destigmatizeme

[destigmatizeme]

"You're not the main character" also applies to thinking that you're so uniquely horrible that everyone you meet is deeply invested in judging and hating you. That's just as much of a cognitive distortion as believing that you're the center of everyone's admiration. I promise you that other people got their own lives to live and their own struggles and flaws to cope with.

[destigmatizeme]

friendly reminder no one is worth destroying yourself over. doesn’t matter how happy they’ve made you, how long you’ve known them, how cute they are, how sweet they can be. if you’re constantly crying yourself to sleep over them and feeling invalidated and having to blame yourself or make up excuses for them, not worth it. not worth it now. not worth it in the long run.

[destigmatizeme]

I'm a 15 year old battling suicidal thoughts and thoughts on cutting. I live in a country where a majority of people believe mental health issues = madness.

I told my dad about going to the hospital to get checked, because I believe I may be neuro-divergent. He laughed at it and said it was not important however he would see what he can do, though he believes all I have to do is pray to God even though I have been doing that for years. I had told my mother about it but she told me not to mention madness to her again. I actually want to see a doctor and tell them about my depression and anxiety i used to harm myself severely but starvation, attempting suffocation and cutting my skin with my nails. i rarely do it but once i'm triggered, it becomes the only solution.

I'm tired of trying to solve things on my own and wait for God to answer my prayers, because i fear i would be no more by then. But, even if i do see a doctor about my mental health, I'm nervous and scared thinking about the fact the doctor will tell my parents of everything. I'm so lost and I don't know what to do, because when i told my parent about the possibility of being neuro-divergent, they were dismissive and called it madness(the condition). i don't know how they would take my depression. I've reached out to sibling and she was like I would get over it that it's just money that's the issue that once i start to earn it would go away. my other sibling thinks of everything i do as 'edge lord', so i can't even attempt telling him. And, I can't be a bother to others. I really need advice.

I’m sorry your parents won’t help you and that you are going through so much without the kind of support system you need and deserve.

Do you have any laws in your country that protect patient privacy? Or is there an advocacy organization that might be able to help you get care?

If there is absolutely no way for you to safely get the help you need, then all I know to suggest is practicing standard coping skills—journaling, deep breathing, distractions.

#mental health #mental illness #stigma #mental health stigma #ableism

[destigmatizeme]

I talk to many people who say things like "oh I have trauma but I don't have PTSD", but then when I talk to them a little more I realize that they most likely do, they just can't recognize it as such due to how lacking PTSD awareness is, even beyond the whole "it's not just a veteran's disorder" thing.

The main reason they think they don't have PTSD usually has to do with flashbacks and nightmares, either they have one but not the other or have neither. But here's the thing, those are only two symptoms out of the 23-odd recognized symptoms. Flashbacks and nightmares are two of the five symptoms under Criterion B (Intrusion), which you only need one of for a diagnosis. The other three symptoms are unwanted upsetting memories, emotional distress after being reminded of trauma and physical reactivity after being reminded of trauma (i.e. shaking, sweating, heart racing, feeling sick, nauseous or faint, etc). Therefore you can have both flashbacks and nightmares, one but not the other, or neither and still have PTSD.

In fact, a lot of the reasons people give me for why they don't think they have PTSD are literally a part of the diagnostic criteria.

"Oh, I can barely remember most parts of my trauma anyway." Criterion D (Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood) includes inability to recall key features of the trauma.

"Oh but I don't get upset about my trauma that often because I avoid thinking of it or being around things that remind me of it most of the time." Criterion C (Avoidance) includes avoiding trauma-related thoughts or feelings and avoiding trauma-related external reminders, and you literally cannot get diagnosed if you don't have at least one of those two symptoms.

"Oh I just have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, but I don't have nightmares." Criterion E (Alterations in Arousal and Reactivity) includes difficulting sleeping outside of nightmares.

"But I didn't have many/any trauma symptoms until a long time after the trauma happened." There's literally an entire specification for that.

Really it just shows how despite being one of the most well-known mental illnesses, people really don't know much about PTSD. If you have trauma, I ask you to at least look at the criteria before you decide you don't have PTSD. Hell, even if you don't have trauma, look at the criteria anyway because there are so many symptoms in there that just are not talked about.

PTSD awareness is not just about flashbacks and nightmares.

#ptsd

[destigmatizeme]

Long Story Short | Taylor Swift

#inspiration

[destigmatizeme]

In case you need this today

- you are not a failure - you are not a waste of space - you are loved - you are wanted - i believe in you - you can do it

[destigmatizeme]

[image description: tweet by Jessica Pin that says, “Most people who simply witness a shooting are not traumatized the rest of their lives. I'm sick of this attitude that people are so fragile. How the hell do people like this think we made it 200,000 years through much harder conditions if we are so easy to break?” She had quoted a tweet by Kristi Cornett; the visible portion of that tweet reads, “This is horrifying to watch. Grateful for our brave police and their response but we should not have to live like this not respond like this. Those children and adults will be traumatized for the rest of their lives. I can't imagine the trauma for these...” /end of image description]

In spite of what Jessica Pin has said, PTSD is not a sign of fragility. It does not mean a person is broken. PTSD is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

#stigma #mental health #mental illness #mental health stigma #ableism #ptsd #jessica pin #school shooting #nashville #nashville school shooting #ptsd stigma #mediclit

[destigmatizeme]

In case nobody told you today: I love you, I am proud of you, you are doing great and I am glad you are alive. ♡

[destigmatizeme]

“Take all the time you need to heal emotionally. Moving on doesn’t take a day. It takes a lot of little steps to be able to break free of your broken self.”

— Unknown

#inspiration #quotes

[destigmatizeme]

EVERYONE DRINK WATER RIGHT NOW AND REBLOG TO KEEP THE HYDRATION GANG CHAIN GOING

#self care

[destigmatizeme]

how is one happy and depressed and anxious but calm at the same time?

because depression and anxiety are disorders, not emotions. they can be emotions, but it’s more complicated than that. i really don’t know how many more times i can explain this. consider yourself lucky that you don’t need to understand it.

#mental health #mental illness #stigma #mental health stigma #depression #depression stigma #anxiety

[destigmatizeme]

Wrong.

This is from the American Psychiatric Association:

Not all transgender people suffer from gender dysphoria and that distinction is important to keep in mind. Gender dysphoria and/or coming out as transgender can occur at any age.

“Gender Identity Disorder” is an obsolete term for gender dysphoria and was removed from the DSM when the Fifth Edition (DSM-V) was published in 2013.

People can be trans without wanting to start HRT. There’s no requirement that trans individuals have BDD. Nonbinary people can identify as trans.

Stop spreading disinformation and stigma about being trans.

If you don't have gender dysphoria, you aren't trans. If you don't have body dysmorphia, you aren't trans. If you haven't been diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder, you aren't trans. If you have no inclination to start HRT in any capacity, you aren't trans. If you're nonbinary, you aren't trans. If crossdressing turns you on, you aren't trans. Stop trying to make a spectacle of a very serious mental health issue.

#lgbtq #transphobia #transgender #gender dysphoria #body dysmorphia #nonbinary #stigma #disinformation

[destigmatizeme]

[image description: a section of a tweet reads, “I've worked with adults with disabilities for close to 10 years and the standard is people first language I.E Person with autism.” /end of image description]

It’s so fun when someone who “works with” disabled people tells disabled people what they should be called. Paternalism is the bestest thing ever.

This doesn’t just happen online.

In my second year as a social work major, I said “I’m bipolar” to one of the graduate program’s professors. He said “you have bipolar disorder, you are not your diagnosis” and wouldn’t let me object. I had it happen in treatment as well.

Telling me what I was allowed to call myself did not make me feel empowered in the slightest, it did quite the opposite to be honest. It allowed my sense of self to erode so completely that I could not advocate for myself when I was “kicked out” of the major for being bipolar.

#stigma #autism #bipolar disorder #person first language #neurodivergent #neuroatypical #ableism #mental illness #mental health stigma #mental health

[destigmatizeme]

BPD is being completely predictable to everyone else but not to yourself. You always seem to surprise yourself with how deep you can spiral downward or how you think you're feeling better and then you just don't anymore. Everyone else watches you do the same shit over and over and expects it but you just feel like you're on an out of control rollercoaster.

#borderline personality disorder #bpd life #actually bpd #bpd problems

[destigmatizeme]

They tell me "that's good!" when asked if my suicidal thoughts are just passive and don't have a plan.

But I don't think it's so good. I don't want to have these thoughts at all. I'm so tired of these thoughts.

#borderline personality disorder #actually bpd #mental illness #suicide #suicidal ideation

[destigmatizeme]

Self-care for

Sensory Overload

Nature sounds like rain, storms, or sunny meadows

Sleeping make for darkness

Noise canceling headphones

Nature scenes or ASMR videos

Scents that you enjoy

Changing the temperature to warmer or cooler

Soft or low lighting

Weighted, soft or heated blankets

Guided meditations or binaural beats

Sensory Overload

#sensory overload #self care tips #mental health #sensory processing disorder

[destigmatizeme]

#mental health #mental illness #self injury #self injury awareness day #awareness