Notice that the title of this article does not say anything along the lines of, "How To Deal With Someone With A Mental Illness." Most articles out there, mainly hoping to help relatives of the person in distress, always make it seem like it's such an inconvenience to deal with the mentally ill and are just paragraphs upon paragraphs of "get them professional help."

This article is different. This outline the experience that you may go through so that maybe you'll see that you're not alone. I know how hard it is, especially if you have a mental illness yourself like me, because you're watching the person you care about so much tear themselves down. And in some circumstances, they could be tearing down everyone around them as well.

You see, my mother has schizophrenia and it interferes with her every day life. No, she has not been officially diagnosed by a professional because she would never willingly step into a psychiatrist's office but her mannerisms are extremely obvious and her behavior hugely impacts my life. She is so paranoid that I cannot raise my voice because "people are listening" and, if people laugh around her, they're "laughing at her." Sometimes I can't get homework done because she disconnects the WIFI to keep me from "talking to people who hate her" and she has accused me of "doing witchcraft" to harm her many times. She hears voices, she over-analyzes people, she has all the symptoms of schizophrenia and the impact she has on my life will never equal what she goes through.

The reason why it bothers me so much that all the articles state, "get them professional help," is a lot of people with mental illnesses at severe as my mother's won't go and get professional help, no matter what. They can't be persuaded that something specific is making them so miserable or that something could be done to change their outlook on life like therapy or medicine, so they're stuck in that mindset and you're stuck watching them.

However, having someone who is mentally ill around really makes you think. How are there people out there that believe mental illnesses and disorders don't exist? They almost always blame parents and their environment as a child for their behavior, yet some mental illnesses like schizophrenia and most mental disorders like ADHD are hereditary. They say things like, "he's only spazzy because his parents never played with him or told him to sat down." And then there are the heartless, the apathetic people out there that simply call these people "crazy" or "retarded."

Then, both the ignorant and the apathetic wonder why the misunderstood end up choosing suicide over cruel words and treatment and whatever they're going through, instead of these people offering support and compassion to help them deal with the inconvenience. Only 25 percent of people with mental health issues feel that people are caring and sympathetic toward their struggles, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Worldwide, suicide is among the three leading causes of death among people aged 15 to 44.

- An estimated 2-15 % of persons who have been diagnosed with major depression die by suicide. Suicide risk is highest in depressed individuals who feel hopeless about the future, those who have just been discharged from the hospital, those who have a family history of suicide and those who have made a suicide attempt in the past.
- An estimated 3-20% of persons who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder die by suicide. Hopelessness, recent hospital discharge, family history, and prior suicide attempts all raise the risk of suicide in these individuals.
- An estimated 6-15% of persons diagnosed with schizophrenia die by suicide. Suicide is the leading cause of premature death in those diagnosed with schizophrenia. Between 75 and 95% of these individuals are male.
- Also at high risk are individuals who suffer from depression at the same time as another mental illness. Specifically, the presence of substance abuse, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder put those with depression at greater risk for suicide.
- People with personality disorders are approximately three times as likely to die by suicide than those without. Between 25 and 50% of these individuals also have a substance abuse disorder or major depressive disorder.

We can't fight our own battles. We need friends. We need family. Don't isolate yourself and don't allow your friend or your family member go through this alone. If you have to, look for a support group nearby or grab a friend to aid you, but don't let this get to you.

(Donate here to help the family of a young boy who used to go to my school. He recently committed suicide and your contribution will go to help Samuel's funeral/memorial expenses.)