Lauren Ashcraft  🌹Compte certifié

1/? As per the usual, GOP is blaming mental illness for the recent string of terrorism. OK @GOP, let’s talk about mental healthcare in a thread. I want to break down my own mental health journey as an example.

2/? I was always a “worrier.” So much that I often gave myself heartburn, stomach issues, migraines, tooth and jaw issues from constant clenching, severe chest pains which I now realize were panic attacks. I never thought anything of it. It was normal to be miserable, I thought.

3/? YEARS later I was having a great deal of trouble handling grief for someone I had lost. I couldn’t sleep or eat. I sought a counselor. My insurance company didn’t cover mental health services, so I put it off.

4/? When I was on the verge of losing my livelihood, I found out that my then employer covered 5 sessions (not enough but... I needed it). I made an appointment and was speaking with my therapist when we both noticed that I was actually there for much more than just grief.

5/? My entire life, I had been carrying around this heavy weight that nobody else had ever recognized, and that weight was named anxiety. The diagnosis hit me like a brick to my chest. Everything made sense.

6/? I was unable to help myself prior to therapy, because I couldn’t see that there was anything wrong. We as a society are taught to not recognize mental health issues the same way that we would see a doctor for stomach pain, joint pain, etc.

7/? Mental health is health, and it needs to be destigmatized. Coverage should be free, and care should be encouraged. Through treatment, I can honestly say I have never been better. For 20-something years I carried this weight that I could have let go of much sooner.