What the most hurtful thing a person said about your mental illness?

[FoxSauce]

I understand that individuals with mental illnesses face significant challenges in their daily lives. Unfortunately, not everyone is as understanding, and at times, others may say things that are deeply hurtful or invalidating.

Can you share what has been said to you that made you feel hurt or invalidated?

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'm not sure that I do have a mental illness. I was diagnosed with mild to moderate depression on the one time I saw a therapist years ago and they refered me to my GP.

However, my Dad has previously refered to another member of my family and said that I wasn't unhappy like they were. Theirs had been clinically diagnosed (I assume,) and they were on medication. (I was too for a bit.) It's not to belittle what this other person has but yeah- that felt pretty belittling. Like- how can you even know? Part of it though, is because I've spared him the worst of it. I've never outright said I was suicidal.

I think parents in particular like to kid themselves that they've produced regular, functioning children too.

 

[LostLily]

Told a friend about previous attempts and she shouted at me for " being stupid"
I have a childhood friend who who I havent seen in a while messaged me out of the blue . She has bipolar and I was about to try to organize a hang out with her but my mom told me to not too just in case she commits suicide because of her mental illness.

 

[FoxSauce]

Told a friend about previous attempts and she shouted at me for " being stupid"
I have a childhood friend who who I havent seen in a while messaged me out of the blue . She has bipolar and I was about to try to organize a hang out with her but my mom told me to not too just in case she commits suicide because of her mental illness.

Damn sounds like a lot

I'm not sure that I do have a mental illness. I was diagnosed with mild to moderate depression on the one time I saw a therapist years ago and they refered me to my GP.

However, my Dad has previously refered to another member of my family and said that I wasn't unhappy like they were. Theirs had been clinically diagnosed (I assume,) and they were on medication. (I was too for a bit.) It's not to belittle what this other person has but yeah- that felt pretty belittling. Like- how can you even know? Part of it though, is because I've spared him the worst of it. I've never outright said I was suicidal.

I think parents in particular like to kid themselves that they've produced regular, functioning children too.

Even tho mild or severe the struggle is still there, I'm sorry that happened to you but your not alone on this dude ^^
I mostly struggle with moods and mostly intense sadness which can be very tiring to deal with on a daily basis.

I've been told- don't be so dramatic (which is mostly that)

Why you don't try yoga or meditation (tried didn't work) I exercise on a daily basis

Why don't you try to think positive or smile

That's all I can remember tbh

 

[savory]

Being branded mentally ill is harmful as is

 

[FoxSauce]

Being branded mentally ill is harmful as is

What do you mean? if you want to elaborate

 

[KuriGohan&Kamehameha]

My husband's mother told me, "I got touched as a child too once but I got over it instead of being a whiny bitch and little baby like you."

Not only was this extremely hurtful, but pure ignorance. Comparing her own life to mine is like apples and oranges. Yes she had a traumatic event happen to her too but my entire life was chaos and instability well into adulthood.

This woman didn't have to deal with an alcoholic parent who let strangers burn their kid's hair off or neglected her for drugs and alcohol. She didn't have her parent pull a gun on her and try to shoot themselves. She didn't live around violence and shouting nearly everyday. She wasn't groomed by older men as a teenager. She didn't have multiple instances of sexual abuse across the lifetime like I did. Her own mother didn't abandon her as a baby. She wasn't bullied relentlessly everyday in school for having a disability since birth.

And yet somehow people like her are seen as righteous and strong, so confident regarding something they know very little about, while I'm seen as a weak baby for being unable to get over things the vast majority have not personally experienced and have no conception of except hearsay and what's depicted in the media. PTSD is a joke to them.

 

[angelfeather]

My mum told me the trauma I suffered "wasn't that bad" even though I took my father to court for historic sexual abuse. When I told her I was diagnosed with Bpd and had had multiple suicide attempts she said "you've not always been like this." Bearing in mind I've lived with depression, anxiety, eating disorders and self harm for nearly half my life. Talk about living in denial…

 

[Forveleth]

My mom got actually mad at me when I puked in the middle of the night from anxiety attacks because it would wake her up.

In high school I told my parents I was suicidal and they said to "just wait until college, it will get better" instead of y'know, taking me to therapy or something.

My current partner has gotten mad at me (jealous really) for taking days off work when I'm non-functional. He's "read up" on depression which says you should encourage the person to get out and do stuff instead of sit and be miserable. While this is true, his method of getting me to go out is to be an absolute asshole to me until I'm pissed off enough to just do what he wants to shut him up. Then he gets pissed at me when I'm grumpy while participating in whatever activity he thinks is supposed to make me happy. He's not only a major cause of my depression, he's utterly unsupportive about it but keeps telling me he's "done research and is trying to help."