Story #1 - Depression + Anxiety

"I am a very emotional person who also gets mad very easily (one of the symptoms of my neurological condition, called hydrocephalus), but things started changing lately and I have started feeling depressed. I’ve lost the motivation and interest in doing anything and have also stopped feeling hungry. Things have started to look very different. Having this neurological condition has caused many disabilities and difficulties in both me and my family’s lives. This condition was diagnosed when I was 3 years old. I have had 2 brain surgeries to treat it because there is currently no cure for hydrocephalus. I am a lot slower than “normal” people (everyone else who doesn’t have my condition), my balance and coordination are messed up, and my eyes don’t look normal. Whenever I look at someone, they seem to be confused and not know where I’m looking. PE has been especially difficult for me. I know that PE is supposed to help with mental health, but for me it has the opposite effect. I keep having mental breakdowns in that class because I feel like I’m just not enough no matter how hard I try. Other people’s “trying” is my “succeeding”. My “trying” is other people’s “failing”. I always try my best but now I am unable to do so because of my depression and anxiety. I get so anxious and depressed that I act differently at home and my parents think that I’m weird. They don’t understand the importance of mental health as much as physical health. My parents think there’s something wrong with people who have mental illnesses and that we should stay away from those who have them. I need help but I don’t know how to get it because my parents don’t understand anxiety and depression. Through this experience, my goal when I graduate college is to become a therapist for those struggling with mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression like I am today. I want to try and help eliminate the stigma around mental illnesses and raise awareness for those struggling with them."