15 Things People With Mental Illnesses Wish You Understood About Them

Answers found on Ask Reddit

1. “You can’t just ‘snap out of it.'”

2. “We’re aware of how we act, are annoyed/frustrated by the condition as much, if not more, than they are, and that dealing with it secondhand in no way compares to living it so having a little empathy goes a long way.”

3. “That depression isn’t just being sad, and that you can’t fix anxiety by not thinking like that.”

4. “Mental illness isn’t like TV. Most people with a mental illness aren’t babbling nonsense or talking to themselves, or phsycho killers, or having conversations with their multiple personalities. By and large, mental illness is invisible to the every day public. Chances are, you are friends with someone who has a mental illness, and you don’t even know.”

5. “ADHD is like the diabetes of mental illness. It can be managed with discipline and/or meds. But it can also wreck your life.”

6. “PTSD isn’t always from war.”

7. “Some mental illnesses can have physical symptoms. Migraines, stomach issues, fainting, and these are just a few. So no, it’s not ‘all in my head.'”

8. “How hard it is to not spiral into an awful black pit when the depression kicks in.”

9. “Mostly that it’s exhausting. The gymnastics my brain has to perform to satisfy itself are bad enough and most people grasp that when you sound ill. But when I sound like a healthy person, that’s actual work on my part.”

10. “I don’t want to have it. But it’s there anyway. You can’t just will yourself out of a mental illness.”

11. “I’m more annoyed with my behavior than you are.”

12. “Mental illness isn’t a choice tbh. Like my family will normally think that I am like overreacting when I talk about my anxiety and it truly sucks.”

13. “The sentiment is nice, but sometimes trying to help with these problems just leads to an unhealthy relationship dynamic … Therapists are trained for that kind of thing. You can be supportive, but it’s okay to have a little distance from it all too.”

14. “We try like hell to hide it. Just because we slipped and you saw the truth does NOT mean its a new aspect of our existence.”

15. “I am not crazy.”