4 ms·

I don't know if you live in the US but for anyone who doesn't I think this mainly boils down to this: the average US citizen does not believe metal health issue

I don't know if you live in the US but for anyone who doesn't I think this mainly boils down to this: the average US citizen does not believe metal health issues are real. In high school I've met people who were clearly suicidal and I've seen the advice given to them: "Just go outside more" or "you don't have anything to be sad about". One of my friends was depressed and suicidal through high school. He often acted out and got sent to a out-of-school suspension program. There he told people what he was depressed and had thoughts of self harm. What did the advisors of this program say? They didn't believe he was depressed! They said "If you want to kill yourself then why don't you go to the train down the block and jump in front of it". This is all anacdata but it's my guess that the HN-bubble likely selects for people who don't think like this so it might not seem like this on the internet.

kayodelycaon 6y ago
This was my experience growing up. I was suicidal by fourth grade. I was told by the school consular it was my fault that I was being bullied and was feeling bad about myself. My parents’ solution was to take me to a Christian consular who didn’t really help the situation. All of my symptoms of being bipolar were explained as my deliberate choice to be a unrepentant, sinful child. I didn’t see a proper psychiatrist until I was 33. My mom figured something was wrong because my uncle was bipolar and it’s genetic. Didn’t tell me that until I was diagnosed. Probably because my dad thinks my bipolar uncle is demon-possessed. Many other people in my support group have similar stories. If anything, I was one of the lucky ones since my parents were otherwise very supportive.