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In recent years, it seems like each presidential election leaves around half the country feeling…
Read Personal Stories
by Sunny
12.12.2022
I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression when I was 13. I found out what mental health was a couple of days later by having a panic attack. After going to a therapist my mental health was getting better. Two years later my cousin passed away in a car crash. That year started off as wreck when he died in January. It was really tough that year. I struggled to keep my grades up and my anxiety/depression proceeded to get worse. I depended on someone to distract me from what was going on. My happiness only depended on them.
by Yashvi
12.01.2022
My panic attacks started getting bad and started to occur more regularly. Almost once a day, which left me more scared.
by Chris Bateman
11.22.2022
Well, there was something wrong with me and it wasn't until years later that I realized that I had become emotionally numb. In the following years I read several self-help books that gave me hope and something to believe in but it took a very long time for my emotions to wake up.
by Former NFL Player Doug Middleton
11.14.2022
In football, I play safety. It’s a position I have taken most of my professional life but also in my journey with mental health advocacy and calling for more awareness and equity, particularly in sports.
by Morgan Zheng
11.14.2022
My struggle with depression and anxiety is one I still deal with every day. The hardest part is learning how to re-parent myself, to learn how to cultivate self-love, to be curious about what life might be like without my harsh inner critic.I grew up letting that inner voice, letting my fears and anxieties bury me.
by Dominique Castro
11.02.2022
I found that treating the person, talking to the person, and seeing the person was the best and most effective way to deliver care. They were people, not merely patients.
Share Your Story and Your Voice.
Help #breakthestigma Around Mental Health.
Read Stories From People Just Like You.
We invite you to explore personal stories submitted from ADAA's community to learn how people living with an anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, depression or a co-occurring disorder have struggled, coped, and triumphed.
Do you have a story about your mental health journey? Your voice and your story can help transform the lives of many, help decrease stigma, and make one feel less alone.
We welcome written stories and short 2-3 minute videos, or a 1-2 minute recording, that we will share on the ADAA website, through our Triumph e-newsletter, and across our social media platforms.
In a story of 500 -750 words (or a 2-3 minute video), please describe your mental health journey and how it has affected your life. Please provide a brief title and focus on the therapy or other treatments that have helped you manage or overcome your illness. Please include how ADAA's website or resources have helped you. In order to publish you story on our website and to share it on our social media platforms, we require that you use your real name and include a photo.
Please note that we do not accept advertorials (these stories should not include any call-outs for personal websites or publications or sell any products). We reserve the right to reject any story that we do not feel is appropriate to share.
NOTE: ADAA reserves the right to edit for clarity, length, and editorial style. We do not guarantee that every submission will be published. If your story is accepted, you will be notified. If you have not heard from ADAA within one week of submission that means that your story has not been accepted. Once your story is posted on this website, it is the property of ADAA.
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