Mental illness

There should be no stigma around mental illness.

There should be no bullying, no shaming, no punishing.

There should be empathy, understanding and support.

If you feel you can't support a person who suffers from mental illness that's ok. It can be emotionally draining and highly demanding. But at least don't bring that person down. Don't shame them or make fun of their illness.

I'm a person who has been suffering from mental illness since I was a child, since I started being conscious of my surroundings and myself.

I'm not a stereotype, I'm not a statistic and I'm definitely not "crazy" or "mental."

I'm not an indication of how other people who suffer from mental illnesses are. Each of us is different. Even if we suffer from the same condition, we're still different.

I'm not asking the people around me to be my therapist, carer etc. If I'm forming bonds and relationships with people it's because I like them, respect them etc. Not because I'm expecting to be taken care of. I can take care of myself. And if I can't, I'll refer to a professional.

Even though I suffer from mental illness myself, there were times when I distanced myself from other people who suffered from mental illness because I couldn't handle the impact their condition had on me. And that's ok. Because self care is a priority and it's important. But I never insulted those people for their conditions, I never shamed them nor blamed them. I walked away discreetly and respectfully.

Respect is tremendously important. We're not less of a human due to our mental illnesses. On the contrary, we are emotional, we feel, we exist. And we deserve respect, as any other being on this planet.

So, if you feel you can't understand mental illness, if you feel you don't want to do research on it, at least do not judge people who suffer from it.

Depression.

Let me tell you a few things about depression:

Depression is a vampire. It drains you of all your positive feelings.

Depression is unexpected. It can come to you when you think you’re happy, having the best time of your life.

Depression is a rapist. It forces itself into you and you have no control over when it will be satisfied by your pain enough and stop.

Depression is darkness. It’s the tunnel that has no end, no hope of light.

Depression is that monster that lurks in the shadows of your soul and waits patiently until it feels there are enough shadows for it to make a move on you.

Depression is a thief. It steals your friends, your lovers, your family, your job, your education and anything/anyone you hold dear or important.

Depression is a state, it’s a condition. It’s not a feeling, but it consists of many feelings like: agony, pain, sadness, feeling as a failure, feeling suicidal etc.

Depression is an eternal battle. It’s not curable. You have to learn to live with it. You have to embrace the fact that you’re always going to suffer from it, and try to learn how to manage it.

It’s really important to talk about depression. Bottling up your feelings and going through depression on your own is extremely hard on yourself.
Ask for help. Talk to a friend, family member, stranger on the street/internet, therapist, counselor, support group...

Because always remember:
Sharing and asking for help are depression’s worst enemies. 
When you face depression with the assistance of others, its strength and control towards you reduces.

ps. Many times being suicidal doesn’t mean you necessarily want to commit suicide. It means you just can’t take all this pain and negative feelings anymore. So don’t try to end your life! There are free services that are there to help you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you need help? (some useful links):
-http://www.befrienders.org/
-http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html
-http://www.samaritans.org/
-http://www.depressionalliance.org/information/useful-contacts
-http://www.swlstg-tr.nhs.uk/advice-support/for_service_users/telephone_helplines/