Mental Health Blog

Welcome Back!! 

I have always been an advocate in helping remove the stigma that is attached to treating mental illness. After taking the mental health quiz, it not only presented me with new coping mechanisms to assist my mental health but also ways that I can better assist friends and family who are battling a mental illness.

My very first encounter with someone who had been battling a mental illness had been a close friend of mine. She suffered from severe psychological childhood trauma and other contributing factors such as neglect and sexual abuse that went years without being treated or spoken about. It took her years to finally open up to me about all the trauma she had faced growing up. She’s encountered/ witness things no child should ever see or be around. After learning more about my friend past, everything regarding the way she behaved began to make sense. I had always wondered why she had a poor ability to relate to others, would isolate herself, never spoke about the way she felt, had been extremely fearful, and an excessive thinker.  She had grown up in a neglectful household where she had been steadily abused mentally, emotionally, and verbally. For as long as she could remember, her parents never failed to let her know that her feelings didn’t matter and that she was worthless.

Being friends with Caroline taught me a lot. First and foremost, it taught me that in order to be fully competent in helping someone with a mental illness, you have to first acknowledge their struggle. Eventually it taught me patience, the importance of offering practical help, developing healthy routines, and just simply being there for someone in whatever form they needed me to be. Caroline hadn’t been used to someone willing to help or listen to her and I wanted to ensure that I could help her in any way possible throughout her recovery journey.