We're All Mad Here

Last week, I had lunch with my sister, Jenn and Kim McDevitt, the executive director of Mental Health America-Lancaster. One of the many things we talked about was the stigma that still surrounds mental health. I do have to say, in recent years, there has been a lot more conversation about depression, mental health and suicide. A lot of celebrities have been vocal about their experiences and it has brought light to the problem we have in our country. Even with this, we still have a long way to go before the stigma goes away. We talked about the feelings and emotions that someone goes through when they're dealing with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts and the word that kept coming up was "shame". (Shame! Shame! Shame! for my fellow Game of Thrones nerds).

From my experience and point of view, my shame came from the fact that I didn't feel that I had a right to be depressed. There are many people who could look at my life and tell me they wish they had it as good as I do; I have a great job, my education is paid off, I have a home, a vehicle, a family who loves me, friends, my health and my faith (and the 2 best kitties ever). I know I'm incredibly blessed, so when I was feeling like absolute shit, I got down on myself for feeling depressed. How dare I feel this way! I have no right to be depressed- so many people have it way worse than I do. I was very mean to myself for feeling the way that I did, which of course ended up making me feel even worse.

I don't have statistics, but I would venture to say that a lot of people don't speak up about how they're feeling because they are ashamed. In order get help, we have to admit that there is something wrong with us and we are not able to handle it on our own. That right there is the biggest hurdle to get over, just like it is for those who struggle with addiction. You cannot help someone get better if they don't admit that they have a problem. Nobody can help YOU if you don't talk to them about what is going on. I think there is a lot of shame associated with admitting that you feel depressed, anxious, or suicidal because people don't want to come across as weak. As I said before in my "Help Yo-self!" post:

"I know it is scary and intimidating to admit that you need professional help but there is NOTHING wrong with that. Admitting that you are struggling and reaching out to someone who is better trained than you shows strength, not weakness "

I still firmly stand behind that statement and I want to help people realize that mental illness does not mean you are a weak person! It means that there is something chemically wrong with your brain. If you are having problems with your heart or lungs, you (should) go to the doctor for that, right? Why is it any different with our brains? The brain is easily the most complex organ in our body. According to what I found on Google, there are networks in our brains with BILLIONS of neurons that are constantly working even as we sleep. Is it any surprise that sometimes things go wrong or misfire?

Do not feel shame that you are depressed, or anxious, or bi-polar. Accept it. Ask for help. Take your experiences and use them to help others and get rid of the stigma that is out there. Chances are, the person you decide to share with may have struggled before or is struggling now and you opening up to them was just what they needed. Just remember, we're all mad in some way.

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