Fighting oneself is exhausting enough, doubting them is brutal.
- Dr. Neha Kapila D.D.S
Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you? Why are you so weird...
Next time you say this to someone, even if jokingly, think twice about it.
No one wants to acknowledge the harm that their words can do to people suffering from mental health illnesses.
Most people struggling with depression, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, and other mental health illnesses can mask their symptoms very well.
Just because you can’t see the symptoms, doesn’t mean the illness is unreal.
You never know what situations led them to be suffering from the horrors of some of these psychological diseases/ struggles.
If you see someone not being their usual self, or your intuition says that something is not right, most of the time it’s not.
Speak up and show compassion to that friend, colleague, loved one.
Even if they deny your help initially which most probably they will do, just be present.
They will need some time to feel safe and comfortable to talk it out with you and take the help they need.
If all of us take that responsibility for each other, people suffering from mental health illnesses won’t feel stigmatized and will reach out more for help.
There is a stigma in our society towards mental health problems whether they be biological or psychosocial.
But, a person’s life should not just be reduced to a statistic.
We all as a society and culture, need to do our part in helping each other and saving lives.