Our Stories

Coping With Anxiety, Depression and OCD – Blogger Kelly R. , Age: 20

What have you struggled with? When did it become too much?

I have anxiety, depression and OCD. it hit me the most in high school and I am currently in college and getting help so it isn’t hurting me as much as it did.

What kind of support did you get at first? Did it work?

College counseling and it helped a great deal but I am also on medication.

Were there any turning points where things really started to change for the better?

When I got to college my life changed. I could get the help I needed for free and I didn’t have to worry about the judgement of my family

What’s your life like now? What have you been able to accomplish, and what are you working towards?

My life is great now I have 3.0 in college which I’m trying to get up to a 3.6. I feel like I can do whatever I put my mind to. I am a psychology major and I feel so smart and I am able to do that because of the help I have now.

What would you say to people who are having a tough time? What’s helped you that you wish you had known earlier

I wish I would have believed them when they said it got better. Being alone dealing with mental illness is the hardest part. When parents and family members don’t get young children the help they need, it really effects the rest of their life. I wish I knew that I would be able to become this person I am now. I want to be able to be a voice for young people and stand up and say that they will be okay even though at this moment they feel like everything is falling apart. Mental illness is a huge part of my life and I want to do everything I can to break the stigma and help young people get what they need to get better and support them in that.