Before we get into the meat of this blog, I want to apologize for my time away. It has been a very trying semester but I have made it to the other end. Thank you for your continuous support and understanding. I promise I didn’t forget about you.
I want you to take about moment to think about the last time you answered this question:
How are you doing?
Do you remember how you answered that? Were you in depth about how you are doing or did you just casually say “I’m great, thanks. How are you?”
Chances are you responded in the quick, somehow acceptable, fashion that we have grown accustomed to as a society. Well…I want to know how you are doing. For real.
It’s time we talk about mental illness and break the stigma behind it. So, let me begin the conversation with something very personal…I suffer from depression with a side of mild anxiety. (What happened to just a cheeseburger and fries? This McLife order sucks.) This is something I knew I had even before the doctor prescribed medication. I am ok with this and with who I am. Sure my highs aren’t always the highest and my lows the lowest, but I am fine in this vast sea of gray area. I feel safe from myself and I can focus on this thing called life. You see, for me, depression has no time frame. Those who know me know that I am honestly going through some of the best things that have ever happened to me, and yet, looming in the corners of the room is depression, watching me, waiting for me to accept its warm embrace. 
I know I am not the only person who feels this every single day. It’s considered a silent fight, because no one wants to treat this as a real illness. Instead, they tell you to do something that makes you happy, or that it’s only temporary, or at least you aren’t dying. Mental illness is considered a joke because people can’t see it. But I am here to tell you, you are not alone. According to Mental Health America more than 40 million people have a mental health condition. 40 million. And guess what…The stigma behind mental health is so severe that 56% of adults who have a mental illness don’t seek treatment… Over half of the people out there are suffering and feel alone. [Now this brings a different issue to the table about healthcare.] Here is a graphic that Mental Health America made for some statistics in 2018:
Unmet needs and access to appropriate help and healthcare is definitely the issue. Time and time again we hear about someone who suffered from a mental health condition ending their own life. The general population is aghast because how unnecessary suicide seems to them. People look at it as “a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” It seems more and more that people just don’t understand mental health is NOT temporary. Suicide is treatment. It ends the debilitating suffering. For those in the depths of their mental illness, suicide is the only answer. And please don’t give me the excuse that it is just passing the problem off to someone else. It is not. Mental illness is no STI, so there is no need for it to be covered up by the condom of society and things not talked about.
But you can help.
Talk with someone. Not just a brief exchange, but an intimate, soul-sharing conversation. Look at your closest friends and ask them how they are doing. Share memories. Be honest. None of us have to be alone.
“How are you doing?”
-TC Deathwriter
If you or someone you love is suffering and contemplating ending life, don’t be afraid to reach out. 1-800-273-8255 is the number for the Suicide Prevention Hotline. You can always message me at any time.
The Undertakers Apprentice 