64 Interviews With People Who've Been Helped By Social support

We have interviewed 64 people who have overcome struggles with the help of social support from others. These stories show that friends, family and colleagues are vital to overcoming struggles of mental health.

Most recent stories of people helped by the support of others

From Drama Addiction to Healing: A Psychologist’s Journey of Self-Discovery

From Drama Addiction to Healing: A Psychologist’s Journey of Self-Discovery

February 6, 2025
Helped by: Mindfulness, Self-awareness, Social support, Therapy
Breaking the Cycle of Fear and Avoidance: My Path to Managing Social Anxiety

Breaking the Cycle of Fear and Avoidance: My Path to Managing Social Anxiety

December 5, 2024
Helped by: Journaling, Meditation, Mindfulness, Social support
How Volunteering and Self-Acceptance Helped Me Rebuild My Mental Health

How Volunteering and Self-Acceptance Helped Me Rebuild My Mental Health

November 28, 2024
Helped by: Self-acceptance, Social support, Volunteering

Want to share your story too?

👉 Help thousands of people around the world by sharing your own story. We would love to publish your interview and have a positive impact on the world together. Learn more here.

Are you looking for stories on the social support of others?

I’ve interviewed 64 people who have been helped by support of others, and here are the top 5 struggles that these people have overcome:

  1. Depression (31 posts)
  2. Anxiety (30 posts)
  3. Suicidal (15 posts)
  4. Panic attacks (12 posts)
  5. Childhood trauma (12 posts)

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.

Read all the case studies

MaryAddison Yates Featured Image

Case studies

How the 12-Step Program and Therapy Helped Me Deal With Addiction, Depression & ADHD

“I met my future husband when I was 26 but I never felt truly connected to him. I felt just as invisible to him as I did to everyone else. When we decided we wanted to have children, by some miracle, I was able to abstain from drinking just before and during my pregnancy. I coped by being very controlling, a shopaholic, and a workaholic. The twins were born when I was 31 and postpartum depression led me back to the only solution I thought I had: drinking”

Struggled with:
Addiction
ADHD
Anxiety
Depression
Panic attacks
Suicidal

Helped by:
Rehab
Reinventing yourself
Self-Care

Therapy
Treatment

Bayu Prihandito Featured Image

Case studies

How I Stopped Being a People Pleaser & Embraced Myself to Walk My Own Path

“No one possesses the ultimate truth. The advice we receive from others is usually drawn from their personal experiences, but it doesn’t necessarily mean their truth will align with ours. This includes advice from our parents. Although they usually offer guidance out of love, their narratives are unique to them and should not automatically become our narratives. We must consciously create our own stories, otherwise we risk blindly following in others’ footsteps.”

Struggled with:
Feeling lost

Helped by:
Meditation
Reinventing yourself

Stephanie Gilbert Featured Image

Case studies

How I Recovered From Anorexia and OCD With a Specialized Therapist

“Finding a therapist that I felt believed in my recovery completely shifted things for me. Which is why I became a therapist too. I felt like I wasn’t alone, that there was someone who understood and didn’t judge me for what I was going through. And she believed in me at times more than I believed in myself.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Eating disorder
OCD

Helped by:

Therapy

Sarah Rollins Featured Image

Case studies

Residential Treatment Started My Healing Journey From Eating Disorders & Negative Body Image

“In my experience, I don’t think I could’ve recovered without residential treatment. Residential treatment is long-term (minimum 28 days) where you stay overnight at a facility and spend the day in individual and group therapy. In treatment, I was able to get out of my environment, focus solely on getting better, and not have to worry about school, friends, family, or work.”

Struggled with:
Eating disorder
Negative body image

Helped by:
Self-Care

Treatment

Krystal Alexander Featured Image 1

Case studies

How I Overcame Persistent Fears & Anxiety With EMDR Therapy and Closeness to Christ

“No matter how much I’d accomplished, because my life wasn’t excelling at the rate that I desired it to, I believed something was wrong with me. I would compare myself to others, and do things I wasn’t interested in or enjoyed, just to be accepted, and in doing so I lost my identity and my ability to be my true authentic self.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Stress

Helped by:
Religion
Self-Care

Therapy

Angela Philips Featured Image

Case studies

Navigating Baby Blues and Depression in My Postpartum Journey and Breaking the Stigma

“I was in a fog, so confused, and felt all over the place. I had to relearn myself when to anticipate these challenges occurring and plan for prevention, do more outreach for support and be really open with my partner about all of the above. This is really difficult to do all while trying to figure out what’s going on with your body and brain, and a new human to care for.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Depression
Grief
Postpartum depression

Helped by:
Journaling
Self-Care

Kathy Mou Featured Image

Case studies

Akashic Records Helped Start My Recovery From Depression and Anxiety Due to Endometriosis

“I came across an Instagram post about Akashic readings and was intrigued by the positive feedback, so I decided to give it a try. During the hour-long session with the practitioner, she guided me to prepare questions that my spirit guides could help answer. Naturally, one of my pressing questions was whether I would ever become a mother. To my immense joy, she affirmed that I would indeed have a daughter and even mentioned that I would produce ample milk for her.”

Struggled with:
Anxiety
Depression
Infertility

Helped by:
Self-Care

Spirituality
Therapy

Cherie Miller Featured Image

Case studies

How I Recovered From Negative Body Image and Binge Eating With Therapy and Social Support

“Having an eating disorder is so much more than just wanting to be thin. Yes, I was obsessed with wanting to lose weight, but there were many, many other things underneath that. I desperately wanted to feel good about myself and loved by others. At times, my eating disorder gave me that sense of identity, accomplishment, and approval I wanted.”

Struggled with:
Depression
Eating disorder
Negative body image

Helped by:

Therapy