Today marks the launch of HealthPlace’s new campaign that encourages people to Stand Up for Mental Health. You can learn all the details about the Stand Up for Mental Health Campaign here.
What Does it Mean to Stand Up for Mental Health?
So what does it mean to stand up for mental health? Well, basically it means making mental health issues and mental illness visible. It means talking about mental illness. It means talking about people who have mental illness. It means showing your support for others. It means not being ashamed of your mental illness.
How Can You Stand Up for Mental Health?
Like I said, to stand up for mental health you can:
- Talk about the issues
- Spread information about mental illness
- Support others with a mental illness
- Not being ashamed of your own mental illness or the mental illnesses of those that you love
To do this visually, HealthyPlace has provided you with buttons for your site as well as your social media profile. You can visually indicate your mental illness or you can simply say that you support others.
Admitting You Have a Mental Illness
I will make one note about openly saying you have a mental illness: please don’t do this until you’re ready. You can easily support mental health issues without telling others you have a specific mental illness. Wait until it’s the right time for you to disclose your own mental illness because once it’s online, you can assume that everyone you’ve ever met will know about your mental illness and that might not be something that you want.
Show Your Support for Mental Illness
So go to the Stand Up for Mental Health site and grab whatever buttons or social media images you like and share them. Then email HealthyPlace and tell them that you’re onboard so they can list you amongst all the others who also support these issues.
And thank-you. Making us more visible, either by admitting to your own illness or by talking about your support, is a gift to everyone.
Note: Yes, I work for HealthyPlace. No, they didn’t pay me to write this post. I genuinely like their campaign and want to support it.
First I’d like to say thank you so much Natasha for your blogs. I met a hilarious, upbeat man last spring that I immediatly fell in love with. He made me laugh in a way I never thought again possible. I deal with Anxiety and Depression and have faced many traumas in my life. He advised he had the same issues as myslef and we bonded on that belief. I have a few friends who suffer bipolar disorder, but never really understood the full extent of the illness. In hindsight, I can see that he was hypomanic the entire time we were dating but I didn’t know how to recognize it. Due to finances, he moved in with me quite quickly. I’ve never married and believed him to be the love of my life.
We are no longer together, he left me. It’s funny, my catchphrase with him was “don’t you have an off button” His with me was “controlling”. I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him. Two days after we broke up and he left, one of his sisters advised me he had been diagnosed as ADHD as a child and later in life with Bipolar. I’ve spoken to him a few times since our breakup, and he hasn’t denied it. I think he is now in full blown depression.
He only takes a high dose of antidepressants, and a medication for high blood pressure. Shortly after he moved in, his behaviour was a little “off”. I thought it was simply his sense of humour. I had seen pictures of him dating back 4 years ago and he weighed 100 lbs more than he does now. As I have taken antipsychotics for their sedative effect to deal with insomnia, I had gained 35 lbs quite quickly so I believe at one time he was appropriately medicated. The 1st problem I saw was rapid speech and inability to let others speak without him speaking over top of them, louder and faster to the point that he could not be understood. At first I thought he was rude, however after observing his rapid speech, I could see by his eyes, he was in a dissassociative state. The last day I saw him, about 4 months ago, he was full blown manic and suffering with paranoia. While in his presence, in public, he accused me of giving my phone number to 3 different men in 5 minutes (which of course I didn’t) and I wittnessed him spying on me while making a purchase.
He had been very agitated that entire day and I almost got evicted because he wouldn’t stop yelling while in my apt. My Manger had threatened us with police, so I had to get him out of the apt. He was verbally abusive a number of times and blamed me for every little problem we had….and they were little. My heart has been broken and I fear for him every day. His family has pretty much abandoned him and don’t seem to understand he’s dealing with a mental illness.
He has cut off all contact with me and I very much fear for his safety. A 10 year friend of mine comitted suicide 4 years ago. It wasn’t until after his passing that I was informed he suffered with Bipolar and had gone off his meds. My ex had written a book he was hoping to publish and I didn’t read it until after he left. He spoke of suicide all throughout. I fear for him daily as my Mom comitted suicide 25 years ago and I know full well the devestation this leaves behind. His Mom is not well and has been hospitalized a few times, she is a senior. I’m so fearful that her passing will be a major trigger for him.
I am so thankful for your blogs as they have helped me understand what he is dealing with. When I tried to keep contact with him, he threatened to get a restraining order against me. Of course I have since left him alone. Sadly, he was violent towards me, the 2nd to last time I saw him. I have spent the last 4 months crying and in a deep depression myself. Thanks to your articles, I understand you can’t force someone to get help. He doesn’t want to deal with his issues. I’ve let him know, if he ever needs someone to talk to, I’ll be here for him. That only lead to him phoning me and screaming at me to leave him alone. I understand this is what he needs to try to get himself stabilized. I never would have left him, would have gone to appointments with him, anything it took. But he has shut me and everyone else out. He can’t keep a job more than a few weeks, and moves every 3 months or so.
I miss him so much, and wish he would accept help and responsibility for his illness. I’m sorry, I’m rambling….I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your blogs and support towards people suffering.
Boojie