Anxiety and Depression

I have both and it isn't easy to cope with. I just deal mainly because that is how I am.

As someone who's lived with mental illness my entire life, I've come to realize that we need to teach people to see mental illness not as a condition but as a different perspective. Maybe then we can start working towards actually bettering the lives of those with mental illness.

Well right now I am taking care of my grandson as my daughter is ill with both. I would not wish this illness on anyone and it can happen to anyone.

Honestly i think everyone has problems....even the ones who pretend like they don't. At least people who accept their problems are on the way to healing themselves. If we go to classify each problem....everyone is going to have some problem diagnosed in them. Some people like that just can't grow and accept people for who they are.

Some people are in a habit of overthinking and I feel they cannot help it.. Even I become like that at times

I agree with you. I have suffered anxiety for many years and I've had a lot of belittling from some people. I think some people mean well but don't know how to deal with it too though, so knowing the difference is useful. I have a friend who is 25 and has not worked yet due to anxiety. Her mum is constantly making her feel like a failure and it is actually making her anxiety even worse!

Mental illness is very real. Most of the time when people “fear” it's because they think “the crazy person” is dangerous and a threat. I don't think people so much “fear” as they just don't have the patience to deal with the person who is suffering. I watched a documentary one time where the mother was suffering from severe depression and the husband and the daughter had two completely different reactions. The daughter's attitude was: “Why does she have to be that way? I'm young. I don't have to put up with these mood changes and darkness and sitting all alone in a rocking chair mumbling, etc. I'm leaving home!” So she left and left her mother with her father and let him struggle with her. The husband would not give up on his wife, and he stuck with her through thick and thin; even though it put a strain on him. Mental illness is in the mind and it makes it very difficult to diagnose, because you can not visibly see “it”, so to speak. To a non-medical person, they may be tempted to write you off as “faking it” for whatever reason. It's understandable. There are some people who are faking! However, even if diagnosed correctly by a medical professional, sometimes the proper treatment may not be so easy to obtain. There are a number of factors and variables involved. I have many more thoughts but I'd have to write a book to tell you all of them! These are just a few.

It is cruel for people to be so judgmental of people with any form of mental illness. By the way, you write very well. Welcome to myLot.

I suffer from anxiety and depression and I completely understand and agree with what you're saying. I don't even tell people about it most of the time because I'm afraid of being looked at in a negative way or having people look at me differently. It really sucks. All I can do is count on the people I have (which is very few) and do all I can to change my thought process and retrain myself to be a happier person overall.

I have depression, anxiety, and I am bipolar. It drives me crazy the way people act when they find out. This is something I deal with everyday. People don't realize how difficult it can be at times but you still fight through. Mine is controlled by medication but when I run out and can't afford it I don't even know myself. We are some of the strongest people that live.