freshman philosophy major at Temple University, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

I knew a family, once, in which both of the parents came from privileged financial backgrounds and met at Harvard. Fast forward to today, they bask in unimaginable and wasteful wealth. Oblivious to the privilege they bear, they have a personal driver on call and a room in their mansion that can’t even be entered,…

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The Therapeutic School and Your Child

School
Helen Epley
Latest posts by Helen Epley (see all)

Every child is different.  Every school is different.  No school can help all children thrive.  Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.  All of that said and understood, it is my opinion that you, as the parent of a teen suffering with mental illness, must be as picky as possible about Any special school you consider…

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