Our generation has been romanticizing mental illnesses, acting as if you are only cool and mysterious if you have one. Depression is one of the most popular mental illnesses to be glorified for it’s depth and sadness it causes people to act as if they had, yet it is much more than a fad. Anxiety is not something you should wish upon yourself, or pretend you have either. There are real people in the world suffering in their own minds with real mental illnesses. Yet, there are others who do not, and wish to be victimized, sympathized.
Living with certain illnesses can affect someone so drastically, or it can just be a bump in the road. It all depends on the individual and what they have. My mother has suffered with depression since childhood, and for her every day is different. One day she can be happier than ever, then the next day leads to multiple days of solitary sadness. Things are perceived differently for her, which is something I have come to learn and understand. There is no helping what you have, all the pills in the world can not fix something in the blink of the eye.
Schizophrenia is another type of mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and acts according to http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/schizophrenia. This illness can result in delusions and disorganized behavior, therefore it is not typical behavior. In that sense, people may judge those who are schizophrenic. Which is utterly ignorant, instead get to know that person if the both of you are willing to communicate, or just keep your ignorant mouth shut.
That leads me to my next point, do not ever tell someone to get over their illness. It is not as simple as snapping your finger and being cured. Post traumatic stress disorder occurs once someone has experienced a traumatic event that changes their stress levels and well being. So, when you tell them to just “deal with it”, or “get over it”, do not expect a change. Getting over something traumatic can take years upon years, the best you can do for someone who has PTSD is to comfort them or talk to them. Do not neglect the issue at hand.
The world will only evolve if we make a change and learn to accept everyone no matter what. On the other hand we need to learn to accept our selves as we truly are, and not some person we conjure up in our heads to appear cooler or “up to date”. Think before you speak, you never truly know what is going on in someone else’s mind and how they may discern what you do and say.
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