Mental Health

Hi, I am a thirty year-old woman living with a mental illness. I have been living with a mental illness for eight years. Eight years since I was diagnosed. Eight years since I started cutting and eight years since I wanted to end my life. Yes, you read that right. I wanted to end my life because I thought I was a burden to everyone in my family. It got to the point where I knew that I needed help. The day that I was rushed to the hospital is a day I will never forget. I had just made new cuts that day. I went to the common room of my apartment building to watch some TV since I didn't have cable or satellite in my apartment. I didn't wear a sweater to cover my arms like I usually did. I think I wanted someone to find me. Two people that lived in my apartment building came into the common room when they saw me. They just wanted to talk to me. When they saw my arms, it scared them. They called a support worker who told them to call the paramedics. The paramedics came in a flash--they were down the street waiting for a call. The female paramedic asked me if I wanted to go out on the stretcher. I told her that I could walk out by myself. The paramedics rushed me to the hospital in the city but before we got there, we got stopped by the police. Why? It was a behavioral call. The police let us go and the paramedics took me to the hospital. The doctor put me under a Form One.A form one is a legal document and it means that I had to stay in a pyschiatric hospital for up to 72 hours. An ambulance took me to the psychiatric hospital. My parents made it to the hospital just as I was leaving to go to the psych hospital. It was late when I went to the psych hospital so the doctor had to come from home to see me. Before the 72 hours was up, I was put under a form three, which made me a involuntary patient and I had to stay in the hospital for three more weeks. Before I was put on meds, I couldn't feel the cuts because I felt numb. When I got out of that funk, my arms really hurt.There are many types of mental illnesses. There are anxiety and panic disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, obessive compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, self-harm, and suicidal feelings, to name a few. I was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, depression and panic/anxiety. BPD is a personality disorder that always partnered with two or more illnesses.Here are some myths and facts about mental illnesses. Myth 1: Mental health problems are rare. Fact is that 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problems, which means someone you know may be struggling with mental illness. Myth 2: You can't do anything to support someone with a mental health problem. Actually you can do something to help. You can make a difference in someone's life by checking in with them, listening to them, not judging them, treat them the way you always have and ask them twice if they are okay. Myth 3: People with mental illness can't work. That is so wrong. People with mental illness can hold down a successful job. We all probably work with someone experiencing a mental health problem. Myth 4: You can't recover from mental health problems. Well, they might not go away forever but lots of people with mental health issues still work, have families and lead full lives. Myth 5: People with mental illnesses are usually violent and unpredictable. That is so not true. Most people with mental health problems, even those with severe ones like schizophrenia, are not violent. Someone with a mental illness is more likely to be a victim of violence than to inflict it. Myth 6: young people are just going through ups and downs as part of puberty-it's nothing. No, it is not nothing. In fact, 1 in 8 young people will experience a mental health problem. Don't think your child is just going through puberty. There might be something else going one. Mental illnesses is feared and misunderstood by many people. That is why there is a lot of stigma around it.So how to do you cope with having a mental illness? Well, what helps me is listening to music, writing, reading, colouring and talking to my friends and family. There are lots of other things that you can do to cope with living with a mental illness. It is what helps you and no one else.If you are having suicidal thoughts, call your local crisis hotline or someone you are close with. There are always someone there to help you. You are not alone.