Mental Illness and why I am writing this blog

This is my first foray into the blog world, and there are two main reasons I have chosen to start this.

The first is because of my passion for writing.  For years I’ve put my writing aside to focus on other things, and I am finally coming back to it.

The second is my desire to be a voice for mental illness.

Mental Illness is a phrase that makes people uncomfortable.  Despite the research of what mental illness is, how it is caused, and how common it is, there is still a stigma attached with it.  For some reason, people still don’t see it as what it is…a disease.  A disease, just like diabetes or cancer, and one approximately 1 in 5 Canadians will experience during their lifetime.

According to the World Health Organization, depression is common around the world, with an estimate of 350 million people of all ages affected by it.  350 MILLION people, and yet we still shy away from the topic.  How is it possible that a disease that is among the leading causes of disability in the world (according to depressionhurts.ca) is still regarded as a stigma?

The good news is that people are talking about mental illness more.  The bad news is that it is still not enough, and the perception of those who have never experienced it is generally negative towards those who have.

I am someone who suffers from depression, and I have faced judgement because of my disease.  I have lost friends, I have been called crazy, I have even lost a job because of my illness.
It is painful to be rejected over something one cannot control.

And it makes me angry.

I am NOT crazy.   I am NOT unstable.  I am NOT unreliable.  I do have episodes of depression, and there are times I cannot get out of bed for a few days.  But that doesn’t make me lazy or weak.

In fact, all the struggles I’ve been through, all of the pain and suffering that I have endured and overcome makes me STRONG.

Generally I am grateful when someone tells me they don’t understand depression.  I am grateful because it means that they have never experienced it.  It is a horrible, de-habilitating disease that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

But I am tired of being judged because people don’t understand.  You don’t have to understand.  Honestly, only anyone who’s experienced depression will truly understand it.  But please, at least try to be compassionate.

Is kindness too much to ask for?  Is grace too much to ask for?

I can’t change that I have depression.  It is a disease.  It is treatable, but not curable so I will have it for the rest of my life.  But I fight every single day to overcome it.  I fight to be healthy, and I fight to be happy.  It’s a daily battle I can’t begin to explain.

But it does not make me inadequate.  It does not make me less of a person.

Please don’t make assumptions when you encounter someone with mental illness.  Often they are fighting for their life and they need support and encouragement, not judgement.

Join me in being a voice for those who struggle.

Some days are rocky…but we won’t stop fighting.