The Truth About Mental Illness
You see, we read these books where the main character has depression and their love interest saves them. These authors teach us that depression is just sadness and you can be saved. Anxiety is the attack that your significant other will protect you from. These are two very common and very serious illnesses that are constantly misinterpreted in the media. Many just assume they have them without consulting a doctor, but do they really know what the illness is? This is to the people who decide it's okay to joke about mental illness and to the ones who want one so freaking bad. Here's the truth about mental illness.
I spend most of my days in bed, sleeping. Not because I'm a teenager but because I physically cannot get up. There's a weight in my chest. My anxiety attacks are constant. Many don't even notice. I'll claw at my face until I bleed, I'll pull out my hair just to stop my hands from shaking. I have scars all over my arms from me picking at my skin. I'll starve myself to the point that if I eat something, I'll be sick. I have to remind myself to drink and eat because I constantly forget. If I don't bring any food or water to school, chances are I won't have anything to eat or drink for the rest of the day. I'm constantly dehydrated and sick because I don't know how to take care of myself. I get so paranoid I start to hear things that aren't there. I read books to forget about the fact that I'm still here. I like to put myself in someone else's shoes because they have it easy. My mental illnesses are constantly dismissed by people trying to one up me as if it's a competition. I relapsed this summer and nobody seemed to care or even notice. I would sleep all day and stay up all night so I wouldn't have to eat. I got so dehydrated and weak that I was having trouble walking. I take a razor to my hip over twenty times until I forget. I make sure to not leave scars because I know someone will notice. I don't take care of myself to the point where I get physically sick and have to go on more medication. The truth is I don't know how to live without my mental illness as much as I want to and I don't understand how someone would want to live with one so bad. Mental illness isn't a fucking joke and it's not something to be taking lightly. So next time you're feeling sad, say you're sad, not depressed because there's a big fucking difference.
