I didn't know how to deal with all the pain and confusion. I didn't know what was happening to me ... so i took an overdose. I carried on living with this black cloud hanging over me. I stopped eating, i stopped sleeping, the weight was falling off of me. I was a shivering wreck, crying continuously. I was suicidal I got in my car locked myself in and threatened to drive it in to the tree, whilst sobbing my eyes out.. Good thing is i am being seen by the psych nurse.
- Lucy Pearce
I had known for many years that I had problems with depression and that I was an emotional person, but only a few months before being diagnosed with Bipolar. I do not like how my relationships are affected by my disorder. I want to feel more in control of myself and my emotions. I hate being impulsive and feeling indecisive at times. I hate how angry I can become in a split second or how I can remained depressed for long periods of time. It affects my schooling and everything else. The only thing that has gotten me through is having hope, being persistent, and having loving family and friends to help support me.
- Haley Burk
When I look back on my childhood, I remember always being up and down and being anxious. By the time I was in middle school, I was regularly seeing the school guidance counselor. The summer of 2003 was when I hit my first BIG swing into depression. At the one time of my life when things should have been "normal", I had wanted to kill myself. I couldn't stop crying and I just felt "empty". I was on a lot of different meds which caused me weight gain, weight loss, psychotic episodes, paranoia, suffered a miscarriage, and a lot of up and down swinging. As of today, I am HAPPY to report that my condition is STABLE due to the right combination of meds and therapy I am receiving and I have not seen a hospital since June. My daughter is doing well here with me and is an honor roll student. I never thought after the 10 years of HELL I had after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder that stability was ever possible, but if you do the work and maintain your LONG TERM treatment plan, you can find a balance in a unstable world with an chemical imbalance!
- Gretchen Howard