Fifty Shades of Shoey

#WorldMentalHealthDay | #MentalHealthAwarness

October 10, 2015

Mental health is very important and should be more openly discussed. The fact that so many people are so uneducated about it is so sad.

If you are suffering of a mental illness I hope you know how strong you are. You might not see it but you're such a strong human being to be able to endure such pain. I'm so sorry for the way this society treats you. I'm so sorry for the way uneducated people treat you. I want you to know that you're not suffering alone.
I hate that a lot of people with disorders feel so alone and feel like no one understands them. In reality two out of three people suffer with a mental illness as well. Although some are different from others, you should know that there are people out there that can relate to you.
There are such cruel people in the world that will say the meanest things. If you've ever been told that no one can or will love you because of your mental illness, it's not true. I love you and many other people love you as well. If someone doesn't support you or doesn't take your mental illness seriously, well fuck them.
But now you also need to understand that you yourself must take your mental illness seriously. Some people may preach that your illness is not real, it is. It's just as real as cancer or any other disease or illness. You must learn to accept it. That is one thing I have and still struggle with. Many people struggle with being in denial about their mental illnesses. And the fact that so many people assume that mental illnesses aren't real just because they don't suffer with them, makes it so much harder to accept and try to understand your own mental illness.
My therapist told me that one great way to control an anxiety attack is to accept it. To stop and tell yourself "I'm having an anxiety attack," and even just like that it can help. By saying it aloud, by accepting it, you are putting yourself in control. You can't try to take it as a joke or try to convince yourself that it's not real or that it's not happening. That'll only make it worse.

Mental illnesses are not adjectives.
You cannot use a certain mental illness to describe something you're not actually suffering with. Do not mock pain that you have not endured.
"My mom yelled at me yesterday, she's so bipolar!"
"You almost gave me a panic attack!"
"You look so anorexic!"
"My OCD is coming out again!"
"I stayed up until one a.m., my insomnia is so bad!"
"I swear, I'm like retarded!"
"Oh yeah, yesterday I was feeling really depressed."
"Quit being psycho!"
This. Is. Not. Okay.
These are real actual disorders that many people are suffering with, you can't just throw them around like that.

"Just snap out of it."
Is it any wonder why two out of three people living with mental illness suffer in silence?

"You just need a change of scenery."
Maybe a hospital. Maybe a psychologist's office.

"You're just looking for attention."
Again, this is why so many people are suffering in silence.

"Don't worry, it's just a phase."
But for some, it can last a lifetime.

You'd never say "it's just cancer, get over it," so why do some say that about depression?
Imagine if we got blamed for cancer?
Mental illness is just as real.

Depression is not an act.
Bipolar isn't an excuse.
Eating disorders aren't phases.
Suicide isn't a coward's escape.
Self harm is not a cry for attention.

Mental illness is not weakness.
Mental illnesses are diseases, just like cancer. They can be treated and helped, but only if people understand. Mental illnesses are no one's fault. In order to help, we have to rid mental illnesses of stigmas. Then we can help.

Here are some of the most common disorders:

Anxiety-
Anxiety disorders create feelings of fright and distress during normal or non-threatening situations. They can severely inhibit a person's ability to pursue personal relationships and perform daily activities, such as shopping or even going outside. The most common anxiety disorders include Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and Phobias.

Depression-
Depression is a mood disorder that manifests in symptoms including feelings of sadness or emptiness, lack of interest in activities, change in weight or appetite, irritability, loss of energy, and reoccurring thoughts of death or suicide.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD):
People with OCD are plagued by constant thoughts or fears that cause them to perform certain rituals or routines. The disturbing thoughts are called obsessions, and the rituals are called compulsions.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
PTSD is a condition that can develop following a traumatic and/or terrifying event, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, or a natural disaster. People with PTSD often have lasting and frightening thoughts and memories of the event, and tend to be emotionally numb.

Impulse control and addiction disorders:
People with impulse control disorders are unable to resist urges, or impulses, to perform acts that could be harmful to themselves or others. Pyromania (starting fires), kleptomania (stealing), and compulsive gambling are examples of impulse control disorders. Alcohol and drug are common objects of addictions. Often, people with these disorders become so involved with the objects of their addiction that they begin to ignore responsibilities and relationships.

Psychotic disorders:
Psychotic disorders involve distorted awareness and thinking. Two of the most common symptoms of psychotic disorders are hallucinations -the experience of images or sounds that are not real, such as hearing voices- and delusions, which are false fixed beliefs that the ill person accepts as true, despite evidence to the contrary. Schizophrenia is an example of a psychotic disorder.

Eating disorders:
Eating disorders involve extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors involving weight and food. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common eating disorders.

Personality disorders:
People with personality disorders have extreme and inflexible personality traits that are distressing to the person and/or cause problems in work, school, or social relationships. In addition, the person's patterns of thinking and behavior significantly differ from the expectations of society and are so rigid that they interfere with the person's normal functioning. Examples include antisocial personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder.

Mood disorders:
These disorders, also called affective disorders, involve persistent feelings of sadness or periods of feeling overly happy, or fluctuations from extreme happiness to extreme sadness. The most common mood disorders are depression, bipolar disorder, and cyclothymic disorder

I love you.