I don’t know what to tell youas your tearful eyes,full of hurt and spite,claw deep into my heart. “You’re not the same!”you exclaim,as you turn your backleaving me in the cold. How could I not be the same?did I transform intosome unrecognized monster,without trace of your best friend? I’m a young kindred spiritwho is as ...

Content Warning: Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation “Mom, just take me. I’m begging you. I’m not stable.” Words no mother dreams of hearing from their sixteen-year-old child. No amount of planning prepares you to react to this type of request. My teen begged for help, and my world stood still. What happened next? I found strength that ...

Mildred is enjoying her newfound freedom after her divorce from Ray. She hits the dating scene and immediately falls in love again. The tall, handsome Gene Gephardt is amiable and ambitious. He dreams of building an upscale nightclub and restaurant on the outskirts of Granite City. The location? Not too far from St. Louis but ...

Content warning: Depression, therapy It’s insane how one little thing can change your whole perspective on life. For example, I recently received a loaner electric wheelchair from my manufacturer to use while I wait for my new one to arrive. I have learned an important lesson about myself. My independence is too important to me ...

A friend recently told me that there have never been any consequences to my poor decisions. The thing is, there is always a consequence of any action. My consequence is I have to deal with the fact that I’m not as independent as I was when I first moved here eight years ago. This may ...

Trigger warning: alcohol abuse, death/loss, depression They stumbled through the front door. Aria grunted under Camden’s weight again. She had his arm around her shoulders to pull him through the parking lot and to their door. Her neck and shoulders would be in pain the next morning, but this was the best way of getting ...

Have you ever said, “I’m so tired, I could sleep for a week!” Exhaustion seems like a rite of passage in our fast-paced, hustle more, think big society. But what happens when the exhaustion completely takes over? Is it as simple as taking a nap or going to bed an hour early? Overwhelming exhaustion can ...

I took a big step this week for my personal growth. I looked for a counselor or therapist. This may not seem like that big of a deal, but it was for me.  I probably have needed therapy since middle school. I avoided getting it when I was older because I have never considered myself ...

Welcome to Strange Medicine—a series of nonfiction articles based on recent journal published, peer-reviewed case studies, review articles, meta-studies, scientific studies, and primary literature. Each relates to events that made the medical community’s eyes widen and scratch their heads, though, please note that all are significant toward scientific and medical progress because they also forced ...