Dealing with any illness is hard and one of the worst things I personally have to deal with is people either asking or telling me things that do not help at all or better yet people who are so rude about my illness, like living with it is not bad enough.
1. It is all in your head
This is something I wish I can believe but even studies has shown that mental illness are just not "in our heads." Mental illness is a real thing and should be taken seriously like other physical illnesses. Like physical illnesses and disorders mental illness can result from a lot of things such as abuse, lack of neurotransmitters, or trauma.
2. It is just an excuse for being lazy
Yes, like it feels so good to sit around and not do anything as time passes by and nothing gets done. It must feel so nice being filled with guilt, and shame because you feel worthless and feel as if you are less of a person for not being able to do the things normal people can do every day.
3. Why?
I honestly hate being asked why do I feel depressed. Does it make sense to ask people why they have the flu? or why are they allergic to certain things? It obviously does not make sense because chances are those people with physical ailments do not know the cause nine times out of ten
4. You should be more healthy
Don't get me wrong I do believe that exercise and good diet can decrease symptoms of depression. At the same time some solutions are not for one person like they may be for another person. It all depends on the severity of someone's mental illness. It is one thing to express your suggestions to someone who asks but it is honestly rude to give unwanted advice to people about their mental health especially if you do not know much about mental illnesses in general.
5. Did you take your meds?
This question tops the list of what I hate being asked. Although it may seem like a good way to check on your loved ones when they are feeling negative about themselves there are many more ways you can express concern or encouragement to someone who has a mental illness.
I understand that most people want to help their loved ones with mental illness but these are common things that are not helpful when trying to help someone with mental illness. Some things that are said may be insensitive while others can be ineffective.
