Im not usually one to comment on celebrity deaths, but today the world lost an incredibly talented actor and comedian. As someone who has battled depression and anxiety for years, I have some insight into the pain that this man suffered and understand the difficulties of living with this kind of illness. In this country, people who suffer from mental illness are often treated with disgust, disrespect, disbelief, and intolerance. Those suffering often feel that there is no where to turn and that they should hide any aspect of their illness from others to avoid rejection, judgement, and hurt. Over time carrying that burden can become seemingly unbearable and can lead to thoughts of or attempts at suicide. For those without a mental disability, it is hard to understand what life is like for someone who struggles daily with moderate to severe depression/anxiety, but you dont have to understand something to be respectful and nonjudgmental about it. There are lots of ways to help loved ones, friends or even strangers with mental illness. It can be as simple as not judging someone with a emotional service animal or someone who takes their medication in plain view of others or being supportive of someone when they talk to you about their mental illness or not getting creeped out when you find out a friend battles depression or going to therapy with your partner or joining and donating your time to a suicide hotline. There are many many ways to help, but start with kindness and understanding. Allowing people a space to talk about and work through their issues in a non-judgmental way is the first step to being better humans to each other. suicidepreventionlifeline.org/GetInvolved mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression/art-20045943
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 01:31:10 +0000
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