I’m pretty sure that everyone reading this, that struggles with their mental health, would gladly get rid of their mental illness if they could. In today’s society, their is this belief, that if you have mental health problems, that you’re somehow weak, and responsible for feeling the way that you do. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Which, as a side note, is why I love the Sick Not Weak movement. I want to reassure you, and inform everyone, that a person is in no way, shape, or form, the cause of their own mental illness. Now, a mental illness can be caused by someone else, like PTSD for example, but most of the time it’s just luck of the draw.

Though I do want to make something very clear, you are responsible for your mental illness. As I just said, you didn’t cause it, but you do have to deal with it. What do I mean by that? Simple, you are responsible for your own mental health, just as you are for your own physical health. If you contracted a cold, the first thing you would do, is go to the store for cold medicine. So, in simple terms, you are responsible for your mental well-being. If you are suffering from a mental illness, it is your duty to seek treatment.

For example, you all know that I struggled with the devil that is depression for over 20 years. For almost half of that time, I really had no idea, therefore I didn’t seek treatment. All I knew is that I was sad, among a host of other symptoms, and I wanted to die. Now, I like to consider myself rather intelligent, so I knew that this was not “normal”. Yet, one of the major symptoms of depression is hopelessness. Therefore, I just went about my daily life, as best I could, until I couldn’t take it anymore and attempted suicide. It was at this point, that I was diagnosed with depression, and was forced to seek treatment. Granted, this was all before the age of 18, so I really had no choice in the matter. As I got older, I gained more responsibilities, as is “normal”. One of these responsibilities, was to combat my mental illnesses, and improve my mental health.

It’s incredible to me, how much the mental health industry has improved over the past 8 years. Yes, we still have a very long way to go, but any progress is a very welcomed change. I am a part of many different groups within social media, most of which are geared towards mental health. Something that urks me, because it gives me anxiety, is people venting about their illnesses. Now, I’m not saying they shouldn’t vent, because I am more than willing to listen and offer what help I can. It just gives me anxiety to see people talking about suicide, more specifically. I have been where these people are, so I know what it feels like when you think there’s nothing left. Yet, there are very few, if any, mental health professionals within these circles on social media. I agree that peer to peer therapy is a very valuable resource, so I want it to stay around. It’s just that when these people, who very clearly need professional help, are told to seek help, the answer is usually something along the lines of “maybe”. That’s like someone getting a curable infection, and refusing the antibiotics. Which I mean some people do, which I don’t understand, but the first step in solving a problem, is admitting that it’s a problem.

I’m not saying that mental illnesses are curable, because they’re really not. However, remission is possible, but it’s not just going to happen by magic. You have to take control of your life, and work your ass off towards a solution. I have been in the mental health system for roughly 8 years now, and I’ll admit there were times where I wasn’t working on my mental health as much as I should have been. But for the past 6 months, I made it my mission to make my depression better. Now here I am, in remission, and my life is beginning to improve dramatically. Though it never would have happened if it didn’t focus all of my energy on getting better. Mental illness is comparable to cancer in my mind. It is possible, most of the time, to get better, but it will take all of your time and energy to get there. Now I know that it may not be possible to focus all your efforts on improving your mental health, because life certainly doesn’t pause for anything. It might even seem to be impossible for your mental health to improve. That’s just the illness talking, mental illness is a silver tounged demon, and will convince you that either improvement is impossible, or that you don’t deserve it. Well, I’m telling you that it’s all bullspit. You do deserve to get better, and it is possible. It’s not easy, it will probably be one of, if not the hardest thing you’ll ever do. But look at me, it is possible. It can be done. You just have to want it with every fiber of your being, and be willing to work your bones to dust to get it.

To wrap things up, I want to say, one more time, that peer to peer “counceling” on social media is a great, valuable asset. But nothing beats professional, trained, experienced help. So if you’re struggling, and feel like you’re out of options, go see a licensed therapist or psychologist. I can’t promise that it will help, but it’s better than nothing. From my mind to yours, this is Alan Wolfgang, signing off.