Mental Health Article

[Soulless Angel]

Now normally I hate the daily mail, yet, I found this a really interesting article, even though it's the daily mail.
but my question is, do you think the term mental health is thrown around too lightly, for what is often just part of life?
Not so long ago, someone compared their bad day to me standing on a bridge, We asked him to calm down, as I was in a bad place mentally, to get told to f**k off, he had had a bad day, and I knew nothing.
I never asked for what I have been through, what I am going through, I cannot express enough the torment my mind gives me daily, to have it compared to someone's bad day, has always bothered me. Yet I am not listened too.
I am not the person I was a couple of years ago, thing's went downhill after my mental break down, I am struggling to find my feet again, my place in this world, if one at all. To have this belittled and compared to what is a general every day part of life stress, makes me feel bad, even mentioning what I am going through.
Maybe my husband will now understand, when I state, well yes Ive just ripped my arms to shreds as a result of a anxiety attack, but you know, that person had a bad day at work, mine is nothing compared to them.
Life comes with stresses and struggles, it doesn't mean you have a mental illness,
The comments on this article, if you click top rated really say more then I could, I quote one comment:
**We seem to be confusing unhappiness with depression. Nobody will be happy every minute of their lives and most people will encounter difficulties at some point, but only a minority will become clinically depressed***
I just ask for those truly in a bad place because of trauma in your life, remember that the current trend of people using it as throwaway comment, means nothing, it doesn't lessen our issues,
For those who think that mental illness can happen from a bad day, I truly hope you never stand in our shoes.
But in realty, I would love thoughts on this article?

mental health article don't know how to link with preview

 

[Deleted member 1465]

It's a tricky one. I wouldn't go so far as to say that mental illness doesn't exist. For example, I have OCD which I regard as an illness. Many on here have distinct issues that are very hard to treat.
However, a lot of stuff is bundled up as mental illness. The nebulous definition of depression is one such thing.
In recent years my life had been shit and I've been unhappy about it. But I've been unhappy for a very good reason. Is that depression a mental illness or is it reasonable response to suffering? Is there a difference?
I've come to believe that to an extent, feeling depressed as a response to chronic suffering is a realistic response that shouldn't be supressed.
I guess the response of some though would be to say it depends to what extent it interferes with your functioning.
And the two conditions are not mutually exclusive. It's possible to have circumstantial depression (unhappiness) as well as more long standing high functioning existential depression.
What creates problems for me is the professionals' inability to perceive nuance withing each context, meaning that everything just gets put down to 'a mental health issue' which can then be medicated away.
I've mentioned this before, but I once had a GP try and prescribe me Prozac for grief.