Alison’s Story

For so long I have been feeling the pain of an ongoing battle against the stigma of mental illness and I felt so alone. It is so comforting to know that I am not the only one fighting this battle. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder type II when I was 16 years old. My parents did not understand and had a hard time coping with having a daughter with mental illness. When I finally got the courage to tell my friends, they didn't know how to react. They could not believe that they were friends with a "nutcase". Some people just stopped talking to me. I was so devastated. I was fighting this illness and wanted so badly to get better and have support, but there was none to be found. I am now at a college obtaining my degree in Children Studies. I am taking medication for my illness and it makes me so sick I have lost 14 pounds in a month (I only weigh 118 normally). This is a slight improvement because my last medication made me have grand mal seizures.       

Can you imagine for a minute being very, very sick. Waking up everyday hoping that you have the strength to go through the day without crying while you are out in public. Waking up everyday hoping that you don't have an anxiety attack at the grocery store.  Waking up everyday hoping that the medication you are taking does not make you throw up or make you have a seizure. Those things alone are hard to handle, and then on top of that have people who call you a "basket case" or "nuts" or just flat out don't want to be your friend because you are battling these things is just unbearable. I am no different from any other person on this planet; I want to be healthy, I want to be accepted and I want to be supported. I am not my mental illness. I am Alison, devoted student, soon to be daycare teacher and one day a mom. There are so many more people like me that so desperately want to be seen as more than their mental illness.

 Please help me in the fight against the stigma of mental illness.