Following up from two instalments ago, I wanted to write about the flip side of this question as well. Although I am someone who believes in getting a diagnosis and have found it helpful, there are some aspects that I feel need to be supported to not make it damaging.

I would like to give a shout out to people who have perhaps waited a long time to find support specifically tailored to their condition for various reasons and wish them luck in this process.

One way that it can be damaging is using it as an excuse not to go about life as normal. A lot of people I work with say things like ‘I am not mentally equipped’, ‘I’m too mentally damaged’ or ‘not anymore’ when talking about the effects of their health conditions. This is usually when I speak up and say how counter-productive this is for making any progress. Another reason it can be unsettling to know is that there unfortunately a lot of stigma still around mental health. If someone get a diagnosis, they can be grouped with other people with the same thing – often the negative side effects – and think they are all experiencing the same symptoms and difficulties.

This is how I challenge these real difficulties. As I have written about before, I believe in ‘positive realism.’ This is not pretending there aren’t hard times but looking at what is actually happening there and now, especially what is good and enjoyable in life. This definitely applies to our health conditions as well and there is definitely support in place to help you live as full a life as possible despite the challenges. Having experienced mental health on a personal and professional level, I know it to be true that no one person is exactly the same in their experiences and presentation (although there can be some similarities). This is one of the reasons I started this blog, to promote these conversations around different experiences of mental health but in the hope of normalising the very common (in reality) experience of having mental struggles. So there can be no shame in reaching out to someone who has probably shared some of your feelings.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you find it helpful. As always, feel free to get in touch with any questions/feedback/comments. I love having personal conversations about these topics as well as publicly. Stay tuned for the next instalment.

Until next time

K