Month: March 2019

I’ve never wanted to die

Illness
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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…

Read More

VIDEO: 3 Days in a Mentally Ill Life

Videos
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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!

Read More

I’m So OCD: Inflated Sense of Responsibility

OCD
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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…

Read More

Nature and Therapy

Treatment
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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…

Read More

I’m So OCD: Powerlessness

OCD
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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…

Read More

Wealth and Mental Health

Treatment
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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…

Read More

The Therapeutic School and Your Child

Mental Health
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…

Read More

I’m So OCD: Thought-Action Fusion

OCD
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, 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 was watching the marvelous show The Blacklist a few nights ago. In that particular episode, a criminal the Feds are hunting is known as the Genie. The Genie grants cruel and dark revenge fantasies to those with legitimate cause and fat wallets to pay up. It got my mom and I talking about our…

Read More

6 Books That Will Enhance Your Understanding of Mental Illness

Mental Health
Olivia
A sophomore at NYU, I've been through many treatments and recoveries and am eager to share the lessons I've learned!
Latest posts by Olivia (see all)

By now, if you’re a recurrent visitor, you’ve probably seen the short list of books I keep perched on the front page of this site. If you haven’t, every book there will be on this list, so no need to click out. I thought it might be worthwhile to expand upon it, as well as…

Read More

Subscribe to our mailing list to stay updated!

* indicates required