Each year millions of individuals across the globe face the reality of either living with a mental health condition or living with someone who has a mental health condition. It is hard to believe mental health is still a taboo among our societies. We often stigmatize mental health, creating feelings of shame and confusion, and adding to the complexity of the problems.
The brain is a beautiful thing. A beautifully complex and articulated organic machine. It gives us the power to talk, to walk, to interact with others. It gives us creativity and agility with numbers. It makes us rational beings able to create and stimulate. However, the brain sometimes has hiccups.
Admitting we have a problem is never a sign of failure or weakness, on the contrary, a timely cry for help can make a huge impact on the outcome of someone's life. It is important for mothers, fathers, friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents to understand the signs of depression in teens and children and to find a proactive way to deal with it on time. There isn't such a thing as a broken child, just one that needs guidance and support. We all grow at a different pace, and it is ok to embrace each individual's needs encouraging inner peace and mental growth.
Mental illnesses doesn't discriminate gender, religion, age or race. It can happen to anyone at any stage of their life. Whether you are 70 years old or 14 years old, your brain can play tricks on you at any time. Sometimes by environmental factors (external) other times by internal and even biological factors, no one can escape the possibility of mental illness.
I know this all too well, as my first husband suffered from a range of mental illnesses - depression, a personality disorder, and PTD. As a young adult, neither of us knew exactly what to do, nor could we recognize the subtle changes when they started. It wasn't until things got out of control that I became aware of a possible problem. Loving and living with someone who suffers from a mental illness can be draining. It requires a lot of inner strength and stamina. The person suffering from the mental illness might not be able to recognize the issues until it is too late. It took two suicide attempts, many domestic disturbances, police intervention and a broken marriage for my ex-husband and his family to realize he needed help. Like him, many young adults suffer in silence trying to battle their inner demons on their own on a daily basis.
Let's forget about the shame and put aside the taboos. It is ok to fall down and crumble. It is ok to need help. The whole world doesn't have to fall on our shoulders. And as friends, parents, partners we need to be able to open our hearts and recognize when a problem arises.
In order to close the cycle of shame and misinformation NAMI -National Alliance on Mental Illnesses - has designated the first week of the month of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week. During Mental Illness Awareness Week on Oct. 2-8, you can join NAMI in shining a light on mental illness and replacing stigma with hope by taking the #StigmaFree pledge at www.nami.org/stigmafree and posting on social media about the importance of mental health.
If you or someone you know may need a mental health assessment, anonymous online tools are available. For National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 6, you can get a free mental health screening at HelpYourselfHelpOthers.org
