I post about my struggles with mental illness because I believe the more people are honest and vocal about it, the stigma attached to mental illness will lessen. It’s my hope anyway. Cause despite it being 2012, there is still a LOT of prejudice against mental illness.
I have PTSD from my abusive 15 going on 16 year marriage. I have panic disorder and anxiety disorder. I also have chronic depression.
I have nothing to be ashamed of but you’d be surprised at the number of people that view this as a shameful thing. They’d NEVER talk about it with others much less post it online.
I have nothing to be ashamed of.
Many people never seek help because of the stigma attached to mental illness. They end up committing suicide, self medicating through drugs and/or alcohol, end up in prison for crimes relating to the self medicating, and sometimes they end up doing all three.
We need to learn that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. It just isn’t. I’m not ashamed. If someone DOES have a mental illness they shouldn’t be treated like they have a catching disease or are a freak or a disgrace.
My ex-husband would tell me that my anxiety was ALL IN MY HEAD. As if I could control it just by deciding to do so. I wish. He thought medicating anxiety and depression was a weakness. It’s not. If someone is telling you this, ignore them. It’s NOT a weakness.
I go to a therapist once a week and a psychiatrist once a month. My goal is to become a healthy person. If I must take medication for the rest of my life, so be it. I don’t think I will but I won’t be upset if I do. My goal is to deal with the abuse of my past and work on me to ensure *I* don’t allow abuse in my present/future.
My other goal is to be honest about who I am and what illnesses I fight.
I have one more goal. It’s to help others not feel ashamed of being honest about who they are and what they fight for fear of shame and prejudice.
