Posted by LG04 on May 10, 2004, at 11:29:20
In reply to The stigma and loneliness of mental illness...., posted by KindGirl on May 10, 2004, at 1:19:37
Hi, I totally relate to what you are saying. I often feel very alone, even though I have many close friends (though most live in the U.S. and I live in Israel so it makes sense that I would feel lonely for them). But even here I have good friends and I still feel so lonely so often. My therapist tries to help me to be able to feel people's love and caring for me because it's so hard for me to take it in. Or, I can feel it at the moment that I am speaking to them or with them, but the moment we hang up or I leave, it disappears. I can't hang on to the feelings of people's caring and love for me.
I have gotten better about telling people that I am in therapy. Even here, in Israel, where it's more of a stigma than in America, I am pretty open about it and find that others are accepting. I am less open about being on anti-depressants/anti-anxiety meds. And, for instance, I was just hospitalized for 5 days because I was in such despair and couldn't function anymore and was feeling suicidal, etc., and I hardly told anyone. I lied to work, to friends, to almost everyone.
I think the loneliness thing is hard to beat (but possible)...it's an internal thing...less connected to if we're actually lonely, more connected to how we feel about ourselves. That's how it seems to me anyway.
It's something I really am trying to work on. You're not alone.
LG
poster:LG04
thread:345273
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040503/msgs/345363.html