Disorders
The Cost of Being Perfect on Paper
The more I read and the closer I looked at the patients under my care, I could see High-Functioning Depression (HFD) was everywhere. But people couldn’t go to their doctor and ask for a diagnosis or a prescription for antidepressants for it. If they did, the doctor would run through a quick screening tool for…
Taking Up Space: A Mental Health Accommodations Guide for Students
Being a student is no joke. Between classes, activities, work, and social life, things get overwhelming fast. And if you also live with a mental health condition like anxiety, depression, or ADHD, it can feel impossible to keep up. But you’ve got this! Resources exist to support you — accommodations for students managing their mental…
How My PTSD Diagnosis Helped My Childhood Self Heal
Trigger Warning: Discussion of physical and sexual abuse. I wasn’t diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) until a couple of years ago. There was no real point that I recall where the symptoms started because in reality, for me, living in fight-and-flight mode was the way I’ve lived as long as I could remember. My…
Three Myths About Borderline Personality Disorder and The Truth Behind Them
I remember when I was beginning to struggle with my borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms. I asked my psychiatrist, “What is my diagnosis?” and she refused to tell me. I later learned that I fit the criteria for BPD, but my psychiatrist did not want to label me. When I went on the internet searching…
Debunking Myths About Bipolar Disorder
Have you ever heard someone say, “The weather has been so bipolar”? Or make an off-hand comment of “He’s been acting so bipolar,” when someone’s mood has been more erratic than usual? These phrases, while seemingly harmless, actually have a deeper impact than we might realize. When we use mental illnesses like bipolar disorder as…
Addressing Disordered Eating on College Campuses
Content Warning: This piece contains mentions of disordered eating/eating disorders. Starting college can introduce a lot of new stressors in our daily lives, both expected and unexpected. You might be ready for long nights of studying, trouble making friends, or bouts of homesickness. However, what you might not expect is the impact that living on…
Strategies for Living with Seasonal Affective Disorder
I am a loud and self-proclaimed lover of summer. I love everything about the season: how ice cream melts faster than you can eat it, the beach and the smell of salt water, and blockbusters out every other week at the movie theater. But the thing I love most about summertime is the long, extended…
Three Tips for Navigating School with Mental Health-Related Disabilities
No student wants to struggle in school, yet many do, most of the time at no fault of their own. Different diagnoses, conditions, and disabilities, both mental health-related and physical, can strain a student’s ability to succeed in an educational setting. Everyday tasks such as keeping up with the workload, understanding content, and staying productive…
Managing Financial Stress: Tips for College Students
“Once I get more money, I’ll be able to afford the laptop I need. I’ll be able to pay off my student loans. Maybe I’ll be able to take a week off.” Despite it still being relatively taboo to discuss, money is a driving factor in our lives. It can dominate our thoughts, and lead…
ADHD in Young Adults: My Symptoms and Journey to Diagnosis
I always loved learning and strived to be a high achiever. I did well in school, got along with others, and teachers seemed to like me. However, once I started college, there was a major shift. It became harder and harder for me to complete assignments on time. I felt I couldn’t reach out to…
Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society.