7 things you need to stop saying to people who take mental health medication

I’ve been taking medication for my mental
health for a year now, after receiving a
diagnosis of bipolar disorder .


In this time, I’ve
heard some rather
crass comments
about medication –
and have been asked
some really ridiculous
questions.
I’ve also seen some
incredibly unsympathetic social media
updates, from people who obviously have
never had to deal with mental illness.
And so, with this article, I’d like to educate
those who may not fully understand the
seriousness of mental health, on what you
definitely should not say to someone who
has decided to help themselves by taking
medication.
Below are some of the comments I’d really
like to hear less of regarding mental health
and medication.

1. ‘Have you not taken your
meds?’
If I’m having a bad day – I’m having just
that. It’s really important that people
remember that while you have a mental
illness, you are not your mental illness. I
am allowed to get annoyed about certain
things without it reflecting on my mental
health. Not all actions can be blamed on
mental illness – and therefore please
refrain from asking this question if you’ve
been snapped at for being rude,
confrontational or lazy.

2. ‘Have you tried going for a run,
eating healthy, drinking more water
or *insert other ‘helpful’ advice
here*
While the fresh air is nice, fruit tastes great
and if you’re on Lithium, you definitely
need to be drinking more water – it’s not a
cure. Stop trying to give somebody who
has been brave enough to say yes to
medication an alternative just because you
may not agree with it.

3. ‘It’s because of all of that
medication you’re taking’
The medication is meant to be helpful, and
while there can be some nasty side effects,
when we’ve started the medication, we
really need positive thoughts. If we’re
feeling really down, it’s either because
we’re feeling just that – or because
perhaps our mental health is not great on
that day. Try and understand that without
blaming the pills we’re taking – especially
because those pills can seem like a last
resort for many.

4. ‘You’re turning into a bit of a
junkie’
While this is probably meant to be funny,
it’s just not. My medication helps balance
my moods, keeps me from being too manic
or too low and helps me sleep. Joking
about being a drug-addict because I need
these to live a stable life is just not funny.
5. ‘You need to man-up, not take
medication’
For some reason some people seem to
have the idea that taking medication
makes you weak or inferior , that by taking
them you have given up on all other ways
to cheer yourself up. But, as said above,
medication can often be a last resort –
therefore we’ve already tried other way to
‘man-up’, as you so unsympathetically put
it.
6. ‘Your partner must be really
strong to be with you when you’re
on all of that’
This sounds too unbelievable to be true,
but this is a statement I saw the other day
while browsing through Twitter, and is also
what prompted this article. Let’s just get
this clear, just because you have a mental
illness doesn’t mean you can’t have a
relationship. And when you’re in a
relationship with someone who has a
mental illness, it doesn’t mean you’re put
through hell, have to be incredibly strong
or experience a lot of downfalls.
A person with a mental illness just needs
their partner to be supportive, that’s all. I
would never, ever want my partner to feel
as though he has to channel any of the
emotions that come from my bipolar
disorder. It’s an insult to assume that a
person suffering with mental illness is any
sort of burden on their partner because of
something that is out of their control.
7. ‘You don’t need that medication’
That is not for you to decide. That is for a
qualified psychiatrist to decide and
prescribe. Instead of focusing on what we
do or do not need to ensure our heads
aren’t erratic, filled with horrible thoughts
or as though we’re about to self-destruct,
worry about yourself. A mental illness is
still an illness.
Sure, it’s invisible, but it’s still very
relevant. Would you tell someone with a
broken leg that they don’t need a cast?
No, of course you wouldn’t. So don’t tell
someone whose illness may be making
them a danger to themselves that they
don’t need an equal medication to help
them.