humanity

Mental health is a fundamental right; the future of humanity depends on it.

My Near-Death Experience: I said “I Don’t Think So,” To God
Life is so random. About six years ago, I had open-heart surgery. It was a total fluke thing that caused it, too. I’d decided to up my game from walking on my treadmill to joining the YMCA because I was finally starting to feel fit again. The chronic fatigue I’d suffered for years after having my daughter was finally beginning to lift.
By Erin King4 years ago in Psyche
Would You Wait for a Quarter?
I had finished loading half of my groceries when I was approached by an older man wearing a wool poncho with a cigarette in his hand. I have come to realize by now that I have the sort of luck that causes lightning to strike the same place twice, but am fortunate and blessed in many other ways. After dashing out of one store earlier in the day beside an unruly man authorities had to escort off the premises, I suspected it was going to be another one of those lightning strike sorts of days. I had every justifiable reason to be cautious or even scared, especially in light of recent events. It isn't often that men in parking lots approach lone women with benevolent intentions, after all.
By E.L. Martin4 years ago in Psyche
Grooming is More Pervasive Than We Thought
I knew a medium-ugly boy who was 5 or so years older than me. We met through a beauty pageant with a minimum entrance age of 17 for contestants. This older boy began to date one of the youngest contestants in the pageant shortly after the event concluded. At the time, I saw the young girl as a little sister. She hadn’t even turned 18 yet. And here I was 3 years older than her. It was a large age gap that was both unethical and illegal considering the imbalanced power balance. It was the equivalent of me dating a 13-year-old at 21.
By Cynthia Bord4 years ago in Psyche
Psychologists Were Puzzled; Why Did No One Intervene?
A man walks up to another, for no apparent reason, he punches him in the face. The innocent victim is knocked to the ground and cracks his head on the pavement.
By Malky McEwan4 years ago in Psyche
The Terrible Misadventures of the Clinically Depressed
This first entry is an attempt to give a sort of baseline for what my depression looks like. In my 29 years I’ve been given many opportunities to describe my depression, and it still isn’t quite right or it still doesn’t quite capture what it's like but I’m going to try. Through stories and thoughts, but first I want to try to describe it with these words. What my depression feels like:
By Amariah Brown4 years ago in Psyche
Hope for the Unimaginable Doesn’t Always Alter Your End Game
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, the definition of hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen,” or “a feeling of trust.”
By Nancy B4 years ago in Psyche
Psychiatrists are finding links between infections and mental health. They're unexpected.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, probably the greatest inquiry was: Why do certain individuals get such a ton more ailing than others? It's an inquiry that has constrained specialists to go up against some profound secrets of the human body, and reach resolutions that have surprised them.
By dewon crazy4 years ago in Psyche
The Day My Life Changed
As I sat on the edge of the examination table waiting on the doctor to come into the room my mom tells me she is making my favorite tonight, beef stroganoff. I can’t tell whether she is making small talk because she is scared the doctor will give me bad news or if she is so certain there is nothing wrong with me that she is going about like it is a normal day. The walls are chock full of anatomical pictures of the skeletal system and muscle anatomy. Posters urging patients to “Wash your hands for at least 30 seconds” and “Cover your mouth when you cough”. But the one poster I cannot stop looking at and rereading is the one with the kitten hanging from a rope with the caption “Hang in there”. The image searing into my brain and message repeating in my mind. Hang in there is meant to inspire as the opposite, fall apart, is discouraging. Be strong not weak is the message being portrayed. To me it seemed like an instruction. So, I swallowed my fear, pushed back my emotions trying to leak out of my eyes, squared my shoulders, and lifted my chin a little higher as the doctor came into the room.
By Kristin Young4 years ago in Psyche
What Is a Paradise Syndrome?
Human beings are naturally driven by meaning and purpose. It’s part of our nature. Everyone has a vision of how their life should be. But when our vision doesn’t match our reality, we feel a discrepancy.
By Kristina Segarra4 years ago in Psyche
The cure for bipolar is to forget you are bipolar
In 2015, I started a new job. My boss was a typical Australian guy, laidback, easy-going, and incredibly nice. In the first team meeting, he said:
By Lina4 years ago in Psyche
Love and Mortality
We are all subject to mortality, like it or not every single one of us has this fate in common regardless of age/race/gender etc. Unfortunately not all organic beings are created equal, as some suffer from various illnesses or tragedies sooner or more frequently than others. Call it destiny, karma, whatever you like, but life happens to very much be a game of chance. Theoretically there are things you can do/not do to prolong your life and give you a better chance of survival, but every one of us has the chance of drawing the death card on any given day. I have struggled with the concept of mortality for many years, even more so since 2020 as the mostly ignored intrusive thoughts only become larger and more demanding in my mind.
By Maxie Atreides4 years ago in Psyche
"Why doesn't she just leave?" Domestic Violence and Hmong Women.
This is not going to be as eloquent as my other pieces. Instead, it's going to be straight to the point. After the Kungsheng Maxwell Thao domestic violence episode that circulated through Hmong social media a few days ago, the inevitable comments came to the forefront. They're the same ones each and every time a domestic violence story comes out.
By Nev Ocean4 years ago in Psyche