Post your pill(s)
A trend is going around that I am truly excited about. A way to spread awareness about mental health and end the stigma by posting your pill (or pills) on social media. Being theanxioustype, I thought I would join in, post it to medium and talk about my experience with mental health and medication.
My experiences with pills have not always been pleasant. Being on drugs, and not the helpful kind, make you more than reluctant to try them to assist in mental health. But that’s why us with mental illness abuse drugs in the first place. To find a cure.
In my experience, I find that the stigma and apprehension about medications comes from three things. Side effects, misdiagnosis, and time.
The side effects of medications can be worse than the symptoms of our mental illness sometimes. Nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, the list goes on. On top of that having a diagnosis that is incorrect and taking medications that aren’t working, who would want to go through all of that for no results? Then we have the time. The waiting for the therapeutic dose of medication to reach its peak, takes forever. And sometimes that peak is never reached.
It’s not hard in my mind to understand why some people just think it’s not real. Because mental illness isn’t exact. It’s not something that we can pinpoint in one appointment. We can’t take just take a X-ray and see our mental illness laid out in big bold letters. But mental illness is real and it is hard.
I have ADHD and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
I was not always medicated for or diagnosed with ADHD and GAD. When I first was diagnosed I was told I was depressed. Then I had anxiety and depression. Then I had anxiety, depression, and Bipolar Disorder. I was overly medicated, not just with my prescribed meds but over the counter ones to take care of the nasty side effects. I was stable at least. I think? No, I was just drugged. This is where more stigma comes in. That you will always be drugged, never really “better”. And I get it. When I first started my mental health journey, I never thought I would get better and I always thought I would be drugged. Pills would never stop coming.
To this day, I still feel that way. Even though the meds work. Now in my life, I have never been happier and properly medicated. But I think what if drugs stop being made, or the apocalypse happens and I don’t have my meds. Will I be okay? And if I’m not okay, what’s the point? I can’t be myself or a normal human being without pills.
So who am I really? Am I a failure? Am I weak?
Then I think. Nah. You just have mental illness. Now go take your pills.
It gets better. Inform yourself with knowledge, be an advocate for your mental health and never give up.
Show [and take] your pill(s) with pride.
❤️💊
