Although mental health problems are very common and affect about one in four or five people around the globe, stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health problems is still very common and a lot of myths still abound. Unfortunately, psychiatrists don’t seem to be in agreement about the way mental health problems are diagnosed, what causes them and which treatments are the most effective.
However, despite these challenges, it is still possible to recover from a mental illness and live a fulfilling and even a productive life. There is something that I would like to stress here; something that my family learned the hard way. Having a mental health problem is NOT a sign of weakness. Mental illness is an illness like any other.
Our son had to learn that life was not about being classified by his mental illness. It was about learning to accept himself the way he was. When he got up each day, he had to try to have a productive and even enjoyable day because the following one might be different. In spite of that, we told him to repeat to himself; ‘Tomorrow must be different.’
Nobody can live without hope.
