Mental Illness

It’s been awhile since my last blog, but I wanted to take time out today to see how you all were doing. I don’t mean the normal, “I’ve just been working hard, paying bills and taking care of my family” type of response either. I mean how are you really doing, mentally? With the pandemic still going on, all of the political agendas being propagated, rumors about this and that, deaths, natural disasters, food shortages in some areas and school back in session, many people are burned out. I almost felt like that this week with everything going on. We have this new system at work and I’m still struggling to learn how to use it properly. I was trying to conference a customer in with the local pharmacy and I accidentally transferred her and hung up. I tried calling her back, but the new system wouldn’t allow me to dial out. Today, I received two bad surveys from my customers for something that was out of my control (one of them was from the customer I accidentally transferred and hung up on instead of conferencing the call), I was late picking my son up from school because I had a last minute call that went over my normal work schedule and on the way to pick my son up from school my check engine light came on although my husband took it last week to get maintenance done on it. I later found out he put gas in my car the other day and forgot to close the cap on it. To some people this would be a bad day, but for others this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back! You’re probably thinking, “that’s nothing compared to what goes on in the daily lives of people who are truly suffering!” and that may be true, but some people are not able to handle these kind of stressors.

I just read an article yesterday about a mother who shot and killed her 12 year old son over a memory card. Yes, a memory card! Family members said she was struggling mentally and that she just saw a therapist the day before the shooting. I can’t imagine what was going through her mind to make a mother, who the father of the son, claimed was “A loving mom. She loved him more than she loved anything in the world,” want to murder her own flesh and blood. That story in itself jolted me and made me reflect on my own mental health. What could the mother have possibly been going through to make her want to harm her child? What caused this senseless act of murder? Surely it had to be deeper than her being upset over him not having the memory card. The father of the son even went on to say that, “People need to know that mental illness is real,”. There are so many people dealing with mental health issues and aren’t aware of it. They’ve been labeled as delusional, crazy, dramatic, sensitive, angry and many other things. What is Mental Illness? It is brain-based conditions that affect thinking, emotions, and behaviors. For people who have mental illnesses, their brains have changed in a way in which they are unable to think, feel, or act in ways they want to. For some, this means experiencing extreme and unexpected changes in mood like feeling more sad or worried than normal. For others, it means not being able to think clearly, not being able to communicate with someone who is talking to them, or having bizarre thoughts to help explain weird feelings they are having.

Mental health issues have always been around and it’s deeper than the local crazy man or woman people tend to gawk at and shun. It runs in families with illnesses such as: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, ADHD, personality disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and more. These disorders can affect anyone! Look at the different celebrities who have been diagnosed with mental health disorders or have either committed suicide: Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Carrie Fisher, Mel Gibson, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Demi Lovato, Jay Z, Russell Brand, Big Sean, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer and the list goes on and on. This is a serious matter that needs to be addressed! Too many people are battling mental health issues on a daily basis and haven’t gotten help. Or they don’t know how to! Which is why I ask this very important question again, “how are YOU doing?”. I highly suggest to get help sooner than later! Talk to a therapist, family member or someone who can get you the help that you need! Don’t wait until it’s too late and end up harming someone or yourself! In the words of Demi Lovato, “The advice I’d give to somebody that’s silently struggling is, you don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.”

Mental Health by Alicia Azahar

“She’s just crazy, you know she’s been that way for years”,
“I don’t know why she always brings that drama over here”,
“Acting like she’s all depressed, but you know it’s just an act”,
“I’m so tired of everyone always cutting her some slack”,
These type of labels are what people have to face every day,
Their mental health is disregarded and their problems are turned away,
They’re labeled as crazy, dramatic or overly sensitive,
When what they really need is for someone to sit down and listen,
Every day lives are lost by suicide from depression,
But how many of those lives could’ve been saved through intervention?,
We are so quick to judge without knowing all of the facts,
Mental health is real so please don’t assume it’s just an act,
When we see someone smiling we may think that they’re fine,
But that smile could be covering up those demons inside,
We don’t know what others go through on a day to day basis,
Anxiety, depression and bipolar disorder have many faces,
These are just some common disorders, but there are more on the list,
So don’t ignore anyone’s problems just because their symptoms don’t fit,
A smile, hug, or conversation just might help them get through,
Sometimes medication is necessary from a doctor’s point of view,
Mental health is a serious issue we all face everyday,
Some struggle more than others just to get through the day,
It could be your mom, dad, friend or even yourself,
So please be considerate when talking about someone’s mental health!