i hate how people see mental illnesses. the romanticisation of suicide, the whole idea of depression being about “sadness” despite the fact that it’s just the tip of the iceberg, anxiety being a quirk (“awkwardness” is cute), OCD being a personality trait, bipolar disorder being-

nothing but mood swings. and more. it’s a jab to people who suffer these things on a daily. i bet you, suicide is not poetic/pretty. depression is more than just sadness. sometimes depressed people don’t feel sad. it’s the irritability, loss of interest in the things you once-

loved, the numbness, insomnia/constant sleep, & you can do absolutely nothing about it. anxiety? hehe. the constant fear of being watched in a public space, racing thoughts—“what if this happens? even if it doesn’t, what if THAT happens instead?”, half the time you don’t under-

stand the thoughts in your head. your brain convinces you nobody loves you. you can’t perform daily functions w/o forgetting/twitching, anxiety/panic attacks as the case may be. worse if it coexists w depression. the body hurts—esp. when you’re depressed. there’s more. OCD isn’t-

“guy! why‘d you step on my shoe? i’m so OCD”. you’re not in control of those urges. you succumb to ease the anxiety that comes w the thoughts. you wash your hands a certain number of times not because you’re a neat freak, but because it’s a “ritual”. there’s this “fear” of conta-

mination. you lock the door 5-10 times before going to school—in fact, on your way to school after the 10th time, you might turn back to be sure you locked the door correctly. there’s this “fear“ of something—esp. of harm. this is just a rough example. it could be mild, it could-

be severe. bipolar disorder? it’s broad on its own for anyone to water it down to flimsy “mood swings”. from mania (euphoria) to depression. sometimes people w ADHD might have symptoms of this disorder (see Rue Bennett in Euphoria). slipping in ADHD ‘cause people think it’s just-

hyperactive kids w fidget spinners. lack of organization, impulsiveness, hot wavering temper, management skills that are F9—all that could ruin someone’s day, or life. it’s hard to cope w these illnesses/disorders esp when you don’t know you have them—but most films keep roman-

ticising these disorders/use them for “aesthetics”, forgetting the stigma around them in real life. it’s annoying, really. and those aren’t the only disorders. they vary—especially mood disorders. please, educate yourselves. you don’t need to be a psychiatrist to know the basics.