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Living with an invisible illness

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]ust get on with it”, “You blame things on your condition”, “You can do more than you are doing”, “Try harder”. This is only a selection of the plethora of ostensible truisms which are spouted at me and many others every day by people who simply do not understand mental health. Even more worrying than complete ignorance, the professionals often end up making things worse or offering completely misguided forms of treatment, making your faith – not only in society, but in the system that is supposed to help you – slowly, but surely evaporate into the world you so desperately attempt to understand.

Just because you cannot see what’s going on inside a person’s head does not mean it is not as restricting, distressing, and crippling as a physical illness. If you came across someone in a wheelchair or someone with a broken their leg, your first response would surely be one of compassion and understanding. Why is this kind of response not typically offered to those who are mentally unwell? It does not make sense.

People cannot seem to find the capacity to look past what they see.

It is as though the only way people would change their reactions would be if everyone who suffers from mental health issues exhibited physical symptoms which, of course, will never happen. For those who have no idea what it is like to suffer from a mental illness, let me endeavour to open your minds.

I cannot possibly talk about all areas of mental health, so I will focus on anxiety and depression, the most common mental illnesses affecting millions of people in the UK, myself included. Imagine a room, with one window and one door. The door is locked, chained and bolted, but the window is tiny and completely transparent. It looks out onto a beautiful view, with everyone else, going about their daily business. The sun streams in and mocks your existence, offering you a tiny glimpse of normality; and yet, you are trapped in that room, with your thoughts, your past, and yourself.

“There are no answers. There is no cure.”

The only way to get out is to slowly explore all the possible ways to unlock the door. It may take
years, but you have to try; otherwise, you are stuck there, forever. But this room is your mind. Just
think about it. Many people try to help you, mostly professionals. But I wonder, sometimes, how can they possibly understand the way I think? They can’t, and to be knocked around like a ball in a pinball machine, bouncing off various people’s unhelpful interference doesn’t get you anywhere. There are no answers. There is no cure. So, take a moment, and re-evaluate the way you think about mental health, because it’s just as important as physical health.

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