Stories

Hi. My name is Jamey and I have had depression and PTSD since I was 10 years old. For the first 10 years of my life I was a happy kid, then one day I was not myself; I was not happy. My mom took me to the doctor, and they said I had depression and PTSD. At first I did not understand, and people started treating me like I couldn’t handle anything. They told me I would never make it in life because of having a learning disability and depression. I was told I would never leave my parents’ house and that I was not able to handle life. For a long time, I believed it. I always put myself down because of it. I felt alone. I was hospitalized for my depression for the first time with suicidal thoughts at age 16. I was there for a month and I’ve been in and out since then then. One day in a group I learned that my depression and other disorders do not define me; I can be who I want to be, and it doesn’t matter what others think of me. It only matters what God thinks of me and what I think of me. I can change my thoughts and look at things in a different way. My story can help others. When I was little my parents were living in addiction. They were not always there for me and they had risky behaviors. I had to learn how to take care of myself. For the longest time I was truly alone, but now I know that I’m not alone. Other people have been though some of the same things I have. My advice to you is, “Never give up, because one day all the bad is not going to mean anything. You are an ‘overcomer’ and nobody has a say in how you feel and think and act.” Thank you for letting me share.