Having a conversation in 2018 can sometimes feel as though you are walking on eggshells. You will always offend someone, rightfully so, or not. Let's talk about a touchy subject: mental health.

"Everybody has something" is a popular cliché, but not everyone has legitimate mental health issues. People have good days and bad days because, as humans, our moods fluctuate. We have a tendency to assume the worst. Sometimes we play psychologist and diagnose ourselves and other people with mental health issues.

I hate to break it to you, but unless you're a licensed psychologist, your diagnosis is probably wrong.

1. Depression is not:

Depression is not having a bad day and crying about it. Everybody has bad days. That does not mean we are all depressed. Although many people have depression, not everyone does. Depression can be for a few years or a lifetime.

What must be understood is depression is an illness, not a passing feeling after a bad day. Also, depression doesn't always have to be "caused by something." Depression can be from a traumatic event. Depression can be a chemical imbalance, it can be genetic.

When it comes to depression there is no such thing as, "You brought this on yourself, Johnny."

2. Anxiety is not:

Anxiety is not getting nervous hen you see your ex. It isn't a fleeting, conditional thing. Yes, everyone feels anxiety at some points; however, the illness it's self doesn't just come and go. Anxiety can be off-set by certain things, but usually from nothing at all.

Anxiety isn't just sweaty palms and darting eyes; it is sudden feelings of despair, moments where you can't find the right words, when you have so much to say, but your throat closes. Anxiety can be staring in to space with a million thoughts in your head while the people around your are carrying out a conversation. Anxiety comes in so many forms. Though it is a common feeling, it is not a common disorder.

In a nutshell: being nervous from time to time does not mean you have an anxiety disorder.

3. Bipolar disorder is not:

Bipolar disorder is not laughing one moment and having a temper tantrum the next. Bipolar is a serious condition where a person can experience extreme mania for days or weeks at a time, followed by extreme depression.

With that being said: saying, "THAT BITCH IS SO BIPOLAR" when really she is just moody is not only disrespectful, but an incorrect use of the term.

4. Anorexia is not:

Anorexia is not a diet you go on because you are dissatisfied with your size. When someone says, "I was like anorexic, because I was so skinny before that wedding I lost all that weight for," correct them immediately.

Anorexia is not defined by being thin, nor does it mean the person "just thinks they are fat". Anorexia is a disease of the mind that inhibits one's ability to eat. Anorexia can stem from wanting to have control.

Although body-image is a huge part of it, it is not a fad diet. Anorexia is compulsive thoughts, needing control, and a warped perception, not something people use as a temporary fix. Anorexia does not just exist in adolescent girls. Men have it, women have it, it does not discriminate.

5. Schizophrenia is not:

Schizophrenia is not hearing voices in your head telling you to kill people. Although people with schizophrenia have delusions and hallucinations, that is not the extent of it. Schizophrenia can be categorized by paranoia, catatonic states of mind and body, along with disoriented speech.

A person with schizophrenia can be extremely disassociated, meaning not all schizophrenic people are off the wall and plotting to do reckless things. Be careful how you use the term, and unless you know for a fact someone has it, do not assume.

6. Borderline Personality Disorder is not:

BPD is not "thinking you have split personalities and that you become different people." BPD is chronic instability in relationships and the way they perceive emotions and feelings. A person who suffers from this may feel like people are going to abandon them at any given moment. They may think they will instantly be rejected, or separated from the people around them. They may seem like they are extremely sensitive to different social situations and interactions.

So, next time you hear someone using this term derogatively and incorrectly, speak up. This is a fairly common disorder and you never know who is suffering.

7. Narcissistic personality disorder is not:

NPD is not being in love with yourself and hating other people. NPD is the need for praise and approval because of a deep self-hatred. The girl who posts body positive pictures does not have NPD because she loves herself. NPD comes from having a poor self-concept, not from being self-righteous.

8. Bulimia is not:

Bulimia is not a ballerina who feels bad about eating a head of lettuce, that stealthily slips away to throw up back stage. Most people with bulimia are trying to maintain a normal size while binging and purging.

Purging is more than throwing up. It can be taking laxatives and diuretics purposely. Same as anorexia, it does not discriminate. It also does not mean the person is "obsessed with food, but doesn't want to get fat." Bulimia is another control issue. It comes with more than vomiting: it's binging, purging, intrusive and unsettling thoughts, and a warped self-perception.

9. Being a psychopath is not:

Being a psychopath does not mean you go around harming people for fun and feeling nothing. A psychopath is not "a daredevil" or an adrenaline "junkie."

It is believed that psychopaths are born psychopaths, that they do not chose to act reckless and break laws because of a childhood trauma. A psychopath can be a lot of things: a compulsive liar, spontaneous, charming, stable, or they can lead normal lives. They do not fit one "mold" and do not deserve to be deemed "crazy."

Stop saying, "Oh my God, she is so psycho!" Educate yourself before you casually throw around terms that actually impact other people's daily lives.

10. Alcoholism is not:

Not all alcoholics are stumbling out of a bar at three in the morning with no money in their pockets and no one to go home with. Alcoholics can be stable, having lucrative jobs and happy families.

An alcoholic can be someone who seems fine on the surface, but will drink in secrecy. They can have binges every few days, weeks, or even binge-drink every night. What people don't understand about alcoholism is that alcoholics don't drink because they love being drunk or acting crazy. They need alcohol to feel normal.

The stereotypes associated with mental illness need to be put to rest. We need to educate ourselves as a society and help each other heal. Asking someone "Why are you depressed?" is completely inappropriate.

Instead of asking why, starting asking how, as in, "How can I help you?" or "How can I be here for you?".

Not everyone is open about their mental illnesses, and that's okay. Some people living with mental illnesses do not even know they have one.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to see a therapist and psychiatrist. Not everyone who needs medication has access to it. We also must understand that there is no "universal coping method." What you read on Web MD is not gospel. What helps one person, may anger or scare another person.