Today I have been exposed to something tragic.
I might be a young adult, but I am a writer and I will point out inconsistencies in the human condition.
A book by the title Tears of a Tiger has framed the issue of mental illness so badly it both angers and frightens me. This book frames the issue as "stupid" in horrendous writing. In recent events, a child has commited suicide in school.
I stopped to think.
I am suicidal. What if I had a bad day today? What if this was the breaking point?
It could have been me, or it could have been my friend, or next door neighbor.
Children don’t need to be shielded. We need proper education; we need a choice.
The reason this book fails so miserably is its framing. The book follows Andy, a young boy that kills his best friend in a car crash. This sends him spiraling into a deep depression. The book gets something right. Traumatic incidents can trigger depression.
This is where it fails. The professionals in Andy’s life fail to see his obvious inner turmoil. This would work, if only it weren’t so obvious. Andy expresses his depression through humor,yet his grades are slipping, and he frequently bursts into tears. Why doesn’t anyone see this? This reason this rhetoric is dangerous, is that it frames professinals and incompetent, which discourages the depressed to seek help.
This book features so many characters--and terrible dialogue--that it cannot focus on the main point. The point being, how devastating suicide is for the depressed and for the people involved.
Depression is something that hides within me and only peers out occasionally. A professional knows this, and takes their time to diagnose. No therapist worth their degree ends therapy after three months.
Andy ultimately decides to end his life, but not before calling suicide “stupid.” After his death, the author details the thoughts of his friend and family, and I see that cursed word again. “Stupid.”
I only see that word when I have thoughts to end my life; it only makes me feel worse. Subsequently, I didn’t receive help until I failed to commit suicide. Don’t let the next child die or be diagnosed like this.
Authors Note: I have Major Depressive Disorder and suicidal ideation. Thinking about what would happen if I weren’t here to type this message, often crosses my mind. What scares most people, is my everyday. People fear death, but I don’t. These are my experiences. Feel free to share yours in the comment section.
Photo by rafa espada on Unsplash
I hope sometime in the near future you can get help and that things start looking up for you! It sounds like you have been through a lot and I pray that life starts showing you the better side of living. You also are a very, very amazing writer and artist!
Thank you for sharing this. Even if the people in power to change some of that policy or to make different choices, do not get to see it, I'm sure you will reach someone who feels similar and perhaps feels a bit more strength to also speak up.
I'm going to share this everywhere that has a share button.
Please do!
Loving your work as always @rhondak!
Thank you for speaking out about this. Absolutely agree that the youth should be educated--properly--about subjects like this and others. It is more than just something that occurs during puberty (a justification I came across many times when going through it)--this affects and haunts a person through adulthood as well. Much love your way for rising above and holding strong.
Hi @idenkcall
I also suffer from major depressive disorder. I’ve written a little about it on Steemit. The first time I wrote about it, I didn’t really expect anyone would read it. I only wrote the peice because I had emotions inside me that I needed to get out. Journaling helps sometimes for me and I thought that since I was writing anyway, I may well as post it as an article here. The response was overwhelming positive. This is an amazing community and I’ve found that talking about a few things on here has helped me from time to time.
One of the things I struggle with most is that no one but you can really understand what is going on inside your own mind. Writing about it is one way I have found helpful to try to help others be better informed about these kind of issues. Trying to raise awareness of these issues is one way for me to try and create something positive out of what is otherwise a negative experience.
Here is the first piece I wrote:
https://steemit.com/life/@aghunter/living-with-a-mental-illness-a-first-person-perspective
I’ve written mainly about anxiety to date. I haven’t had the courage to touch on my depression yet. It talks a little about acceptance of your own condition.
I appreciate this more than you know. I always felt alone, despite the fact I know my illness is incredibly common. I'm glad you decided to reach out to me. It means a lot. I also used my writing and art as an escape. This is the first time I have ever been up front about it. I've always preferred for depression to be an underlying theme, but I think this article has been good for me. I get to be myself.
Hopefully, I'll improve. It's just been a long road so far.
We're proud to have you as part of the TWB family.
I'm proud to be apart of it.
This was a really brave post to make. Kudos. I hope the right people get to see it.
I hope so too.
You did so well with this, sweetie. I'm so props of you for writing something this fearless and fierce.
Keep on getting help when you need it, even if you have to yell and scream and pound on doors before they'll let you in.
hugs
Remember that we will help you do some of that door-pounding as well, kid. I think many of us are afraid to overstep, but believe you me...our feet itch to do the stepping.
I hoping someone notices, and brings attention to it. Thing is,where to from here?