Thursday, January 26, 2017

This is Why I Do This

I do not want anyone to think I am making fun (or light) of those I am in therapy with. (I have changed all their names . . . and genders, in some cases.) One of the reasons I decided to write this Blog was to show that mental illness can happen to anyone. Most likely one or more of your friends and family suffer from some type and you are totally unaware.

There is nothing to be ashamed of. Hiding it does no one any good. Trust me. When I went into a death spiral my family was shocked. They knew I had my "low" days. They knew I wasn't always happy. They knew I was under a certain amount of stress. But I kept the depth of my depression inside. My thought was, "Why burden someone else with this?" "This is not something anyone would understand." "They would probably think I was insane." (I'm not insane but ill.) Also, it comes and goes.

Group therapy is interesting and sometimes entertaining because you realize that there are many souls out there suffering as you are. I also realized, that in the great scheme of things, I am so much better off than so many people. I ONLY suffer from depression. This can be managed. I do not have to deal with voices in my head, fear of leaving my house, anxiety of most situations, uncontrolled anger, multiple personalities, and insane mania. 

It is also interesting, because as a group, we share something in common - mental illness. And although, it is not a funny subject, we do laugh at ourselves. We also support those who are not doing well, those who are not responding to the medication and treatment, and those who are in therapy against their will and resent it. 

I can assure you, I add my fair share of entertainment to the group. Most importantly it has made me realize that it is not the end of the world to admit I sought inpatient help and now am taking advantage of outpatient therapy. After all, if we cannot find humor in our life, how can we muddle through it? 

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