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Alright, I’m using twitter to its full potential. I’m gonna rant.
Since I first started experiencing mental illness (before I even knew what it meant) I have been trying to explain my actions and behaviors and struggles.
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Since I first started experiencing mental illness (before I even knew what it meant) I have been trying to explain my actions and behaviors and struggles.
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Since then, I have been told not to make excuses. As if my explanation was me trying to get out of consequences.
I still don’t understand a lot of what’s happening in my brain. What I do know, now, is that mental illness is a serious lack (in my case) of necessary brain chemical
I still don’t understand a lot of what’s happening in my brain. What I do know, now, is that mental illness is a serious lack (in my case) of necessary brain chemical
Now let me back up a little bit. Before I knew what brain chemicals were, I got medication to alter them. I was told countless times that medication would not take away all my problems. It wouldn’t nullify the mental issues I face every day. Lessen them? Yes. But not eradicate.
I’ve clung to that fact through every med change, every time I’ve doubted myself, every time I’ve heard someone say they trust God to take care of their anxiety. I’ve wondered so many times why I can’t trust God with my illness instead of relying on pills 4/?
I have heard people frown at medication time and time again. I’ve had to defend the fact that I’m getting help balancing the chemicals in my brain. I’ve been asked how I’m comfortable with relying on medication for my health. Which is bullcrap. 5/?
EVERYONE RELIES ON BRAIN CHEMICALS TO BE HAPPY. Serotonin? Necessary. Dopamine? Necessary. Everyone relies on these to be happy!!
I just don’t make my own! So I use store bought!
Not everyone has a butter churner, or milk. So people buy butter. 6/?
I just don’t make my own! So I use store bought!
Not everyone has a butter churner, or milk. So people buy butter. 6/?
Not everyone makes happy chemicals, so people buy happy chemicals.
(Note, I’m referring to solely prescribed medication here, not street drugs)
(Note, I’m referring to solely prescribed medication here, not street drugs)
My medication and therapy does not nullify my mental illness. Pain medication does not mend a broken leg.
I can be /better/ without being /neurotypical/.
People don’t run marathons on broken legs. People don’t perform at peak efficiency with chronic mental illness
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I can be /better/ without being /neurotypical/.
People don’t run marathons on broken legs. People don’t perform at peak efficiency with chronic mental illness
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Have people ‘run’ marathons in wheelchairs? Yes. Do they do it traditionally (I.e. on legs)? No.
They have worked and worked and worked to overcome obstacles and find another path to achieve this goal.
Not everyone in a wheelchair has run a marathon, though. 9/?
They have worked and worked and worked to overcome obstacles and find another path to achieve this goal.
Not everyone in a wheelchair has run a marathon, though. 9/?
Some people with mental illness are extremely high functioning. They can find ways to run marathons without their legs. But also, people in wheelchairs don’t don’t run marathons alone. They have people who understand and respect their disability enough to help them get wheelchair
But some people? Some people will never be high functioning enough to work at peak efficiency. Not because they don’t want to. Not because they’re hiding behind their illness so they don’t have to work.
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But because every day in the life of a person with mental illness is harder than a person who is neurotypical. We have to work harder to do things that are ‘supposed’ to come easily. For a person with ADHD? Taking a break to go pee is hard. It takes effort. 12/?
For a person with obsessive compulsive disorder? Turning attention away from that crooked box is hard.
For a person with depression? Wanting to do anything or say anything or anything at all is hard.
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For a person with depression? Wanting to do anything or say anything or anything at all is hard.
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And those are only the tiniest of examples.
But they are huge to the people that deal with them.
And to a person who is neurotypical? Those things come easier. It’s hard to believe that someone struggles with something that comes easy to you. 14/?
But they are huge to the people that deal with them.
And to a person who is neurotypical? Those things come easier. It’s hard to believe that someone struggles with something that comes easy to you. 14/?
Just like it’s hard to believe in something you haven’t seen. Which is why people did autopsies to learn about the human body. If you don’t see something, it’s hard to believe it. If you don’t experience something, it’s hard to believe other people have. 15/?
But if you don’t respect that, and try to see things from another perspective? The problem is you.
People experience things that you don’t. And you have to find a way to believe them. You can live your life being a complete skeptic, but you won’t have many friends.
People experience things that you don’t. And you have to find a way to believe them. You can live your life being a complete skeptic, but you won’t have many friends.
Things happen that you will never have proof of. Mental illness is not one of those things. MRI’s are a thing. You can see the difference in a brain with illness, and a brain that’s healthy.
And hey, if you wanna judge an MRI scan, along with all of my and several thousand other people’s daily experience? Hey, be my guest. But I’m not gonna listen to you, and I’m gonna make sure everyone else you’re judging knows that you’re an idiot
It’s hard enough trying to live in this world. It’s hard enough trying to constantly live with the person you can’t stand (yourself, in many cases). No one needs your skeptic, non-trusting, uncompassionate self. So sure, judge me all you want. But know that YTA and I’m not hiding
Rant over.
