#End The Stigma

[wilwheaton]

Speaking as someone who lives with mental illness, who struggled and suffered for decades with undiagnosed and unacknowledged  CPTSD, with a side of Depression and Generalized Anxiety, (who continues to struggle and live with it) I know how difficult and scary a mental health crisis can be.

I also know how vicious and ruthless and cruel the political world is.

So I am incredibly grateful to Senator Fetterman for getting mental health care without shame or apology. His courage saved lives. There are people today and in the coming days who are willing to seek mental health care, because he spoke openly and without shame about his own mental health.

Depression and mental illness affects EVERYONE, and when people who have enormous public profiles speak about their experiences, it chips away at the stigma that has claimed too many lives.

I am not a United States Senator, but I know this is absolutely true, because people have told me that my public journey to care for my mental health and heal my trauma gave them what they needed to make the appointment and begin their own journey.

My heart is with Senator Fetterman and his family. I wish them all the best. I know how tough this is. How scary it can be. How Depression will see the struggle and just pour lie after lie after lie over you, trying its best to make you believe you deserve or are responsible for it.

All of that is bullshit. Depression lies.

I want to remind anyone who is struggling with their mental health, who is just *so tired* of feeling all the things Depression and its buddies try to drown us with that IT IS OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY. It's not shameful or weak to ask for help. It's courageous, and you deserve to be helped by people who have dedicated their lives to helping us get better.If you or someone you know is struggling, please know that help is available when you're ready. If you are in the United States, you can dial 988 from any phone to speak with a counselor who is ready for you.

[crazycatsiren]

Bipolar disorder can't be cured.

It can be managed/treated with medications, but manageable/treatable doesn't mean symptom free.

Neurodivergence/neurodiversity includes bipolar disorder.

The majority of media portrayals of bipolar disorder is wrong.

[honorablehatake]

LAND BACK !!! ♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡♥️🧡🌍✊🌍✊🌍✊🌍✊♥️♥️

My ancestor's fought for my voice to be heard. Every post, petition, and protest, YOU WILL HEAR OUR VOICES !! ♥️✊🧡✊🧡✊🧡✊♥️🌍✊🌍✊🌍✊

[crimsoncosmic]

Just coming here to say that:

Narcissism and being a narcissist is a mental illness. It is not an adjective you can use to describe your ex who just happened to be a bit of a jerk.

Bipolar is a mental illness. It is not an adjective you can use to describe somebody who’s just a bit moody

Psychopath/Sociopath are both extremely stigmatized mental illnesses, and should not be used as a word to describe someone you simply just don’t like

OCD isn’t just being a perfectionist and being obsessed with cleaning.

ADHD isn’t just some quirky trait and having a lot of energy. It’s actually a learning disability

Autism IS A DISABILITY. It’s not a “different ability” it’s a disability, and it’s okay to acknowledge it as that.

Narcissistic Abuse isn’t a real thing, and the term only “narcissistic abuse” only causes more stigma around people who have NPD

That’s all.

[breathofmyown]

It's really disappointing to see the stigma against necromancy crop up on this site, but I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised.

It's a common misconception among anti-necromancy societies that the skeletons working the fields and forming the armies when needed are terrible desecrations, the honored dead enslaved by vile masters, when this could be nothing further from the truth. Our people give their bodies over to this out of love for their families and community. Allowing their bodies to provide labor and security after they are gone so that those who live do not have to waste their years doing menial labor and throwing themselves away in violence, and instead can pursue a life they take joy in freed from the burdens of survival. And so when we grow old or ill we choose to have our bodies serve our community so that our children, and children's children can enjoy the freedom and security that we did.

During the Days of Remembrance the skeletons are brought in from the fields and factories, back to their family homes and we celebrate them by telling stories of their lives, enjoying their favorite foods, and spending time with the part of them they left behind out of love for us. It's a delightful sight seeing the skeletons adorned with handknit woolens, colorful paints, or glimmering candles when they return to their labor after the holiday.

[poetic-echoes]

One small crack does not mean that you are broken. It means that you were put to the test and you didn't fall apart.

Linda Poindexter

[queenbeaver69]

Next time, I WILL be ready. But I think it’s important to share what I feel deep down because I know I’m not alone.

People who have miscarried: IT’S OKAY TO BE RELIEVED! I am! Even though we were trying, it wasn’t happening and I didn’t expect it to happen when it did and it came as a surprise EVEN THOUGH WE WERE TRYING. Things change, my life was changing, I thought I was ready, then I wasn’t. It’s okay!!!! You are okay 💕💕💕

It’s also okay to feel devastated. Like gut wrenchingly devastated. It’s also okay to feel indifferent. It’s also okay to be totally stoked and excited and super happy and want to celebrate.

However you feel is 100% a valid response to YOUR unique experience.

Honestly? I’m kind of stoked to be part of the miscarriage club 😂 1 in 4 women, baby, 25%!!! I see you ladies!!! 🤭😘🥰

[horatio-fig]

Happy Star Wars Day 🥰

I just want to say how important Star Wars is to me. I have Borderline Personalty Disorder. BPD means I feel emotions much more intensely than most people, sadness is not just sadness but a crushing depression that tears me apart. 

However, I also feel happiness and joy as pure bliss. Star Wars in any form makes me feel more alive and euphoric than anything in the world. I wish I could bottle this feeling for you. 

One of the worst parts about BPD is having to constantly distract yourself, but I am so lucky that Star Wars media creates a magical chemical reaction in my brain that soothes me and makes me feel safe. I spend every waking moment teetering on a tightrope above a dark pit of life ending sadness, but thankfully I have a perfect safety net below me in a galaxy far far away. 

It sounds so dramatic and silly (BPD is dramatic and silly), but this world of pretty planets, over the top sword fights and questionable yet delightful dialogue has literally saved my life more times than I can count. I would not be here today if it weren’t for the wonderful world of Star Wars and everyone who makes the media and communities such a special place. You are literal life savers. 

May the force be with you. 

[peggy-sue-reads-a-book]

So I got brunch with a friend today and she brought along a load of stim toys to share with my little boy, who also stims. Fuck, I stim and I was fucking excited to pop poppits at brunch.

Which is to say my kid got to spend time with an adult like himself and see her have friends, exist in public, and otherwise her best disability-positive life. Idk if this is helpful to anyone but you’re doing a really brave thing for kids and their families if you are choosing not to mask.

[mental-mona]

[dahliacirice]

I can’t fill the void today.

[crazycatsiren]

Accepting mentally ill people doesn't mean only accepting mental illness symptoms that you're comfortable with.

[letstalkbeautyuk]

💚 Mental Health Matters Badges, for Mental Health Awareness week in May

[new-moon]

Bella Swan + Borderline Personality Disorder traits

NOTE: I am not trying to be disrespectful to experts in the mental health community, Stephenie, or be needlessly reductive here, and I know a lot of these examples have overlapping or the same context. However I think it's a really interesting framework to understand Bella's dependency on Edward, her loss of stable identity or simply enjoyment of life and pursuit of her goals after he leaves, the extreme measures she takes to recapture the feeling of seeing or hearing him. The fantasy genre can do an incredible job of illustrating real-world psychiatric topics in a way that feels organic (a great example is wartime PTSD in The Hunger Games). I don't think Stephenie was aiming for borderline rep but this interpretation can make Bella a very relatable character for anyone who has battled the loneliness of uncertain identity boundaries or the enmeshment of a love partially based on complementary schema wounds, roles or ego states.

[poetic-echoes]

Someone told me, yesterday, to turn my mental ill health into my superpower. I was worried that if I got a bipolar diagnosis, I wouldn't be able to continue doing the work that I love so much.

I am spiritual, and over the last 13 years, I've been working as a spiritual medium, intuitive healer, and a spiritual mentor/teacher. I had it in my head that if I am bipolar all of this would have to stop. I have not worked for over two years due to both physical and mental illness, and the thought of never seeing my clients again fills me with sadness and fear.

I have been blessed with the life I've had. It's not been an easy one, far from it, but I have learnt so much about myself, about the best way I can help others, and what fills my heart with joy. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have lived with depression, of varying levels, and anxiety for over 30 years and to have learnt this about myself.

So, whatever my future mental health brings, I am determined to acknowledge my strengths and utilise them so I can stay positive and help myself and, hopefully, many others. It can be your superpower, too 🥰

Stay strong, my friend. We've got this! 💜💚🤍

[black-mental-health-matters]

This does not make a man weak, or less of a man. A man who is in touch with himself and comfortable and strong enough to express themselves, that is a real man. Men are losing their lives, Black men, Black CHILDREN!!! In particular, because society says it’s not okay,but it is okay…. It is deep and acknowledgment and unification are all vital to empowering men…. Be strong for your man as he should be for you, too. Or your brother, father, cousin, friend, … we need to get the village mentality back…