You Said What About Mental Illness?

You Said What About Mental Illness?
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"I am intrigued to know what kind of life lead to be so selfishly depressed. Deaths? Rape? Abuse? What exactly have you got to be so depressed about."

Selfishly depressed? Have I missed something in this society? See I thought an illness you have no control over has nothing to do with your selfishness or selflessness. I know many people with depression, most of whom are incredibly selfless human beings. What have I got to be depressed about? Well the my neurotransmitter function is disrupted in my brain meaning that the transmission of serotonin fails to function and therefore the signal is disrupted.

"She should be grateful for life there's a brain surgery op that turns off depression permanently via a small chip planted in the brain so she hasn't tried every option I hope she donated her organs to give someone else the chance to live"

Are you her doctor or surgeon or have you had any access to her medical records? You do not know the options she has or has not tried or the options that would work for her specifically. Organ donation has nothing to do with this story. Her life is her life, she is not responsible for anyone with a physical illness.

"Bye then."

Did you accidentally post this comment? You know when you're texting and talking at the same time? Like maybe you were saying 'Bye' to your friend but typed it on this post by accident or maybe you're incredibly ignorant and cruel.

"She sounds like an attention seeker."

If I wanted attention, I probably wouldn't try to die for it because as far as I am aware you don't get attention once your life has ended. Mental illnesses are not easy to live with, nobody would choose to be unwell. If I go to bed with a migraine am I an attention seeker?

"She needs #yoga"

Oh yes the cure for all cancers, organ failures and blood borne viruses. Yoga. I'm on a waiting list for it now! Who needs medication and doctors and medical school, just stick to PE!! Erm...no!

"She's 24...she hasn't seen life yet. The best cure for her would be to visit a real third world country and see how people live through real hardship, forcing smiles on their impoverished faces."

Cure? Or would it just make her feel even more guilty because no matter what she sees, whether it be hardship or freedom then she will still be poorly and still be stuck in a stigmatising and discriminating society that doesn't want to be educated.

"To the woman who wants to end her life. Go join ISIS, they'll give different ways you can end your life."

I hope this is a joke...but then again I don't. How inappropriate and disgusting especially only a week on from 30 Brits losing their life to terrorists. Why bring ISIS into this? What have the got to do with a woman's mental health in Belgium?

"Send her to Syria, she will see the true depression and suffering...she will appreciate the life she has now..."

True depression? Hold on...I might be mistaken here but I thought that depression was an illness not an emotion. Sadness, heart break and devastation is what is happening in Syria but there are probably people with depression too and guess what? They would probably have depression had they been born and bred in Oxford because the issue is the brain chemistry. There is suffering in Syria but there is also suffering in the EU. Slavery, rape, trafficking, poverty and more so shall we not assume that she has an easy life? Last time I checked the only life you have lived was yours.

"She just needs a good old fashioned life check there's people starving in Africa and they have to provide for there family's yet she had an upbringing, grandparents who actually cared and loved her yet she wants to end her life she gets no sympathy from me ending your life is a cowards way out she should fight for what's right and if she sat down and flipping snapped out of it then maybe she could find a resolve, a way out by helping others! This is a weird world we live in people but this is ridiculous!"

And breathe...There are also people with mental illness and clinical depression in Africa. Mental illness isn't just for the developed countries because it isn't a choice! Oh damn...that's where I've been going wrong! All these years of illness, hospital and medication and I could have just sat down and snapped out of it. What a shame the doctors didn't give me that advice....or maybe they have the education to know that isn't how illness works. Got the flu and need to run a marathon? Oh just snap out of it! Okay then. Sorted. Why do we need doctors?

"Come to me lady I am sure I will remove ur depression and make u happiest girl in this world."

Yes, that's what her brain chemistry is missing, some egotistical, sexist and very single man. Depression cured.

"Shame she could not go to nepal or some other problem area and see how people handle disasters! it would give her a new and much needed perspective"

This morning I was thinking, 'Ahh how can I cure my chronic mental illness' and then I thought, 'Yes, new perspective, that's what I need!' Plane tickets to Nepal booked and hopefully this new perspective will cure my arthritis and asthma too. Who needs medication and medical professionals when you can see more trauma and devastation to cure you.

"Natural selection, why doesn't she then."

Whoa

"In latin american and in africa people gets killed every day for less than nothing...she wants to die? Pay the proper taxes so everybody really DONT CARE jump off a bridge"

I'm really struggling to jump on your wave length here. I'm not sure what taxes or any of this has to do with an individual's health in Belgium. Little bit of advice for the future...Don't tell people to jump off of bridges because one day it might be someone you know and you will wish you had been less closed-minded and more compassionate so that they had someone to talk to instead of ending their life through isolation and shame.

"Give her something real and external to be depressed about and she'll soon want to live. North Korea or Saudi Arabia should make her realise things aren't so bad."

Is that how it works? Give a poorly person more trauma and sadness and they become happy? This feels a little bit like 2+2=5

"She needs to get married, have a family and trust she will as happy as Larry"

Ahh marriage! I haven't tried that one yet...oh I won't bother taking my medication today, I'll just go and get engaged!! I wonder if marriage and a family cures post-natal depression too?!

"No! No! Go to Africa!"

Why would that be? Some new form of medication? Or maybe they are less discriminating that the Brits on Facebook? Who knows!