For those who don’t understand severe mental illness, I have made attempts at times to show you, the reader, what it’s like.
I am unsure, however, that I could ever succeed!
I think you have to have a close loved one have it, in order for you to truly get it.
Some of the things I presently deal with (as things cycle a lot), are suicidal ideation, depression and not wanting to do anything, lack of energy and not able to do a lot, plus delusions and hallucinations.
Most of the above symptoms are mainstays, but there are times when my suicidal ideations are better, and that’s about the only real difference for me.
Anyhow, I don’t figure many people will come to understand the chronic suffering.
I take meds, and there are lots of people who are in full support of that, which makes sense for my diagnosis (schizoaffective disorder), but some of these supporters don’t realize the double edged sword of psych meds.
They don’t heal, they don’t even fix fully, they simply help us to cope… in a rather dismal way much of the time.
Basically, if there is a takeaway on understanding something you don’t understand (and, this applies to many, many illnesses)… it is… give the other person the benefit of the doubt!
I won’t even say “have compassion,” because I think that having compassion can be difficult to come by in today’s society.
What are your thoughts regarding compassion? Do you think it’s an all or none type of thing?
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