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This Is What It Feels Like To Live With A Mental Disorder

"Trying to do anything feels like trying to start a car with no gas."

Mental illness can be experienced in a variety of different ways for different people. So we asked a few people to open up about their personal experience with mental illness, and how it has affected their lives.

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For some people, depression can make daily tasks feel impossible.

Getting out of bed and going to work may seem simple... but if you're depressed, it can feel like the hardest thing in the world to do.

And the magnitude of someone's depression can waver.

Others who suffer from depression can feel it weighing them down, both physically and mentally.

"It gets heavier and heavier, and a little bit harder to deal with... a little bit harder to carry."

For people with anxiety, their mental disorder can manifest itself in irrational fears and worries...

...And while they recognize their worries may be irrational, they cannot be dismissed.

For others, anxiety can make them feel out of control.

"It starts to spin around you until you feel you can't control the things that are worrying you anymore."

For someone suffering from OCD, it can feel like a cloud around their head.

"It can be busy or less busy depending on how I'm feeling on the day."

For others, OCD can put irrational thoughts and fears at the forefront of their brain.

"It's all led by fear."

People who suffer from ADHD can feel almost robotic at times.

"But if you went into the mind of the robot... it's just a bunch of Katy Perry songs and old childhood memories."

...But no matter how a mental illness manifests, there is no right or wrong way of experiencing it. Every person's situation is unique, and every person's feelings are valid.

If you are in crisis, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)