About a year ago, my doctor and I decided that I would try to manage my anxiety and depression without medication. This decision didn’t come lightly or because I’m anti-medication. It came because after years of trying different medications, with great success in the beginning, each one ended the same way; with me in bed, not having the energy or the motivation to do anything for anyone, even my children. After the last dismal failure of a medicine, I decided that I had enough of the roller coaster of emotions that they had been putting me on and I was going to try life without the meds.
I was scared.
I knew it would be difficult. I knew I would have to make changes. I knew I could do it though. I knew I had a strong support system.
One change I made right from the start was limiting social media. However, the past few weeks, I have fallen back into the habit of scrolling Facebook to see what my friends are up to. I quickly realized that was a mistake.
I saw this on there:
I’m mentally ill. My husband has a mental illness, my son has a mental illness. I have friends with mental illnesses.
I wasn’t aware that we all needed to be hospitalized. I’ll admit that there are some people with mental illness who might be a danger to themselves or others and may need to be hospitalized for a time, but in general, I don’t think that’s where we need to be.
People with mental illnesses can be teachers, doctors, police officers, nurses, students, hair stylist, singers, actors, plumbers, electricians, fire fighters, paramedics, lawyers, judges, we can have whatever job we want and train for. We can even be politicians.
According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, almost 50 percent of American adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
That would be a lot of people taking up space in the hospital!
Now really, I know that mentally I’ll people do not need to be hospitalized. I truly hope the people who posted this image also know that.
What I also want them to know is that by posting images like this, they are adding to the stigma of mental illness.
They are making it more difficult for someone who may be struggling to feel strong enough to ask for help without fear of being judged.
They are causing people who struggle to stay hidden in the darkness for dear of being hospitalized or shunned or made fun of.
Please just stop.
Here’s a sign I see in lots of schools. Let’s apply it to everyone, not just kids.
And let’s apply it to social media too. Just because nobody can see you post it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt people.
Tears filled my eyes when I saw the image about mentally ill people being hospitalized.
My heart ached for all the others who would see it and possibly feel the same as me.
Broken.
Not good enough.
Hurt.
Angry.
Determined to…
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