“My view of mental health was shifted entirely by my own experience of mental illness.”
My view of mental health was shifted entirely by my own experience of mental illness. Despite having a solid foundation of a childhood and support system, it completely consumed me for years and there was no way to rationalise myself out of it. Although appearing to be fully functioning on the outside, the sheer destruction that can go on inside someone’s mind was devastating to discover. Before this experience, I didn’t consider how certain mental disorders could impact someone’s whole life in this way without having a clear cause. I now understand that mental illness can not only alter your emotions, but also your thoughts, beliefs, cognition, interoception, and perception of the world and yourself. It was made clear to me that there is a complicated interaction between biology, psychology, and environment, and that all three are involved in forming and maintaining a healthy mental state.