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Mental health: Trauma, genocide and my invisible illness

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AsleepInYorkshire
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Mental health: Trauma, genocide and my invisible illness

#406618

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » April 24th, 2021, 10:33 am

Mental health: Trauma, genocide and my invisible illness
I have an invisible health condition that is not often talked about.
...
In a 2015 study in the UK, nearly nine out of 10 people with mental health problems said the stigma they experienced had a negative impact on their lives.

Society rejected my behaviour when I was at my lowest. Of those who chose to speak out vitriolically none have stepped up to apologise. That creates a dichotomy for me. I would like to live a good life and support those closest to me. Yet I feel some negativity towards those who labelled me. I try not to dwell. I'm also aware that I am not the right person to help others with mental health issues. I don't have the emotional tool kit that would support me, let alone understand or be able to help others. I genuinely believe we need to do more. Much much more.

AiY

Itsallaguess
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Re: Mental health: Trauma, genocide and my invisible illness

#406625

Postby Itsallaguess » April 24th, 2021, 11:09 am

AsleepInYorkshire wrote:
I'm also aware that I am not the right person to help others with mental health issues.

I don't have the emotional tool kit that would support me, let alone understand or be able to help others.


You're helping others just by talking about it AiY, and if just one other person here reads your ongoing posts about this very personal subject, and clearly sees that they aren't alone if they're suffering with these types of issues as well, then you're helping in ways that you might never even be aware of....

Best wishes,

Itsallaguess

Dod101
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Re: Mental health: Trauma, genocide and my invisible illness

#406630

Postby Dod101 » April 24th, 2021, 11:36 am

Hi AiY
Clearly your issues have had a huge impact on you. I am sure you are right to bring these into the open but sadly those of us who have had no direct experience themselves or in others close to them cannot say much that is going to be of help. Most of us in merely living a normal life are exposed one way or another to various diseases and conditions. I can talk about diabetes (which is a much more serious condition than most people recognise) and cancer, not personally, but in those close to me, but would not know where to start with a mental condition.

Doing more to help those with mental health problems is clearly essential but from what I read, it is almost the Cinderella when it comes to treatment, presumably because it is a largely invisible condition. I am thoroughly unqualified even to comment on the condition never mind begin to suggest what might be done. Most medical conditions have got a help forum often organised by some association related to the condition. Presumably there is one for mental health. Do they give you any help or guidance or try to put pressure on Government?

I suggest you use this forum as a sounding board and see if you can drum up some support or helpful comments.

I hope these (useless) comments will give you some encouragement that there are people willing to listen at least.

All the best

Dod

kiloran
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Re: Mental health: Trauma, genocide and my invisible illness

#406631

Postby kiloran » April 24th, 2021, 11:37 am

AsleepInYorkshire wrote:In a 2015 study in the UK, nearly nine out of 10 people with mental health problems said the stigma they experienced had a negative impact on their lives.

Society rejected my behaviour when I was at my lowest. Of those who chose to speak out vitriolically none have stepped up to apologise. That creates a dichotomy for me. I would like to live a good life and support those closest to me. Yet I feel some negativity towards those who labelled me. I try not to dwell. I'm also aware that I am not the right person to help others with mental health issues. I don't have the emotional tool kit that would support me, let alone understand or be able to help others. I genuinely believe we need to do more. Much much more.

AiY

I think much of the perceived stigma is often due to a lack of understanding. People with a mental health problem often don't wish to talk about it because they may feel ashamed, or suspect they will be judged wrongly. So their friends/family/colleagues may make judgements based on what they see and experience, due to a lack of understanding of the real problem.
If the person with the mental health problem can find the strength of will to openly explain their problems and their illness, they will often find that other people's behaviours towards them will change for the better. But, of course, to find that strength to explain is a massive, massive problem. Sadly.

edit... the other problem is that mental health issues often defy logic. Those on the outside may see a problem and a very simple solution. Those on the inside see a much more exagerated problem and no solution, or a solution which makes no sense. As far as mental health is concerned, simple rules like 2+2=4 just fly out the window.

--kiloran


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