Blog Series Guest Post: 1 in every 5

Author: Michelle Belles 

Bio: I am Michelle the mom to three adult children, two of which suffer from mental illness. Our journey hasn't always been easy, but it's been more than worth it. My children are a blessing and a lesson. They have made me strong, kind, and courageous through their journey to a healthier, happier state of mind.

As the mother of two children who suffer from depression, I've spent years researching and learning the facts surrounding mental illness. Like a lot of mothers, I blamed myself for the problems my children have. Only after learning the facts, and accepting that mental illness is a true health issue, have I been able to see the absolutely amazing individuals they are. I would never want someone to identify them based on their illness. 

I've had so many people ask me, “Why?” They say to me “You guys have such a great life: you live in a nice home, money isn't an issue, you have a strong marriage, your children went to great schools, and they have been given all the advantages.”  I used to tell them I didn't know,  but over the last several years, I've changed my way of thinking. My answer now is, “Mental illness doesn't discriminate.”

Anyone, at any age, can develop a mental illness. It's just like catching a cold; it just happens. If your spouse or child was diagnosed with cancer, you would seek any and all medical help available. Your family and friends would rally around you, offering support and prayers. So why is it when that you, share that you, or your child, are suffering from depression,  or are bipolar, these same people want nothing to do with you? Could it be all of the myths that surround mental illness, creating the negative stigma that seems to follow it around like a shadow on a sunny day? Should someone with a mental illness be marked with this negative stigma, branding them as a person of disgrace, and grouping them by their illness, instead of the content of their character? Prejudices, negative attitudes,  and discrimination based on an illness just doesn't make sense. It's equal to judging someone based on the color of their skin, or their sexual preferences. If we dispel the myths, and spend more time spreading the truth, will more people be willing to accept the facts, and see mental illness as a real, treatable health issue? Will people come to realize that you can't just get over or shake off depression? Will people come to understand that depression isn't just being sad; it is irritability, lack of energy, loss of appetite, restlessness, racing thoughts, and reckless behaviors? Will people become cognizant of the fact that 1 in every 5 children under the age of 13 suffer from depression? If we keep spewing the facts, will the nonbelievers finally get it?