Family

2008 The room is packed with people. The lights come up as the band takes the stage. The lead singer calls out to his hometown, and the crowd is fired up. I feel like I could cry any minute, but don’t know why. Every time I’m jostled by dancing fans, …

I sat in the hospital waiting room and felt insurmountable guilt. My husband was sitting beside me, terrified. My mom and sister, who lived 45 minutes away, were weaving through end-of-rush-hour traffic to get to us. As far as emergency room patients went, my exterior looked perfectly fine. No bleeding …

There’s a reason songs like “Lean on Me” and “You’ve Got a Friend” resonate with people. They celebrate a basic human desire to have support, comfort and reassurance. Most of us thrive with the help of others. When times are tough, we look to our friends and family for help …

Anxiety has a presence in our apartment. It’s like a third roommate that I tiptoe around. Sometimes, I inadvertently stomp on it, and other times I’m too tired to care. The anxiety beast isn’t mine — my fiancé carries it with him — but we are well-acquainted. My life is …

Periodically, we’ll feature insight from “the other side”, i.e. parents, friends, partners and spouses. Watching your depressed child struggle is heartbreaking, confusing, frustrating and terrifying. It’s especially challenging when adult children articulate their problems through negative and dangerous behaviors. Many fear they will burden or embarrass their parents if they …

There’s good news and bad news about mental health information on the Internet. The bad news: There’s a lot to sift through. The good news: Plenty of reputable information and solid advice exists out there. In our own search to locate facts, support and encouragement, we came across these five …