But one thing that all these events have in common is the people that caused them. No one really knows or understands why these people did what they did, but one thing seems to be a common factor among each of these individuals: they all are sufferers of some form of mental illness. At least that is what many in the media are saying about the individuals.
All the individuals involved in these events have suffered from some sort of mental episode at some point or another. As tragic as these events have been, there is a bit of a positive side to them. Because these individuals have been said to have been suffering from some form of mental illness, it has opened communication about mental health.
People are now talking about mental health more and what can be done to help individuals such as these. For the longest time, no one talked about mental health. It was kept quiet. Now it's being brought out into the open. People are bringing more attention to mental health. They are talking about it more and advocating for it.
It's tragic that such events had to take place in order for mental health to be talked about but if changes happen that help avoid such events in the future, then that's the positive thing.
Although I do have to admit, whenever the media talks about mental health in relation to these events, they seem to give it a negative connotation. They seem to speak negatively about mental illness. In a way, events such as these, give a negative view to mental health. These events don't explain all mental illnesses though. But because of these events, people feel that this is what people suffering from mental illness are all like.
Events such as the one that took place on Monday paint a negative picture surrounding mental illness. People get the wrong idea about mental illness. They see these individuals and start to believe that anyone who suffers from a mental illness is like them.
Those of us who suffer from mental illnesses know that this is far from the truth. While yes, there are some people with mental health issues who go to the extremes but that's not all of us.
Just because you suffer from a mental illness does not mean you are someone who wants to go on a killing spree or hurt people. Not everyone who has clinical depression wants to end their own life.
Just because you suffer from a mental illness, doesn't mean it's the same for everyone who suffers from the same illness. Not everyone experiences a mental illness in the same way or even has the same symptoms.
As you know, I have clinical depression. I also have anxiety. I was officially diagnosed back in March. However, if you were to see me, you wouldn't know it right away. I don't look any different from any other individual. I look fine.
And that's also where the whole thing of having an invisible illness comes in. Just because you don't look like you're sick, people don't believe you are sick. But that's doesn't make it any less real. Those of us who are suffering, often suffer in silence because of this. Those of us who need help, feel helpless because people don't understand.
The only people who really understand, are the ones who have suffered themselves. That's when you truly understand what it's like to be depressed or anxious. For those of us that suffer, every day is a struggle.
We fight each and every day to go about our lives like a normal, functional human being. We fight to keep going on our bad days. We are fighters.
Believe me, it's hard. Having to put on a mask of sorts and pretend that you aren't miserable inside. Having to fight against your symptoms. Having emotions that you can't always explain to others.
I don't always know why I feel sad or why certain things cause me anxiety when they shouldn't. But the fact that I get up and try to go about my life like normal, is a battle I face everyday. Somehow I keep going even though it seems hopeless at times.
A couple months after I was diagnosed, I went and saw the movie Iron Man 3. I was so excited to see this new Marvel movie after seeing the first 2. What I didn't expect, was to see Tony Stark being so human and relating to it.
Iron Man 3 takes place after the events in The Avengers. What happened in that movie, had a great impact on Tony Stark because he begins having panic attacks. When this first happened in the movie, it surprised me. Because I could relate to Tony. I knew the feeling.
I almost broke down crying because it just hit so close to home for me. To see a "hero" be so human. I was still relatively new to my diagnoses. I was still coming to terms with what having clinical depression and anxiety meant for me. Seeing this made me feel better. It made me feel like I wasn't so alone. It made me feel like I too could be Iron Man.
For me, Iron Man 3 was so much more than probably what a lot of moviegoers saw. For me, in some ways, I saw myself. I saw a movie that brought a mental illness to light and give it a powerful meaning.
I saw a movie that brought what anxiety is like in a very real way. It brought to life what a mental disorder is really like. For that, I'm glad. This gives me something to use in conversations with people when explaining my mental illnesses.
That's the thing about mental health. We need to talk about it more. Break the stigma surrounding it. If we talked about it more, then more people wouldn't be so afraid to ask for help. If we talked more about it, we could prevent horrible shooting tragedies from happening.
We take care of our physical health so why shouldn't we take care of our mental health?
I was strong enough to reach out and get help. Not everyone is like that though. So if you or someone you know is having a difficult time, please encourage them to get help. Don't let them suffer any longer than they need to.
You don't have to be alone in suffering. If you want to talk, I'm here for you. I'll listen.
Just because you suffer from a mental illness does not mean you are someone who wants to go on a killing spree or hurt people. Not everyone who has clinical depression wants to end their own life.
Just because you suffer from a mental illness, doesn't mean it's the same for everyone who suffers from the same illness. Not everyone experiences a mental illness in the same way or even has the same symptoms.
As you know, I have clinical depression. I also have anxiety. I was officially diagnosed back in March. However, if you were to see me, you wouldn't know it right away. I don't look any different from any other individual. I look fine.
And that's also where the whole thing of having an invisible illness comes in. Just because you don't look like you're sick, people don't believe you are sick. But that's doesn't make it any less real. Those of us who are suffering, often suffer in silence because of this. Those of us who need help, feel helpless because people don't understand.
The only people who really understand, are the ones who have suffered themselves. That's when you truly understand what it's like to be depressed or anxious. For those of us that suffer, every day is a struggle.
We fight each and every day to go about our lives like a normal, functional human being. We fight to keep going on our bad days. We are fighters.
Believe me, it's hard. Having to put on a mask of sorts and pretend that you aren't miserable inside. Having to fight against your symptoms. Having emotions that you can't always explain to others.
I don't always know why I feel sad or why certain things cause me anxiety when they shouldn't. But the fact that I get up and try to go about my life like normal, is a battle I face everyday. Somehow I keep going even though it seems hopeless at times.
A couple months after I was diagnosed, I went and saw the movie Iron Man 3. I was so excited to see this new Marvel movie after seeing the first 2. What I didn't expect, was to see Tony Stark being so human and relating to it.
Iron Man 3 takes place after the events in The Avengers. What happened in that movie, had a great impact on Tony Stark because he begins having panic attacks. When this first happened in the movie, it surprised me. Because I could relate to Tony. I knew the feeling.
I almost broke down crying because it just hit so close to home for me. To see a "hero" be so human. I was still relatively new to my diagnoses. I was still coming to terms with what having clinical depression and anxiety meant for me. Seeing this made me feel better. It made me feel like I wasn't so alone. It made me feel like I too could be Iron Man.
For me, Iron Man 3 was so much more than probably what a lot of moviegoers saw. For me, in some ways, I saw myself. I saw a movie that brought a mental illness to light and give it a powerful meaning.
I saw a movie that brought what anxiety is like in a very real way. It brought to life what a mental disorder is really like. For that, I'm glad. This gives me something to use in conversations with people when explaining my mental illnesses.
That's the thing about mental health. We need to talk about it more. Break the stigma surrounding it. If we talked about it more, then more people wouldn't be so afraid to ask for help. If we talked more about it, we could prevent horrible shooting tragedies from happening.
We take care of our physical health so why shouldn't we take care of our mental health?
I was strong enough to reach out and get help. Not everyone is like that though. So if you or someone you know is having a difficult time, please encourage them to get help. Don't let them suffer any longer than they need to.
You don't have to be alone in suffering. If you want to talk, I'm here for you. I'll listen.
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