"I Don't Like To Use The 'D' Word"

Hi Folks,
So firstly before things begin, I would like to thank you all for helping me to reach 1000 views on this blog, when I started this project a few months ago I couldn't even dream of reaching that total but hopefully we can continue on!

I'm guessing you've been a bit bemused by the title of this post so I thought I would share a recent story of mine with you. I'm not stranger to talking about my mental health issues, it's a big part of my life and has helped shape me into who I am so I rarely shy away from talking to people about things. This comes with its pro's and con's of course and overtime one can compile a long list of things you probably shouldn't say to people with mental health issues. I struggled for months with my illnesses before telling anyone, purely because I was terrified of the repercussions of putting my hands up and admitting that there was something wrong with me.

People can take this information very differently, some will be completely supportive, some will fade away within the next few weeks (thinking they are doing it subtly but failing miserably to "fade"), and others won't know what to make of it all and will ask lots of questions. Personally the people that ask the questions tend to be more sincere and understanding with the relationship afterwards as they can understand you and your illness a whole lot better than they did before. I don't mind answering the questions because to me it is helping break the "stigma" around mental health by raising awareness.

However I had the pleasure of a uni interview the other day where all the tutor wanted to talk about was my mental health issues and not my passion for the subject. Yes my mental health is a big part of my life but it does not define me as a person and that was the way the interview was heading. I questions such as "how would you cope being so far away from home?" to "how would your illness affect your studies?", I was very honest and had told her that I had not let everything stop me in the past, I always managed to get coursework in before the deadline and was always in good communication with my tutor. I was already beginning to feel a little unsure about where the interview was heading. Then I made a fatal error, I uttered the sentence "when I feel low.", this always get's people asking what I mean by "low.

So I explained that when I get depressed I tend to not get out of bed as I psychically struggle to pull together the willpower to move. The lady interviewing me audibly gasped as uttered "I don't like to use the D word", I felt completely degraded and as though I wasn't worthy to be at that uni by things that she was saying to me. It can be hard to go from admiring someone for their work to instantly feeling stereotyped by my illness. It's tough enough as it is being a young adult and suffering from mental illness without people judging you because of it.

One day, I hope we can live in a world where people with any illness do not have to face the stigma around it.
Lots of Love,
Rebecca
xxx