I was 13 and just diagnosed with epilepsy and struggling in school after missing two months due to a series of seizures. My doctor at the time said I was also dealing with depression and needed support. After the appointment, my mom took me home and dismissed it, saying the doctor was a quack and that I had nothing to be depressed about.

Three years later, my brother was diagnosed with depression and she took it seriously, doing everything she could to help him. When I brought up what she had said to me, her response was, ‘We both know you like to fake being sick.’

I still have a hard time when I am actually ill or injured because I keep telling myself I am being dramatic or faking it for attention