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People with borderline personality disorder often self-harm, but that doesn’t mean they are the only people who do; let’s face it, anyone can self-harm. People associate self-harm with borderline personality disorder, which I understand, after all, self-harm is a symptom of borderline personality disorder. But it isn’t the case that these are the only people who self-harm. Self-harm can be a coping technique that anyone can pick up (unfortunately), whether they have a mental illness or not.
I have had people I love dismiss my depression with, "Why can't you just be happy?" There is still social stigma attached to depression, and even the people who care about us can be affected by it. I try to label the emotions that arise after somebody says something like this to me, and it makes me realize why hearing, "Just be happy." can be so frustrating. I don't feel good when people dismiss my depression and this is why.
There's power in habit. Habit creates your life. People who live a blissful life do not possess unique character traits that separate them from everyone else. They do not have more luck or brains or money. What people who live a blissful life do possess are powerful habits, and these habits help sustain joy and fulfillment regardless of what is happening in their life.
There are many ways rape culture impacts survivors' mental health. Rape culture, in a nutshell, is believing that women exist solely for the sexual gratification of men, that their consent is irrelevant, and that they have to protect themselves from men's sexual desires (Getting Raped: The Stigma of Being a Rape Victim). Three ways rape culture impacts survivors' mental health are by teaching a survivor she is "damaged goods," teaching a survivor it's her fault she was victimized, and teaching a survivor her worth comes from sexual purity.
Part of the romanticism of mental illnesses is that someone who is mentally ill can be cured by love or that someone can be a cure for someone else's mental illness. We see this in media and it seeps into real life to the point that people don’t understand why we can’t stop being depressed or anxious for them (How to Cope With a Loved One's Mental Illness). What people need to realize is although being loved can make dealing with mental illness easier, love does not cure mental illness.
Many childhood mental illnesses involve behaviors similar to those found in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), commonly just referred to as "autism." As a result, parents may hear the term "autism" mentioned when their child first exhibits worrisome behaviors. This first post on autism will look at the similarities and differences between autism spectrum disorder and childhood mental illness, as seen from a parent's perspective.
It can be hard to integrate old binge foods back into your diet. In all honesty, I still have foods that I fear greatly though I have been in recovery from my binging behavior for quite some time. These foods are the ones that I would consistently binge on and would bring me mass amounts of distress. Over time, however, I have learned to reintegrate old binge foods back into my diet and consume them in a normal way.
Let's face it, mental illness symptoms can make communication difficult. When it comes to mental illness, a lot of people seem to have it in their heads that those who have, and suffer from, mental illness are strictly tragic figures. When people share their stories of overcoming the sad brokenness their mental illness has brought them, we champion them and hold them in high regard. And we should, but not all people with mental illnesses fit that narrative. We need to communicate what mental illness really is.