“Who does depression hurt?” the narrator asked. “Everyone” You’ve probably heard it a million times - - the popularized Cymbalta commercial advertising antidepressants for depression relief. Like this commercial and many others, you find that the actors are often adults. What happened to everyone, though? I believe our society places a lot of emphasis on adults’ mental health wellness but what about our children? Many adults diagnosed with mental health illnesses displayed symptoms and red flags during their childhood that were overlooked, not properly addressed, and/or completely ignored altogether. Can you imagine if their challenges would’ve been catered to at the root? What if the proper
The most common question I get is are you enjoying law school? I usually respond with a little chuckle and ask “do you honestly think it’s enjoyable?” I mean really!? Law school is like that meme of the little dog trying to hold it together as he sits consumed in flames, while everything around him is crumbling to pieces. Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic! It’s hard, literally the HARDEST thing I’ve ever done, but I know nothing worth having comes easy. In orientation, they drilled us in on the notion that “law school is a jealous mistress!” During every presentation, we were continuously greeted by this statement. At that moment, I hadn’t quite grasped the full capacity of what that st
I remember it vividly like it was yesterday even though yesterday was nearly 7 years ago - - the year I officially became a mom. I was 18 years old when I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, Santana. Prior to having Santana I was just like any ordinary high school girl in her senior year. I loved the idea that I would soon be in college, away from home, and ready to bask in my freedom. Like many others in my graduating class, I had many ambitious goals and dreams post graduation. I dreamt of getting a doctoral degree in counseling (to counsel juveniles or adult inmates), becoming a well-known writer, and starting my own non-profit organization for troubled teens. I was sold by the idea o
