We have interviewed 37 people who have overcome struggles with the help of the right medication. These stories show that medication (if done properly) is one of the most powerful ways to overcome struggles of mental health.
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I’ve interviewed 37 people who have been helped by medication, and here are the top 5 struggles that these people have overcome:
In our many years of publishing helpful mental health content, we always received questions from our readers about specific situations. While we have a lot of helpful tips to share on how to be happier, we simply can’t offer advice for every situation.
That’s why I’ve set out to interview folks with every type of mental health struggle. My job as an interviewer is to categorize these interviews and present them in a way that is most helpful to our readers.
“The first challenge was for me to acknowledge my own difficulty and accept that it was a struggle at all. I was so lost in perfectionism that, at first, I didn’t accept that I was struggling. Over time, I more openly sought out help and support from loved ones and friends.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Postpartum depression
Stress
Helped by:
Medication
Meditation
Mindfulness
Therapy
“When I got home, I was burnt out and severely depressed. I couldn’t get out of bed for a long time. My fiance took me for walks, helped me bathe, and brought me bland foods. With the help of my psychiatrist and therapist, I was able to get on a course of therapy and medication that finally helped to bring me out of my major depressive episode. I wasn’t truly fully functional again until some time in 2011.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Childhood
Depression
PTSD
Helped by:
Medication
Therapy
“Our daughter noticed changes in me like I wasn’t as active in keeping our house as clean as I used to, and I realized that at my job I was getting more drained, and I am only working 4-5 hours a week. I came to know I had to work on myself, and my new med helps with the depression, and mostly the anxiety.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Depression
Helped by:
Medication
Self-Care
“No one can change your life for you and help you. You have to make an effort to get better. It can be very difficult when you’re depressed, but you have to take at least one small step every day. Start with what is easiest for you.”
Struggled with:
Depression
Helped by:
Exercise
Medication
Self-Care
“When I started recovering, I realized that I had lost myself during that time. Not in a bad way but I had lost my confidence, purpose, and hope. That was when I came across a purpose mentorship program by a Zimbabwean author, entrepreneur, and purpose mentor Ralph Kadurira who has still remained my mentor to this day. The program was everything I needed to get back on my feet.”
“Depression and anxiety seemed to be controlling my life, and I felt like I had lost control of my own emotions. I remember once I tried to hide my depression and anxiety from those around me, thinking it would be easier to pretend that nothing was wrong. But it only made things worse and eventually I had to admit to myself that I needed help.”
Struggled with:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Helped by:
Medication
Self-Care
Therapy
“After a very emotionally taxing month for me and my fiance, I had an actual mental breakdown. Unable to stop crying, I voluntarily admitted myself to my local psych ward and stayed for a couple of days, ultimately being released after assessment. I realized that I didn’t want to die, I just didn’t want to feel the way I was feeling.”
“Don’t hate yourself for the trauma. The path to happiness is not a single one. There are many ways to be happy so the impossibility to turn back time before trauma does not mean you can never be happy. You can be happy again. You can trust others again. Don’t lose your hope to survive. Someday, you will be thankful for your past self who did not give up your life.”
“At 19 years old I had lost all of my independence, I was unable to work, and I couldn’t even make a meal for myself 90% of the time. At this time I was also diagnosed with OCD. I turned 20 completely alone, I couldn’t even leave my room to have happy birthday sung to me.”
Helped by:
Medication
Music
Self-improvement
Therapy
“It’s hard to feel happy when it’s your own head calling you a failure. Since then I’ve been researching ways to help me feel better, and improve in all aspects of life. I know my journey is not complete, but when you’ve been dealing with all of this stuff since you were five, you tend to pick things up.”
