Most women, in the lead up to their periods, will experience anything from mood swings to tiredness to feeling upset. These are symptoms of PMS or Premenstrual Syndrome and it affects 3 out of 4 women. However, imagine these symptoms were felt in extreme, making it difficult to even get through the day. This is what it’s like for those living with PMDD. 

It was coming towards the end of high school when I realised I had anxiety. It was after talking to family members and professionals about how I was feeling that I knew I had this within me. I had my first panic attack when I was 11 years old. I had no idea what was happening to my body and neither did my parents due to no one really talking about mental illness back then. I’ve had many panic attacks since the first one, but that one will always stick out to me. I still remember exactly how terrified I felt during that attack 10 years ago. There were days during middle school and high school when I would feel physically sick at the thought of attending. I missed quite a few days and people did question why I was always ill. In my mind, I just put it down to a sickness bug or flu, it wasn't until later that I found out it was anxiety. 

I remember a time, much to my current regret, where I was quite sceptical to the legitimacy of widespread mental health. I would always think: "Surely if they tried like the rest of us, they could come out of this fruitless depression," "how can paranoia/delusions truly exist, do they not understand how foolish these ridiculous conceptions are," "why do these people allow their anxieties to take over," and most shamefully "why can't they just take control of themselves?" 

“Sometimes you can just feel mediocre about your child. It doesn’t mean that you don’t love them, it’s just that you’re ill. You should recognise that you’re not a monster.” 

 

Walking through Oxford Street, the space was flooded with colour. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple covered the grey walls and buildings. A procession of flamboyant vehicles jived through the streets, booming out vibrant songs and encouraging the crowd to dance. It is undeniable that the energy on that day was full of nothing but positivity, happiness, and of course buckets of Pride. However, beneath the surface, there is a blackness. And when the crowds disperse and the people return home, the LGBTIQA+ community go on battling oppression, hate and mental health problems. This is not to say all of them go through this, but the figures show that LGBTIQA+ people are three times more likely to suffer depression, twice as likely to experience suicidal thoughts or make suicide attempts, and seven times more likely to take drugs, compared with their heterosexual counterparts.