Nicole Ledezma

A therapist once said:

People who need therapy don’t come to us.

Their victims do.

Now let that sink in.

I was talking with another prison wife recently, and we somehow got on the topic of mental health. Not just our own, but our husbands’ too.

My husband has bipolar, depression, and drug induced schizophrenia.

I have anxiety, depression, BPD, and HSP (Highly Sensitive Personality Trait).

Neither one of us has ever been the type to hide those things because mental health is important, and honestly, I don’t think it gets talked about enough, especially when it comes to our loved ones on the inside.

People are quick to talk about charges, mistakes, and sentences, but they rarely stop to think about what someone may have been struggling with long before they ended up behind prison walls.

There are so many families out here navigating anxiety, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, addiction, trauma, and everything that comes with it while also trying to survive incarceration.

Some days are harder than others.

Some days you’re trying to stay strong for the person you love while fighting your own battles at the same time.

I just wish mental health was talked about more.

Not because it’s an excuse.

Not because it takes away accountability.

But because it’s real.

And whether people want to admit it or not, mental health affects so many of the people we love, both on the inside and on the outside.

❤️

OMG, I am OBSESSED with how this came out. 😭🌹

If you want your own, ask ChatGPT:

“Based on everything you know about me, what would be my street/chola nickname?”

Then say:

“Turn me into a Homies character based on that description.”

I swear these are so freaking cute.