Mental Illness? There's and App for that!

a reply to: johnnyjoe1979

Some 'mental illness' is just behavioral issues or response to hard times. I think given the right circumstances anyone can be depressed, it's actually quite normal. One of my friend's nieces was hit and killed while riding a bicycle, my friend was so impacted by it that she ended up on anti-depressants for a while to help her through it.

That being said, there's no doubt in my mind that the more serious and persistent mental illness has a physical basis. Science just hasn't quite caught up yet when it comes to diagnosis.

For instance: when I was manic (5 years ago) it was horrible. It was like being on 10 pounds of crack, but I was completely sober. I was acting completely out of character, my mind was super sped up. My manic episode was caused by steroids and sleep deprivation, not genetics (plus illness, injury and general exhaustion). There must be some test to prove that an episode such as mine has a physical basis and it wasn't just me 'acting crazy'.

Same thing with my PTSD. I can intellectually know that something is not a threat, yet, beyond my control my brain DUMPS the hormones as is would respond to a threat on my life. Again, this should be detectible by some kind of test. They just haven't figured it out yet.

No matter the cause, if you're suffering from mental illness people treat you like crap. As a society there have been great strides made in raising awareness and generally mentally ill people are treated more humanely than they used to be. But it's still extremely isolating and depressing to suffer from it. This app helps bring people proper emotional support, and that's what's so awesome about it!