Thanks to the rise of social media, people are more than ever transparent in their struggles. That is, if they choose to share about them. Some people who struggle with mental illness, in particular, hesitate to share because they want their audience to neither micromanage their illness or think less of them. They don't like thinking that people will judge them (and judge them poorly) based on a diagnosis that is meant more for the medical community to understand.

But here's the thing; we need to start changing how we talk about mental illness in our personal community. These common six things people say may not be overtly microaggressive, but to the person who is sharing their struggle, it's frustrating because their audience seems to have already jumped to conclusions about their health. These six statements perpetuate the myth of mental illness - that it is totally elusive and never to be fully understood.

Mental illness can be understood if you recognize the importance of your words, not just to people struggling with it but in general. By understanding that you are merely an observer/listener to the sharer and their story, you can also understand how you affect them and what you can do to help them. You don't have to treat them like they are chronically ill. After all, they are as human as you are.