#mental health rant

[caramelcactus]

Planning to see psychiatrist maybe next week while my own brain is trying to gaslight me into thinking I’m totally alright and that I certainly wasn’t feeling depressed and suicidal for the last three days in a row

[glisteningwings]

Extremely long rant about mental health that goes off track and gets weirdly sentimental, but I believe is worth reading

Why is it so normalized all of a sudden for people to backseat diagnose bad people as narcissists? It's never made sense to me at all. For example, today I saw someone in a comment section mentioning Elon Musk having autism. Another person responded, saying how NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) can mimic traits of other disorders. Their point being that Elon doesn't have autism, rather NPD.

Now I completely agree on the statement that mental disorders can resemble other mental disorders. As well as coexisting with one another in one individual. But I disagree of their statement that they believe Elon is a narcissist. Now, I don't have any opinion on him being autistic or having NPD. Simply because that's none of my business. No matter if he has autism or NPD, it doesn't make him any better or good of a person. I'm just so sick of people watering down disorders to describe how good or bad an individual is.

If someone has NPD, it doesn't make them a bad person. They are a real and struggling person. And this constant stigma against it makes recovery and getting help so much worse and harder for them. This stigma actually feeds into negative behaviors. Mental disorders should NEVER be used as a description for someone without that disorder. For example, people using the term bipolar for when they feel indecisive. Or using the term "neurospicy" as a neurotypical person who has a few "traits" of a mental disorder. (Which in reality, are just normal behaviors of a neurotypical person)

If you call someone a narcissist as a way to label them as a bad person, that not only demonizes and waters down NPD, but the entire mental health community. The more this stigma is normalized for NPD, the more it will be normalized for all. You can see this same stigma with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and behaviors that come with it. And ironically enough, I find a lot of people with BPD (at least in the online community) giving that same demonization they receive to narcissists.

One very prominent example of this I see in a lot of these communities is making every narcissist out to be an abuser. Which is absolutely not the case at all. The mental health community is just that, a community with people. Who are all different in their own ways OUTSIDE of their mental health. And can all find familiarity within each other and our struggles. The determination of how good or bad a person is cannot just be watered down to our individual struggles. It is based on what we decide to act on, and how we grow (or don't grow) as people.

You cannot pin someone's mental health onto their actions. This is something I struggle a bit to word, so I'm sorry if this isn't the best. But how I see it is that yes, people can have their mental reasons as to why they do something. I'm in no way doubting that. It's just that if you shift blame onto someone's mental health, rather than the person itself, it's almost like creating an excuse for them. This is a problem I don't only see in the mental health community, but communities EVERYWHERE.

I will list some examples here. I have seen people call men boys when they can't comprehend how rape is bad. Now I hate when people say this, because it again, creates an excuse for them. Saying how they are just young boys who don't understand. But they aren't boys, they are supposedly mature men who need to be held accountable for their actions. Now that is just one example out of many, but there has been many arguments with this structure in so many stigmatized communities. It hurts to see because behind each one of those arguments I can picture the way people against those communities will take that premade excuse and run with it.

As a community, we need to realize that we were made to be here for each other. These people do not care about us, and no matter what happens, when we don't help and support each other we will all meet the same fate. Now is the time that we need to care about each other more than ever because this world is kind of crumbling.

It is not and never has been a bad thing to care about your community. I care about my community and I care about my life and the lives of others. I really do hope one day we can reach a point where we are more accepted by the people around us who are not like us.

I am kind of upset as of writing this (as me being upset about the topic is one of the reasons I wrote this in the first place), so I apologize if there are any errors. And please keep in mind that I do not have NPD, if there are any corrections I should make please let me know. I'm simply just talking about something I feel passionate for. All feedback is appreciated <3

[bymeraki]

Why are psychiatrists so focused on handing out diagnoses like candy? Instead of relying on brief questionnaires and a 30-to-60-minute assessment, they should also be conducting thorough medical evaluations. This should include gathering a comprehensive background and medical history, having doctors run full medical workups, investigating the root causes of a patient’s symptoms, and addressing the specific challenges the patient is facing—rather than simply treating an ambiguous diagnosis that may not even be accurate.

If around 20% of mental health conditions are directly linked to physical health issues, it would make sense for psychiatrists to incorporate routine medical workups, such as blood tests and sleep studies, to rule out underlying physical causes before prescribing psychiatric medications. Yet, many psychiatrists don’t take this approach, relying solely on symptom-based questionnaires and subjective assessments. This leads to misdiagnoses and unnecessary medication prescriptions when the real issue might be a thyroid disorder, a vitamin or mineral deficiency, chronic inflammation, a sleep disorder, etc.

For example, I was prescribed Ritalin to treat my severe chronic fatigue. It didn’t even work—it made me feel jittery and physically awake, but underneath, I still had a deep, aching exhaustion I couldn’t shake. It took me years to finally discover that what I really needed all along was a CPAP machine.

I have a deep-seated hatred for the current psychiatric healthcare system—one more focused on slapping on labels and handing out pills rather than actually helping people find the real root causes of their issues and solutions for said issues.

[cheesyfan]

rant </3 udgd

Omg all I want is to get diagnosed, I hate not knowing but that makes me seem like I'm just some guy who doesn't have anything bad going for them, I'm 99% Sure I either have ASD, BAD, or BPD,, Everyone else thinks that too! I may not even have any of them tho! I could just be a weird guy with bad mental health! I ask people who actually have one of these things, take tests, look at symptoms and literally any person I meet will automatically assume I'm neurodivergent, but I Literally have no proof I am, and if I do have something I wanna get diagnosed so I can get betterr, u can't help something u don't have. SHSHHSHSUEIGUG!!!!!! My mother thinks she has ADHD and she already has depression, anxiety, and POTS so I hope maybe she'd understand and try to see if she could get me checked out,,,

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

actually my body is a rock tumbler and my bones and organs and my brain and mind and spirit they’re all just rocks but the gritty goo stuff is missing so nothings actually getting polished everythings just tumblin around in there eternally and whatever combination of things is wrong with me…that’s what it all feels like sometimes

[importantcherryblossommentality]

being on this side of tumblr made me realize how bad people demonize certain conditions and it's genuinely so insane to me

someones like "hey guys i think society demonizes NPD too much" and people's immediate response is "well they're all the same and don't want to change" do you not have ears??? what an awful thing to say about a group of people who can't control what they have, my god

for people who think they're so high and morally superior u sure love to kick people in the dirt who aren't exactly like u

[sinvoll]

The only time I ever really hate my family (or lack, thereof) is from December 21st to January 1st. Ever single year, again and again.

And when friends don't have time either, it just makes it a whole lot worse. (I'm not mad at them, don't get me wrong)

So being alone on my birthday, Christmas and new years night it was and is, once again.

At least I got my cats.

[rachymarie]

On the last day of Anxiety Depression grp yesterday i unexpectedly came out as schizospec and idk my brain may be making something out of nothing, but i kinda felt like i could detect a general response from the coordinators of like "you shouldn't have done that"/"you didnt have to say that" while iirc (idk memory capacity has been screwy in this heat lately) the two other women in group didn't comment, were perhaps in shock lol. But like fuck it I'm tired of hiding myself.

If you can't even come out in a room of a handful of women with (the most commonly talked about + accepted, mind you) mental health conditions you have spent 12 sessions with idk where you can lol

I have mentioned many schizospec symptoms i struggle with throughout the course of the ...course (lol) so surely it wasn't really that much of a blindside.

Not my fault there are no groups for educating people on schizospec (only ones for voices hearing and hallucinations!!). Depressed people don't have to attend months-long educational groups for illnesses they don't have so I think they can handle simply the occasional mention of a "scary" illness in their midst lol.

But yeah there's also something to say about making a mental health group where you're not barred from mentioning diagnoses, bc for one thing it feels like they are denying the existence of very real symptoms you struggle with and are as yet pharmaceutically unmedicable, and also trying to sweep the "ugly" word under the rug instead of teaching society to be more openminded and accepting of it. Feels reminiscent of making up words for disability to make abled folks feel comfortable/at ease, like "handicapable" "differently abled". Stop all that mental gymnastics trying to water down language that makes you uncomfortable, but our communities have accepted for ourself. It may be scary but it really is ok to just sit and fathom the gravity of the situation. We have our limitations and we have accepted that while still trying to do our best and in the meantime rest. (Sorry had to fit a rhyme in)

But alas/all my whinging aside, overall I'm glad to have been along for the ride and everyone involved was nice enough even tho i probably tested their patience sometimes with my ramblings, crazy days, and other "quirks". I try not to be the most insufferable git on the planet but sometimes that's inescapable I'm afraid 😅. I just can't seem to help being so.... Me. My ability to mask all my neurodivergencies has big slipped by this point I still wish i could access proper therapy but that is like pulling teeth around here I'm afraid.

Idk if anyone would have managed to get thru this long spiel but that's some rambles for now and onto meds breakfast before it gets much later (waiting for the nausea to pass - i think i may have eaten some next day bad blinis)

[leafiles]

ART + small rant.

Hi! Its been a bit since I posted art and wanted to post some and give an update!

So irl has been a bit chaotic for me rn and its gotten harder to upload art or posts daily. My mental helath especially this month has been shit. Irl has been a slight rollercoaster. So every artist has a burnout period where they need time to just have a small break from art. I wasn't doing well but i'm back and I'm okay. Don't expect daily post bc I have been busy BUT expect some pieces some weeks.

[comfortableinthesilence]

Its true what they say…you can pick your friends but when it comes to your family you're stuck with them! Got my grandad upsetting my mum, my brother causing the upset and frustrations to my grandad and then there's me trying to be peacemaker when all I want to do is pack a bag and disappear🫠🙃

[bubble3-tea-3bear]

Something I’ve learned while committing to Wonyoungism is that on this self care journey, you can’t change people. Stop trying to make people fit your standards so that you’re happy. If you are peanut butter and they are pickle juice, you shouldn’t find reasons to turn that person into jelly. You need to accept yourself as you are and realize the only person you can control is yourself. And another thing, misery doesn’t build character. It just doesn’t. Challenges do, please remember that.

Remember to stay magical and that you can’t change people. You are you and they are them. With that I’m signing out my wonderful amethyst babies 💗🫶. Goodbye 👋.

[angelsandarsenic]

I am once again raging about that whole mess with my adhd and anxiety diagnoses. It’s pisses me off so much. I WAS DIAGNOSED. BY A DOCTOR WHO ACTUALLY JNOWS WHAT THEYRE TALKING ABOUT. but medical doctors always look at me like I’m a webmd armchair diagnosis and I HATE showing people the paperwork because it has a whole long section of my dad—who doesn’t believe in mental health—talking about all my worst qualities as he sees them. And then I don’t even have my anxiety diagnosis because even though my parents have admitted it, “anxiety isn’t real” and getting told by a professional isn’t enough for them, so I don’t even HAVE official paperwork for that, which, when I’m talking to someone about having disorders, only make the aforementioned problem worse. and to top it all off, the anxiety questions I answered for the doctor were the most general few questions se could have asked, that mostly don’t even apply to me

i can’t wait until i actually get my degree so people will stop thinking I’m one of the pop-psychology, not as smart as I think I am, insufferable types of people

[theoculus124]

Sorry for not being active guys my mental health is really bad rn and Idk how to make it any better

[hikarry]

gotta check in on the baby boy of the fandom 👏 so how are you feeling lately? (this is for you to vent all your anticipations/worries lol)

Oh love...are you sure?

Lately has been Hell. Utter and absolute Hell.

I've been diagnosed with ADHD, as I've said before, and now we are in a trial and error of medications that's tiring me. It's very frustrating.

I was taking this medication that made me feel human and functional for a week but then suddenly it stopped working. I went throught the worst withdrawl of my life. It was really like I was on drugs and was letting them off my system. My brain fried and I couldn't think. I just could cry and beg God to let me die. The pain was...it was impossible. I honest to God don't remember the last time I felt like that. It was a hole. Like something was missing. After a week of being okay and normal, being back like I was before felt like Hell. Like madness. I yelled at the Heavens that I was losing my mind. I hit my head against walls. I hit my fists against tables. I screamed. I cried. I couldn't take it anymore.

I still can't.

I'm slightly better, but I still feel that hole. That emptiness.

I can't sleep without having a panic attack and I can't study. I can't focus. And I can't think. It's like my brain is a hole. I don't find joy in anything I used to like. Everything makes me miserable. Being alive makes me miserable and I still feel like I'm losing my marbles, but I'm taking it one day at the time.

I'm not throught the worst, I don't think. There's a low I still have to hit, so I'm just waiting.

I have therapy tomorrow and...I will try to make her understand what my brain is doing and hope she will do something, say something that will throw me a bone.

Until then, let's just pretend I'm fine.

[viviswtings]

Isn’t it funny how your brain will refuse to fall for anyone because ever since you were a kid you’ve had to ask to be loved?

Ever since I was little I remember begging my parents for love. My mother and I had a strained relationship ever since she divorced my dad, she didn’t like me much, and even as a young child I could tell. While my father was mostly absent due to very limited visit hours.

I used to get good grades, I was book smart and I tried so hard to get into the stuff my mom liked. I tried to be a grown up, because she wasn’t. I remember getting into her bed at night and trying to tell her about my day. She was always too tired, too done with everything for me.

Then the fights came. A child can only ask for love for so long until adolescence hits like a truck and the kid realises something is very wrong in the way her mother ignores her. After the fights comes the violence. She hit. She threw stuff at me. Two toy baby carriers. I hid under the desk, she’s never apologised.

So I called my dad. I was under the belief that my father would come like a knight in shining armour and save me from my abusing mother. He always said he couldn’t. The law, apparently. At eleven years old I only remember being deeply distraught. Why couldn’t my dad come for me? I was very sure he did love me.

Until my mom kicked me out at fourteen. I tried to end things. He was there for me, for a while. After that his girlfriend became more important, he had to “go on with his life” because “one day I would grow up and leave him”. He couldn’t possibly stop living for his daughters.

Then I had my first big crush. I was fifteen, she was fourteen. We met and kept in contact because I called her every day. For many months I called a girl that would laugh and hang up on me. So I called again. I tried to befriend her while every once in a while I sent her a text that said “Please, love me” and she answered with “I can’t” or “I don’t”.

For a while she lived away and promised we would date. I kept it a secret. I was ecstatic. I was sixteen. When she came back she acted like it never happened. Like months of my very real life had been an illusion. That night I was heartbroken. Told a boy I thought I could grow to like I didn’t want to date him. “I like your best friend”, I proclaimed. Like it meant something. “She doesn’t like you” he reminded me. Like I forgot. Like I could.

I accepted it. Just like I accepted my mom and tried to grow closer to her, just for her to sink back down and push me away. Just like I adored my father, who to this day is still distant, though he has tried to change. Just like everything else, I bowed my head, took the love I was given. Even if it meant friendship. She’s now my best friend, I don’t resent her. I don’t love her anymore. It’s been many years since then.

Right after I lost my best friend. Actually, I lost all my friends. Something about cheating. At this time I was barely attending school. The few times I attended I got bullied by the same people I trusted. I trusted them because my best friend had. I loved her. I still do. I can’t forgive her, though. She witnessed everything. I got separated from the rest of the class by my teacher because they had gone as far as trying to influence my grades. We were seventeen.

That summer I begged her for forgiveness. I didn’t know what I had done wrong. “I love you” I told her. “Please I don’t have anyone else” I begged. “You are suffocating me” was her answer. They bullied me until we graduated a year later. I asked everyone for forgiveness, I ridiculed myself for their love. I also tried to end everything, again. I didn’t have the guts.

Then came a boy, many years later, when I thought I had healed. I was twenty. I never had a significant other. I didn’t even dare to talk to the couple of boys I had come to like in those years. This one called me pretty, agreed to meet me. I made a fool of myself. I confessed. “Thank you” was his answer.

I realised, yet again, I had gone after someone who didn’t want me.

It’s been really long since that guy. I actually confessed way later. After trying to make conversation many times, after trying to win a favour I never had. It was like saying “Oh, please. Like me. Just this once. I need someone to feel something for me, just this one time”. It didn’t work. Poor man, he was always so polite.

So now I am closer to twenty-three. I like bands and actors because my body seems physically unable to find anyone around me remotely attractive or interesting. All my friends have stable partners and I just smile and wish them all the happiness I feel like God has refused me. I’ve planned my life disregarding the idea of a typical family. I work hard to succeed because I’ve ever only known fulfilment through my work.

I don’t hate my life. I truly don’t. I have few friends but I trust them. I love my studies and I’ve managed to make a little money through my art. I’ve learned to be grateful for what I do have. But it’s in human nature to seek connection. I’ve learned to believe that I could only ever be truly happy if I turned off that part of my brain. In a way I have seemed to succeed.

Yet if I am one thing in this life is lonely. I don’t believe working on myself before being with anyone will fix it, because I have worked more on myself than anyone I know. I will keep doing it, because the little girl who got told off by her mother and left hanging by her father deserves that much.

But I guess all I wanted was to put it out there. I’m not even sure I have worded things this way to my therapist. Yet this is the truth. It is my truth, if not anyone else’s. And if you have come this far and relate: you’re worth more than what those people did to you.

[bymeraki]

The Overmedication of Adolescents

I used to believe that medication was the only answer. That if I just took the right pill, the gnawing emptiness in my chest would disappear, and I’d finally feel normal. That’s what I was told—by psychiatrists, therapists, and even my own family. But the reality of being a heavily medicated adolescent was something entirely different. Instead of finding stability, I found myself numb, disconnected, and drowning in a chemical fog I didn’t understand.

I was never more depressed in my life than when I was on SSRIs and SNRIs, but I didn’t even realize it until I went off them. I was never given the chance to navigate my struggles naturally, to work through the challenges of puberty as so many do—I was simply medicated and expected to function.

In the United States, the prescribing of psychiatric medications to children and adolescents has skyrocketed over the last two decades. According to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics, the use of antidepressants in adolescents increased by over 60% from 2005 to 2020, despite ongoing debates about their safety (Rao & Andrade, 2022). This rapid increase raises a crucial question: Are we truly helping struggling teens, or are we silencing their pain with pharmaceuticals before they even have a chance to understand it?

One of the most alarming concerns is the use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)—the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressants for teenagers. While SSRIs like Prozac and Zoloft are often considered safer alternatives to older antidepressants, research suggests that they increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. A 2004 FDA black box warning was issued after studies found that young people taking SSRIs were 2x as likely to experience suicidal ideation compared to those on a placebo (Hammad et al., 2006). While proponents argue that the benefits outweigh the risks, the idea of giving an 13-year-old a pill that could increase their risk of suicide—just for the possibility of alleviating their depression—feels deeply unsettling.

And it’s not just antidepressants. Antipsychotics—originally developed for conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder—are now widely prescribed for anxiety, ADHD, and even behavioral issues in teens. Medications like Abilify and Seroquel come with severe side effects, including weight gain, metabolic disorders, and long-term cognitive impairment (Correll et al., 2009). These drugs are often handed out as a quick fix, yet the long-term consequences are rarely discussed. And adolescents, whose brains are still developing, are even more vulnerable to these changes than adults.

Further research highlights the alarming reality that many depressed teens use the very medications meant to help them as a means to attempt suicide. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry (2016) found that a significant portion of adolescent overdoses involved prescription psychotropic drugs, with antidepressants being among the most common. The ease of access to these medications, often prescribed in large quantities, increases the risk of impulsive overdose attempts—especially among teens, whose decision-making abilities are still developing.

Beyond the physical risks, there’s also the psychological toll of being medicated so young. I’ve been put on every single SSRI, several SNRIs, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and more. For a long time, no one tried to uncover the root cause of my struggles; instead, I was simply handed prescriptions and expected to cope. Many teens experience the same—taught to rely on a pill instead of being encouraged to explore the root of their struggles and address them at their core. Medication has become a substitute for real healing.

None of this is to say that psychiatric medication is never necessary. Some adolescents truly need it, and for conditions like severe OCD or schizophrenia, it can be life-changing. But the overprescription of these medications, has become a problem. We’re numbing children before they even get the chance to fully understand their emotions.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder how different things might have been if I had the therapist and psychiatrist I have now—professionals who focus on uncovering the root causes of struggles rather than opting for quick fixes. Instead of altering my brain chemistry before it had fully developed, I could have been helped to find more appropriate solutions. For instance, it took years for me to find out I needed a CPAP machine because, instead of attempting to uncover the cause of my chronic fatigue, I was simply given methylphenidate and accused of not taking it properly when I continued to fall asleep all the time even at high doses.

I truly believe that the overmedication of adolescents is a significant factor in the rise of mental illness in my generation—even though that may seem contradictory at first. Many medications once hailed as breakthroughs have since been reevaluated, revealing just how much our understanding of mental health treatments has evolved. Yet, despite this progress, new medications continue to be over-prescribed to young people, often without sufficient consideration for their long-term effects. These drugs, intended to address complex mental health issues, are often prescribed in a one-size-fits-all manner, overlooking the individual nuances of each person’s experience.

What’s even more concerning is the lack of comprehensive research on how these medications, especially when taken during crucial developmental years, impact the adolescent brain in the long run. As we rush to offer quick fixes, we risk overlooking the potential harm these medications can cause—both in terms of side effects and the broader, lasting effects on mental health.