DEFINING YOURSELF BY MORE THAN YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS

About twenty years ago, in 1989, I was diagnosed with OCD, which was accompanied by severe panic attacks. According to my child psychologist, my future looked pretty bleak. A mental hospital was her first suggestion, citing my inability to ever function normally in society. My parents refused to accept this alternative and decided to take on the responsibility of handling a child on new anti-depressants (known as tricyclics) on their own. Needless to say, Dr. Jane Doe’s initial prognosis was, for the most part, inaccurate.

While it is true that I struggled through each day for several years, I was vigilant in my quest to conquer the impossible- even after later being diagnosed with a third, (bi-polar) fourth, (possible bpd) and fifth (dysthymic) disorder.

Now, at 29 years of age, I am a freelance writer, sports columnist, mental health advocate, and I’m working on completing a memoir. Instead of taking the “victim” stance, I’ve used my lifetime full of painful memories as fuel to feed the burning flames.

I’ll be the first to admit, mental illness is a tricky disease, as it often affects the rationality of the mind, but at some point we have to take some of the responsibility for our actions. Sometimes, those of us with mental illnesses find ourselves falling into the trap of the “stigma.” We do this by defining ourselves by our mental illness in a negative way, when we should be looking at how we can use it to our advantage. Enlightenment, I’ve found, is something that is almost innate in those of us with a mental illness because of the speed at which our mind if forced to travel. Enlightenment is certainly something that can be used as an advantage in a world filled with so much apathy.

Perhaps nineteenth century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said it best when he uttered the phrase, “that which does not kill us makes us stronger.” If you decide to live by these words, there isn’t anything you can’t do, albeit with help from the right people.

Choose to live-one day at a time.