recent mental health

Am I Scared or Is It Grief? – Uncovering the Sad Feeling

I used to feel this sad and heavy pain in my gut all the time. At times I could name it, pinpoint where the sad ...

Shame, Alcoholism, Stigma, and Suicide

In addiction treatment circles, conventional wisdom suggests we have to let people hit rock bottom before we can help them. But what happens if rock ...

Stop Blaming Mental Illness for Gun-Related Violence

It's a perfect scapegoat: if mental illness is the issue and healthcare is a privilege, the solution must be a stronger police state and more ...

Childhood Trauma, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Plastic Surgery Addiction

Many people who have multiple plastic surgeries are looking for self-worth, not correction of a deformity. Most of the time when we talk about addiction, ...

How to Be Less of a Jerk – Part 2 – Admit Racism

[Content warning: Racism] Just because someone doesn’t want to be racist doesn’t mean they aren’t. Contributing to white supremacy is racism. Supporting racists is racism. Excusing ...

Be Less of a Jerk 101: Racism Crash Course

Stop getting offended when someone calls you white, part of white supremacy, a recipient of white privilege, or even *gasp* you get called racist. Instead, ...

domestic violence

Stop Blaming Mental Illness for Gun-Related Violence

It's a perfect scapegoat: if mental illness is the issue and healthcare is a privilege, the solution must be a stronger police state and more ...

Alcohol and Rape Prosecutions: Consent, Intoxication, and Memory

Victim blaming is a defense mechanism for bystanders to feel safe by falsely imagining that it “could be avoided if...” or “that can’t be the ...

Dangerous Words and the Internet

Content Warning: online harassment, online predators, child exploitation   Sometimes you have to go back in order to move forward. Like a mystery novel where ...

The Persuasive Mind Tricks of Abusers

Isolation is the number one tool used by abusers. Isolation breeds desperation nurtured in an environment where an abuser can exercise more control and wield ...

The Truth About Sexual Assault

quick facts on sexual violence in the united states what is sexual violence? sexual violence is both physical and psychological, it encompasses violent and non-consensual ...

Yes, Things Get Worse Before Things Get Better

One thing about trauma in PTSD is that it starts to show itself when you're safe(r) than before. Our brains are working on overdrive trying ...

addictions

Suicidal and Not Giving Up

If you are contemplating suicide, please seek help. You are worth life and you are not alone. 1–800–273–8255 What is a life gone wrong? When ...

Drinking as Self-Harm

When I can only see the world through foggy glasses, the urge to destroy myself by drinking again becomes an enticing option. In recovery, I ...

Drunk Watching Intervention

People say that reality TV is just scripted lies with a dose of reality, but Intervention showed me my own reality. My obsession with the show, Intervention, planted ...

Sobriety Can Be Scary

Nothing negative is happening. I mean, no big things are occurring that I should feel threatened about. This anxiety and fear is coming from someplace ...

Gendered Language in 12-Step Programs

Alcoholic Anonymous has a language problem. Humans are complicated, and 12-step programs do not work for everyone. Substance use disorders do not have a single identifiable cause ...

Learning To Be Honest

I am on the subway, headed to therapy. Before I tried getting sober, there were multiple times when I lied that I went to therapy ...

info sheets

first person, journal entries

emergency contacts

In an emergency call 911
Find more resources here

1-800-799-7233 (SAFE)

200 languages (USA based)
TTY 1-800-787-3224
Online chat

hotline.org

1-866-879-6636 (USWOMEN)

International toll-free
pathwaystosafety.org

In an emergency call 911
Find more resources here

1-800-273-8255 (TALK)

Connect with a local crisis center (USA based)
TTY 1-800-799-4889
Online chat
suicidepreventionlifeline.org

IMAlive

Virtual crisis center
imalive.org

International

Listings of suicide hotlines worldwide
suicide.org
Wiki listing

In an emergency call 911
Find more resources here
 

1-866-331-9474

Help with dating abuse for teens (USA based)
Online chat
Text “LOVEIS” to 22522
loveisrespect.org

1-800-422-4453 (4-A-Child)

Child abuse hotline (USA based)
childhelp.org

1-866-488-7386

LGBTQ youth crisis intervention and suicide prevention
Online chat
Text “Trevor” to 1-202-304-1200
thetrevorproject.org

In an emergency call 911
Find more resources here

Crisis Text Line

24/7 support
Text: “HOME” to 741741
crisistextline.org

1-800-273-8255

Crisis call center (USA based)
Text: “ANSWER” to 839863
crisiscallcenter.org