Maybe, YES!

Free Mental Illness

Hi guys, 

As many of you know I uploaded this ages ago, and have not updated it in ages. Unfortunately,   I cannot update this for a while either, but yesterday I came across a FANTASTIC campaign on Wattpad called Free Mental Illness. #Freementalillness and I have to quickly post this and add the sticker to show my support of this campaign, as well as another campaign Project Love Movement. This is a subject that means a lot to me, and I am going to tell you why. 

You will probably be surprised to know- as most people are- given my tendency to write happy, sparkly comedy here, that I am a sufferer of major depression. I think I've had it my whole life and my first real memory of a major depressive episode is from the age of about 13-14 years old. I am now 35 and have been living with, and fighting with this disease for over 20 years. 

What many people do not realize is that this is a real illness. It is like diabetes, or high blood pressure and it needs to be medicated in order to treat. I also believe in regular therapy- and have a fabulous therapist and a psychiatrist I have been with for about 15 years. She is a God send! This kind of support is vital, I believe. 

My depression goes in cycles of about 3 years- and that means that within this year- I am most likely to be struck down with another episode. This terrifies me, as it means I will need to summon the strength to live through another long, dark episode. I snapped out of my last depression about a week before I wrote Burning Moon actually! So the book has a very special and fond place in my heart. 

Living with mental illness is a daily thing, I start my day, and end my day with my medication- every day.   I am not ashamed that I have to take medication every day in order to be able to function in the world. Taking your medication religiously is your first, and best, line of defense against the illness.  

 As sufferers, we should not need to suffer in silence. You would not be ashamed to tell people you had high blood pressure and needed to take medication for it, would you?  So why is mental illness still so shrouded in guilt and shame. Why is it still such a dirty little secret. 

I kept mine a secret for many years, but after a friend committed suicide, I decided that I would tell people when I was feeling bad- regardless of how they handled that information. So now if I feel depressed, instead of keeping silent, I tell friends and family and co-workers. Why should I have to hide a genuine sickness away? I would tell people if I had flu. 

 We should not be ashamed of our illness and we should not hide it away and not ask for help! We need to take it seriously too. This can also be a terminal illness. You would not mess around if you had cancer, and would certainly not tell a cancer sufferer to simply "just snap out of it."

 Our illness also does not define us either. And it does not make us less-than or weak. 

So please support these campaigns, spread the word, and if you are a suffer come out of the shadows and talk about it.  If you have written books about the subject, please support it by adding a sticker to it.

I really do hope that people all over will start seeing mental illness for what it is- a disease that cannot be helped and needs proper medical treatment. I am sick and tired of hearing people say, "But why can't you just be happy" "But arn't you grateful for everything you have." "Just smile and snap out of it." 

It's time for us to change our perception of it and become more understanding and tolerent towards those that suffer with it! 

That's all I have to say for now,

JO XX