Venting You haven’t struggled with lifelong abuse and suicidal thoughts, so shut up!!!! (In regards to privileged people posting about mental health)

[cptsdfugue]

This is just a general rant/vent I'm wondering if anyone can relate to.

The school I used to be in and the college I'm currently in always preach mental health awareness and have posters around the entire campus saying to take a step back and relax and ground yourself and take a deep breath in and out. They even provided "mindfulness boxes" with lavender scents and a fidget toy for each class (like it's at the front of the class for you to pick up) like you're telling me that THAT'S going to prevent me from wanting to KILL MYSELF?????

I think that's a HUGE part of why I can't take DBT skills seriously. They've just been ground up and ruined in this huge "trendy" oh my GOD MINDFULNESS AFFIRMATION!!! For mild anxiety and stress trends only, of course, even if they don't state it.

The second I tell someone I'm suicidal, they immediately take it to an extreme level and treat me like a monster. Despite everyone so called preaching about mental health awareness. They all have support and I have nothing. They have no idea what it feels like to have a constant loss of identity and have your memory fragmented into itty bitty shards.

Another thing I'll add to this: when people you KNOW who have no significant mental struggle in their lives post about mental health awareness and repost their "struggles" in life. (SOMEONE POINTED OUT that this might be taken about fellow SS members- this is referring to those I know IRL who I know for a fact are not severely depressed/claim that mental health matters but look away at more severe cases, NOT SS MEMBERS!) And before you go OH! BUT EVERYONE'S ISSUES MATTER okay sure they do but I feel like at times only addressing these minor issues and treating more "major" ones with disgust is so hypocritical. And it's even worse when you KNOW they haven't been through severe childhood trauma (and don't give me that "you don't know how bad it is" shit, because that's an assumption EVERYONE HAS IT WORSE THAN YOU!!!!!) Like this one girl in particular who looked upon me with disgust when I had my BPD split and kept on disregarding my mental health and being really inconsiderate reposted a thing about mental health like okay bro????? Okay?????

Does anyone else feel this way. Being so so SO sick of mental illness, the more "severe" type being villainized while the depression from mild academic stress is treated and praised.

I really wish that one day it might be selfish to say but suicidality is not villainized in society, it is treated just like a normal health condition in society, like telling someone "oh, I have allergies" or "oh, I have asthma"

I understand why it might be of concern why someone might be severely depressed but goddamnit, if you're going to preach mental health acceptance and awareness, why don't you include people who are REALLY struggling?

 

[GodzillasBiggestFan]

i agree, how people treat mental health can be so weird. they say they support it but actually showing any symptoms of it they treat with so much judgement. they say people with suicidal thoughts should reach out, but telling anyone gets a very harsh reaction.

 

[Canto XIII]

I feel called out on this one...

I agree with you that there has been some kind of aestheticization of mental issues which is stupid and sometimes offending, but pain does come from multiple places. I don't really care about myself, but I wouldn't feel justified calling many people on this forum fakers because they're privileged. I'm not even talking about justification, guilt or responsability here, I'm just saying that pain can be real and valid despite privileges.

But I'm probably misinterpreting what you said.

 

[cptsdfugue]

OH NO!!!

I feel called out on this one...

I agree with you that there has been some kind of aestheticization of mental issues which is stupid and sometimes offending, but pain does come from multiple places. I don't really care about myself, but I wouldn't feel justified calling many people on this forum fakers because they're privileged. I'm not even talking about justification, guilt or responsability here, I'm just saying that pain can be real and valid despite privileges.

But I'm probably misinterpreting what you said.

I am definitely not referring to the people on this forum. I am referring to those I know in real life! I believe people who are on this forum are all if not all suicidal so they share that same factor as me as being looked down on for being suicidal/disrespected for it, I'm referring to those around me who aren't suicidal who look down on and shun me for being mentally ill! Sorry for the confusion

 

[StarryEyed]

Hi everyone. I totally get the point of severe mental illness being trivialised by people with mild mental illness. I think it's the same for many illnesses. For example the range of addictions is so broad, but someone who is on death's door due to their addiction because they've lost their family, their job, their home and their health is a far stretch from someone who can't get by without a drink every night. Yet they are the same diagnosis of addiction. Or someone with asthma who suffers frequent life-threatening asthma attacks is not the same as someone who gets attacks of just being slightly short of breath. Yet it's the same diagnosis of asthma. Or someone who has a spot of skin cancer on their nose that is easily treated with an a topical cream is not the same as someone with stage IV incurable metastatic cancer that has been recurring and has failed all treatments with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Yet in both cases it's called cancer.

 

[Canto XIII]

OH NO!!!

I am definitely not referring to the people on this forum. I am referring to those I know in real life! I believe people who are on this forum are all if not all suicidal so they share that same factor as me as being looked down on for being suicidal/disrespected for it, I'm referring to those around me who aren't suicidal who look down on and shun me for being mentally ill! Sorry for the confusion

No worries, I'm the one who's sorry for putting something you didn't mean inside your mouth.

 

[Awesomefoid67]

most people don't actually care about mental health they just want to virtue signal about how they do while also shaming anyone who actually struggles cus either they don't understand or like they don't wanna hear/think about it because it makes them feel bad or weird or whatever
so called "mental health supporters" when they see anyone with more than like mild anxiety/depression (especially for like any personality disorder mainly the cluster Bs, like bpd, npd, and aspd get so much hate and stigma and hpd just kinda gets ignored, but also like other ones like bipolar or any kind of like psychotic disorder or severe depression to the point where you don't like wash or clean your room)

 

[StarryEyed]

@Awesomefoid67 I think most people don't really care about most people's physical or mental health problems. And most people are dealing with something already. I think in an ideal world everyone would deal with their own problems. But the fact is none of us have all the answers in dealing with our problems. So we really need others to help. Typically the best help comes from peers because they have at least some understanding, so it's like a jumpstart to the connection. But like @cptsdfugue says, if you're at the opposite ends of the spectrum, you're not really dealing with the same problem. I love the saying a problem shared is a problem halved. I think that can relate especially to peer support.