‘I really thought it was a mental health issue’: Woman discovers she has mold toxicity from her home. Here’s how she finally figured it out after a year

A woman has gone viral after purportedly discovering the unexpected source of her depression. In the clip, which has amassed 671,200 views, Nicole (@nicole.farina) began to explain how, last year, things took a turn for the worse for her.

What were the symptoms?

“I just woke up one day and was 180, a completely different person,” she said. Nicole then went on to say that she was experiencing a vast range of unusual symptoms, including increased depression, anxiety, fatigue, dulled personality, and a lack of motivation.

By September 2023, Nicole said she was a “hot f*cking mess” and told her therapist she was experiencing ADHD symptoms too. This led to her seeing a psychiatrist and getting on ADHD medication, but according to her, this has a limited effect.

Nicole then went on to add that a similar thing happened when she was prescribed Prozac for her worsening depression symptoms; while the medication, she claimed, improved anxiety, it failed to improve her depression.

Nicole said by April 2024, she was continuing to feel depressed, adding, “Nothing was sparking me.” While her therapist suggested mold toxicity as a possible reason, she brushed it off. For the next three months, as she coached her outdoor swim team, Nicole said she felt better—but in hindsight, this was because she was outside all the time and away from the mold.

How did she discover mold toxicity?

Nicole said that by July 2024, when the swimming season was over, she started to experience symptoms of burnout. That same month, she drained the washing machine in her house and discovered all this “foul and disgusting stuff” inside of it.

It was at this moment the penny dropped for Nicole as she realized the symptoms she experienced were also, apparently, the symptoms of mold poisoning. She also highlighted the fact that a roof leak in her home was “repaired” in August 2023, and she started having symptoms soon after.

“It f*cked up my entire life this entire year,” she said. “I felt like I had to fight every single day to be myself,”

“Moral of the story,” she concluded, “listen to yourself, your body, and your intuition,”

@nicole.farina All of my mold toxicity symptoms and how i figured it out! Will make a separate video on getting tested/next steps etc #greenscreen #thecharlestondiaries #mold #moldtoxicity #moldtoxicityawareness #moldtoxicitysymptoms #moldtoxicityrecovery #charlestonlife #lifeincharleston #healthtips #detox #recovery ♬ original sound – Nicole | Charleston Diaries

What did commenters say?

In the comments section, viewers shared their own stories of mold toxicity. “So glad some psychiatrists are leaning more towards non-standard approaches,” one wrote. “I went to so many different doctors and finally, my current psychiatrist is looking into mold toxicity.” Meanwhile, another claimed that they had the “worst year of [their] life” with “all these symptoms” before discovering black mold in their mattress.

“Moving out this weekend due to mold toxicity!” a third added. “All of these symptoms resonated, unfortunately, the mold is awful.”

Does mold really affect your mental health?

The idea that mold affects your mental health isn’t accepted as the norm. However, one 2007 study suggests that those living in moldy homes have a 34-44 percent rise in depression compared to those without mold in their homes.

Another 2020 study also suggested that mold might affect the brain due to immune activation, but this experiment was done on mice rather than humans.

Nicole didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email.

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