Huffington Post is publishing a series of articles about mental illness. I suggest you acquaint yourself with this series because it is an excellent depiction of the issues surrounding mental illness. I am commenting on this particular article because the writer is young. She has great understanding of her mental illness. And you can hear the pain that having a mental illness can have because of the reactions of other people. Here is the link: http://huff.to/1u9eMUC. I hope that you will appreciate the article as much as I did. Voices are raised. And the young will lead the way as change is made.
This young woman is honest and direct in this article. She calls stigma "ignorance". Which is exactly what it is. She talks about a friend whose mother forbids interaction with her because she is afraid the depression is "catching". Hmmmm. Interesting idea. But totally wrong. As this young woman notes, clinical depression is not something you pass on like a virus. It is evidence of an issue with brain chemistry. She also talks about the idea that you aren't working hard enough if you can't seem to find the right medication to deal with your depression. Since depression is a medical and biochemical issue, finding the right medicine...or even any other naturopathic treatment...is a struggle to find what works with your particular biochemistry.
In the young, we can find the spirit to honestly deal with the reality. As I have spoken about many times in this blog, the current openness about mental illness is new. When Maxine was so sick, we had no idea how to honestly discuss what was going on. It simply wasn't a topic for polite conversation in my suburban community. I didn't know how to call a spade a spade like the young woman in this article. And I certainly have struggled to find the self-acceptance I see in this intelligent article written by a young woman for a leading international journalistic forum like The Huffington Post.
I see this as a sign of hope. Where do you see signs of hope? Is there an organization or person you see talking about mental illness so honestly that they move the discussion forward? Where have you learned about mental illness? Does learning about your illness ease your burden, as it did for this young woman in the article? Let's talk!!!
This young woman is honest and direct in this article. She calls stigma "ignorance". Which is exactly what it is. She talks about a friend whose mother forbids interaction with her because she is afraid the depression is "catching". Hmmmm. Interesting idea. But totally wrong. As this young woman notes, clinical depression is not something you pass on like a virus. It is evidence of an issue with brain chemistry. She also talks about the idea that you aren't working hard enough if you can't seem to find the right medication to deal with your depression. Since depression is a medical and biochemical issue, finding the right medicine...or even any other naturopathic treatment...is a struggle to find what works with your particular biochemistry.
In the young, we can find the spirit to honestly deal with the reality. As I have spoken about many times in this blog, the current openness about mental illness is new. When Maxine was so sick, we had no idea how to honestly discuss what was going on. It simply wasn't a topic for polite conversation in my suburban community. I didn't know how to call a spade a spade like the young woman in this article. And I certainly have struggled to find the self-acceptance I see in this intelligent article written by a young woman for a leading international journalistic forum like The Huffington Post.
I see this as a sign of hope. Where do you see signs of hope? Is there an organization or person you see talking about mental illness so honestly that they move the discussion forward? Where have you learned about mental illness? Does learning about your illness ease your burden, as it did for this young woman in the article? Let's talk!!!
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