Open Conversation
I have been thinking a lot about mental illness lately. Firstly because it touches my life through my mother in Law and also because I have been reading the blog of a friend who's has been discussing the topic. What I have realized is how many people out there are touched by mental illness. I am discovering more and more people every day with someone close to them that suffers from this disease. When I was 19 I attended the University of Guelph for psychology and I remember learning about some different forms of mental illness. I also remember thinking it was something that was out there in a distant place that didn't really touch my life. I am beginning to believe it was just swept under the rug before. What I wonder now is if keeping these issues quiet was in fact contributing to making the situations worse.
If someone has heart disease or cancer do they feel shame and fearful of the reaction of others? I would think no. It is no ones fault that they end up sick or even if they have a genetic disposition to these diseases. Why should mental illness be any different? I am glad that I am starting to hear people speaking up about their struggles. There should be no shame in it. It is no ones fault that they become mentally ill and they also have the right to the same support and assistance as someone with any type of physical condition.
I believe through openness and honesty there is a far better chance of changing the situations and difficulties these people face. How many people will this make a difference for? I would venture to guess that most people know of at least one person that struggles with some form of mental illness. I myself know of at least 4 family members.
I have spoken before of the year after Trinity was born. She had colic for at least 10 months and screamed for a good portion of each day. I got very little sleep and felt myself sinking into depression. I had believed I was just feeling upset because of the situation I was in but regardless of the cause I now know I was depressed. This was just a short time in my life where I did not feel well mentally and though I know that I do not suffer from mental illness there are times in each persons life where we might not feel as mentally healthy as others. Just like normally healthy people can catch a cold or come down with the flu I believe there are times when we can catch a sort of mental cold. Where the situations in our life are overwhelming and sometimes we do not have the capacity to deal with them effectively. I don't mean to trivialize the deep and troubling struggles of someone that suffers from mental illness but I do want people to understand that those people are not so different from you or me. The illness they have attacks their ability to see their situation clearly but they are people who could use the understanding and support of those around them.
During my short struggle with depression I did not speak up. I did not voice my fears and discomforts. I was not willing to admit to my struggle. I was afraid of what people would think if they knew what I was feeling. What would they think of me if I told them I hated being a Mom? Would they look down on me or shun me if they knew that sometimes I just wanted to leave everyone, get in the car, drive away and never come back? I think what I would have found if I had spoken up would have been support. I would have had friends and family to come along side of me and work to get me the assistance I needed. That's what I believe we must make known to the people in our lives that might be suffering in silence. We need to make sure they know we would be their safe place. We would do what it takes to get them the help they need. Opening a conversation on these topics is a start. It shows those around us that we understand. That these thoughts and feelings are not their fault. I hope that in this day in age we have come to understand that it is an illness. That's how it should be treated.
If someone has heart disease or cancer do they feel shame and fearful of the reaction of others? I would think no. It is no ones fault that they end up sick or even if they have a genetic disposition to these diseases. Why should mental illness be any different? I am glad that I am starting to hear people speaking up about their struggles. There should be no shame in it. It is no ones fault that they become mentally ill and they also have the right to the same support and assistance as someone with any type of physical condition.
I believe through openness and honesty there is a far better chance of changing the situations and difficulties these people face. How many people will this make a difference for? I would venture to guess that most people know of at least one person that struggles with some form of mental illness. I myself know of at least 4 family members.
I have spoken before of the year after Trinity was born. She had colic for at least 10 months and screamed for a good portion of each day. I got very little sleep and felt myself sinking into depression. I had believed I was just feeling upset because of the situation I was in but regardless of the cause I now know I was depressed. This was just a short time in my life where I did not feel well mentally and though I know that I do not suffer from mental illness there are times in each persons life where we might not feel as mentally healthy as others. Just like normally healthy people can catch a cold or come down with the flu I believe there are times when we can catch a sort of mental cold. Where the situations in our life are overwhelming and sometimes we do not have the capacity to deal with them effectively. I don't mean to trivialize the deep and troubling struggles of someone that suffers from mental illness but I do want people to understand that those people are not so different from you or me. The illness they have attacks their ability to see their situation clearly but they are people who could use the understanding and support of those around them.
During my short struggle with depression I did not speak up. I did not voice my fears and discomforts. I was not willing to admit to my struggle. I was afraid of what people would think if they knew what I was feeling. What would they think of me if I told them I hated being a Mom? Would they look down on me or shun me if they knew that sometimes I just wanted to leave everyone, get in the car, drive away and never come back? I think what I would have found if I had spoken up would have been support. I would have had friends and family to come along side of me and work to get me the assistance I needed. That's what I believe we must make known to the people in our lives that might be suffering in silence. We need to make sure they know we would be their safe place. We would do what it takes to get them the help they need. Opening a conversation on these topics is a start. It shows those around us that we understand. That these thoughts and feelings are not their fault. I hope that in this day in age we have come to understand that it is an illness. That's how it should be treated.
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