If you don't turn up to work, you're lazy.
If you're not listening, you're rude.
If you're short tempered, you're selfish.
If you don't want to go out, you're boring.
If you're upset, you're sensitive.
...and in many situations in life, that may well be the case. But mental illness can make us come across in particular ways but are actually symptoms of the illness we are dealing with.
Many years ago when I couldn't go to school, I remember being called lazy because I never attended when in fact I was in the midst of severe anxiety and depression. Rather than Mental illness being an invalid excuse, it is in fact a valid reason.
If I don't turn up to work, I'm actually struggling with depression and I'm not lazy.
If I'm not listening, I'm dissociating and I promise I'm not intentionally being rude.
If I'm short tempered, I didn't get any sleep because of my depression and I'm stressed.
If I don't want to go out, it's because I can't move my legs due to my anxiety.
If I'm upset, it's because I am feeling hopeless and suicidal.
On the other end of the spectrum, mental illness really isn't just an excuse. Mental illness isn't just something you can pluck out of thin air and use as an excuse to some of your negative actions. Regardless of whether you have mental illness or not, being intentionally selfish or rude is not something you can support by the fact that you have a mental illness. I In the same way, every time you are sad or angry doesn't necessarily mean it's related to your depression, it could simply be part of a normal human emotion.
Similarly, using conditions in relation to mental illness as adjectives for a reason as to why you are acting in a particular way isn't appropriate either. It can invalidate others' experiences and also make it harder for people to be open as more people will view mental illness are crying wolf rather than seeing it as a real, pertinent issue. If you really feel that you are going through a difficult experience and are struggling with your mental health, going to the doctors is the forward step.
Remember to be proud of who you are and the conditions you deal with. Never feel ashamed if your mental illness is making you come across in a particular way because those who understand will know that it is just part of the symptoms of your conditions.
