Molly
Molly
I didn’t think I would make it to age 20
When the horror of 9/11 hit, Molly was just seven years old. Days later, her mom, a Navy officer, was deployed.
I was so worried about her safety. My dad told me I wouldn’t stop watching breaking news on TV.
The event added to daily anxiety that already consumed Molly.
A quiet child, she was terrified of attending school. While she was an excellent student and strived for perfection, Molly feared being judged or ridiculed by her peers—so much so that she missed weeks of classes at a time.
While her parents tried to comfort and support her, schoolmates were sometimes cruel.
Middle school was hard enough to begin with, but when I had told some friends I had stopped going to school because I had general anxiety disorder, I was alienated.
“I am here because of the amazing people who helped me along the way. I want to give back.”
Molly’s pediatrician referred her to a psychiatrist who suggested antidepressants. Still, her symptoms would roll in and out like waves. In addition to regular outpatient sessions, she was hospitalized twice.
Then, a few months ago, when the hopelessness swelled, Molly ended up in the emergency room with an urgent plea for help.
I needed to do something. I couldn’t go on just ruminating about ending my life.
Molly found hope in a treatment called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a therapy used to stimulate small regions of the brain.
It’s an outpatient procedure performed five days a week, for a total of 36 treatments.
I wear a helmet and the doctors send pulses into my brain.
It’s wild. I’m halfway through treatment, and I don’t feel so dark in a way. I’m not jumping for joy, but I feel better.
Molly also finds solace with her Chihuahua—dachshund mix, Pinto. Now in her sophomore year in college, she is studying psychology and is hoping to be able to use her own experience and education to someday counsel patients.
I am here because of the amazing people who helped me along the way. I want to give back.
