You Aren't Mental Illness

[MainerMikeBrown]

If you have mental illness, such as clinical depression, bi-polar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, and so on, it's important to realize that you aren't your mental illness. Rather, you have mental illness.

Yet many people, even experienced mental health professionals, will often say that their client "is bi-polar," or "is schizophrenic."

They are wrong for wording it this way. Instead, they should say, "This person has bi-polar disorder," or "This person has schizophrenia."

I mean if someone has, say, cancer, they won't say that person "Is cancer." Instead they'll say, "That person has cancer."

Big difference.

After all, a person with mental illness isn't who they are, just like cancer patients aren't their cancer.

[annemieke87]

Thanks for sharing, that is what I always try people to remind of.

[Kuma]

Great point Mainer. We should not let our anxiety (or depression, etc.) define us. I am trying to do the same with my work -- which for too long I have allowed to define me. If I say "I am an investment banker" it seems like that is my identity. And then when something goes wrong at work, it takes on more importance than it should. If I "work in investment banking," that is better. Of course, I still want to do a good job at work. But it is not "who I am." Instead, it is just one of the things that I do...

[Kirk]

I could not agree with you more.

[Olives]

I've found that thinking about it this way helps reduce the self shame of having social anxiety and being more willing to seek help.