I dont understand why there is so much shame involved with mental illness, you cannot control it anymore than you can control cancer, actually, cancer is probably easier to treat and put into remission. It is terrifying and Im sure a lot more people have dealt with depression and more serious mental illnesses than we will ever know about. I was diagnosed and treated for depression 15 years ago, I remember frantically calling every doctor in the phone book looking for help. It was quite frustrating how many wouldnt help or had long waiting lists. I finally found one in Murphys, the doctor himself, I had heard wasnt very sympathetic but his nurse practitioner was absolutely amazing! I havent needed treatment for years but it is something I still struggle with once in a while, even now with buying a house, I dont understand the underlying sadness that is lingering. I think I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of actually being able to afford to do this after so many years of struggling and the very real fear of that struggle returning! I tend to cover it up pretty well, maybe that is not a good thing, but I do recognize when it is getting bad. Talking about this is hard, I never do, in fact, Im not sure my kids know I had gone through that. If I actually hit post it will be a big deal lol. Maybe if we were more open, it wouldnt be so frowned upon and there would be a little more understanding and compassion about it. We are all encouraged to put on a happy face and are often criticized (especially on facebook) for complaining and made to feel guilty for being sad or struggling when others are going through more serious things. NO ONE should make someone feel guilty for their feeling, we are entitled to our feelings and if we constantly keep them bottled up, that is when serious problems occur!! Be supportive, even if it seems trivial to you, you have no idea how much that person is keeping bottled up!
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 16:40:18 +0000