living with Mental illness
Mental illnesses are something that affects everyone, whether it’s directly or indirectly. If you are not suffering from a mental illness yourself, you are more than likely to know someone who is. Nearly 1 in 5 people have a mental illness. It may be hard to notice, but once you do, it can change everything.
Mental illnesses are easily ignored by society because it’s something you can’t physically “see.” It is a sickness, like getting the flu or cancer. It is a health issue that impacts you. It’s common for individuals that don’t understand mental illnesses to accuse others that are suffering from it of being bad people. In actuality people with mental illnesses don’t have control of their thoughts or actions. From my experience, mental illnesses are more looked over than other health problems. Support and education for these issues have not been made a priority and I think that is a problem. If 1 in every 5 individuals had a broken leg, 1 in 5 individuals would have a cast on. You don’t see 1 in 5 people with support that they need when they are suffering from a mental illness.
My father has bipolar disorder. In the past three years, it has gotten completely out of control. It has changed my life and the lives around me for the worse. There have been points where I was afraid to go out with him, and get caught in an awkward situation. All of the stress and drama that came from my father's situation caused me to have anxiety that had to be treated with medication.
I have been struggling with anxiety for most of my life and many people around me struggle with it as well. Outside of my father's situation, I recently went through a breakup. I know that I’m young and that everyone goes through their “first love heartbreak shit” but everything began to weigh down on me and I lost control of my anxiety. I started to have 2-3 panic attacks a day and nobody understood what was going on with me. I lost friendships and relationships. It is so scary how everything can change so fast due to a mental illness. Certain negative situations like a breakup or losing a job can trigger and escalate the symptoms of mental illnesses and that is exactly what was happening to me.
I was not okay. I am still not okay, but guess what? IT IS OKAY!
It’s okay to need help, it is okay to have problems. The only thing that's not okay is not helping yourself. As I said before, 1 in 5 of people suffer from a mental illness. That one person could be you, it could be your mom, or it could be your best friend.
What I have learned throughout my life is that education is key, a major key. Even if you don’t have a mental illness, or you don’t know anyone who does, you NEED to be educated. Do your homework on the topic before spewing out hate and uneducated opinions on the matter. Make sure to study, research, and educate yourself on mental illnesses. For starters here are some early symptoms of a mental illness:
Social withdrawal
Difficulty functioning at school or work.
Problems with memory and thinking.
Feeling disconnected from reality.
Changes in sleeping, eating and hygiene habits.
Alcohol or drug abuse.
Extreme mood changes.
Panic and anxiety.
(For more information visit the National Association for Mental Illness or NAMI)
Remember that mental illnesses affect people of all ages, race, gender, class, intelligence, and places. It's important to be aware of early signs, the quicker you notice that a friend or family member has signs of a mental illness the more likely you will be able to help them.
I hope that this reaches anyone needing to hear this. If you feel as though you are suffering from a mental illness, I want you to know that everything is going to be okay. Although a mental illness can never fully go away, it can be managed. There is hope for you and the people affected. If you or a loved one are suffering from a mental illness, please check out these resources for support:
Suicide hotline 1-800-273-8255
Depression hotline 888-640-5174
Addiction hotline 877-455-0628