I Am Struggling

What does it mean to struggle? The dictionary defines it as “forceful or violent efforts to get free of restraint or constriction”. Everyone goes through periods of struggle in all areas of life. Obviously when life is hard and you’re in a challenging season, you will be struggling to get through.

But what if you’re not going through a challenging season? What if you’re struggling day in and day out and you don’t really know why?

If you’re feeling this way, chances are you are struggling mentally. Your brain perceives threats, restraints, and constrictions and you are forcefully trying to break away from them. Finding that it’s not working, you may feel exhausted, hopeless, worthless, and like a failure.

I want to assure you that you are not alone in this struggle. 1 in 4 Americans suffer from a diagnosable and treatable mental illness in any given year¹. Below is a guide to understanding the basics of mental illness, what you may be experiencing, how to seek help, and what happens when help is sought. You are also encouraged to check out our additional resources to the right of this page as well as on our resources page.

What is a Mental Illness?

A mental illness is generally defined as “any illness of the brain”. It can be further described as “the psychological state of someone who has emotional or behavioral problems serious enough to require psychiatric intervention”.

What is the difference between a Mental Illness, a Mental Disorder, and a Mood Disorder?

A mental disorder is defined as “a psychological disorder of thought or emotion”. It is used as a more neutral term than ‘mental illness’.

A mood disorder is defined as “a psychological disorder characterized by the elevation or lowering of a person’s mood”.

The differences between the three are slight. A mental illness and a mental disorder can be used interchangeably. One might use ‘disorder’ instead of ‘illness’ if speaking in a broader scope of psychology. A mood disorder, on the other hand, is more specific to feelings and emotion.

How do I know if my feelings are severe enough to be labeled as an illness or a disorder?

A good rule of thumb is to decide how much your feelings are affecting your day-to-day life.

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, it is a good indicator that your feelings may have escalated to a mental illness.

How does mental health relate to physical health?

Mental health affects us in the same way physical health does. Just like anyone – regardless of age, race, social status, income, etc. – can get the flu, so too anyone can get a mental illness.

How do you know you have the flu? You will experience symptoms of the flu. You will have a fever, feel achy, tired, and nauseous. When you recognize these symptoms, that is when you realize that ‘Ah! Something is wrong!’.

Now what do you do when you recognize you have the flu? You treat it. There is no medicine to cure the flu, but you can take medicine to help relieve the symptoms. You treat your body with care and respect; you eat chicken soup, you keep your fluids up, and you rest.

What would happen if you completely ignored your flu symptoms and decided to continue on your day as if nothing were wrong? Your flu would get worse, it would be harder to recover from, and you even run the risk of exhausting your body to the point of death.

Similarly, if you realize that you have the symptoms of a mental illness, it should be a clue that something is wrong. You need to seek treatment, which in most cases is a combination of medication and talk therapy. You need to treat your body with care and respect by taking things easy, accepting help, and reshaping the way you think. Medication can help significantly with the symptoms. If you choose to ignore the symptoms and try to continue on your day as if nothing were wrong, your illness will get worse, it will be harder to recover from, and you run the risk of dying.

What? I can die from a mental illness?

Living with a mood disorder such as depression or anxiety greatly increases one’s risk of suicidal ideation (thinking about or planning a suicide attempt). In fact, 90% of people who die by suicide have a diagnosable and treatable mental illness at the time of death². Suicidal ideation is a symptom of the illness, and with treatment those symptoms can be alleviated.

I think I’m ready to get some help. What do I do first?

Taking the first step to get help can be scary. You will feel doubts, you will question your decision to get help, and you will question whether you can really ever feel better. I want to encourage you that you have just as much worth, potential, and value as any other person. Today’s treatments for mental illnesses are highly effective; anywhere from 70% to 90%of people have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of medication and talk-therapy treatments. You too can experience this success.

ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES:

• Hurting Teens: How to Tell Your Parents
• Online Depression test for Teens
• I Survived a Teen Suicide Attempt
• Co-occurring Disorders: Addictions and Mental Health
• Age of Consent for Mental Health Treatment in Pennsylvania
• Minor’s Access to Confidential Health Care in Pennsylvania
• After an Attempt: Taking Care of Yourself After a Trip to the ER
• Are You Coping With Suicidal Thoughts?
• Some Facts About Depression and Suicide
• Lets Talk Facts About Mental Illness
• Lets Talk Facts About Depression
• Lets Talk Facts About Anxiety
• Lets Talk Facts About Teen Suicide
• 6 Conditions That Feel Like Clinical Depression but Aren’t

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF
DEPRESSION

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. A bleak outlook – nothing will ever get better and there’s nothing you can do to improve your situation.
• Loss of interest in daily activities. No interest in former hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or sex. You’ve lost your ability to feel joy and pleasure.
• Appetite or weight changes. Significant weight loss or weight gain – a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month.
• Sleep changes. Either insomnia, especially waking in the early hours of the morning, or oversleeping (also known as hypersomnia)
• Anger or irritability. Feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.
• Loss of energy. Feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained. Your whole body may feel heavy, and even small tasks are exhausting or take longer to complete.
• Self-loathing. Strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt. You harshly criticize yourself for perceived faults and mistakes.
• Reckless behavior. You engage in escapist behavior such as substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.
• Concentration problems. Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.
• Unexplained aches and pains. An increase in physical complaints such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain

SUICIDE RED FLAGS

• Talking about Suicide. Any talk of death, self-harm, or wishing they were never born.
• Seeking lethal means. Looking for access to guns, pills, knives, or other objects that could be used for a suicide attempt.
• No hope for the future. Expressing helplessness and hopelessness, feeling they are trapped and that things will never change.
• Self loathing and Self hatred. Feelings of guilt, shame, or being a burden on others.
• Getting affairs in order. Making a will, giving away possessions.
• Saying goodbye. Unexpected visits, saying goodbye as if they won’t see you again.
• Withdrawal from others. Increasing social isolation and a desire to be left alone.
• Self destructive behavior. Increased drug and alcohol use, reckless driving, taking unnecessary risks.