Illustrated by Romane Fontaine-Pasquali. While pursuing a degree in social work , Romane Fontaine-Pasquali uses her artwork to explore her mental health journey.

I spoke to a woman who was just diagnosed bipolar and doesn’t quite feel like herself yet. I get it. It took me years to end up with the cocktail I have and the last med change was scary because I take care of my daughter during the day and I didn’t feel “right.” Here’s…

Recently I was at a party and a friend of mine asked me how I was. I told her I was anxious, because I have an anxiety disorder, and she looked at me with zero understanding and asked if I had read the book she recommended. One read of any book is not going to…

for baby I stitch a toy beetle out of felt, hoping you’ll fall in love with the wind and trees. for husband I take care of you like a bee in a hive, my arms moving and moving. No more searching, ecstatic to make you soup. for two brothers We don’t talk or we talk,…

It’s #mentalhealthmonth so I’m using this #throwbackthursday to tell you how it felt to become a mom with bipolar disorder. I could not believe my luck. I had a medicated pregnancy and then I had a healthy baby girl. I would take a thousand selfies of us together — partly because of how amazed I…

I was going to entitle this article don’t say this to people with mental illnesses, but it goes for every disorder — for every PERSON. These are all statements people have said to me. Please don’t say them to anyone. ❤     Don’t say this: It’s selfish to feel the way you’re feeling. You…

It was Elro’s first birthday, Passover AND Easter. We had so much fun. I switched one medication to another medication (benzos) and developed a rash so I had to switch back. It was a weird, painful, rash — it felt like I was being rained on constantly. That was my only “symptom” as a person…

I’m a firm believer in routine, and I just changed mine up when it comes to when and how I take my pills.  Morning: I used to forget my morning pills because I’d jump out of bed to take care of my baby. One of the first things I do every morning is have iced…

I’m so happy to report that my medication change was a success. I am now sleeping through the night without feeling like I’m suffocating. It’s kind of a miracle. Other miracles right now? Painting by Gamani Ratnavira. ♥️ Rae

  1. I’m an “older” mom (I mean, I guess! I was only 34) and they wanted to do the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT).My husband said yes because — and only because — the doctor mentioned it and we’d find out the gender verysoon. I was taken aback at how uncomfortable it made me. I’m…