I don't really have the answers, but I can try and educate others based on my own experiences. I am taking a stand against the mental health stigma and I will fight not only for myself but for others whose lives have been impacted by its effects.
Every day, people worldwide lose jobs, respect, friends, loved ones and sometimes even lives to mental illness. Employers and bosses sometimes don't have tolerance for an 'invisible' illness. Colleagues laugh at someone in the midst of a terrifying breakdown. Friends walk away when a friend with mental illness has to miss an outing due to a panic attack. Loved ones lose patience with someone who is sometimes stuck sleeping all the time. Disappointment and isolation can destroy a life.
Reaching out for help is still deemed a sign of weakness by certain judgmental people. Finding the right help can sometimes be difficult, particularly once confusing isolation sets in for some. But I want to encourage others facing mental health issues to keep trying. Try try try relentlessly. There will be bad days, there could be hardship along the road, but nobody should ever feel worthless or shame for having a mental illness...
I think even the strongest of human beings can fall into states of depression when hopes and dreams for a 'happy life' seem to get rerouted to a different destination. Unless one is a highly enlightened human entity of some sort and somehow unaffected by the ups and downs of life, then mental health affects us all. So why is it still so stigmatizing to talk about it?
(Oooo ooooo I know, Mr. Kotter. I know, I know. Because people seem to enjoy cruelty sometimes.)
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