JJ Medrano (Brea, CA) "I got lost in the college lifestyle that turned me into an alcoholic and fell into poor habits such as sleeping in for hours during the day. Most of the time, I felt unproductive and unmotivated. This type of lifestyle had taken a toll on my [...]

Isabella (Fullerton, CA) “Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety and depression but it was not until I was 15 that I could label the feelings I had. I think that these struggles have always been a part of me. I can now reflect back on quirks of my [...]

Maddie (Fullerton, CA) “For the majority of my life, it has been extremely easy for me to put up a facade to everyone, including my family, friends, teachers, and counselors. I convinced myself that if everyone else thought that I was okay, then it would be the truth. I did [...]

I was a coach in a high school in Arizona after having won the CIF title in California.  It was a career move that was good in that it was more affordable living, and we as a family were able to return back to my hometown and allow my mother [...]

For more than four years, I was emotionally and mentally unstable. Although I learned valuable lessons and met amazing people in the process, my college experience was a catalyst for these negative thoughts about myself. I went through a hard transition after leaving my family for college and realizing I [...]

Lylybeth, Fullerton I was 17 years old when I realized that I was in an unhealthy, toxic relationship. When you’re young, you really don’t pay attention to the red flags everyone keeps warning you about. I was pretty naive thinking I could change my ex-boyfriend to become a better person [...]

Amanda, Fullerton Everyday for the past 11 years, I have felt misunderstood. I was vocal about my depression (and the thoughts I had) but I previously was told that there was no way that “someone like me” could be depressed. I was the extroverted, sassy one that had the ability [...]

At about the age of 14, I started to cut myself. I was in a dark place for all of the childhood trauma I was exposed to. I didn’t know how to cope and as a result, I resorted to cutting myself because I was able to do it in [...]

Frank the Comedian, OC "The most difficult time in my life would have to be when I came close enough to ending my life that I can tell you what the barrel of my gun tastes like. I didn't pull the trigger because my $1,000,000 life insurance policy would not [...]

Chris (Tustin, CA) I was on my way to a lunch meeting, having drank many cups of coffee and I had been on and off my psychiatric medications so I was completely unbalanced, when I caught myself speeding on the freeway. I knew I was a danger to myself and [...]

"Anxiety and depression hit me hard earlier this year due to a transitionary period I was going through with my career, relationships, and living situation. With the help of therapy, medication, and the support of my loved ones, I was able to see myself through this tough time. Since then, [...]

"Prior to treatment, I was strung out and addicted to suboxone for 5 years. A friend of mine who also was in recovery called to ask if I wanted help. From there, I was able to come out to California from New Jersey for detox and treatment. I will be [...]

"Over the years, I have struggled with perfectionism. Ever since I was little, I always tried to be the very best because I never wanted to let anyone down. However, when I was in high school, this addictive perfectionism took over to the point where anxiety and depression started to [...]

"Growing up in a family of full-blown addiction, divorce, and poverty, my sibling and I had a rough childhood. This led to my own depression, anger, and a lot of soul-searching. I found what worked best for me was a forced positive outlook, education, and an environment surrounded by people [...]

"It is really important that people are kind and compassionate. My current battle includes depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. When I was younger, I didn’t realize I was depressed and anxious. My parents didn’t know either; they just thought I was being a teenager who was struggling to figure out life. [...]

"Life means enjoying all the small things we don't really enjoy; it means getting as much support as we can around us. Life means doing things you’ve never done before. In general, there have been good and bad times in my life. My lowest point was when I was with [...]

"Life, in general, is just happiness and family. When I was going into my early 20’s, right after high school, I went into a little bit of a depression. I started comparing myself to some of my friends. Being that young, you don't realize life as it is; you don't [...]

"The greatest mental health stigma that I faced came from myself. That was the greatest barrier because when I first developed anxiety and fell into depression, my immediate thought was that I wasn't normal anymore and I started to doubt my sanity. This type of thinking likely threw me deeper [...]

"Back when I served in the navy, I don’t remember hearing about PTSD or anything about mental health because it was considered a disqualification. Because it was considered a pre-existing disease, you couldn’t get in. So if anyone was struggling, they kept it a secret. I do remember a few [...]

"About three or four years ago, I started doing really strange compulsive behaviors and it’s all because I contacted one of my exes. My first compulsion was that I had to look at the ceiling and blink in sync perfectly so that my eyes would align. My OCD kept telling [...]

"My childhood was fun; it was great. I have a brother and he is one year older than me. Growing up was fun; my dad was a cop, and my brother and I were very athletic. We were both very successful. My dad got sick when I was about 13, [...]

"Life is a complicated subject because there are a lot of people that appreciate it in a completely different way. In my life experience, I met with people that are suicidal. They have very bad depression. They have dealt with huge losses in their lives, earlier than most people experience [...]

“My husband had a massive anxiety attack in the middle of the night. He woke up and started talking to me, he was laughing about something then he started talking and said he couldn’t breathe. We took him to the emergency room and they did a lot of tests on [...]

“Growing up, I was raised in an environment where I was exposed to alcoholism. I used that as an excuse to abuse as many drugs as I could, to act out in certain negative behaviors with the intent to hurt people and to treat them in ways that I felt [...]

“I’ve overdosed 6 times and I was on the run from the police because I was facing a prison term for robbing my sister in law’s jewelry box to fund my drug and alcohol addiction. In my mind, I was thinking I would pawn it and once I get my [...]