Thread by @johnmoe

1/ Many years ago, my wife asked me to go to the doctor because she was worried about my mental health.
I said no.
I had been raised in a world where if something was wrong with your mind, you either accepted it or tried to overcome it through strength.
#WorldMentalHealthDay

2/ Of course, those things don't work. Accepting it doesn't make it go away, suppressing it doesn't make it go away, and it has nothing to do with strength. Trying to out-macho your mental illness just results in bigger explosions later on. #WorldMentalHealthDay

3/ In my case, the shoving it down and putting a lid on it had been going on for so long that the lid wouldn't stay on. It was overflowing. I was going, and I hesitate to use the word but it's pretty spot-on, crazy. #WorldMentalHealthDay

4/ In my case it was panic, isolation, weird fits of rage that weren't violent toward anyone but myself. I refused invitations from friends because I didn't want to be a burden to them. In retrospect, I bet they were calling me out of concern. #WorldMentalHealthDay

5/ So when she asked me to see a doctor, I said no. Part of the reason - and this will make no sense if you've never dealt with depression and total sense if you have - I didn't want to waste the doctor's time. #WorldMentalHealthDay

6/ Talking to people is a doctor's job. Also, I reasoned, it was expensive. We had a $10 co-pay at the time. I wasn't worth ten bucks. #WorldMentalHealthDay

7/ Finally, my wise wife said "If you can't love yourself enough to do this, do you love me and the kids?"
"Of course. More than anything."
"Then do it for us."
So I went. #WorldMentalHealthDay

8/ And I got diagnosed with depression. And Dr. Michael Kovar (you remember the names of people who save your life) got me on a plan to treat it.
So listen: if you're having mental health troubles, THOSE TROUBLES might be blocking you from getting help.#WorldMentalHealthDay

9/ If you're having issues with mental health or even think you might be, please know that those things distort reality. So allow for that possibility. And get it checked out by a trained professional. #WorldMentalHealthDay

10/ And if after all that, you don't think you're worth treatment, well, fine. You're wrong, but fine. So then do it for someone else. Do it for someone you love. Do it for someone who loves you. Do them a favor. Be kind to at least them. #WorldMentalHealthDay

11/ And if you can be kind to them and act out of love, you'll likely find that you're doing yourself a favor too. Because love is good and mental health is important. It can all be better than it is now. Thanks. #WorldMentalHealthDay / end