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Should I tell my mental health story?
Sharing a story about your mental health challenges can help in your own recovery as well as offer encouragement and support to others with similar experiences. Storytelling establishes common ground and empathy Clearly, sharing your story has the potential to help someone else feel less alone. Our stories are powerful because they evoke compassion even among strangers. We also create opportunities to understand others better and to cultivate empathy towards them. Telling your story – with all its challenges, mistakes, failures, pain, setbacks as well as its joys, successes and victories – says something about what it means to be human. Telling your story can even inspire others to take the first step on their path to becoming a public speaker! Write about your condition/ disability, where you are living, the challenges you’ve faced, and provide a summary about anything you would like the NDIA to know about you as an introduction. 4. My condition is permanent (or likely to be permanent) and I am likely to need support for my lifetime (insert details). Mental ill-health can affect our friendships and relationships and make it hard to be around people, but it can also make it hard to be alone. When we’re alone we might find that we’re confronted with the thoughts and feelings that we’ve been trying to avoid or distract ourselves from. While there is no cure for mental illnesses, help is available to help you lead a more productive life that you will enjoy more. Working with a mental health professional is essential because it allows you to find the right treatment plan for you.
How do I tell my mental health story?
Keep your story truthful and realistic. Don’t try to paint your mental illness in an overly positive or negative light. If you use professional terms, explain their meaning in simple terms the first time you use the term. You don’t have to discuss everything about your illness or your past. Avoid using words that label others, like If a person is struggling, they might fear being judged by others. Using these labels can make their target feel even worse. Don’t speculate about whether someone has a mental health disorder and what their diagnosis might be. Serious mental illness includes diagnoses which typically involve psychosis (losing touch with reality or experiencing delusions) or high levels of care, and which may require hospital treatment. Here we look at two of the most common severe mental illnesses: schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (or manic depression). Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. In a sense, mental illness amplifies the risk or lethality of physical health problems. This occurs for many reasons. Mentally ill people are more likely to develop tobacco, alcohol, and substance abuse addictions. Mentally ill people also experience high levels of stress from the loss of jobs, marriages, and families.
Should I share my mental health?
There’s no right or wrong number of people to tell. Some people will benefit from telling many family and friends. Others may benefit by telling a couple of close friends and waiting to tell others. You are an expert on your own mental illness and can decide for yourself. Stand your ground and only discuss what you feel comfortable with. Set boundaries – When explaining your mental health with friends and family, be sure to set boundaries and let them know if you are seeking advice or simply want them to listen. Let them know that you care about them and their safety, and that you are concerned. Your family member might not want to talk right away, and that’s okay. Don’t pressure them to discuss their mental health. Instead, remind them that you’ll be there to support them whenever they are ready. Certain mental disorders tend to run in families, and having a close relative with a mental disorder could mean you are at a higher risk. If a family member has a mental disorder, it does not necessarily mean you will develop one. Many other factors also play a role. Mental illness does not discriminate; it can affect anyone regardless of your age, gender, geography, income, social status, race, ethnicity, religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, background or other aspect of cultural identity.
Where can I share my mental health story?
Check out organized support groups, peer-led programs, mental health organizations, or other groups focusing on mental health awareness and advocacy. If they are receptive to having you share your story, try to find out about how many people may be present and how much time you will be given to present your story. Keep your story truthful and realistic. Don’t try to paint your mental illness in an overly positive or negative light. If you use professional terms, explain their meaning in simple terms the first time you use the term. You don’t have to discuss everything about your illness or your past.
Why share your mental health story?
Sharing a personal story about mental illness, trauma, or any life-changing experience can reinforce feelings of strength, resilience, and perseverance. It’s also one of the most powerful tools to combat stigma and shame. But protecting your mental wellness is just as important as giving voice to your experience. Poor mental health makes us more vulnerable to certain physical health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Nurturing our mental health can also help prevent the development of mental illnesses. Good mental health helps us have a more positive outlook and enjoy our lives more. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Confirmed in a UK study by Lambert et al, who found that verbalising happiness increased and sustained the well-being of participants well beyond that of simply having the experience. Shared experiences encourage us to become more aware, more mindful of ourselves and our feelings. Myth: Mental health problems don’t affect me. In 2020, about: One in five American adults experienced a mental health issue. One in 6 young people experienced a major depressive episode. One in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.