Today I had my group therapy again and for once in my life I feel like I am genuinely not alone in this. Sure, I've talked to others who say they understand but to hear others get into the details and the nitty-gritty of life with mental illness. To hear others talk openly about medication, psychiatrists, therapists, AA meetings, and anything else that's going on in their lives that's upsetting them, I not only realize how lucky I am to have as much support and accommodation as I have received thus far but also that together we can overcome our illnesses and the stigma attached to them.
The thing that hit me the hardest today was a man who mentioned the double standard between physical and mental illness. If you have a physical illness, like a broken leg or the flu, people will call you up to check on you, send you flowers or balloons, visit you in the hospital... With mental illness, it's the exact opposite. Most of the time you get no support because people are afraid. It's understandable in some respects, but if you know someone close to you has a mental illness you shouldn't worry about upsetting them. That in itself makes them upset. I know from personal experience there, too, that friends who ignore you because they just don't know what to say do more damage than the friends who do say stupid things around you.
I mentioned my experiences in high school dealing with a friend who totally rejected me because I started taking medication. My eyes began to water for the first time in a group therapy. It reminded me of the other day when a man in our group began to tear up while talking about his daughter. Seeing that tear roll down his cheek as he discussed his daughter and how he was afraid she was making the same mistakes in her adult life as he did... it really touched me.
I was happy that today we had a chance to discuss medication. Medication is the one place where the most stigma comes from. Yeah, some meds are over prescribed. I won't deny that. They are also life savers for those of us who truly need them. They don't make you happy; they're not an instant, quick fix to life's problems. Contrary to what some may tell you, mental illness is a biological disease. Sure, some of it has to do with how you were raised and your personality, but for the most part it's been scientifically proven that the mentally ill have levels of various brain chemicals that are out of whack. The meds simply restore balance. I'm so thankful for mine. Sure, I hate them some days. I despise them others. I'm just thankful that science has allowed people like myself to survive, thrive, and not succumb to our illnesses through suicide.
Time for me to get on the homework. Blah. I hope everyone has an excellent day.
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4 comments:
I agree with you. It isn't easy for people to talk and come to us as we are mentally ill. As for medication, I know that without it... I wouldn't be alive. It was so hard for me to admit I couldn't fonction without them but I'm able to funtion so well with them.
Hope you are able to do your homework quick and enjoy the rest of your day. Hugs
You're not alone... Read this post ....I'm so with you on this!
I'm going to link your blog to mine, but I wanted to let you know that I started a webring...and I wanted to invite YOU and whoever else has any type of mental illness, or knows someone who has a mental illness, to join. YOU are not alone, and we should stick together. Click here... Piece of Mind
Hi Janna, I just wanted to wish you the best in your therapy and trying to cope with this. My life was always pretty good but when I got married six years ago I changed, started eating more, exercising less, gained weight, started feeling really emotional, crying, being angry, lost energy, you name it. The change in my life was so great I could not handle it. I was only 31 I couldn't figure out WHAT was wrong with me, I had been in great physical shape and I thought my mental state of mind was ok. I just let the stress of life get to me and I couldn't take it anymore. I got on medication, began seeing a therapist for a short time and I finally began taking care of ME first instead of everyone else. I always felt the need to be perfect and be everyone else's caretaker, I couldn't do it anymore. Then I realized nobody expected me to be perfect OR to be everyone else's caretaker. I was so busy taking care of everyone else, taking on their burdens, responsibilities and worries, I lost sight of who I was!
Mental illness comes in many forms, some people have it more serious than others, but it's nonetheless something many people battle every day. We've got to talk about it, we've got to remove the stigma and encourage people that it's ok to talk about it and not be ashamed. Kudos to you for talking about your life and helping others in the process!
Jess
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