Tags: by Gayathri Ramprasad | May 3, 2016 | Helping a loved one struggling with mental health issues
When I first started struggling with anxiety, panic attacks and depression at eighteen, my family and I had no understanding of mental health issues. Unfortunately, neither did the doctors, many of whom told my parents that I was just being a “drama queen,” a “typical teenager.” “Tough love” was prescribed and doled out each day, which only alienated me from my parents and turned them into strangers I feared. Eventually, I began feeling like a pariah in my own home and began to crumble without their love, understanding, and support. Over the years, our home which was once a fortress of love became a prison from which I couldn’t escape. It wasn’t until I had survived through seven years of hell and tried to kill myself, that my parents finally took me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with depression for the first time, and began to treat me. It took two more years of failed suicide attempts and hospitalizations before my family and I finally began to educate ourselves about mental health issues. A caring intern at the hospital told my family that it wasn’t enough for me to educate myself about depression, it was critical that they educate themselves about mental health issues if they wanted to support me in my road to recovery and wellness. Fortunately, my parents did, and have since grown into the greatest support system in my life. Over the years, they have also reached out to others struggling in the community. According to the World Health Organization, one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders...
