July 2019 By Bekah Cone When I was a child, my anxiety and depression was labeled as shyness. When I was a teenager, it was labeled as hormonal changes and when I left for college, it was the “normal” reaction to such a big life transition. Suddenly, I ran out of explanations for the symptomsContinue reading Diagnosis and Therapy Bring Relief and Hope
A Mother’s Story of Schizophrenia
July 2019 By Cheryl Wiker Editor’s note: This story is an excerpt from the author’s book, “Uncommon Courage.” The day my daughter, Kim, began hearing voices, started out as normal as any other day. As a single parent, I was managing fairly well, fortified by my faith and generally optimistic view of life. We wereContinue reading A Mother’s Story of Schizophrenia
Return to U-M Helps NAMI Volunteer Find New Career Path
FEBRUARY 2019 BY SPENCER WALZ Note: This story was originally published online under a different headline on March 15, 2018, by the U-M School of Public Health. Both the School of Public Health and the author, who leads a NAMI Washtenaw support group, granted NAMI Washtenaw permission to republish it. I started at the UniversityContinue reading Return to U-M Helps NAMI Volunteer Find New Career Path
The Shame of Recovery
DECEMBER 2018 BY CHRISTI BURKETT It was 6:30 a.m. on the last day of summer. I woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I made some coffee. I’ve gotten into the habit of a brief meditation before drinking my coffee. After meditating, I held my hot mug of coffee between both hands, porch doorContinue reading The Shame of Recovery
Thinking More About Living
OCTOBER 2018 BY STEPHANIE ROTH My name is Stephanie and I am 35 years old. I grew up in Oak Park, Michigan, and currently reside in Novi with my husband. I was diagnosed with depression at the young age of 7. I grew up in an environment where I was very anxious and needed toContinue reading Thinking More About Living
Cloud Community
OCTOBER 2018 BY CHRISTI BURKETT The first question asked when a new person arrived was, “What brings you here?” To an outsider that might seem strange and invasive. After all this was a mental hospital; typically talking about one’s mental health is taboo. Some were guarded and did not wish to talk about what experiencesContinue reading Cloud Community
Interview With Dylan Farr
July 2018 Editor’s note: Dylan wanted his story to appear in the NAMI newsletter in the form of an interview. Following are excerpts of the interview conducted at the NEW Center on June 6. —Lois Maharg LM: Please introduce yourself. DF: I’m Dylan. I was born on Friday the 13th. It explains a lot aboutContinue reading Interview With Dylan Farr
A Disorder That Went Undiagnosed for Decades
By Bruce Gale March 2018 I am a recovering hoarder clutterer. I am 74 years old and have been in psychotherapy off and on since my sophomore year of college and given various diagnoses, from dysthymia to obsessive compulsive disorder. I was not properly diagnosed until about six years ago, when my wife was watchingContinue reading A Disorder That Went Undiagnosed for Decades