Being mentally ill causes moments of loneliness that has the
potential to eclipse all else. Being shunned and abused is a
common phenomena to the mentally ill. You feel like you are
alone and that society will do everything in its power to make
sure you follow what they want, excluding what you want, what
you want to be in life and that they won't let you get there. You
are not the same as them. To them you can't handle real life and
what real life really is.
Society, family, friends... all say just accept your social status.
Accept that you will forever be in a poverty stricken system and
stay put. To a high-achieving person this is social suicide. Growing
up, you do well in school. You know what you want to be, but now
you can't be that because you are labeled "crazy". You get put on conservatorship, all freedom is taken from you, even your right to
vote and drive. You can't even do normal things by yourself, as if
you lost the ability to do laundry, take showers, clean house. All
of that is supervised. You're not stupid, you know how to do those
things. But, you are faced with every aspect of your life being dictated to you. Telling you when, where, why, and how.
What if I told you that I was abused? What if I told you that my
family raised me to be mentally ill so they didn't have to accept
the fact that they did nothing to stop it? What if I told you that the
abuse lasted for four and a half years? What if I told you that I am
still being abused? Not the same abuse as when I was ten, but a
different kind of abuse? The victim of bullying? The victim of
passive-aggressive treatment? The victim of belittling? The
victim of social parriahism? The victim of stigma? The victim
of loneliness?
Being abused affects every aspect of the social spectrum. It interferes with daily socializing. It interferes with daily conversation (because it might be difficult to communicate). It interferes with normal ambition (no one will hire you). It interferes with intimacy. It interferes with friendships. It interferes with sleep. There are probably more, but I can't think of them yet.
Loneliness is a side-effect of mental illness. Almost every
patient has had loneliness overcome them. It is an empty life.
Being in a group home has helped me overcome my loneliness.
I am around people every day who have the same experiences that
I have. They have similar symptoms and they don't judge. They
are just there. There for me, if I allow them in.
I am not lonely anymore. I used to have my own residence. My
neighbors abused me, because they knew I was mentally ill and
that they could get away with it. I was shunned. It was lonely.
Very lonely to the point that I would cry every day. But, I'm not
lonely now. I live in a shared residence. It helps to be around
people with the same circumstances, the same symptoms, the same
diagnoses.
I have never been in a board and care. It is something that I am
trying to avoid. Being in a half-way house has given me the
company that was missing when I was living on my own. To tell
the truth, I'm ready to go out on my own again, but it is taking a
long time to get there. I don't make enough to rent an apartment on
my own. There is affordable housing, but those have wait lists.
We will wait and see how things go, just because I have no other
choice.
Vocabulary ABC's in Mental Health
Surviving mental illness from the inside out
I just noticed that my quick links are missing. I will try to
trouble shoot that. I apologize to my readers.
potential to eclipse all else. Being shunned and abused is a
common phenomena to the mentally ill. You feel like you are
alone and that society will do everything in its power to make
sure you follow what they want, excluding what you want, what
you want to be in life and that they won't let you get there. You
are not the same as them. To them you can't handle real life and
what real life really is.
Society, family, friends... all say just accept your social status.
Accept that you will forever be in a poverty stricken system and
stay put. To a high-achieving person this is social suicide. Growing
up, you do well in school. You know what you want to be, but now
you can't be that because you are labeled "crazy". You get put on conservatorship, all freedom is taken from you, even your right to
vote and drive. You can't even do normal things by yourself, as if
you lost the ability to do laundry, take showers, clean house. All
of that is supervised. You're not stupid, you know how to do those
things. But, you are faced with every aspect of your life being dictated to you. Telling you when, where, why, and how.
What if I told you that I was abused? What if I told you that my
family raised me to be mentally ill so they didn't have to accept
the fact that they did nothing to stop it? What if I told you that the
abuse lasted for four and a half years? What if I told you that I am
still being abused? Not the same abuse as when I was ten, but a
different kind of abuse? The victim of bullying? The victim of
passive-aggressive treatment? The victim of belittling? The
victim of social parriahism? The victim of stigma? The victim
of loneliness?
Being abused affects every aspect of the social spectrum. It interferes with daily socializing. It interferes with daily conversation (because it might be difficult to communicate). It interferes with normal ambition (no one will hire you). It interferes with intimacy. It interferes with friendships. It interferes with sleep. There are probably more, but I can't think of them yet.
Loneliness is a side-effect of mental illness. Almost every
patient has had loneliness overcome them. It is an empty life.
Being in a group home has helped me overcome my loneliness.
I am around people every day who have the same experiences that
I have. They have similar symptoms and they don't judge. They
are just there. There for me, if I allow them in.
I am not lonely anymore. I used to have my own residence. My
neighbors abused me, because they knew I was mentally ill and
that they could get away with it. I was shunned. It was lonely.
Very lonely to the point that I would cry every day. But, I'm not
lonely now. I live in a shared residence. It helps to be around
people with the same circumstances, the same symptoms, the same
diagnoses.
I have never been in a board and care. It is something that I am
trying to avoid. Being in a half-way house has given me the
company that was missing when I was living on my own. To tell
the truth, I'm ready to go out on my own again, but it is taking a
long time to get there. I don't make enough to rent an apartment on
my own. There is affordable housing, but those have wait lists.
We will wait and see how things go, just because I have no other
choice.
Vocabulary ABC's in Mental Health
Surviving mental illness from the inside out
I just noticed that my quick links are missing. I will try to
trouble shoot that. I apologize to my readers.