YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

I will say this though: my mind plays a really nasty trick on me when I'm very depressed. Some people call it a "mental filter." When I'm very depressed, all I can see are the bad parts of life and the world. It's like I lose track of the fact that there are tons of people doing tons of g...

I forgot to include that all of that stuff happened from around 16-19. And I'm now 24. I very much regret not starting to seriously work on myself earlier. Because even with the diagnosis and prescription, I tossed the pills out after 4 days and instead self medicated with alcohol and other drugs. W...

I didn't want to share my experience with this, thinking is might dissuade you from seeking treatment. But, then, I think if I had heard a similar story earlier I may have started getting help earlier. Almost everyone in my family has some kind of mental illness. Some are diagnosed, some not. None a...

I dunno, I mean, in certain ways optimism is willful ignoring of the horrible aspects of the world, and even in a sense it's disrespectful. Like, I really am offended by ideas like the 'law of attraction' and 'the secret' and things for that reason. (Sorry, don't wanna tread on anyone's toes. I stil...

"Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence." ~Lin Yutang

I'm not sure I understand that quote, but it's a cool image.

I like the way you write. Your words paint a very clear picture of what you're feeling. And, sadly, those are definitely feelings I can relate to. I'm not even that far removed from feeling that way right now. cyanidebreathmint wrote: You gotta believe to commit, right? And you gotta commit to get ...

...there's nowhere to go and there's no end in sight. (And then a micro-economy develops, and the locals take advantage of the captives and then people start bathing in the street and some children are probably conceived in a truck bed and then one day it's over.) I'm having trouble waking up and ta...

Thanks guys! I feel like I sold it pretty well. It certainly got me over a very rough patch, but life's this work thing that keeps going, you know? I like your 8 commandments. The (6) 'not entitled to anything' one is interesting because most of us live in societies where we do have certain rights w...

I really don't like the idea that I'll cry. lol. I wonder how many people are deterred from therapy cuz of that.

I want to respond to the other posts, but it's late and I need sleep and today was a bad day for me. But! The thing about volunteering helping is a serious truth. It's hard to get out there, but you put one foot in front of the other and you find yourself in a place where the only thing people know ...