What People with Mental Illness Want You to Know

One in five Americans suffer from mental illness each year. I am one of them. I have been formally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Clinical Depression. I have been on an anti-depressant ever since I was 14 and have never stopped being one. There are so many different forms of mental illness. Without going into too much detail about what they are and all they mean for people, we will sorely be focusing on things I find that people with mental illness want you to know.

Mental illness IS an illness 

People do not see mental illness the same way that they see physical illness. We need to proper treatment for our mental illness just like we would what need care if we had the flu. It affects how we function. Some of us cannot work. Some of us find it hard to leave the house. Some of us are homeless and cannot afford the help we need to get our life on track. Mental health services need to be increased and be made affordable to everyone person who needs one. 

When we start to look better doesn't mean we are cured. 

Mental illnesses like depression and anxiety come and go. We can relapse easily. We don't get this way to get attention. If we could take away our depression and anxiety we would do it an a heartbeat

We need time 

Sometimes we just need time and patience from the people in our life. We need time to process things. If we are withdrawn, make yourself available but don't make us talk before we are ready. Sometimes it can take a few weeks to tell someone we love what is bothering us. Respect that. I should also add, if you notice major behavioral changes or think we could inflict harm on ourselves, get us help. Don't run away from us. You can tell whether we just need time to process things before opening up or if something is really wrong. Use your best judgement. 

We feel alone

Dealing with any mental illness is isolating no matter how many friends we have or how much love our families shower on us. Doing little things like sending a care package can help us know that we are not alone. Invite us to go somewhere! Get us out of the house! Give us something we can look forward to. You may not understand us, but you can do small tangible things that show us you care. 

Sometimes we just need to talk. 

Sometimes we just need to talk. We don't need to be corrected or critiqued. Sometimes we don't want advice. Sometimes advice can be the worst thing for us. Sometimes you need to just listen. You can usually tell when we are not in the mood for advice and just looking for a listening ear. 

Being told "just snap out of it" doesn't work. 

We cannot simply snap out of it. It only makes it worse. As stated before, we need time. Our brains are physically different and it may take us longer to process things. We may act immaturely because we don't know how to cope. Don't let that ruin your impression of us. Learn to love us unconditionally be patient. If we act immature, it is not a reflection of who we really are inside.