Edith’s Story

When you have an eating disorder, it pulls you away from your passions until the disorder occupies the entirety of your mind. Part of what perpetuated my eating disorder was that I related so much of the disorder to my identity.

I have learned that mental illness is a lot more common than I ever thought. Everyone knows somebody who is dealing with a mental health issue.

I go to a support group and discuss my struggles with people just like me. Not everyone will understand, but as a future social worker and survivor, it’s my duty to share my story.

I began my long journey of trying to find psychiatrists, medications and therapy that were right for me. I had no idea how much time, money and effort this would take.

Absolutely no one knew that two months before I moved into my tiny dorm room, I was sitting in an even tinier room in the psychiatric unit after attempting to take my life.

My depression began when I was ten years old. I remember being in my driveway at dusk and looking up at the sky seeing all the different colors and feeling emotions deeper than sad.

I remember feeling this way from the time I was a small child. I would stand on the playground at school and watch the other kids. I just couldn’t seem to fit into their world.

Please talk about your symptoms and find treatment. Continuing a discussion about PPD will continue to raise awareness, increase normality and break the stigma. 

Over the past couple of years, I have been inwardly battling some of the most terrible monsters: anorexia nervosa, depression and anxiety.

I checked myself into a crisis unit. For the first time in my life, I did what was needed to be done for my own mental health and left everyone else’s opinions at the door. I needed help.