I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder type I when I was 14, after being treated for Clinical depression for over a year. It made so much sense, and it was a relief, but it was also scary and overwhelming. Another year later, I have learnt to accept it, am functioning well, and am succeeding at school and at my work as a pharmacy assistant.
I love the place I live as well; I love the way I can hear waves crashing as I fall asleep, and how the sunset looks from my balcony at night. I love how the bakery is a 5 minute walk from my house, and how the beach is less than a minute.
But living here and having Bipolar Disorder is hard.
My parents always told me that the country was just an overall better place to grow up. And in theory, it sounds right …show more content…
The thing is many people don’t know how it could affect people so much. Education is the best way for us to fight it. Teaching children from young ages that like any other illness, having a mental illness is valid and acceptable, and that they should treat others with a mental illness the same as someone who does not. Having cancer doesn’t make you weak – Why would having unusual neuron function make you weak?
I just want to help others who, like me, suffer from a mental illness. Bipolar disorder is a real thing, all mental illnesses are. I want to stand up in front of my peers and tell them that I have a mental illness, but it doesn’t make me less of a person. It doesn’t mean I want them to feel sorry for me or too treat me in a different way. I just want to encourage others to get help when they need, and to let them know that stigma doesn’t need to exist. But it scares me that people will look at me as that girl with a mental …show more content…
I hope that by the time the next generation is born, they go through their schooling and the rest of their life without being judged if they have a mental illness. 1 in 5 suffer in their lifetime from a mental illness – surely that’s evidence enough to prove that mental illness isn’t a rare thing.
It is not a weakness to speak up about how you are affected by mental illness or stigma – It is bravery. Those in your life who tell you differently don’t deserve to be
I love the place I live as well; I love the way I can hear waves crashing as I fall asleep, and how the sunset looks from my balcony at night. I love how the bakery is a 5 minute walk from my house, and how the beach is less than a minute.
But living here and having Bipolar Disorder is hard.
My parents always told me that the country was just an overall better place to grow up. And in theory, it sounds right …show more content…
The thing is many people don’t know how it could affect people so much. Education is the best way for us to fight it. Teaching children from young ages that like any other illness, having a mental illness is valid and acceptable, and that they should treat others with a mental illness the same as someone who does not. Having cancer doesn’t make you weak – Why would having unusual neuron function make you weak?
I just want to help others who, like me, suffer from a mental illness. Bipolar disorder is a real thing, all mental illnesses are. I want to stand up in front of my peers and tell them that I have a mental illness, but it doesn’t make me less of a person. It doesn’t mean I want them to feel sorry for me or too treat me in a different way. I just want to encourage others to get help when they need, and to let them know that stigma doesn’t need to exist. But it scares me that people will look at me as that girl with a mental …show more content…
I hope that by the time the next generation is born, they go through their schooling and the rest of their life without being judged if they have a mental illness. 1 in 5 suffer in their lifetime from a mental illness – surely that’s evidence enough to prove that mental illness isn’t a rare thing.
It is not a weakness to speak up about how you are affected by mental illness or stigma – It is bravery. Those in your life who tell you differently don’t deserve to be