When mental illnesses are brought up, most people treat it like it's no big deal thinking people can do something about it or are being dramatic or "asking for attention."

False.

A mental illness varies from a long list of possible diagnoses, some worse than others, but all in all, it is an illness and a part of who you are, and no matter how hard you can try to "cure" it, it's hard to make it disappear.

A lot of people, especially in this generation, suffer from certain mental illnesses without even knowing what it exactly is they are dealing with. Mental illnesses are so common, especially anxiety.

I am a victim of anxiety, and although people brought up me "having anxiety" in the past, I recently realized and accepted that anxiety has been taking over my life without me even being aware of what is going on. I used to think that it was just stress and that I got stressed out easily, which is probably true also, but there was much more to the problem than that.

1. You are constantly keeping yourself busy.

2. Barely sleep. And when you do, you don't sleep well.

3. You worry excessively about things you know you shouldn't worry about.

4. A simple task takes you hours and hours to do.

5. You always think of the worst possible scenario.

6. When you have to make a decision, you're crippled with fear of making the wrong one.

7. You need structure in just about every area of your life. You cannot "go with the flow."

8. You despise change. Even if it's "good" change.

9. You constantly need reassurance.

10. And last but not least, you physically feel trapped.

You may suffer from one of these signs, or all, or a few, but the most important thing to know is that it is so common. This does not define you and there are so many ways to cope from therapy to possible medication to just accepting what is going on and being aware of it.