Mental illness affects millions of people.
Those who don’t have any experience with it can often downplay it or fail to understand it. A lot of people who suffer from mental illness just want to be understood and want the support of their family and friends. While those closest to them might not always be able to understand and say the right things, they can avoid saying the wrong things.
There is currently a hashtag going around labeled #ThingsPeopleHaveSaidAboutMyMentalIllness.
People are sharing the strangest and even rudest things that people said to them about their mental illness in hopes of raising awareness and helping people become more aware of the stigma of these many mental illnesses and how they affect people. Here are 11 things you should never say to a mentally ill person.
Hattie Gladwell shared on Twitter:
“One person told me I didn’t need medication, I just needed to be more motivated.”
Depression and other mental illnesses can cause a person to feel tired and just not want to do anything.
Some people have the never to call them lazy or, in this case, unmotivated. Most people suffering from these diseases are motivated and do want to do more, but their minds and bodies simply won’t cooperate, and this can make things difficult. Pointing out their problems won’t help, it might just make things worse.
That Girl With BPD shared:
“You don’t look like you’re mentally ill.”
People who have mental illness don’t have physical symptoms.
They illness take place in their brains, but just because they don’t appear to be sick, this doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering on the inside. Even if it’s meant as a compliment, it can still be hurtful.
Twitter user Elle shared:
“It’s because you are still young and not enough busy. When you’ll have a job and a family, all these thoughts will disappear. #ThingsPeopleHaveSaidAboutMyMentalIllness”
These things might help improve a person’s mood for a little while, they but they can’t cure mental illness.
The fact that so many people think that a person’s problems can be solved so easily is offensive to many people who suffer from these diseases.
Alice shared:
“You have too much money to have anything wrong with you.”
The old saying that money can’t buy happiness is true, especially for people who suffer from depression or other mental illnesses.
It’s rude to tell a person that their social situation should impact their health. Mental illness doesn’t discriminate.
Twitter user Chazie shared a few things that people said, as well, including:
“- Stop putting this on, there is nothing wrong with you
“- Such an attention seeker, get over it.
“- Just cheer up or you’ll make everyone else depressed”
The idea that someone would fake a mental illness is absurd.
Anyone who has one will tell you that it’s not a pleasant experience and they would give anything to get over it. It’s not as easy as cheering up.
Ann Greif shared:
“If there’s meds there IS a cure, you’ll be cured forever
“You’re not depressed, you need to lighten your mood
“My life is hard too and you don’t see me crying around about it
“Why are you having an episode? Weren’t you taking meds?”
Just because there are medications that can help treat the symptoms of mental illness, this doesn’t mean there is a cure for it.
It’s not fair to question people about their mental problems or to remind them that they are on medication. They already know, and most of them wish they could change it.
Mental illness is a real problem, and those who suffer from it shouldn’t be made to feel bad about it. You wouldn’t make someone feel bad for having the flu or diabetes, so why say a mean or inconsiderate thing to someone who is mentally ill? Hopefully, this will help people think before they speak and avoid offending people who have mental illnesses.
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