You Are Not Alone | If you or a loved one is struggling with mental illness, there is HOPE
I’m so honored to have been featured in NAMI’s End of the Year appeal. I hope that my story will inspire others in their own mental health journeys. Mental illness is a manageable illness and there is hope no matter how hopeless you feel. Hopelessness is a persuasive and dangerous symptom of depression; it convinces... Continue Reading →
Father’s Day brings up so many difficult feelings. While others are out celebrating their dads or honoring their memory, I have to build up the courage to make a phone call. Growing up, my dad and I had always been close. Despite my parents getting divorced when I was in third grade, I still saw... Continue Reading →
Mental illness is for the STRONG. No one without it can possibly know the courage it takes most days to get out of bed. You know who you are and you are not alone. Life is HARD, but we are STRONG. That's all I have to say right now, but more will come later. One... Continue Reading →
Found another suicide note in my thirteen year old’s daughter’s bedroom. The note is more specific than the first one we found last summer that upended our lives. This time she has a date and a means (“OD on whatever she can find” or “hang.”) She’s becoming more savvy. Tons of questions plague my mind:... Continue Reading →
I looked at the faces on my computer screen, the people in my support group with whom I’ve spent every Thursday night on Zoom for the past two years. As the facilitator, I try to stay positive, but one night I was really down. I had just gotten back from a girls’ weekend with two... Continue Reading →
Last Friday my husband and I drove my thirteen-year-old daughter to the ER after she expressed concern that she would take her life no matter what my husband or I did. Our daughter has been struggling with suicidal ideation for over a year, but when she said she could no longer trust herself to... Continue Reading →
When I’m feeling well, I feel very resilient, but when I’m not—when depression sets in as it inevitably does— I feel weak, like I’ve failed to stay well and I should have known better. I think, “How could I let this happen? Why didn’t I practice my coping skills better? How did I miss the... Continue Reading →
I hear this a lot when I'm in the midst of a depressive episode. It's understandable that someone who doesn't suffer from depression wouldn't know what to say. Thankfully there are plenty of resources and services out there to educate oneself and learn. This article, in particular, provides some helpful advice for caregivers, friends, and... Continue Reading →
C. L. Dunbar Health 
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