What is it like?

     No one has ever asked me what is mental illness like.  It has 

taken me a couple decades to finally be familiar with what is a 

symptom, what is a memory, what is a dream remembered.

     I am studying to become a peer to peer counselor.  I am majoring

in psychology, but have yet to do major classes, but almost done

with my general education requirements so I can dedicate the rest

of my studies to the ones that will get me that associate's degree.

    After twenty years, and being a third generation mental health

patient, I have come down to a single concept that almost everyone

would be able to envision. That is if you are open minded and 

feel comfortable with your current reality.

     You see, symptoms mimic each other but mostly are unique

to each individual. There is a degree of difference in awareness
recognition and the scientific awareness. As when you consider
something like the scientific findings of string theory. An awareness

that there are more dimensions than previously thought. Well,
mental illness is an unidentifiable awareness, unless you are the
one who is aware. 

     Now, as of yet, there is not a test to verify whether or not

these "symptoms" ( visions and hearing what others cannot see)

are real for the person going throughout them. I use the term

'throughout', because sometimes it feels like being infused with
an awareness.

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     Now, I have one concept, that applies to both spiritual (those

that have gone from this world) and physical and that would be:

     
recognizing and communicating with those around you that are 

                             out of body.

     Some patients have yet to distinguish between their symptoms,to come 

close to explaining their realms of awareness and mistake the
ability as being on the spiritual plane. But, it is also like we are
on different plateaus of awareness and gathering information on levels

where we use our own memories. That makes every patient unique. 

Yet, the patient holds conversations that look like it is imaginary.
The topics are different, but the behaviors are alike.
Reactions to this awareness is also different.
Because everyone has their own family, friends, acquaintances.
The awareness plays on one's memories.

     I bring up the dimensions first, because it is like plateaus. Areas on
different levels like the different floors to a tall building. The plateaus of

how we are reached by the ones that are around us in out of body fashion,
communicating (with the mentally ill) for a variety of reasons.
Subliminally. Without getting awarenesses mixed up with one another.

     I need to make something clear. When considering a person's
actions and behavior, there is nothing different in a person's
character than what they already are. Like, drinking. If it is not
in someone's personality and character, they are not going to
do anyone harm. If you are not pre-disposed then you just plain
dont. You cannot use mental illness as a scapegoat. Those of
us with illness know full well that it has nothing to do with
a person's mental stability. And everything to do with pre-disposition.

  But, many, if not all of us, try to buck it (the diagnosis of mental
illness) off like a young horse,because no one asks for that
responsibility and lifelong restriction.

     Check out more info to get an insight on mental illness

by going to my article-

Vocabulary ABC's in mental health circles     or my article-

Surviving mental illness from the inside out- 2

     The more you know, the better your understanding.

     Happy reading!