The Problem
One of the biggest topics in America right now is mental illness. More specifically, suicide. Even though the two are not completely related, the two are usually seen hand in hand. Anxiety, depression, bipolar, and all other mental illnesses alike are constantly increasing in America, but when do you usually find out that someone is suffering from it?
That’s right. When it is too late.
When you know someone who has committed suicide or attempted, you usually ask yourself what you could have done differently to change the outcome. One thing I have an inside look on is why people with mental illness do not come out about it sooner.
My husband, of three years, suffers from a severe Bipolar disorder. I say suffers from in a grave sense. He has had suicidal thoughts, I have been woken up several times from his screams of night terrors, he has panic attacks often, and when he is through his depressive state, he locks himself in our room for days at a time. It is hard seeing someone you love fight through this every single day. No one, not even me, knows what he goes through unless they suffer from it themselves.
Yet, when he has to take off work to get himself through one of his horrible phases, he is looked down on. His friends make him feel bad about it, to the point he pushes everyone away now because he is afraid of being judged. He has to jump through hoops to be approved to have that time off UNPAID. One time, he heard someone from his team ask behind his back “is he a freak?”, and heard his boss make a comment about him coming to work and killing everyone. This is the behavior people condone towards mentally ill people.
Sometimes people do not realize what kind of behaviors someone with a mental disorder will show. So instead, they think that person is weird or a freak, and treat that person as such. Which then makes that person's condition even worst. Then when that person has been pushed to the point where they would choose to take their own lives than live with the torment, everyone turns a blind eye to what could have caused it to happen.
The Solution
So what do I suggest? Before I met my husband, I knew zero about mental disorders. Even though I went through one myself. My lack of knowledge made me think the same way others do now. That that person is acting weird, different, out of place, and sometimes blaming that person for being attention hungry. Until I researched, and found out more about mental illness, I had no idea what any of the signs were.
My first step in the solution process is to educate ourselves. When someone is acting strange, or out of place, pause. Then take a step back and assess the situation. What is causing this person to behave this way? Why are they acting like this? How do they normally act? Look for the signs.
One of my favorite sites to read on is: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/recognizing-war...
Yet, a good old-fashioned Google search will pull up lots of articles and web pages to read up on as well.
Even if you do not educate yourself on the topic, just treat people with love. Keep love in your heart and make every action you do have good intentions. Don’t make fun of someone you don’t know, or say something you think is just playing around, because you never know how that person will react. A common action I see, is when people get overwhelmed, irritated, down, or upset about someone making fun of them, people usually will convict the person being picked on! They will call them sensitive or other inappropriate names that say that person has no reason to feel that way.
If you see someone becoming upset or change their mood by what you are saying, BACK OFF. If you persist; you’re a bully. No one likes a bully. If you see someone else making someone feel that way, step in. That act of kindness can be the saving grace that person needs to not feel so alone.
One of the reasons my mental illness continued and got worst the longer I had it, was because no one noticed. I pushed my friends away, and they didn’t mind. I started binge eating, and everyone made fun of me for eating so much. I would tell self-insecure jokes to hide how I felt, and people would agree. I stopped caring so much about my appearance, and was told I was becoming lazy. It started getting to where I sheltered myself, and would be down. I sometimes would just hold my head for several moments, or just block myself from the world for several weeks, and no one noticed, or cared enough to reach out. If one person would have cared, I think I could have made it out a lot sooner.
If you notice someone not acting like themselves, changing the way they dress, or talk, having a darker humor, distancing themselves, reach out to them. Ask them if they are okay, but mean it. Genuinely care for one another. If more love, care, compassion, empathy, generosity, and joy was spread through each other, the rates for all of these diseases would decline.
The Conclusion
When will we open our eyes? How many more people will have to believe in only one way out before we open up another door for them? Please, take these words to heart, and help spread the awareness to others. If you or someone you know suffers from a mental illness, or just need someone to reach out to you, message or comment, and I will be more than happy to talk to you! If you would like to talk to someone about anything, and would like to remain anonymous, my favorite website is www.blahtherapy.com Share this article to spread the word! Maybe we could make a difference sooner rather than later.
