Casey Cannizzaro talks openly about his life with bipolar disorder and addiction.
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Why Do You Do That: My Journey with OCD
Follow Rosie’s candid personal essay on living with OCD, exploring compulsions, control, perfectionism, and the quiet question that changed everything: “Why do you do that?”
An OCD Therapist (Almost) Missed Her Own OCD; Natalia Aiza’s Orthorexia-by-Proxy RDID; 219
OCD Therapist Natalia Aiza discusses her OCD and orthorexia-by-proxy.
From Fearing Food to Embracing it — Eating Disorder and OCD Recovery in the Kitchen
A cookbook author with an eating disorder and OCD finds recovery in connecting with people through baking.
All the Pain We Cannot See; Giovanna Errore’s Invisible Illness | RDID; 218
Writer and translator Giovanna Errore opens up about her fibromyalgia and anxiety.
Dubious of Disclosure: Delving into my Depression
Disclosing depression may seem easy. After all, scarcely a day goes by when this celebrity or that one “comes out” as living with depression, or anxiety (two of the socially “acceptable” mental health diagnoses) but, for many people, talking openly about their mental health challenges, whatever those are, isn’t easy; it can be excruciating, and the very thought of being out in the open as someone living with mental illness can be incredibly, well, anxiety-provoking. Miriam Beigelman doesn’t take coming forward lightly, and she talks about this in her brave essay.
A Fashion Designer with CPTSD Wears Her Recovery Well; Lilah Velez | RDID; 217
Fashion designer Lilah Velez lives with CPTSD and she speaks about her recovery.
Chaos Comes to Light — A Therapist’s Life With AuDHD and Eating Disorder Recovery
A therapist with an eating disorder finally finds recovery after realising she has ADHD and autism.
Barefoot Mornings – A Walk to Calm My ADHD Brain
A young woman goes on a walk to clear her mind and cope with her struggles with ADHD and anxiety.
A Screenwriter with Bipolar Disorder Rewrites His Recovery; Coli Sylla | RDID; 216
Screenwriter Coli Sylla lives a creative, productive, and full life with bipolar disorder.
A Musician Gives Up Alcohol and Finds Himself: Paul Curreri | RDID; 215
Musician Paul Curreri chose sobriety and he reflects on that choice and how it has impacted his life.
Enough Was Enough – Overcoming a Traumatic Workplace
An obstetric nurse recovers from PTSD after retiring from the relentless medical system.
Until There’s a Cure for Mental Illness, There’s NAMI-Man: Nick Emeigh | RDID; 214
Nick Emeigh, Executive Director of NAMI-Bucks, survived multiple suicide attempts and lives in recovery.
Overcoming the Trauma of Erasure
For Shumaila Hemani, an immigrant seeking permanent status in Canada, enduring the trauma of erasure is a constant struggle.
Anxiety, OCD, and a Brain That Tries to Protect: Kayla Ackelson | RDID; 213
Kayla Ackelson, a writer, artist, and creator with an OCD brain talks about her recovery.
Living in Loops: Understanding My Life With OCD
A young woman learns to live a healthy life while compassionately dealing with OCD.
From Wanting to Die to Yearning to Live; in Conversation with Levi Mericle | RDID; 212
As a teen, Levi Mericle wanted to die every day; now he wants to live, and wants to help others.
Out of Addiction and Into The Open
A man breaks his 20-year cocaine addiction with the help of the 12-step program.
A Black Woman’s Experience with Mental Health; Jacquese Armstrong | RDID; 211
Jacquese Armstrong talks openly about being a black woman and having mental illness in America.
A Smart Scale Warped My Body Image, But Here’s What I Learned
A smart scale threatened to undo Naima Karp’s positive body image and disordered eating.
Excuse Her While She Obsesses; Unpacking OCD with Manndi Maphies | RDID; 210
Manndi Maphies lives with obsessive compulsive disorder, which flared up after a miscarriage.
A Flight Back to My Truest Self – Recovery from Emetophobia
A young man emerges from isolation and begins to travel again after receiving help for emetophobia and anxiety.
Bipolar, Books, Breakdown; In Conversation with Erika Nichols-Frazer | RDID; 208
Erika Nichols-Frazer, an author with bipolar disorder, talks about her manic MFA and recovery.
My Mental Struggle: Battling That Bitch Bulimia and Her Bitch Sister, Anorexia
Cheri Shandra, a trauma-informed coach, is living in recovery with bulimia and anorexia.
Writing Through Grief, Addiction and Recovery (And How My Biggest Breakdown Led To My Biggest Breakthrough)
Danielle Marr has discovered how writing can help her live with addiction and recovery.
Manning Up Means Getting Help with Suicidal Thoughts: Chris Russell | RDID; 207
An actor, writer, and coach living with bipolar disorder and suicidal thoughts talks about manning up.
A Promise to Keep Choosing Life: Bipolar, Psychosis, and Recovery
A woman decides to find a way to thrive with bipolar and psychosis through art and therapy.
From Hiding To Helping – Schizophrenia Advocate; Rebecca Chamaa | RDID; 206
A Recovery Diaries In Depth podcast interview with writer and schizophrenia advocate Rebecca Chamaa about living with schizophrenia.
Do I Look Like a Crazy Person? Speaking Out and Up with Mental Illness
Valéry Brousseau isn’t a “crazy person”; she’s a Canadian mental health advocate sharing her story of hope.
Surviving Suicidality in a Wonderful World: Javier Ortega-Araiza | RDID; 205
A podcast interview with writer and entrepreneur Javier Ortega-Araiza about surviving suicidality.
From “Suck It Up” to Speaking Out: My Way Through Panic Disorder and Depression
A young man finds a way to navigate life with panic and depression in a healthy way.
The Healing Power of Self-Witness after Trauma
Melissa Dagenhart lived through an act of violence; her essay is about recovery after trauma.
Living & Thriving with Illogical and Irrational Anxiety: Nicci Attfield | RDID; 204
A podcast interview featuring writer Nicci Attfield, who lives with anxiety and ADD.
My Shame: How My Anxiety Keeps Causing Me to Quit
Daniel Gaughan writes about how “my anxiety keeps causing me to quit.”
Police Officer Trauma & PTSD: Officer James Jefferson | RDID; 202
Police PTSD, trauma, and suicide are discussed with Officer James Jefferson.
Why More Than the Madness: Writing About Bipolar
John Kaniecki lives and writes with bipolar disorder.
From Squalor and Fear to Thriving and Helping; an Interview with Psychotherapist Sheri Heller | RDID; 201
Interview with psychotherapist Sheri Heller about her life and relationship with her mother who had chronic paranoid schizophrenia.
From Shadows to Light: A Teacher’s Journey Through Depression and Anxiety
A teacher with anxiety and depression leaves teaching to become a mental health advocate.
A Vibrant Voice with DID Explores Trauma through Writing | RDID; 123
Elizabeth Devine lives and writes and hopes with dissociative identity disorder.
Changing Your Own Story with Borderline Personality Disorder: For my friends with a highly stigmatized diagnosis
A young woman with borderline personality disorder writes her own narrative, her own way.
Burnout, Bravery, Breakthrough: A Conversation with Artist-Scholar Shumaila Hemani | RDID; 122
Shumaila Hemani writes and talks about academic burnout at Harvard.
Thyroid Cancer and Mental Health; a Med Student Survives
Cancer and mental illness collide in this essay from a medical student in Pakistan.
The Ambition of Recovery: Surviving Gun Violence, a Story of PTSD
This mental health recovery story focuses on Silas, who has survived gun violence. Through the pain of violence, Silas has found healing and continued growth. Read here to learn more!
Believe: My Struggle to (believe that I can) Change Negative Self-Talk
Our Executive Director, Gabe Nathan, explores negative self-talk on a recent trip to Baltimore.
An Author with Pure OCD Writes, Survives, and Thrives in Turkey | RDID; 118
Pinar Tarhan is an author in Turkey living with Pure OCD.
A Tale of Two Faces: Discovering, Accepting, and Living with Mental Illness
Tiffany North is living with mental illness, and not letting her bipolar disorder define or derail her.
A Doctor in Rwanda’s Life with Anxiety | RDID; 117
Florence Mukangenzi is a doctor in Rwanda living and working with anxiety.
Jason Schreurs: A Punk Rocker with Bipolar Finds Hope and Healing | RDID; Ep 116
Jason Schreurs is a punk musician, support group facilitator, writer and advocate who lives with bipolar disorder.
Kyle Secor’s Stomping Grounds
Actor Kyle Secor returns to Baltimore, where he filmed “Homicide Life on the Street” for seven years, where he also faced and conquered personal demons.
A Writer & Therapist with Pure OCD and Anxiety; with Hannah R. Goodman | RDID; Ep 115
Living, working, and writing with bipolar disorder is the subject of this mental health podcast with Sheila O’Shea.
Go to Your Room if You’re Gonna Cry – Breaking Generational Trauma
Laura Baumeister is breaking generational trauma and doing her best to raise the next healthier generation.
Denial, Deterioration, Despair: Recovering from Anorexia and Bulimia
Lydia Davies’s honest eating disorder recovery story exposes the death-grip of anorexia and bulimia and its impact on her mental health.
Surviving Childhood Abuse & Trauma with Morrene Hauser | RDID; Ep 112
Morrene Hauser is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and trauma, using horses and creative writing to help her heal.
How Three Small Letters, ADD, Changed My Life
Nicci Attfield writes about the attention deficit disorder diagnosis that changed her life for the better.
Thigh Gaps, Epiphanies, and a Coming-of-Age: My Anorexia Story
Shannon Frost Greenstein writes about the epiphany that changed her life and helped her heal from anorexia.
Bipolar Schizoaffective Disorder: from National Rugby to Inpatient Hospitalization
Amelia Gordon was going to be a professional athlete until bipolar schizophrenia tried to take away her achievements and her agency.
Creating Mental Health Stories in Conversation with Laura Farrell | RDID, Ep 109
Peek behind the curtain at the inner workings of a mental health storytelling organization and this podcast with Laura Farrell and Gabe Nathan.
Mental Illness Comic Uses Humor to Destigmatize Bipolar Disorder
John F. O’Donnell didn’t set out to be a “mental illness comic” but, as a stand-up comedian with bipolar, he’s making it work, and making them laugh.
A College Professor Breaks Mental Health Stigma with Peter Leman | RDID Ep. 106
College professor Peter Leman talks about suicide prevention and mental health in higher education.
I Have OCD; and I Can Never Forget That
For Tyler Mendelsohn, every day comes with the reminder that “I have OCD”, but every day is also unexplainable and magical.
A Christian Mental Health Advocate’s Compassion & Empathy | Katie Dale Ep. 105
Mental health advocate Katie R. Dale openly talks about faith and mental health on our new podcast, Recovery Diaries In Depth.
A Musician’s Journey Through Grief and Anxiety with Jerzy Jung | RDID Ep. 104
Musician Jerzy Jung opens up in Recovery Diaries in Depth about anxiety, fear, and shame.
One More Step: A Professional Soccer Player Confronts His Mental Health Challenges
Elliot Kettle, a professional soccer player, writes about confronting his mental health challenges; emetophobia, agoraphobia, and anxiety.
Bringing Both Feet in for Love with Kavita Sarmah | RDID Ep. 103
Indian mental health advocate Kavita Sarmah talks about love and trauma and letting go to create a beautiful life.
Invisible Wounds: A Veteran’s Mental Health Journey
Former English soldier Dominic Barrett writes about depression, anxiety, and PTSD as a result of a high stress encounter while on duty, and also an unhealthy relationship.
It Was Cute Until It Wasn’t Anymore – My OCD, Anxiety, and Depression
Kayla Ackelson lives with OCD, anxiety, and depression and is discovering how to manage those challenges while living a multidimensional life.
Another Anxious-Depressing Thought: Am I Turning into My Mom?
Long-time nurse Donna Barnett confronts her anxious and depressed self and thoughts in this thought-provoking essay.
An Anxious, Depressed Illusion of the Mind
Depressed and anxious, Juliet Spanjaardt learned ways to cope with her debilitating stress and the “hanxiety” created by drugs and alcohol.
Transforming Struggles into Strengths: Overcoming Anxiety and Finding Purpose
Erin Ullman is a therapist with anxiety and she’s helping others, both as a mental health clinician and as an advocate.
School OCD in Childhood: Portraits of Perfectionism at an Early Age
School OCD is particularly insidious, rewarding overachievement; Daniela Silva found that out the hard way.
Uncovering Hope with Bipolar Disorder
Angela Wise, in her first published essay, writes about living with mental illness and finding hope with bipolar disorder.
Activism and Intentional Living Helped Me Manage My Eco-Anxiety
Julia Tannenbaum advocates for a better, cleaner, lovelier world while managing her eco-anxiety that threatened to derail her activism.
My Grande Mis-Comparison Between Mental Episodes and Abuse
Ashley Marie Berry endured trauma in an abusive relationship, on top of pre-existing mental health challenges and emerged hopeful.
A Creative Mind, Body, and Voice Navigates Bipolar Disorder
Musician, dancer, and artist Casey Calhoun has long struggled with bipolar disorder, and she writes here about her unique recovery process.
Breaking Like Glass: A Story of Complex Trauma and Healing
This mental health recovery story focuses on Kiersten, who lives with C-PTSD. Her journey has been one around managing her patterns of activation and learning mechanisms to help her cope with hypervigilance and trauma response. Read more to learn about her journey with mental health and healing.
A Double-Edged Sword: Facing the Grief of Miscarriage with Bipolar Disorder
Erika Nichols-Frazer writes about recovering from a miscarriage while living with bipolar disorder.
How Playing Competitive Tennis Helped Me Heal From Anxiety and Depression
Javier Ortega-Araiza, a former competitive youth tennis player with anxiety and depression, shares how tennis helped enhance his mental health.
Be Informed, Not Afraid: Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) Could Save Your Life
Despite the many decades that have passed since “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, many negative myths still persist about ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) for persistent, suicidal depression; Brian Marshall’s essay aims to bust those myths.
From OCD Parenting to OCD Practitioner: My Recovery From Orthorexia by Proxy
She thought she was being a diligent, careful mom, but it was really OCD and an eating disorder that needed treatment and understanding.
Living and Recovering with Schizoaffective and Autism Disorders
Schizoaffective and autism can be challenging diagnoses to manage; for MJ Van Dyk, therapy has been an essential component to his recovery.
I Don’t Like My Butt! My Eating Disorder Recovery
Theresa waged war on the butt she didn’t like, and the eating disorder that ensued could have cost her life.
Depression for a “Good Indian Boy”? Impossible
Depression in India is still stigmatized, particularly for a “good Indian boy”, for whom little else is more important than academic and professional achievement.
Don’t Project Your Grief. Live it Intensely. How DBT’s Radical Acceptance Helps Me Through My Grief
To move forward in life after the loss of her mother, Daniela Silva had to radically accept the world as it was—a lesson she learned in dialectical behavioral therapy.
After Addiction and Binging; a Man Becomes Human Again
Addiction and binging were the two vices Robert Jackson battled, in order to save himself and preserve his relationship with his young child.
My Destiny is Recovery from Schizophrenia; And So Much More
Jahnavi Elango is coping with schizophrenia to the best of her ability, ensuring that she, not her disease, runs her life.
Integration; My Final Stage of Healing from Dissociative Identity Disorder
Shirley Davis is never alone; there are alters living within her, other beings and voices, the result of her dissociative identity disorder.
Alcoholism and Mental Health: The Tipping Point
Sonia Kahlon used alcohol to cope with her stresses and professional life, but she recognized how it sought to destroy her mental health.
Highs and Lows; Navigating Life with CPTSD
This is the story of Martha Githui, who was diagnosed in 2020 with complex PTSD (CPTSD), which is often the result of repeated, prolonged exposure to traumatic incidents/situations.
Managing Suicidality: How I Have Survived all my Hardest Days
This mental health recovery story focuses on Val, who has experienced suicidality and eventually was diagnosed with BPD and Bipolar. Read more to learn about her journey with psychosis and healing.
The Non-Linear Nature of Eating Disorder Recovery
Erin Jamieson became “good” at counting calories, throwing herself headlong into her eating disorder and then, thankfully, into her eating disorder recovery.
Suicidal Ideation, “The Darkness”, and Men’s Mental Health
Jamie Loyer experienced suicidal ideation, was hospitalized and medicated and he is now a peer specialist, helping people like him recover.
What Yoga Taught Me about Depression
Laura Onstot was so overwhelmed and exhausted, she barely realized she was depressed; journaling and yoga helped clear vision.
Can Hard Work Can Beat Depression?
Starting mainstream schooling later in life, Jonathan Riley had trouble making friends, speaking publicly, and reading at grade level. All of this piled on with depression meant they had a lot of work ahead of them.
Corporal Punishment as a Barrier to Intimacy, Letting go of Shame
Corporal punishment is falling out of fashion, thankfully, for Jacques Damhuis writes beautifully about its long-lasting, damaging impact.
Once Blessed; Still Strong: My Life with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
On Christmas, a young man with obsessive compulsive disorder reflects on his mental health, his life, and what is yet to come.
Who Will I be When I Wake up? A Bipolar Journey
Kelly Schermerhorn, who lives with bipolar disorder, doesn’t count sheep to get to sleep; she plays baseball with Jesus to help keep her brain rested and healthy.
The Plight of the One-Person Mental Health Support System
As the daughter of a victim of sexual abuse, Elizabeth Devine has had to endure her own trauma as well as take on the traumatic experiences of others; today she writes about her own challenges.
Vivid Memories of My Recovery Journey with Anxiety and Schizoaffective Disorder (Part 2)
Living with schizoaffective disorder and anxiety, Leif Gregersen was hospitalized numerous times. Now he is a compassionate and vocal advocate for those in need of a voice.
Vivid Memories of My Recovery Journey with Anxiety and Schizoaffective Disorder (Part 1)
Living with schizoaffective disorder and anxiety, Leif Gregersen was hospitalized numerous times. Now he is a compassionate and vocal advocate for those in need of a voice.
Victory Over Suicidal Tendencies: Fostering the Human Connection
This mental health recovery story focuses on Amy’s journey with intergenerational trauma, suicidality and addiction. Amy eventually found support that helped her to heal, read more here!