Kim
Kim
Treatment made such an impact on my life
Seeking help for her anxiety and depression was scary for Kim, but her fears quickly started to fade during her very first visit with a mental health professional.
One of the first doctors I saw at the behavioral health office really took the time to listen to me. I wasn’t just put on medication and sent out the door. She made me feel that anxiety and depression is such a normal thing to have, and that I was not ‘crazy.’ I felt a great deal of relief.
That feeling of relief was a long time coming for Kim. Although she had been dealing with anxiety and depression since childhood, and her problems got worse when she reached high school, she still waited until she was 23 to seek treatment.
I started coping by ritualistic behavior that began to affect my everyday life. I began having panic attacks on public transportation, and at the time I did not understand what was happening to me. I was terrified. My anxiety was so bad I could barely leave the house and get to work.
“Don’t let the ignorance of others make you feel any less of a human for having a mental health condition. We are all in this together, and the difference that treatment makes is incredible.”
Kim was struggling, and she wanted to get help. But something held her back.
I haven’t found it easy telling people about my mental health. I have been judged by friends, family, co-workers, boyfriends, you name it. The stigma around it is terrible. I was ashamed of my anxiety for a long time, and I hid it for most of my life.
Kim says it was fear and stigma that held her back. But when she finally reached out for help, it brought her the comfort she had been searching for.
I felt a great deal of relief and really benefited from having some form of stability around dealing with my anxiety. A support system, I have learned, is one of the most important things to have. Without it, you cannot begin to get better.
Kim is moving forward with the help of her doctors and her treatment plan of therapy and medication. This support system is enabling her to confront her generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and depression.
Treatment made such an impact on my life. It was a relief after all the years suffering in silence to finally have some answers.
For people who may be fearful of reaching out for help, Kim has some simple advice.
Please don’t wait any longer. One thing I wish I knew when I was younger is how much better my life would be with help. Don’t be scared, and don’t let the ignorance of others make you feel any less of a human for having a mental health condition. We are all in this together, and the difference that treatment makes is incredible.
