MainerMikeBrown
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2019
- Messages
- 910
- Reaction score
- 285
The stigma against mental illness isn't as bad as it used to be. But it still exists. I think it probably always will.
Part of why it took me as long as it did to get the help I needed was because of the stigma.
But once I got the help for the first time back in 2000, I hid it from most of my family. My parents knew what was going on with me. And they helped me a lot with their support.
However, I hid it for a long time from other family members, like my grandparents, my brother, and my uncles and aunts.
One reason was because I didn't want them to worry while I was in and out of mental hospitals at the time.
But they suspected that something was wrong. For example, I wasn't working full time or going to college full time. They wondered why I wasn't doing more with my life.
Finally, I decided to tell them the truth. I told them that I was disabled because of mental illness and that I was in treatment for it.
When they got the news, they told me they felt relieved to finally know what was going on. They actually worried about me more before I told them.
If you're struggling with serious mental health issues and you don't want your family members to know, you have that right. And I don't blame you. But I tell this true story about how trying to hide my illness from my family backfired in case you're considering telling your family that you have mental illness and are doing what you can to combat it.
Part of why it took me as long as it did to get the help I needed was because of the stigma.
But once I got the help for the first time back in 2000, I hid it from most of my family. My parents knew what was going on with me. And they helped me a lot with their support.
However, I hid it for a long time from other family members, like my grandparents, my brother, and my uncles and aunts.
One reason was because I didn't want them to worry while I was in and out of mental hospitals at the time.
But they suspected that something was wrong. For example, I wasn't working full time or going to college full time. They wondered why I wasn't doing more with my life.
Finally, I decided to tell them the truth. I told them that I was disabled because of mental illness and that I was in treatment for it.
When they got the news, they told me they felt relieved to finally know what was going on. They actually worried about me more before I told them.
If you're struggling with serious mental health issues and you don't want your family members to know, you have that right. And I don't blame you. But I tell this true story about how trying to hide my illness from my family backfired in case you're considering telling your family that you have mental illness and are doing what you can to combat it.