Stop using mental illness & your tragedy as an excuse to be a mean asshole.

Too many, too many people are caught using mental illness as an excuse. These days the rising social media sources raised awareness to different mental illnesses.  Truth is, most of us at some point in life will experience loss, heartache, tremendous stress and the feeling that the whole world is collapsing upon us. - The feeling of the distinct void in a hollow chest. Yet having said that, even if you are having a bad time it does not mean you have the rights to put others down as well.

Let’s think of the domino effect. Person A is having depression and in frustration he vents his anger and points out several flaws of Person B. Person B will carry that frustration and then lets it out to Person C. Person C then pass it to Person D, and the list just goes on and on, never having a definite ending till someone ingests the anger down his throat. When we look at it this way, did the last person of this domino effect did anything to Person A- The answer is no. 

The domino effect of making others feel bad about themselves is something very real and something which I often could not decipher.

How could one link their personal responsibility to mental disorder?

Carrying on to the analogy, Person A, for the results of his actions subconsciously gets guilty afterwards and would said something along the lines of “I am sorry I was rude to earlier, it was just my anxiety acting up again. “ to Person B. To me, it just solely seems that you are using mental illness as an excuse to cover up your bad behaviour.

Mental illness firstly is something very personal and that a genuine sufferer would find means and ways to hide it because it is not something to be in glory of. I know this myself because one of my close kin was diagnosed with depression formerly, and it was something that she never wanted people to find out about; even when she was already long cured. It is not something that you could so openly talk about – Be it in public, in the media and even to your friends around.

It is understandable that a mental illness person behaves badly once in while and perhaps that was the time they were seeking for help. Yet, someone who is probably using mental illness as an excuse will be seen seeking help constantly, even when help was given, it will always seemed to be insufficient.

Constant struggle is a part of growth, no matter how we despise it. Everyone will have his/her own sets of struggles. Some people may have it more than the other. Yet it does not mean that you have the rights to deem your situation as the worst of the people around you. You must know that for the things that made you so vulnerable to even speak up, chances are people are keeping these things safe and intact so that others will not be able to detect their weakness as well.

Just stop romanticizing mental illness, it is not beautiful, it is not poetic, it is not cute, it is not unique, it is definitely not encouraging. Some books, movies, media made them look so easy.  Stop romanticizing mental illness and wished to get them, then use it as an excuse for personal irresponsibility.

artwork by Alice Bloomfield. (http://xsztuka.tumblr.com/post/133955274701/sketchbook-pages)

written by me.