"Why Can't I Just Snap Out of It?" Understanding What a Mental Health Condition Really Is
One of the comments I hear most often from people attending their first psychiatric appointment is,
"I don't understand why I can't just get on with things."
Sometimes they feel frustrated with themselves. Sometimes they feel guilty because they believe they should be coping better. Many have spent months, or even years, telling themselves that they simply need to try harder.
Unfortunately, that way of thinking often makes people feel even worse.
One of the most important things I hope people take away from an assessment is the understanding that mental health conditions are not a sign of weakness, laziness or a lack of character. They are genuine health conditions that can affect the way we think, feel and function, just as physical illnesses affect the body.
Understanding this is often the first step towards recovery.
Mental Health Exists on a Spectrum
We all experience changes in our mental wellbeing throughout life.
Most of us will feel anxious before an important interview, low after losing someone we love or stressed during particularly demanding periods at work.
These are normal human experiences.
A mental health condition is different because the symptoms become more persistent, more severe or begin to interfere with everyday life.
Someone with depression is not simply having a bad day.
Someone with an anxiety disorder is not just worrying a little more than everyone else.
The difficulties have reached a point where they are having a significant impact on the person's wellbeing and ability to function.
It's Rarely Just One Thing
People often ask me what caused their mental health condition.
The honest answer is that there is rarely a single explanation.
Mental health is influenced by many different factors.
Our genetics.
Our physical health.
Our personality.
Our relationships.
Stressful life events.
Sleep.
Work.
Childhood experiences.
Current circumstances.
These factors interact in complex ways, and what leads one person to develop depression or anxiety may have very little effect on someone else.
This is one reason why treatment is rarely the same for everybody.
Symptoms Are Often Invisible
One of the challenges people face is that mental health conditions cannot usually be seen.
If someone breaks their leg, people immediately understand why they are struggling to walk.
If someone develops severe anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive disorder, they may look exactly the same on the outside.
This can make mental health conditions particularly lonely.
People often continue going to work, caring for their families and trying to appear as though everything is fine while quietly struggling beneath the surface.
The effort involved in maintaining that appearance is something many people underestimate.
Recovery Isn't About Positive Thinking
There is a common misconception that recovery simply means thinking more positively.
While developing helpful ways of thinking can certainly be part of treatment, recovery is usually much broader than that.
It may involve psychological therapy.
Medication.
Improving sleep.
Reducing stress.
Addressing physical health.
Building supportive relationships.
Making changes to work or daily routines.
Often, it involves several of these approaches working together.
The aim is not simply to remove symptoms.
It is to help people regain the quality of life that their condition has taken away.
There Is No Right Time to Ask for Help
One thing I often hear is,
"I didn't think I was unwell enough to ask for help."
Many people compare themselves with others and convince themselves that someone else has it worse.
The problem with this approach is that it delays support.
You don't have to reach crisis point before speaking to someone.
In fact, seeking help earlier often makes treatment more straightforward.
Mental health conditions, like physical health conditions, are usually easier to manage when recognised early.
Understanding Leads to Compassion
Receiving a diagnosis can bring mixed emotions.
Some people feel relieved because they finally have an explanation for what they have been experiencing.
Others feel uncertain about what it means for the future.
In my experience, one of the greatest benefits of understanding a mental health condition is that it often replaces self-criticism with self-compassion.
Instead of asking,
"What's wrong with me?"
people begin asking,
"What has been happening to me, and what can I do to help myself recover?"
That shift in perspective is often the beginning of meaningful change.
A Final Thought
One of the most important things I have learnt as a psychiatrist is that mental health conditions do not define the person experiencing them.
They are one part of someone's life, not the whole story.
With the right understanding, appropriate treatment and support, many people make significant improvements and go on to live fulfilling and meaningful lives.
If there is one message I would like people to take away, it is this:
Struggling with your mental health is not a sign that you have failed.
It is a sign that you are human.
And just as we would not expect someone with a physical illness to recover through willpower alone, we should not expect the same of ourselves when our mental health is suffering.
Understanding that simple truth is often the first step towards getting the help you deserve.
Dr James Glass
MBChB MRCPsych
Medical Director, WMI Psychiatry
