My Battle with Skin Picking

My first episodes of skin picking, or dermatillomania, began at the age of 13. I went straight for the little bumps on my arms, above the elbows. I searched and destroyed. It was a little bit like popping bubble wrap – just one bubble wasn’t enough.

How Working as a NAMI HelpLine Volunteer Changed My Life

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I remember the anticipation of receiving my first call on the NAMI HelpLine. My heart was racing, my hands were sweating. I was fearful that a help-seeker might judge or react explosively to every word I used or intonation I chose. I had never worked on a helpline before.

How I Navigated Gender and Sexuality with Multiple Personalities

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While dissociative identity disorder (DID) has become a topic of fascination in the media, I have not heard many stories about the condition that represent lived experience accurately. Sensationalized movie plots portray people with DID as dangerous and maniacal. And most of the personal stories I’ve heard simplify the reality of the condition; specifically, these stories fail to respect or understand each distinct personality’s sex, gender identity, sexual orientation and pronouns.

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Hygiene Indifference: The Symptom We Don’t Talk About

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Hygiene is one of the many symptoms that is frequently left out of the mental health conversation. This is largely because the subject is difficult to talk about — many of us feel the weight of stigma when talking about our bodies and our personal habits.