We all know someone or several people who deal with mental illness whether it is anxiety, depression, bi-polar or OCD we all know someone. We also know people who are ignorant enough to think that mental illnesses aren’t real, or that they are some kind of choice, that the people suffering are just choosing not to be a happy.
As someone who has struggled with mental illness, depression and anxiety to be exact, I promise you they are very real and it is not a choice, in fact I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy. Depression crept into my life while I was in college, no real reason, life was pretty good. Suddenly I struggled to get out of bed, I struggled to be excited to about things that would normally bring me great joy. I had trouble focusing on tasks and really struggled to complete school work. I felt like crying all the time and often felt sick to my stomach. The worst part was I had no idea why or what was going on.
Eventually anxiety decided that it too wanted to be part of the picture. That is when life really seemed to spiral out of control for me. There we times I couldn’t get myself out of bed, I literally couldn’t force myself to put my feet on the floor. When I was out of bed my heart would feel as though it was going to jump out of my chest, I would sweat, my hands would shake and for some reason I felt like the best way to deal with it was to run away and try to hide but that didn’t help. Eventually my friends and family convinced me that I should get some help, I started seeing counselors and making plans to take care of my mental illness. Over time and a lot of work the depression and anxiety slowly faded away.
There have been times that the depression/anxiety has tried to sneak it’s way back into my life but thankfully I am capable of recognizing it now and am not afraid to get help from doctors if needed.
Here is a poem and short article about mental illness that a young woman who has struggled to get her mother to understand what she is going through wrote. The poet/speaker does a great job of painting a picture of what dealing with mental illness is like.
If your son or daughter or maybe you yourself is dealing with mental illness don’t hesitate to get help. It isn’t a decision, it is an illness and many times if it goes untreated it can have major negative implications on ones life and the lives of the people around them. Mental illness is real and should be treated as any other illness would be treated by getting help. If you need help in knowing where to turn don’t hesitate to contact me.
Standale Reformed Parents 
Thanks for sharing your story. Your experiences will help other’s understand how mental illness can impact the lives of those around us.