Why would you want to live like that? Just get over it!

“OH MY GOSH! I couldn’t live without my planner, I’m so OCD!”

“I can’t believe he said that to me, I legit had an anxiety attack!”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately; I guess I’ve been a bit depressed…”

These statements bother me because majority of the people who use such statements are not diagnosed with the mental illness described. Just because you like order doesn’t mean you’re OCD. Just because you got freaked out doesn’t mean you have anxiety. Just because you are sad doesn’t mean you’re depressed.

People say such statements like they are an accessory, people are glorifying and making such illness seem like they are simple problems. If you don’t have depression consider yourself lucky, it is a very stressful and draining illness. It is most definitely not something that you just randomly feel when you have a single bad day.

After taking Abnormal Psychology and learning more about such diseases I know that they are much more than people play them down to be.  OCD is more than just keeping your life organized in a planner or color coordinating your closet, it can overtake your life! There are those whose OCD makes it impossible to sleep and they may be unable to leave their home; they are consumed by their disease.

I just want to point out the severity of such diseases; they aren’t ideas that can be thrown around. People who have OCD, Depression, Anxiety, etc. may feel like their problems are minuscule because others blow off these issues as if they are just an accessory to one’s personality.

I would also like to add that so many people treat mental illness as a taboo topic. Yes, mental illness is scary, but that is no reason to be scared of those who have it. There is no reason to treat others different or lesser than because they are wired differently. We are all unique, how our bodies work differently from one another. We should respect that one’s illness does not describe them. We don’t judge people based on what hand they write with… something they have no control over. Why judge them over how their brain is wired? (Something they also have NO control over)

So the next time you are with someone who actually has depression and they are in a bad mood, or are legitimately down, do NOT tell them “Why don’t you just get over it?” This statement is like asking someone who is blind to just “OPEN YOUR EYES!” There are things that stand in the way of allowing them to get passed their disabilities.  

I understand that people who are healthy have a hard time understanding why someone would want to “be sad when they could just be happy!” It isn’t something that one has control over when in a situation such as this. People don’t choose to sit there and check the light switch fifty times to make sure it’s actually off all the way; it is a disorder they have to work with, these things will not just go away on their own.

Understand that these are not situations that people ask to be put into, if anything they BEG to be cured. Constantly asking oneself “what is wrong with me” makes it feel like there is no escape, like life will forever feel like it is creeping by why one deals with whatever illness they were given.

Fun fact: The girl that the movie The Exorcist is based off of actually had Tourette Syndrome and was not possessed by demons. But if we are being real it was a demon she was forced to deal with, just not the paranormal kind.

PPPS: If there is a life situation that feels out of your control, or you have a friend who feels that they are no longer of worth, find help. No one should have to battle alone.

National Suicide Prevention      1-800-273-8255