Why don’t a lot of people with severe mental illness realize that they are ill?
This is a good question for my former self. 🙂
Many individuals who exhibit signs of severe mental illnesses, such as bipolar or schizophrenia, don’t in fact realize that they are ill.
The signs are all there to some of us (and to all of the medical personnel), but they just don’t appear to the person suffering.
And, it gets quite tricky to treat people in a situation like what I am describing, which is why we have inpatient holds that last 24-72 hours, depending on the state.
The takeaway from this situation, is that it is fairly common to treat someone for a severe mental health condition, yet they may go months and even years not believing they have one.
It’s profoundly sad, and I am grateful that I, for one, am aware of not only my diagnosis, but of how I can help others 20 years into it (via this blog).
Thanks for reading!
Having that insight makes a huge difference.
LikeLike
Agreed! It has been (and continues to be) an awful struggle. I have a three part series coming soon, that addresses some of the struggle for “insight.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great!
LikeLiked by 1 person