What is your worst fear? Heights, snakes, spiders, public speaking, death? Now imagine that you have to face your worst fear every day of your life. Do you think you would get used to it, or would you go crazy? I think that for people who are mentally ill, it is like facing their worst fears every day.
Depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders, social disorders, and any mental disorder, all make "normal" life a very scary experience. People with these disorders have to face every new day knowing that they will have to make it through situations that will terrify them to the very core. If that isn't strength and bravery, I don't know what is.
If it seems like I write a lot about mental illness, it's because I have a soft spot in my heart for all those who suffer from unseen conditions. Some mentally ill people suffer just as much as someone with cancer or heart disease. Yet there is far less understanding and support for them because people can't see their illness and they don't understand what it is really like to be mentally ill. I encourage everyone out there who knows someone who is mentally ill or possibly mentally ill, to be as caring and helpful as if that person had a physical disease. After all, that person may be up against their worst fears every day.
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