Be more accepting of those with mental illnesses

Steven Young’s letter (“People fear what they don’t understand,” Cape Breton Post, March 16) made some excellent points.

I am glad there is an effort to remove the stigma of mental illness, but I am concerned that people will think it’s a condition that can be cured or fixed. It’s not. It’s a chronic condition that places lifelong limitations on a person’s daily life. It is an illness that can be controlled, but not cured with therapy, medications and lifestyles.

I don’t want to discourage young people diagnosed with mental illness, but it’s important to accept and work within your limitations. Unfortunately, that means that even if you have the intellectual ability to do a job you might not have the emotional or mental stamina to do it.

Some people with mental illness are not able to work. That’s reality. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.

Work is about many small increments a person without mental illness would not even think about. When you have a mental illness each facet is separate and requires a different coping mechanism. People with mental illness often can’t transition quickly from one activity to another where most people transition automatically.

An example would be a coffee break where one interacts with co-workers. You stop work, you take a break and chat, and you return to your work. Each step is fraught with its own anxiety and thoughts in order to process what’s expected and acceptable.

None of it comes naturally. It’s as if you have to write a script and act a role for each increment of your life. If one misreads a situation it leads to saying and doing inappropriate that alienate people.

Mental illness is a complicated illness that involves the physical (brain chemistry) and the emotional (life experience). It impacts everyone differently.

In my own case was I bullied because I was different or am I different because I was bullied? Am I mentally ill because I had negative life experiences or did I have negative life experiences because I’m mentally ill? The truth is it’s both. I see the world differently and it’s difficult to relate with other people for any length of time.

I battle my illness every day. My life is like a merry-goround I can’t get off. I think I’ve turned a corner and then I’m right back where I started, battling thoughts ad behaviours I thought I’d overcome. But with the help of family, friends and medications I’ve learned that the merry-go-round can return to a better place again.

It hurts when people think I’m lazy and selfish because I focus so much on myself. They don’t understand that I have to live within my limitations or deal with the negative consequences of my mental and physical health. I have to be vigilant and self-aware. It’s how I cope. I’ve learned over the years I can only deal with one thing at a time. I have to choose between activities or suffer the consequences.

Society accepts the limitations of those with chronic physical illnesses. It’s time to do the same for those with mental illnesses.

It’s not easy to accept my limitations. I tried for years to do things that were ‘normal.’ I said inappropriate things, I made a fool of myself and I got sick. That’s my reality and I accept it as best I can. Marianne Monica MacDonald North Sydney