Mental Illness -- "That is Bullshit"

    I tried to create a blog a while ago called This is How Villains are Made, and it was supposed to be a bunch of posts written by those with mental illness who could help others who were going through it. We offered support and contact information so if you were having a hard time, you could contact us and not only that but suicide hotlines and the like. I myself have suffered greatly from such things, and only recently started to do this whole reform on how I lived my life in lieu of such things. I am doing a sort of "series" on Facebook that every once in a while I'll make a post describing something that I've been going through. I decided it'd probably be a good idea to do this here as well.

    I had a conversation with someone today, in which the conversation came to the point when I said that I have issues with myself that are considered irreversible, due to the fact that the diseases I have (PTSD and MDD) have degraded my brain due to a shortage of necessary chemicals. Their prompt reply was, and in all literal sense, "that is bullshit". To be honest, they are someone I highly respect in the short time we've known each other, however, this very much irked me. Knowing neurology as I do, I know that there are major effects on the brain to prolonged exposure to untreated mental diseases that are sometimes permanent. This friend also said how they handled a panic attack with a stern repose of calm down and don't talk to me until you have.

    This conversation left me in a bad mood as it was the last thing we spoke of before I had work, and all the while I was working at the pizza shop, I was viciously folding boxes and scrubbing pans with a furrowed brow and a heavy, almost rejected heart. I thought, how could someone be so dismissive to something that I have seen and experienced? How can someone be so arrogant as to treat someone like that during a panic attack? What type of deterrent showed them this idealism? This person is someone very spiritual and knowledgeable in many things, and it shocked me that this ignorant response even came from such a person.

    But then, I started thinking.

    And it never goes well when I start doing that.

    I started first as I always do; first the outrage, the denial, the counterarguments, that whole shebang. If someone ever comes up to me with something or a situation that I don't like, it's an immediate outburst to get the emotions out. Those who have known me longest know that I do this, and let me freak out and rant as much as I need to before we continue with any conversation. Then, after that, I am able to take an unbiased opinion and view it from their side, and once I started doing this from their perspective, I started to see something.

    Now if you'd like to hear this friend's true opinion, I will add an edit, however from what I could pick apart it started from this; if you yourself are a spiritual person, this actually makes sense. When you live life in a way in which everything is flowing and and about feeling the way the universe is, nothing is concrete. Nothing is solidified and absolute. It is all not just "up to you" but all that open themselves to such a thing all come to the same conclusions, which is why overall we all get to the same place once we start our spiritual journey. A place where you can feel God, and talk to It, and know things; tapping into a higher plane of existence that is not only extraordinary but also unknown, terrifying and full of misdirection. The thing is here, however is the facet "it is up to you". Because in that reality, it is. You have full creative expression due to opening yourself up to the universe, and in this sense, coming to the conclusion that mental illness "does not exist" if very likely. Even if you are able to say to someone "but there is science! Records! We see the degradation and that it is running rampant and causing a lot of harm!". And yes. It is. And yes, it is not. Because to the spiritual person, nothing is true and all is permitted, to quote Assassin's Creed. To those spiritually aware, the spirit, mind and body all affect one another. If you are spiritually disturbed, per se, it is likely your mind and body will be so as well.

    This equates mental illness as a symptom of a disturbed heart. Which in clinical terms, is exactly what it is. You are depressed, bipolar, fearful or triggered--these are all emotional responses and a product of the heart and spirit. The only extra facet that clinical definition brings, is that this disturbance causes the mind to degrade and can affect it. (Genetics can be brought into this, but we will get to genetic mental illness in a moment). We have, specifically with depression in Psychology, come up with a "root" of what causes such a mental illnesses, and I personally have concluded as such with bipolar, and the like, and also, the reasons for lying and unforgiveness.

*Disclaimer: this is purely speculation and not grounded in any scientific research aside from personal experience; may be subject to change after further research

Mental Illnesses
Depression (Anger) Based from Anger forced inwards	Bipolar Disorder (Indecision) Confusion, and indecision from lack of emotional support	PTSD (Fear) Fear of recurrence of past trauma
Sublet Actions*
Unforgiveness Unforgiveness is usually based from anger, or "hardened" anger	Unreliable Tendencies Being unreliable typically stems from indecision or confusion	Lying The main reasons for lying are typically based on fear

    All these things, the mental illnesses, the sublet actions, and all the issues and negative tendencies someone may have is typically due to an underlying emotion. Due to my friend's spirituality, they believe that all these roots can be changed, and should be, given the means and time. However, they seem to disagree that each one a separate emotions, and believes all of these negative actions are born of Fear.

    To be honest with you, I have trouble myself believing some of these things to be 100% accurate; although the Depression, PTSD, Unforgiveness and Lying seem to be spot on, Bipolar Disorder is something I have only witnessed and not experienced personally. So that is subject to change.

    So, in conclusion, we now know that spiritual connection has a big part in how the brain works, and that your mindset can change your mental illness. However there are two things; first of all, is the way my friend presented a proper way to combat mental illness and second, what about genetic mental illness instead of developed?

    Both of these points are controversial, and are being discussed in the bigger world as you're reading this; what is the best way to combat mental illness, genetic and developed? For the longest time, we have taken the stance of "just get over it", which I believe to be actually healthy, and that is coming from someone who has been told "get over it" thousands of times to the point it nearly lead me to suicide. Sounds contradicting, right? Well, actually no. Being told to "get over it" isn't too far from the truth; the problem is a brain with the symptoms of such clogged up emotion, and babying someone with such issues can create a major problem that I faced. I became complacent to direction and harsh criticism because it made me used to the cushy reactions of "no worries, it'll all be taken care of", which as a temporary solution when someone is manic or depressed, is a live saver, however, as a long-term treatment is deadly. Because not everyone can reply in such a safe manner, and can encourage those who are depressed and sensitive to rejection to take it harsher than intended. Such as bullying. Because I expected from my history with my family of babying me when it came to my mental illness, I was not prepared to deal with others who had little tolerance to someone who would sometimes kill a mood due to the fact I was having such a moment.

    Yet because of this method of "get over it" proving to be a failure for long-term treatment, the world has come to a switch; we're starting to care deeper about these problems. Although suicide rates are keeping a steady pace. Possibly a reform should be made, especially when it comes to genetic diseases of this kind, because that can be an entirely new blog post to make.

    At the end of the day, I posted this to express something that was of deep importance; even though I didn't completely agree with my friend, there was some truth; you may be on medication, you may be having a hard time, but take a moment to take the pressure off; calm down. Force yourself to be in a stable place again, because from the results of that conversation and their reports on the method, once you are able to do that, you can then attack the roots of the problem appropriately and conquer such things, whether it be through therapy, spirituality, or even a good friend.

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    I hope this helped in some way to identify the possible roots of problems you or a loved one may be encountering, and although I have not academically sourced this, there is nothing here that has not be supported by outside evidence. Thank you for reading about this, and I wish you wellness for your lifetime to come in combating such debilitating diseases.