factualfeminist:

Just a friendly little PSA about mental health.

This list is based on what I have learned from college and personal experience both at work and at home.

1. If severe mental health issues run in your family, you have a genetic predisposition for it.

2. If you know you might develop a mental illness or already have one- stay AWAY from drugs and alcohol. They exacerbate mental health symptoms and heavy drug (including alcohol) use can actually trigger psychosis and other symptoms. 

3. If you suffer from addiction as well as mental illness and want help, seek out dual treatment centers or organizations such as Double Trouble or a similar program.

4. It is okay for a medication to not work. Move on to the next one. 

5. 

You do not have to take medications if you don’t want to. Don’t listen to anyone who says you must take your meds. Unless you were forcibly committed, you have the legal right to say no.

6. You are not deviant. There are 2.6 million people with schizophrenia in the USA alone. You are not alone. 

7. There are roughly 40 million people with various personality disorders as well. And 1 in 4 adults has a mental illness.

8. Stress is a huge contributing factor to mental illness. Try to keep your stress levels down. I once met a brilliant woman with two Master’s degrees become psychotic and had to move into my program because she worked 70 hour weeks and refused to rest. Her mind broke. 

9. Self-care is so so so important see point 8.

10. See point 9.