YES, “MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS”

First and foremost I would like to NOTE: WE ALL HAVE “MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS” AND “EMOTIONAL ISSUES” TO MANAGE.

If you think you are “above that” or you are thinking “no I don’t”; get over yourself and just own it.

You do. I do They do! We all do.

Throw off the fake Hallmark Movie facade and own the fullness of the human condition.

IT’S OK, REALLY

It’s okay to not be okay. Everything is a “spectrum disorder”. Mental health struggles fall along a continuum.

And we all have some of these symptoms and some of these issues.

A shift in perspective, related to mental health, is so important in light of our current situation.

The crap is hitting the fan with COVID-19. Financial stressors. Political tension. Racism. “A recession”. Wait, maybe a “great depression”.

We have a vaccine. We don’t have a vaccine. When do we get back to normal? There is no normal…

Here’s the reality behind the “look how cool I am” images:

“Look at me. Look at how worried I am, look at how anxious I am, look at how irritable I am, look how sad I am, look at how manic at am”.

If I have a manic episode. I do massive and epic things in the workplace. I “burn both ends of the candle” and I am praised for it. “Wow, look what Rich is getting done”…

Then I crash and need to regroup. It’s a cycle. It’s all relative. I learn to live with this “condition”. But make no mistake, I could be diagnosed “BiPolar Type 2″… Without question. Call your nearest psychiatrist and send him or her my way 🙂

Go ahead. Talk in hushed whispers behind my back. “What’s wrong with Rich”? “Wow, can you believe it. Rich has a mental health problem…”.

HERE IS MY RESPONSE TO YOU: WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?

A shift in perspective, related to mental health, is so important in light of our current situation.

The crap is hitting the fan with COVID-19.

Financial stressors. Political tension. Racism. “A Recession”.

Wait, maybe a “great depression”.

We have a vaccine. We don’t have a vaccine.

When do we get back to normal. There is no normal…

It’s white noise in the background. Like an annoying fly buzzing about at the picnic.

But a little bigger with a much stronger “bite”.

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS PILES UP

That gets to people. It piles up. Your stress bucket overflows.

But, you are not “crazy” or“insane”. You don’t automatically have a discrete “mental illness”.

You are a homo-sapien walking about the planet in the midst of one of the strangest and confusing times in the history of the planet.

Tough going all around. For all of us.

The main reason for the so-called “co-occurring mental health crisis” is NOT any particular incident or circumstance.

The main reason for the mental health crisis is this ever-present underlying stress that is inescapable.

STRESS VULNERABILITY MODEL

It is the stress vulnerability model writ large.

The American Psychologicale Association Dictionary of Psychology defines the “stress-vulnerability model“.

A theory that a: “genetic or biological predisposition to certain mental disorders exists and psychological and social factors can increase the likelihood of symptomatic episodes.”

As stress rises, and the bucket fills up, you will naturally display more symptoms.

Your loved one will display more symptoms.

And for the record, it’s likely that all of us have a “biological predisposition” to mental disorders.

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