Mental health carries a long series of symptoms that can be different for everyone. However, sometimes people not personally dealing with a mental health diagnosis themselves can dictate recovery options or advice, despite having no degree or experience.
To continue awareness for Mental Health Awareness Month, I am writing about dealing with diagnoses for patients and those around them.
People may be well-intentioned with their advice of a new diet or jog. However, I have heard from friends who suffer from mental illness about frustration these offers can create.
“Have you tried yoga or guided meditation?” is a common question I’ve heard people are asked.
There’s also judgment for using medication to treat mental illness that does not exist to the same degree for physical illnesses.
Then there’s the comments: “Just be positive. It’s just changing your mindset.”
Mental illness occurs when a process in your brain goes awry. It can be caused by a specific event or seemingly nothing at all. Your brain doesn’t regulate certain neurotransmitters — the chemicals in your brain that control neuron’s signals — correctly.
Recovery and symptomatology are different for everyone. A smile won’t fix everything. It takes hard work and time. And sometimes, it takes time for the person to decide what’s best for them — even if it does end up being a jog, yoga or positivity.
There’s cognitive-behavioral therapy, talk therapy, group therapy, self-help, medication and more.
Instead of being a friend or relative’s doctor or therapist, be their support system.
It’s not easy to talk about mental illness. If you are a friend who isn’t sure what to do, there are resources.
I’ve recently found out about Seize The Awkward, a campaign that helps you learn how to talk about mental health and reach out to a friend in need.
And if you’re the friend in need, who feels alone, stuck or misunderstood, there’s fun and professional resources. People going through what you are have made it their mission to help others. Doctors and organizations are also there to help you navigate the experience when you or a friend are in crisis.
There’s Bring Change to Mind, a nonprofit that works to end stigma.
There’s Hyperbole and a Half, a blog where someone blogged humorously, and honestly, about their experience with depression.
There can also be positivity in social media, which is often blamed for some rise in mental health issues because of its tendency to inspire self-harming comparison, as written about in the Time article called “Why Instagram Is the Worst Social Media for Mental Health.”
However, there’s Instagram pages like The Happy News, The Positive Page, Let’s Talk About Mental Health, Project1in4, The Real Anxiety Blob and Beth Evans that work to personalize experiences with mental health or to help encourage people to see the positive in the negative.
For professional help, the National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a page of helpline resources.
Mental health is something that can’t be covered in just two columns. Beyond Mental Awareness Month, I encourage people to look beyond May and seek out how they can make a difference, whether it’s helping a friend or educating yourself.
Sophie Feinberg is a UF journalism junior. Her column comes out Tuesday and Thursday.
