ad·vo·ca·cy (ăd'və-kə-sē) pronunciation
n.
The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.
This month, I have learned a very valuable lesson. That no matter how I feel, no matter how symptomatic I may be at any given point, it does not take away from my intelligence as a human being, as me, Danielle. Despite feeling the Bipolar blues, or the anxiousness of a mouse in the cat's mouth, I KNOW MY BODY. I KNOW MYSELF. If something is wrong, IT IS.
The first step on our road to mental illness recovery and it's maintenance is to trust ourselves. Don't let a diagnosis or an ignorant stigma take away your dignity. I'm Bipolar. So what? Its a MOOD disorder, not a stupid disorder. I have Anxiety Disorder. So what? I get anxious sometimes for no reason, sometimes for a reason. That absolutely does not mean I can't tell blue from purple.
While there is satisfaction that it has been confirmed that the physical illness I've been feeling is real and has a name, it still stings what I had to go through for a little professional compassion and an open mind.
One of the many rules in treating Mental Illness is to rule out the physical FIRST. The next time you have to fight for yourself when you don't feel well, educate your health provider and show them that we can indeed be moody and agitated, when in the presence of ignorance.
