mental health stigma

this blog is in no way targeting a specific person, it's covering a general idea i've seen on the internet.

OCD, PTSD, depression. i'm sure you have a specific outline of what these things are in your head. maybe you chalk them up to be 'cleanliness obsessor', 'trauma sad', and 'sad'. this generalisation on the internet by people self diagnosing has stripped all meaning from these serious mental illnesses. today i'll be using PTSD as my example, but 'OCD' is probably the one most generalised. (i.e 'my ocd is acting up that pencil isn't aligned haha').

PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, is a blanket disorder that also covers the idea of 'complex PTSD'. the idea that this illness was entirely based upon just being sad came when i saw people throwing around the term lightly. 'oh that gave me PTSD' etc. a large part of PTSD is wrestling the subconscious, vivid flashbacks, nightmares. things that are generally not under your control. PTSD can reel your brain back to the thought during any part of your day, and for no good reason. PTSD can cause intense derealization, inability to feel happiness, desensitization (symptoms of derealization syndrome). it can be hard to think, process normal things, in fact it can almost feel like you're completely trapped in that trauma filled past.

the stigma surrounding PTSD can hinder those with it (along with the stigma surrounding most mental illnesses). it can create a complete misunderstanding of the serious troubles those with them go through. if you know anybody who has been diagnosed with OCD, PTSD, depression, please reach out to them and be respectful of their struggles. one of the worst things you can do is tell somebody with these problems how easy it is to get better, that really downplays their struggles. on the other hand, the best thing you can do is acknowledge how difficult it must be, and tell them how strong they are for coming so far.

hopefully this blog has cleared up some misconceptions and brought to light some serious problems. feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.