Breaking the stigma: More than just anxiety

I think this is incredible... there is such a big game being spoken about breaking the stigma of mental illness but what is often discussed in those conversations is only anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide... maybe a little self harm and addiction thrown out there... but even those are still taboo... now believe me generalized anxiety disorder and depression can be life wrecking ... and there are many disorders that are just not part of the conversation and how they impact families and the people actually experiencing them. I can think of one example we posted on in the past when another member of the Kardashian family claims that she is ocd ... self diagnosed... I see and hear it all the time on posts and out of the mouths of good intentioned people... however being overly organized is not OCD... not even close ... maybe a little OC ... but the D, the Disorder is life altering... kills people... and can devastate families ... someone I respect and love dearly who suffers from Bi-Polar disorder posted an article about Kanye West’s recent display of behaviors, and I copied Kim Kardashian’s statements she made on social media... she is the wife of someone with Bi-Polar disorder... and as an outsider she may seem to have it all... spoiled, rich and famous for no reason... whatever judgement is put on her, but she is a wife of someone with Bi-polar disorder who is unmedicated... money can buy you everything but the peace of mind and heartache, stigma, the need to protect, understand not understand, confusion, fear and everything that comes with that... we don’t know what happens behind closed doors... what’s going in someone’s mind... their struggles, trials and tribulations... empathy, compassion, and a desire to learn and not just assume we know what something is, how it presents, what it means... the right treatment or thing to do... if you don’t know, you actually don’t know, and it’s up to us to learn in order to grow and develop ourselves but also so we can truly show our love for our neighbor and fellow man. Hope is there. Change is possible. Treatment available... and a willingness, drive to understand, and compassion is needed.