"You're crazy" says almost everyone who doesn't understand mental illness. From generalized anxiety to bipolar disorder, the range of mental illnesses is very wide. Sometimes it's noticeable, others...not so much. There are so many things that should be and need to be addressed about mental illness from an insider's perspective.
Being a person who struggles with not just one, but three mental illnesses, I know what it feels like to feel like an outsider. Whether it's my depression or the panic attacks I suffer from several times a week, I feel like I'm crazy and I'm sure others who deal with the same issues do too. I'm here to tell you that you are not crazy and that your mental illness does not define you.
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5 percent—experiences mental illness in a given year. See, we're not alone. In fact, most of the people who suffer from a mental illness are between the ages 18 to 25. It may feel like no one understands, but I can guarantee at least one person in your life does. Sometimes it feels as if your life is spiraling out of control or like things will never get better, but they do. There so many ways to manage and even treat certain mental illness. There are medications and different types of therapy out there. The thing is though, you have to want to get better otherwise you won't. It's just like someone who is an alcoholic or drug addict; they have to want help, but remember there is hope.
The point is, don't let your anxiety, depression, or whatever else you are struggling with get you down. You can make it in life. You can accomplish so many things while fighting your mental illness. It doesn't define your future. It doesn't define your accomplishments. It doesn't define YOU. You are an amazing, strong-willed person who can get through anything with the right tools. Nothing is impossible, even if it feels like you're being sucked into a black hole or like you will never be able to achieve anything because you can.
Mental illness is nothing that can't be treated. So my message to you is stay strong and keep your head up. Talk to people. don't stay silent. Don't let your thoughts consume you. Don't allow others words to hurt you because most likely, they don't understand what it's like struggling with something day to day that is hard to control. Lastly, don't get angry when someone doesn't know how to help. Not everyone struggles with some sort of mental illness and it's not their fault they can't comprehend what it's like to be in your position. You are human just like everyone else and there's nothing you can't do.
You are not crazy and you sure as hell aren't alone, so go out there with your head high and show the world what you're made of.
