Mental Health disorder is no joke. Its not always what the media portrays. The person that is very chronically ill and harms others, only to wake up to a normal day. Neither are they the ones that you see running around without clothes. These are extreme cases. Your day to day mental health sufferer are ordinary people that sit by you during dinner or go out with you for a cup of coffee or are stuck at home away from the rest of the world because they believe due to stigma that they will become these horrors media portrays.
Most of you, if not all of you, know someone with a mental illness. Whether that is depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, PTSD, or any other disorder. Some of these cases are undiagnosed cases, where we know and feel that something is wrong! Yet we carry on and do NOTHING! about it. This is when you hear about the extreme chronic cases, that are usually the cases that appear in the media. The chronically ill! Suicide, hurting others, and the running around without clothes cases. Most likely because these people are not informed about mental health just like the family members aren't.
So what is my point in writing all this? My point is that if I would have had the resources in my hand to help me, I would be way advanced into my healing. But I never did have resources given to me. Instead, at the grips of my sanity, the thin like where you question yourself what is and what is not real anymore. At that very point, I somehow had to find it in me, to search the net and research to find my resources. No enjoyment of a cup of coffee for me, no sirry. Because you see, those days, where my sanity was intact for only a moment, I had to use it to research and find help. There was no one there to help and inform me. There was no one there telling me “these are numbers you can call if you need help”. All I ever learned about was call 911 if you’re in danger, about dating violence, rape, date rape, calling the police campus for a ride at night, and if I was suicidal to call a hotline. Never ONCE was I lectured about mental health. No one told me one day I would forget who my mother and brother was. No one told me I can slowly degrade from functioning in society to becoming dependent on a total stranger due to my weakening mind. Hearing voices were a thing of religion, where if you heard them you were possessed and you most likely played the quija board. I wasn’t educated. I wasn’t informed. I wasn’t taught. So by the time I figured out I had Chronic PTSD, dissociation, psychosis, depression among other things, I found myself and find myself holding on to the bits and piece of the old me and struggling to survive on a day to day basis. I am not writing this to gain the pity of anyone. I am writing this because you can help someone! You don’t have money, no problemo. You don’t have time or cant volunteer, also no problemo. But you have a VOICE! Use it. Advocate for those that can’t. Speak up and spread knowledge because knowledge is power and knowledge can help save someone’s life!
Let me walk you briefly into my day so you can see why advocating is VERY! Important as well as raising awareness for those less functioning.
While some people wake up in the morning, shower, grab breakfast, and head on out without thinking twice of what their doing just that they need to get to work. I wake up and can’t seem to want to go outside. Not because Im depressed. I’m depressed because I can’t go outside and I can’t go outside because I am afraid of not being able to know what’s real and what’s not. Sometimes a vision plays in front of my eyes and I see a woman jumping over the edge of a platform onto the train, only to blink and know that didn’t happen. Going outside is torture. It’s not pleasurable. Although I have managed to find when my mind is more at rest and I can actually somewhat enjoy a walk. Some days, if I’m lucky, I do enjoy my walk. But I will tell you right now I can count how many times off the bat. Most walks leave me mentally exhausted that by the time I get home, I am depressed and ready to crawl in my bed to sleep because it does take a toil on the rest of my body. Here is a video example of what its like for me to walk out in the streets with PTSD.
You are out with your friend having and enjoying dinner. You giggle and share old time stories, laughing about how cute your children and family are or how your new car has the latest in equipped technology. If! I can make it past my door and into a restaurant, I sit and gaze around barely making eye contact with any parties just to avoid the double guessing of “did that really happened?” My food becomes anything but my food, depending on what it is. Rice is worms. Lately I tell my brain in order to shut it up “I eat worms and I like it!” decreasing the strength of repulsion on the food.
You love to shop? Imagine yourself in a container, a tight, sealed up container where you are hardly able to breath and the touches of people repulse you because it reminds you of past abuse. It’s so unbearable all you do is cry. Awesome shopping time, eh?
These are just a few inputs into a living mental illness person. Our lives are never the same. Our lives are impacted greatly and so we have to rely on other people for care sometimes and help. I don’t know about you but it’s hard to accept that someone has to help me care for myself when I was super independent once.
But with all this said. There is HELP! There are countless of help out there. There are therapy, medicines, recreational activities and so on. Yet some will end their lives or the lives of others because they don’t know about FREE resources out there. This is where YOU come in. Find a disorder, get acquainted with it, learn its consequences and healing as well as phone numbers someone can call and SPREAD THE WORD! If you know someone who is mentally ill call em and say “Hey how are you?” those simple words go a looooooooong way! Get involved! Leave pamphlets around for someone you know is going through something but doesn’t admit it which by the way many schizophrenics don’t realize they are sick because their mental reality is so alter they believe they are not sick, so this can be tricky to get help for and more involving, leading into committing that person into the hospital. But overall let your love ones know you care, if they are sick, and give them information. Information is power and the first step into healing. How do you treat something if you don’t know what it is?
Early detection, Early treatments leads to a more productive life and better chances of healing!
SPREAD THE WORD!
CALLING ALL ACTIVISTS:
There are ways you can help spread the word in second life. Ways to spread knowledge and resources that can help save someone's life or at least ease their life into a better, deserving living beause mental health illness is! treatable.
Here are some options for volunteering (You may also take up ideas and information from this event and use it in Rl)
✯ During the Month of March, we are hosting a hunt to educate the general population about mental health. If you have a store or know someone who does, this is one way to get involved.
*Please NO stores on adult sims*
Take Back The Night Hunt
✯ At the end of the Month of March, we will host two events. One is for kids (kid avies) where the information will be given to them but broken down into kids terms. This information can also be used in Rl because there are children living with mental illness. Its not just adults. The other event is for adults. Many information in regards to mental illness and where you can find help will be displayed. Also there will be arts, poetry, music, and more in reflection to mental illness. You can volunteer in this area by being an artist, poetry reader, playing music, or providing resouces.
Volunteer
