Mental Illness Poems

Mental Illness Poems

Poems about Mental Health

Discovering you suffer from a mental illness can be devastating. When faced with this challenge, most people work hard to pursue treatment and inform themselves about the disease. Even still, keeping a positive outlook and attempting to maintain good communication with your loved ones can become extremely challenging. Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may feel deep sadness and frustration because of your illness. Such feelings are normal, and should not be repressed. In fact, expressing them to a close friend or through writing can help you to cope, and even thrive, despite your mental illness.

52 Poems about Anxiety and Panic Disorders

1 - 20 of 52

  1. 1. The Room Of My Life

    Anne Sexton is a famous poet known for writing about challenging topics, often expressing despair in her work. In the poem "Room of Life," she reveals the troubled life she led through vivid imagery, including objects that seem to take on a life of their own. Sexton sees each object in her room as a reflection of her own life, including the books, the typewriter, the phone, and even the windows. She feeds both the world outside and her own inner world, but she struggles to find meaning in her existence.

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    Here,
    in the room of my life
    the objects keep changing.
    Ashtrays to cry into,

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  3. 2. Just Wait For The Sun

    My poem is about holding on for better days and waiting for the bad times to pass. With all the sad news recently about Caroline Flack and mental health/suicide awareness being so prevalent in the news, this poem is just trying to say please don't think things will always be this bad. Please don't give up. You are not alone. It is a plea to anyone who might ever feel like there is nothing left to live for.


    • By Lisa Marks
    • Published by Family Friend Poems March 2020 with permission of the Author.

    When everything's darkness
    And you feel so alone,
    When the rain doesn't stop
    And you can't make it home,

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    • Votes 1807
    • Rating 4.55
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    Wow! This is an amazing poem! I love how the poem just flows and makes so much of sense. Thanks for sharing this beautiful poem. I know you posted this like 2 years ago but I hope you're...

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  5. 3. The Monster

    I have struggled with anxiety for as long as I can remember. In April of this past year (2018) I landed myself in the psych ward after giving myself third degree burns. This poem explains some of my story--where I've been, the paths I've walked, and the new life I've stumbled upon.


    • By Olivia M Likens
    • Published by Family Friend Poems September 2018 with permission of the Author.

    Dear Anxiety,

    When they ask me what I am afraid of,
    I lie.

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    I am a person with worry, fear, doubt, and with grace. I worry for those who will be hurt by me, those who will be disappointed in me, those who will care for me but leave me, and those who I...

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  6. 4. Mysterious Pain

    I have struggled with anxiety for many years. It is such an awful thing, and for people who don't have any idea what it is like, it is hard for them to understand. They think that you can just pull yourself out of it. One day I was so anxious and overwhelmed by these feelings, and I started to write. This is what came to me. For any of you who struggle with this, you are not alone. I hope that you will somehow learn to overcome it. Unfortunately, I have not, but I will never give up hope.


    • By Peggy Stewart
    • Published by Family Friend Poems July 2011 with permission of the Author.

    With her head hung low
    and nowhere to go,

    she can't explain

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    No one understands what I am suffering from. My new doctor has decided I am taking a far too dangerous drug, so he is weaning me off. I must suffer again for the length of this weaning...

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  7. 5. Another Breakdown

    This poem is about breaking down after you hold onto pain for way too long and then it finally just escapes you.


    • By Shaydee A. Ault
    • Published by Family Friend Poems April 2018 with permission of the Author.

    It's hard when you're always lying,
    Always hiding the way you feel.
    Losing your sight on truthful words,
    Forgetting what is real.

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    Thanks for writing this touching poem! I have struggled my way through so many things that nobody ever cared to ask me about. I had a very troubling childhood and I still suffer from it. The...

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  8. 6. Breathe

    This poem is about my experience with anxiety and how I am still trying to breathe and work through the hard times. I know there are people out there with experiences like mine, and I hope this poem will help people know they are not alone.


    • By Tiffaney L. Ganci
    • Published by Family Friend Poems April 2018 with permission of the Author.

    Panic, worry, darkness closing in around me.
    These are some of the words I could use to describe my anxiety,
    but nothing I can say could speak of its entirety,
    as I cry internally thinking I've lost my sanity.

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    I completely understand you. Whenever I go to the doctor, they say nothing's wrong. But the truth is, it feels like everything is wrong. And it hurts so much, anxiety.

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  9. 7. Signed, Your Mind

    I have been struggling with depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder for about a year and a half now. My poem is from the point of view of your mind, because with these mental illnesses, you're in constant battles with what's going on in your head. I want to spread awareness and erase the stigma attached to mental illness.


    • By Emma
    • Published by Family Friend Poems December 2015 with permission of the Author.

    Get dressed, love.
    You're going to be late.
    You look at yourself in the mirror,
    The one you really hate.

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    • Stories 9
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    • Rating 4.62
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    I'm a 15-year-old female who was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and severe depression two years ago. I love the way this poem expresses how I feel almost every day. It's hard to get...

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  10. 8. Now You've Recovered

    I have written a poem about recovery from mental illness. It touches upon the fact that someone who has recovered is now living a brand new life, and they must answer the question, "Now that you've recovered, what will you do?"


    • By Charles A Cino
    • Published by Family Friend Poems November 2016 with permission of the Author.

    When you recover, what will you do?
    When you recover, will you still be you?
    Will you be stronger, will you be new,
    When you recover from what you've been through?

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    • Rating 4.60
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    I've been to hell and back, as a survivor of CSA. Your poem inspired me in such a deep way; the healing process strips us of our former identities and we stand empty and alone, trying to...

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  11. 9. My Repossessed Hope


    • By Evangeline King
    • Published by Family Friend Poems January 16, 2023 with permission of the Author.

    Gasping for air
    I cling, I cling
    to whatever's left
    to anything

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    • Votes 14
    • Rating 4.64
  12. 10. Love Is Patient

    When you suffer from depression and anxiety, it makes life hard and love even harder. Your life is a mess and you can barely deal with it. You don't think you'll ever find true love. Then suddenly you do. This poem is relating to how you know you have "the one."


    • By Haileigh B. Johnston
    • Published by Family Friend Poems June 2020 with permission of the Author.

    You tell me every day
    How much I mean to you.
    Now it's time for me to say
    What I know is absolutely true.

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  13. 11. We Couldn't See

    I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1996. In the last 21 years I was told I had a new disorder every couple of years, despite the fact that my problems have been pretty consistent. Depression and anxiety were at the heart of everything, and they only got worse with age. Sometimes when we can't deal with things, we find someone who can, whether we realize it or not.

    • By Brian E Pardee
    • Published by Family Friend Poems September 2017 with permission of the Author.

    Brian and I were polar opposites; he was loud and wild while I was more quiet and tame.
    Despite our differences, both family and friends said we often looked and acted exactly the same.

    I never understood it. My skin was unremarkable, nothing more than the average bruise.

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    I've been asked about this poem a lot. While I was once told I had a Dissociative Disorder, this poem's describing how I personally identify with things. I feel like there's two parts of me...

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  14. 12. Struggling To Breathe

    This is a poem that I never finished writing. It was written during an episode of intense anxiety. I thank God that it passed, so I never finished writing it. I'm a religious teenage girl, so I reference God in most of my poems. If anyone can relate to any feelings that I've had, I hope this helps them.

    • By Sima
    • Published by Family Friend Poems April 2021 with permission of the Author.

    I'm feeling so scared,
    I can't breathe but I must.
    Thinking so many thoughts,
    Trying so hard to trust.

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    I'm almost 58 & feel this way daily! I have severe PTSD from a life of every kind of abuse you can think of & many you can't. Have had chronic pain since 1998 (24/7!), Fibromyalgia, severe...

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  15. 13. Uninvited Guest

    Anyone who has suffered from depression will understand this poem. I urge you to fight. There IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

    • By Vicky
    • Published by Family Friend Poems October 2007 with permission of the Author.

    I'm feeling broken down, my body aches
    My heart, it bleeds from past mistakes
    Can't stop the tears; they fall like rain
    The words are spinning 'round my brain

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    • Stories 2
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    The poet has penned down his pains in a truly pictorial ways that draws the picture of his mental condition of broken heart in the mind of the readers.

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  16. 14. Where Am I?

    I suffer from anxiety and depression, so I thought I would put some of my feeling into this poem. I have friends who suffer from this also and say they can relate. I would love to hear if you feel like you can relate to this feeling also. Thanks for reading.

    Is there anyone there
    to help me see,
    help me remember,
    remember to be me?

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    • Stories 3
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    • Votes 316
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    I am 13 years old and I have anxiety and depression. Being a teenage girl is scary enough. Imagine sitting in bed every night rethinking your whole life and worrying about things that don't...

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  17. 15. My Not-Addiction

    For a really long time, 2 years ago, I felt like no matter what I did, it was never good enough. Those girls still made fun of me. To cope with that, I stopped eating. I wanted to be thin enough, pretty enough, perfect enough. But I realized I was only hurting myself. It was never a full-blown addiction, but it still hurt like one. Anorexia was never something I thought I'd have to deal with, but I overcame it, and I hope all girls realize that the control, although nice to have, isn't worth it.

    • By Sydney W.
    • Published by Family Friend Poems February 2014 with permission of the Author.

    It's not an addiction,
    Really it's not.
    But that mirror,
    It's a source of affliction.

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    I have also struggled with my eating, and I loved the way you depicted anorexia through your imagery. I loved your stanzas about the scales and the mirror. With an eating disorder, no matter...

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  18. 16. Baby Blues

    I struggle with Depression and Anxiety, and I have this fear that I will pass the gene to my children because it runs in my family. I love kids and I do want to have some one day, but this is the only thing that would hold me back. This poem is about deciding whether I'm going to take the chance or save them from any possible hurt. I wouldn't want them to go through this, but I also wouldn't want to deprive a child of a life.

    • By Katie Q. McKee
    • Published by Family Friend Poems November 2017 with permission of the Author.

    No words can describe what I feel when I look at you.
    The glory of your smile brings light to this place.
    So simple yet so impossible to understand.
    Every move you make is taken in with grace.

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    This is exactly how I feel. I have always suffered with mental health issues, but when my partner left me last year, I fell to pieces. Even more than a year on, I struggle every day with...

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  19. 17. Broken

    Suffering from PTSD can be difficult at times. It takes a special kind of person to understand how to handle someone who tends to fall into "a dark place" and re-lives traumatic experiences. Lucky for me, I found that person almost 7 years ago and am so grateful to have him at my side when I need him the most. Thank you for loving me and never feeling that I'm just too broken!

    • By Tonya
    • Published by Family Friend Poems April 2015 with permission of the Author.

    If I turned around and walked away, would you notice I'm gone?
    Would you even care?
    When you look at me, do you see the smile on my face,
    Or do you see the tears I fight to hold inside?

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    • Stories 19
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    Beautifully written right from the heart. Carry on telling people how you feel; don't keep things bottled up like my son did. Unfortunately, he's no longer with us. See my poem, "Jonathan's...

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  20. 18. Life Is An Illusion

    Suicide has always been a haunting ghost in my mind. An easy way out or great escape? I have battled the fight most of my life. I actually wrote this after cutting my wrist in a mental hospital. But it has become one of my favorites. Mainly because I was willing to take my last breath but instead was given more life. It isn't intended to promote suicide but to give insight into the mind of someone who has contemplated it. Good vs evil. Heaven and hell. Giving up or pushing forward.

    • By Trisha
    • Published by Family Friend Poems July 2015 with permission of the Author.

    Surrounded by people yet all alone
    Trapped within this solitary zone
    A world where chaos and hate overtake
    Every bit of happiness that may try to escape

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    • Stories 5
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    • Votes 866
    • Rating 4.61
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    I was moved by this poem because I believe left alone with your own thoughts can be suicidal. You can feel like you are not a part of the human race. That you are only existing. But I've come...

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  21. 19. Finding A Voice

    This poem is about my experience with an eating disorder from when it took over my mind to when I recovered -- this was six years, from when I was 12 to 18. The poem is a raw depiction of some of the struggles that I had emotionally, in particular the scared child that I was, being controlled by the much stronger voice of my eating disorder. Being unable to talk about and express what was happening and how I felt was one of the worst things about it, so I have tried to express that through my poem.

    • By Emily E. Williams
    • Published by Family Friend Poems May 2020 with permission of the Author.

    I scream, yet I am not heard.
    I try to talk, but my mouth won't open.
    I am not myself anymore,
    but I can tell that to no one.

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    • Rating 4.70
  22. 20. Lie Out Loud

    • By Mark Bird
    • Published by Family Friend Poems March 25, 2022 with permission of the Author.

    I cry alone
    But dance in crowds
    I whisper truth
    But lie out loud

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    • Stories 2
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    • Rating 4.65
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    I absolutely love this poem. I do like to over analyze some poetry, but this poem could mean so much. This poem really touched my heart. I know how it feels to be there but not actually be...

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