Things NOT to Say to a Person with a Mental Illness

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Photo Cred: MHconsumer.com

I know from personal experience that sometimes people don't know exactly how to communicate to someone with a mental illness especially when you are experiencing an episode or depression. I wrote this as a status but decided to share in a blog post on a few things I've noticed what is NOT the best to say to a person with a mental illness. There are tons of stuff that you shouldn't say but I'm just sharing a few. Here it goes:

Things NOT to say to a person with a mental illness
1. Snap out of it.
2. It's your mind. ( well of course it is, it's a mental illness)
3. You're crazy.
4. You're just being dramatic.
5. You're always like this, I just don't understand why you can't get over it.
The list could go on. Please understand the battles of a person with a mental illness are real. They are really trying. Whether be spiritual, biological or chemical...be sensitive and pray and love them. Listen to them, pray for them and don't judge them. Be patient and understanding towards them and know that communication is key. They need your support and your love.

I want to suggest two books (I will provide a blog post later with a list of books to read that relate to mental illness), Grace for the Afflicted and Destroying Mental Illness in the Church.

These two books are an excellent staple to show what your loved one maybe experiencing and to better understand their behaviors and their illness. It will give you a spiritual and psycho/physiological point of view. It will help you grace and love your loved one to life and help them receive the help they need.

God bless,

Sheree B

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