In my work as a crisis line counselor, I have spoken with many women and men who have told me they have mental illness. The diagnoses I’ve heard most often are depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Many of the callers have told me they have a therapist and a psychiatrist, and some attend group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some have told me they have needed to be hospitalized at times.
I recently came across an Amish proverb that caused me to think about people who deal with the challenges of mental illness: “Instead of putting others in their place, put yourself in their place.” There is much need for more empathy in our world, including for people who have mental health problems. I am often impressed by the efforts people make to deal with their symptoms by doing coping skills, attending individual therapy and support groups, and practicing self-care, including healthy nutrition and exercise. For the more severe diagnoses, taking medication as prescribed also helps to manage their symptoms. Similar to having a physical illness such as diabetes where people need to monitor their blood sugar and do what is necessary to maintain a healthy level, people with mental illness need to notice when their symptoms increase and do self-care or coping techniques to help to manage them. This requires being aware and being motivated. Some people who call the crisis line talk about how overwhelming dealing with their mental illness is and the discouragement they sometimes feel.
It concerns me that many people who have the good fortune of not having mental illness have no idea what it is like for people who do, and therefore have no appreciation of the effort many people put into trying their best to take care of themselves. Too often people make generalizations and display little, if any, empathy. And too often this ignorance adds to the stigmatization of mental illness, another challenge callers have told me adds to their burden.
Through this post I want to acknowledge the women and men who struggle with mental illness and to applaud all that they do to cope and care for themselves. For I, and I’m sure many other people, are truly impressed by them.