You are not your disease.  This is a true statement, but difficult to accept.  With mental illness, knowing that the terrible feeling you are having right now, or the unimaginable intensity of the moment is not who you are, but rather symptoms of your disease is the key to accepting your illness.

The stigma around mental health makes it difficult for many people to talk about their illness or to accept treatment for their illness.  The more people are willing to discuss their health concerns, however, the better off people will be.  Knowing others suffer may make it easier to seek treatment.

I notice how often people discuss physical health issues on Facebook or social media, but people suffering with mental health issues often suffer in silence for fear of being labeled or called “crazy” or “psycho.”  Luckily, I have an amazing support system around me to help me with my mental health issues, and even when people might not have known what was going on with me, they were there for me.  Not everyone is this lucky.

Treatment is the best way to deal with mental health issues.  Seeking the advice of a psychiatrist and/or psychologist will most likely make life better, easier, and more hopeful.  Some people may say “it is all in your head,” and tell them it is, but the way to address it is through medical treatment.  Mental illness is real, but it does not have to control you, rather you control your disease.  In many countries, psychiatrists are few, and the stigma is far greater than it is in the United States.  Seek treatment if you need it, and do not be afraid to talk about it.

Your disease is not who you are—far from it.  People with mental illness are not a bruise on society.  Please break the stigma around mental illness down, and talk about it, seek treatment, and know that you are not your disease.