“It really, really affected my behavior at the end of college and after, where I tended to avoid all social interactions,” Raquel said. “I basically was home and then at work, and then home again. The things that I would gear up to do would be going to Target or going to Starbucks. I really, really, really limited my world.”
Post-graduation, Raquel was able to find a job that she loved and eventually got married, but it was another major life marker that finally forced her to deal with her mental health struggles: the birth of her daughter in April 2020.