Mental health is more important than society perceives it to be. Mental illness is often treated with the idea that “putting a band-aid on the injury will help it to heal.” However, this is not the case with mental illnesses. They are something that cannot be controlled voluntarily or fixed in an instant. Hearing the phrase, “Mental illness” often comes with a negative connotation, causing misconceptions about the diseases and the people affected by them. It is necessary to shed light on these issues and misconceptions, and help society to realize that mental health is an issue that needs to be taken seriously and treated with respect. From personal experience, living with depression and anxiety is not an easy task. It often hinders motivation and courage to take advantage of opportunities due to negative thoughts and overwhelming feelings. It hinders your lifestyle, affects relationships, and makes it difficult to get out of bed some mornings. Here are five things you didn’t know about the person with depression and anxiety:
1. Depression is more than just “feeling sad”
Everyone gets down in the dumps from time to time, but these feelings of sadness often pass very quickly and usually stem from external causes. Feelings of sadness from depression usually stem from internal causes. The mind is so extremely powerful that it’s easy to overthink to extremes. Sadness comes at the most random times, and there may be no exact reason for this feeling.
2. These aren’t feelings that can easily be controlled
It is often perceived that people with mental illnesses, specifically depression, make themselves sad and should just try to be positive to fix the problem. Of course, it is not that simple. Feelings of depression and anxiety are ones that cannot be voluntarily controlled or altered, which is one of the most frustrating issues in dealing with these illnesses. Sometimes, these feelings hit at the most most random times.
3. If you ask what’s wrong, the person probably won’t even know themselves
Sometimes a certain event or instance can trigger the feelings of depression. Other times, the feelings come quite unexpectedly. Therefore, if someone cannot even understand what is wrong with themselves or how they feel, it is even more difficult to attempt to explain. If they are reluctant to tell you, it isn’t because they are drawing back for you. It most simply means that there are no words that can match the way they are feeling. It is often difficult to articulate feelings such feelings of sadness that have no explanation.
4. Just because someone is quiet, doesn’t mean they are anti-social or rude
Although people with a mental illness, especially anxiety, tend to be introverted and spend time alone, it isn’t because they don’t want to talk to people. The main reason people with anxiety seem “anti-social” is due to the fact that it takes a lot of courage for them to break out of their shell.
5. In most cases, you cannot pinpoint someone who has depression
People with depression are the best at hiding their feelings. The emotions and negativity become bottled up deep inside the person, and they can often hide their true feeling with a smile. If someone seems upset and they say they are aright, something is most likely bothering them
People with depression and anxiety often conceal their problems. So they will most often try to pass it off as if nothing is wrong.
Many people are not aware of these common misconceptions. It is important to take note of misconceptions about mental illnesses in order to better help the people battling them through their difficult times. Mental health is more relevant than society perceives it to be, and the negative stigma associated with mental illnesses needs to be changed. Although this is one of the most common lessons people learn throughout their lifetimes, it is truly necessary to “walk in someone’s shoes in order to fully understand them.” People cannot be defined by a mental illness. Getting to know a person’s true self is one of the best ways to help them in the future through rough times in their life.