Five Truths to Change Your Views on Mental Illness

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Why read a post about mental illness?

  • Demographics. Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population will meet criteria for some mental illness this year.  Mental illness touches everyone’s life.
  • Friendships. Maybe you want to support friends who are suffering.  Or you know that increased understanding means a decreased chance of hurting someone you care about.
  • Personal Impact. You want to reduce your own chances of experiencing mental illness or cope better with the situation you are in.
  • Charity.  Perhaps you are someone who wants to “Speak the truth in love.”  The more you know, the better you can reach and relate to someone who struggles with mental health.

Whatever your reason, here are five points that might shift your views on mental illness:

1. Mental illnesses are part of the spectrum of common human experience.

I can’t speak for you, but I know I experience anxiety quite often.  I remember anxiety over speaking in high school or asking someone on a first date.  Now I feel anxiety when others evaluate my work, or when I have to confront someone I care about. I am sure you have worried about some aspect of your life: “Will we have enough to retire?”  “Will the principal judge me if my daughter wears mismatched socks and shoes to school?”  “Is there something wrong with me if I see the dress as white and gold?”   Anxiety and worry are human experiences, but for some they are debilitatingly intense or pervasive. Read More →

What Not to Say: Unhelpful Views on Mental Illness

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photo by Andrew Mason CC

photo by Andrew Mason CC

“Its all in your mind.”

“Its just a chemical imbalance.”

“You just need to turn it over to God.”

All of these are statements that have been made about mental illness.  They tend to be made particularly often to individuals whose disorders have not impaired their reason, who still appear “normal”.  Those struggling with anxiety and depression may be especially likely to hear views on their mental illness like the ones above.  What might the impact of each statement be for an individual who struggles with mental illness?  Lets break it down. Read More →

Thinking about Taking Medication?

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Prescription_medicationA friend recently asked me how someone might know when they may be ready to consider taking medication for emotional or psychological concerns. This is an important question and one that strikes at the heart of a complex and still emerging field of research. I first want to emphatically note that I am not a psychiatrist or medical doctor and what follows is not medical advice. What I’ve written below is information that I, personally, would want my friend to know as they think about taking medication, as well as, some considerations that I think might aid them in the process of discerning whether they feel like medication is right for them. The reasons to consider taking medication and the choice to take medication are vast and varied. By considering only a very limited number of these reasons and offering my personal thoughts on the which information I would try to communicate to a friend I have only scratched the surface on this topic. Still, hopefully my thoughts may be of benefit to someone. Read More →