Mental illness isn’t something I think society can completely
understand. Which makes sense considering there are more connections in the
human brain than there are stars in the sky. I even believe that there are mentally
ill people who don’t totally understand what is happening to them. There does
seem to be a very negative connotation to mental illness. The stereotypical
mentally ill person paces in their room talking to people that aren’t there or
scratching at their arms until they bleed. Of course, there are those that do
present symptoms like this, but there are also those who “suffer in silence.” I
know that sounds terrible cliché but bear with me.
I, like many others out there, suffer from sever depression.
However, I function, for the most part, in a normal manner. I get up everyday
and go to work. I eat lunch, call my mother, post funny memes on Twitter. What
most people don’t know is how difficult it is for me to get up in the morning.
They don’t see my battles with myself about how worthless I am. I am not telling
you this to gain pity. It is just a fact of my life, and there are lots of
other just like me. We function, but struggle with everyday activities. The
forgone conclusion about those in the world that are mentally ill is, “They
need professional help.”
While there are those out there that do need “professional
help.” There are many that just need
help. Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low said this about his song Therapy, “Therapy
is about every kid’s nightmare when people are telling you that you need to get
help, but all you really want is a hug.” This really resonated with me the
first time I heard it. The song itself is wonderful, but to put this meaning to
those words really helped clarify something for me. When you suffer from
depression all you really want is people in your life who will “give you a hug.”
Often, just talking to a friend or family member is enough to really help those
suffering from those silent mental illnesses.
The sad thing is that quite a few people can’t “handle”
someone when they are symptomatic or experiencing a depressive episode. They
claim that it is too much stress on them, or too difficult for them to deal
with. I have been told something similar many times by people I considered my friends.
If you, as an outsider, are struggling oh so hard with someone else’s depression
can you fathom how they feel. They must live with these feelings day in and day
out. They must experience them first hand. Be considerate of those in your life
that may be suffering from these things. They can’t always help how they feel,
or how they react to the world around them, and they are NEVER a burden.
