We all either know someone who's dealing with a mental illness, or maybe you deal with mental illnesses yourself. You've probably either been told how to deal with your illness, or have told someone else how to deal with theirs (or maybe both). However, while there are things that can be helpful and supportive to people, there are also other things that are said that are not the best to say to someone dealing with an illness, because they are either unhelpful, hurtful, and sometimes just plain insulting. Below I'll list some things that you should NOT say to someone who's dealing with a mental illness.
You need to calm down/chill out!
Just telling someone to basically calm down is defiantly not going to calm them down at all. In fact, it can sometimes make someone who has Anxiety/PTSD/any other panic disorder feel way worse and may worsen their panic. This person most likely wants to be able to calm down, but their having trouble doing so, and the last thing they need is someone basically telling them to "snap out of it and chill out".
You need a drink/cigarette/weed/etc.
While something like a small glass of alcohol or a quick smoke may potentially help someone in the short run, in the long run it can turn into something potentially dangerous. Unfortunately, telling someone that they should drink/smoke/do drugs to solve their problems/feelings is a good recipe for them to become addicted in the future.
I know what you're going through
This is something that seems super innocent, and usually when it's said there is absolutely no harm meant by it. However, there's a good chance that you may not know exactly what someone is going through at the moment. Sometimes, telling someone this can seem trivializing to the person who is going through this. So unless you know for sure that you have gone through the exact same thing, avoid saying this.
There are people out there who have it worse than you, so suck it up
This just feels like a slap in the face to someone who is going through a mental illness. We all know that there are others who have it worse, but that does not mean that our feelings and emotions are not important too. There is literally no need to make peoples problems a competition against each other. Telling this to someone is only going to make them feel worse about everything, because they'll just feel bad about what they're going through and why it isn't fixed. It's also just rude in general and dismissive.
Why don't you just cheer up/get out of bed/find a hobby
Again, if someone wanted to be happy or to get up and do things like they used to, then they would. However, with some illnesses, it just is not easy for someone to just suddenly feel joy. Telling someone to just cheer up and look on the bright side is completely dismissive of their feelings
Everyone feels this way at some point
While it can seem like it, things like general sadness or stress are not the same things as depression, anxiety, or other illnesses. Everyone can feel stressed from time to time, but not everyone has constant panic attacks or feels so down that they can't even leave their bed.
Anything that implies any sort of blame
For example, saying something like "You'd feel so much better if..." or "You're the one who's making yourself feel this way" or "It's all in your head" can just make this person feel as though everything is their fault, even though its not. It can also just cause someone to feel like they aren't doing enough about their illness, even if they really are.
But you don't look sad/anxious/etc.
Not all mental illnesses are visible, and some people are just really good at covering up how they are feeling. Just because someone looks fine does not mean that they are, and saying this can be seen as dismissive.
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