What some people think or say.
‘You’re mental’
‘You’re psycho’
‘You’re crazy’
‘You’re mad’
‘You’re disturbed’
‘You’re evil’
‘You’re pathetic’
‘You’re bad’
‘You hurt those around you,
You don’t seem to care.’
‘What’s your problem, what’s with you?
Is anyone there?’
‘It’s abnormal’
‘It’s alarming’
‘It’s atrocious’
‘It’s harming’
‘You’re not like yourself.
You’re like some devil’s spawn.
Earth to your planet.
What is it you’re on?’
‘No-one can get you
While you’re head is a mess.
Get some help, see a doctor,
See a priest, go confess.’
‘You must have done something
Barmy, I think,
Go see a psychiatrist
Go talk to a shrink.’
‘Someone who’ll listen
And know who you are,
Someone who knows
Why your lid is ajar.’
What people need to hear.
‘Whatever your ache is
Whatever your pain
We’re in this together.
You’ll be well once again.’
What it can feel like.
‘The pain that’s inside
Is pressure on mind
It’s a panic, a fear,
Ahead and behind.
Don’t know why I’m troubled
Don’t know what’s the root
Can’t find me a reason
Can’t find me a foot
On the ladder that’s up
And if I could ascend
I’d be here fully with you
To heal and to mend.
My mind feels so broken
My hormones gone wild
I feel like an infant,
I behave like a child
Who is hurt, who is troubled
Who feels a great dread,
Love me, help me,
Guide my poor head.
Hold me, caress me
Sing a song so I’ll sleep
The phantoms will flounder
Delve into the deep.
The recesses roar,
Their might is aflame.
My monsters are calling
My name once again.
I’m slipping, I’m sliding,
The path is too steep.
Hold fast beside me
I’m afraid and I weep
For sanity’s safety
Its shores with a pier,
Its harbour, its anchor
To hold back the fear.
I urge you, I implore you
Please persevere
There’s aid for this illness
But I need loved ones near.’
One possible answer.
The pills they provide
Hold a key to the tomb.
Serotonin rises
Despatches the gloom.
Why do some suffer
The pain of the mind?
Why is it hidden?
Afraid to find
No-one will talk?
Or they’ll say that
You’re weak?
So hold it inside
Too ashamed to speak
Of mental illness,
The stigma attached.
The sink has a crack
Where the hormone leaks out
The levels diminish
The brain screams a shout
Fix me, repair me,
Do whatever it takes.
Why do you hesitate
Till your body it shakes
With tremors and torments
And rocking anew
This mind that is troubled
With thoughts gone askew?
The answers you seek
Lie in one little bottle
The inhibitor prevents
The desire to throttle
The life from your body
The thought from your mind.
Be assuaged, be helped
So some peace you will find.
There is more than one type of depression.
Different answers may need to be sought.
Help is out there.
Attitudes to mental illness need to change.
Amen to that! Bless you for writing this!
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Ty. Been there.x
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Experience is worth 2 PhD’s
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I’m gonna put that on my next CV!x
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When we purchased our second house, I was off work for 5 years raising the 2 kids; the notary asked me what my profession was to put on the sales contract, I said, chest out, head high, “I’m a Household Engineer”:)
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Another one for the CV. Next job I go for, I’m coming to you for ideas.x
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I am grrreat for ideas for other people…me? Im such a procrastinator…do not practice what I preach. Contact me anytime…;)
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:)x
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I read the whole thread, and I can’t agree more. Experience is the mother of all educators.
I had to quit working while I was pregnant with my son. My pregnancy was too difficult, and I didn’t qualify for FMLA. When we prepared our taxes that year, the CPA asked, “What’s your occupation?” I replied, with a baby in the carrier, “As you can probably see, I’m currently unemployed.” And he wrote “Homemaker” in big letters. I was offended. Don’t you mean, Domestic Goddess?!
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Always underrated as an occupation. :(x
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Wow, very thoughtfully crafted with so many different aspects. Love it.
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Thank you. From the heart.x
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This is incredibly brilliant. It really puts all of the attitudes, experience, and treatment of depression into such a descriptive, but clear package.
Attitudes do need to change. I remember when I first broke the news to my family after I had received my diagnosis. Not even my own husband agreed with it. It was extremely painful to be doubted and to have to battle it alone.
It’s four years later, and the label is generally accepted now. Unfortunately, no one is very clear on symptoms and how to handle it on their end. Anytime I have an episode, it’s always, “Did you take your medication?” And the medication clearly states, “This is not a cure.” I’ve tried to explain it. No matter how much medication they shove down my throat, I will always be at risk for different episodes that manifest in different ways.
Education needs to happen. Most everyone is aware of the various developmental disorders, and the special needs of the people who have them. They accept that people with developmental disorders can’t help that they were born that way. But, it seems that just because a mental health disorder takes so much time to manifest, that there must be some kind of reason or fault.
Keep up the wonderful writing. Every voice out there makes the mental health community that much stronger! We can make a change in this world!
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Thank you. Drip, drop till the stigma is worn away.x
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