October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Mental health is something I take VERY seriously. There is so much information to cover, so lets get started.
All day I have been trying to find the right words to share in this blog. I want this to be meaningful, serious, and something people can go back to months down the road. With that being said, I want to share a few statistics with you- roughly 20% of children in the worlds population suffers from some sort of a mental illness and nearly 450 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Isn't that CRAZY? With so many people suffering from such a common illness, why isn't this talked about more? Why is there such a stigma surrounding mental health? There is nothing wrong with having a mental illness nor is there anything wrong for seeking help for it!
My whole life I have had signs of an anxiety disorder, but it wasn't until my senior year of high school that it got to the point I NEEDED professional help. I was terrified to go to work, drive, go to swim practice, to live a normal life. It started to consume me. Daily, I would find myself trying to catch my breath, steady my heart beat, and determine the cause of this panic feeling. I remember sitting in my school counselors office crying for hours because I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired of not being taken seriously. I was tired of not being the same person I once was. I was tired of not being able to live a normal life. She called my dad, my swim coach, the nurse, and that day I scheduled a doctors appointment for the following week. I talked to my doctor about my symptoms and he knew exactly what was causing them- an anxiety disorder. After a month on the medication things were starting to get better, but every once in awhile I would feel a sense of panic for no apparent reason. I went back for my follow up appointment, and my doctor changed the dosage of my medication and prescribed me with another but only for when I feel anxious. In the past year I have taken that "as needed" medication once. I have been able to transition to college without constant anxiety. I have been able to meet new people and not panic every second of it. I been able to be ME again! Medication is not the answer, but it sure does help temporarily. I am finally to the point where I feel counseling would be beneficial and slowly going off the medication until I no longer need it.
I am not sharing my story to get attention, I promise. This is the first time that I have publicly come out and said that this is something I have to deal with, and it's okay because it makes me who I am. I am so thankful for Mrs. Seuferer, my family, my boyfriend, and my friends, especially Clay, Brittany, & Yadira, who have loved me through all of this. Never once did they doubt that my illness was fake nor did they let someone else think so.
I want you to know that seeking help is not a bad thing. If it takes crying in your counselors office for hours to get you help, then so be it. If it takes making your own appointment or paying with money from your savings account to get help, then so be it. You would go to the doctor if you were throwing up for months- then why wouldn't you go if you were feeling suicidal, anxious, or "not normal" for months?
I also want to mention that anxiety and depression are not the only two mental illnesses. There are hundreds of diagnosable (potentially my own word?) and TREATABLE mental illnesses out there. An illness that I potentially self diagnosed myself with is hypochondria. Ask anyone I am friends with or even my family, and they will tell you that I have seven different cancers and three incurable diseases. I literally don't go a day without searching *something* on the internet and self diagnosing myself with it. It isn't funny, it is scary and it bring so much anxiety with it. Aside from the three illnesses I have mentioned, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, ADHD, and so many more are considered a "mental illness."
Please please please help end the stigma with mental illnesses. Please take this AND your mental health seriously. Don't be afraid to seek help. Don't be afraid to take a day off and just have alone time. There is absolutely no need to live in fear, in constant stress, etc. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to get help. You deserve to do this for Y O U.
If you or a loved one needs someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me, a counselor, a friend, anyone. If you don't feel comfortable with that, that's okay. Here is a 24 hr hotline that you can call- /http://crisisclinic.org/find-help/crisis-line/
"Mental illness is not a personal failure. In fact, if there is a failure, it is to be found in the way we have responded to people with mental and brain disorders." - Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland
God Bless.
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