Over the past,
We have been engaging and providing space for people who were willing to share their stories.
Trigger Warning:
The following content contains intent to self-harm and may potentially be emotionally disturbing.
We heard stories like…
“My first suicidal thought came when I was 7. I remember the everyday feeling of desperation–almost like going from one hell to another. I got hit every day at school. My peers would throw my stuff out the window. The teachers were indifferent. I would go home and ask my mom for more money to replace what was thrown out the window.
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And I would be scolded by my mom again. You see, there was no chance for escape—at least that’s what it felt like. Day after day, I hid inside the bathroom and cried. The thought of suicide came up at that time. My family lived in an apartment. While I was crying, I peeked over the balcony and saw the shrubs and cars downstairs. I thought, ‘What if I jumped off the balcony? What if all of this came to an end?’”
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“I hope I can reconcile, not with those who have hurt and bullied me, but with myself.”
“I used to be very resistant to the idea of seeing a therapist. I was afraid of sharing my private thoughts, afraid of people judging me. ”
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Luckily, all stories we heard ended with “a happy ending”.
“I’m deeply grateful that not many people actually judged me every time I was open and honest about what I’ve been through. My life didn’t collapse from being honest with myself.”
“I really appreciate all of the truly good and beautiful people in my life. To some degree, they have all been healers to me.”
“My story has a magical Disney ending that seems rare in real life. I hope a happy ending like mine can happen to everyone who is suffering from mental illness.”
And we want to say…
We, too, wish that every struggle with mental illness concludes with a happy ending. This is why we do what we do.
These stories are what prompted us to get involved, to listen, and to spread the message.
“The humanity we all share is more important than the mental illness we may not. What those of us who suffer from mental illness want is what everybody wants: in the words of Sigmund Freud, ‘to work and to love’.”
— Elyn Saks, Associate Dean and Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California, patient of chronic schizophrenia
[1] Photo by Rodion Kutsaev. Instagram @frostroomhead
[2] Photo by Maurice Sahl. Instagram @mauricesahl
[3] Photo by Josh Boot. Instagram @joshboot