Mental illness is aĀ āREALā illness
I've been reading a lot of tweets and posts concerning suicide and depression lately, widely due to the tragic loss of Chester Bennington. It seems like there's so many people who feel what he did was selfish and cowardly, but I wanted to give my two cents and maybe try to convince you otherwise.
A mental illness should be treated on the same standard of care as a physical illness.
For those that have never experience a serious mental illness, you are lucky and I am thankful that you haven't and hope that you never do. Depression is crippling and it takes over every part of you and changes you into a person that you don't even recognize. Everything you once enjoyed or are told you should enjoy just seems like something you are obligated to do. For most people this is something they'll battle their whole life whether through therapy or medicine or whatever path of care they've chosen to take.
Now compare something like this to a physical illness like cancer. Once you get it, you use all your strength to fight it. You find any method of care and you hope that one day you can beat it. If you don't beat it, it wasn't your fault but it was cancer and fuck cancer. If depression beats you, it was probably by suicide and why were you so selfish? It's your fault for being a coward and not fighting through it. It's of course your fault and not the fault of your illness.... right?
In both situations, the people who've been beaten by either cancer or suicide will leave a trail of people who loved them heartbroken and in pieces. So is it selfish for someone to have died from cancer? If not, why is it selfish to have died from depression? People have the misconception that it's ALWAYS a choice and always another way. Maybe they could've gotten better and found a way to get around it, but when all you can think about is how much better the world would be without you, is there really a choice? Your brain chemistry is completely fucked when you're depressed and your brain is the control center for your entire being. Please stop thinking depression is something you can just "get over" or that it's just a phase or tell people to just go get some sun or hang out with friends or just be happy. It completely invalidates that person's illness and it makes them feel as though they are alone even more than before.
Also don't let the one thing you take away from this post/rant be me saying that suicide is acceptable. It is in no way acceptable and I hate depression just as much as I hate cancer for destroying so many lives.
If you are suffering. If you are hurting, talk to someone who will not invalidate your feelings. If you can't find that amongst your friends and family, then reach out to suicide hotline because just having someone listening to you and being able to talk to someone who understands your suffering can help you.
It's 2017 and it's time to stop acting like mental illness isn't a "real" illness just because those who have it suffer silently.
izzy806
germansingergirl
prguitarman
tangentwithtanner
dailybridgerton
