“One of the things that baffles me … is how there can be so much lingering stigma with regards to mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. In my opinion, living with manic depression takes a tremendous amount of balls.” –Carrie Fisher
As I grow older, I realize more so than ever how important my mental stability really is. Six years’ worth of traditional treatments such as psychotherapy and medicine have left me with very limited options as to how I can continue to live a stable and healthy life: medicine doesn’t always work, therapy can be a pain, and money for treatment gets scarce. Haunted by a six-year war on a mental level, I’m always still grateful I have the chance to visit professionals, as many people don’t have the resources to do so.
Rock-bottom did happen, but in a dream-like state in which I was not able to manage the thoughts that constantly intruded my brain. Six years ago, I began treatment; two years ago, I was in a hospital bed recovering from a mistake. Today, I stand still–still on my medication, still on my treatment, and still here. Today, I am an advocate for mental health and have begun to share my experiences openly with people.
Winona Ryder as Sussana Kaysen in “Girl, Interrupted”
As Carrie Fisher once said, “At times, being bipolar can be an all-consuming challenge, requiring a lot of stamina and even more courage, so if you’re living with this illness and functioning at all, it’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of. They should issue medals along with the steady stream of medication.” Living with bipolar disorder is like being stuck in a seesaw, you on one end and on the other end your endless stream of moods and, in my case, medication.
It’s a hit-or-miss, and I’ve come to terms with my disorder on the way through which I will have to learn to deal and conquer my situation, no matter how hard it might be. For Mental Health Day, I only ask for three things: kindness towards yourself and others, patience with yourself and others, and for the stigma surrounding mental illness to subside. A phenomena coined as “social distancing,” which is explained as when people understand a mental illness to be dangerous, they distance themselves from the individuals who have them. As a result, mentally ill people are left isolated–a state that can ultimately worsen their condition (x). This year’s World Mental Health theme is “Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World,” because, as their site states, “We want to bring attention to the issues our youth and young adults are facing in our world today and begin the conversation around what they need in order to grow up healthy, happy and resilient.”
World Mental Health Day Promo by WFMH
It’s important that we, as members of society, break the stigma on mental health and empathize with the feelings of others. It might be celebrated only once a year on October 10th, but we should all be aware every day that mental health is a very real thing, and just because you don’t suffer from it, doesn’t mean you should socially shun anyone who’s had to take medicine, go to therapy, and has even had to be hospitalized due to consequences of their illness.
I still feel uneasy speaking about my mood disorders as I, myself, am still working on accepting what I’ll be experiencing for the rest of my life: pills after therapy after mania after pain after contentment. To this day, I still can’t manage my condition entirely, and it possesses me constantly. I am not ashamed of being who I am, but of what my condition has made me to be and think.