I’ve attempted suicide three times. Unfortunately, I’m not alone in this distinction. The World Health Organization estimates that over 800,000 people die by suicide every year – that’s one person…
This upcoming week is Mental Health Awareness Week. In its honor and in an effort to keep conversations flowing about mental health, public and private, I want to…
You probably know from your own experience that putting feelings into words — talking with a counselor or friend or writing them down — helps you feel better. …
I often wonder if I would have met my dad’s dad, had better treatments for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) been available after World War II. Frank…
You get a glowing performance review from your boss, but you replay the few constructive criticisms over and over in your head. Even though a first date was…
Over the years, depression crept up on me, little by little. It was as if I was lugging around a sack of rocks, and all too often, life…
Serotonin’s Role in Depression and Willpower (and how to make more) Serotonin is a neurochemical that does so many different things in your body that it’s really…
For my first three decades on this Earth, life went pretty much according to plan. As I achieved major milestones, I smugly checked things off the “how-life-should-be” list in…
The following is an excerpt from Sex, Suicide and Serotonin: Taking Myself Apart, Putting Myself Back Together: I knew that I was going to have to get drunk…
No one gets out of this life unscathed. We all have a tragic story – or five or way too many – to tell. Unfortunately, enduring the loss…
I’ve attempted to end my life three times. The first time I was a junior in high school. After a breakup with my boyfriend, which was huge in…