Personal Narrative: My Personal Experience With Mental Illness

Many people suffer with mental illness in today’s society. Mental illness comes in many forms and different levels of severity. In this essay, I will discuss my own personal experience with mental illness and how it relates to socialization, sociological theories, social determinants of health, trauma and perceptions of mental illness in the media. Throughout my short life, I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. I was first diagnosed with a mental illness at the age of thirteen. Since then, I have experienced an array of ups and downs, including new diagnoses and new supports. The sociology of mental illness course has taught me a lot about myself and my mental health

According to Rogers & Pilgrim (2014), ““Socialization is about learning how to behave in a context-appropriate way in society and it is about a person gaining a confident sense of who they are” (p 72). I grew up with both parents suffering from various mental illnesses. My father went undiagnosed for the majority of my childhood and that caused a lot of stress and harm within our household. I believe the stress that I had faced throughout my childhood resulting from my father’s mental health issues were a contributing factor to my own mental health issues. The most difficult mental illness I am living with is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I was diagnosed with OCD in my early twenties and find most of my rituals/obsessions relate back to my childhood. OCD is very difficult to live with and negatively impacts many areas of my life including work, school and relationships. According to Strauss (2016), “Students who have OCD are often misunderstood – and not only can suffer academically but also can live in torment” (para 5). Due to being raised in a stressful environment, I find many people think I am “too sensitive” and do not have a “normal sense of humor” because I have high anxiety and thoroughly analyze situations and conversations. Rogers & Pilgrim

Some examples may include income level, childhood experience, social supports, education, employment, gender, culture and many more. After some deep thinking, I found that there are a few social determinants of health that directly relate to me and my mental health. I find that a healthy child development is incredibly important in maintaining mental health and helps reduce the risk of mental illness. My childhood was very high-stress and I now suffer because of it. It is not to say my parents are or were bad people, but they were living with mental illnesses themselves and it was hard to maintain a positive family life when they were suffering in their personal lives as well. I have some habits that have formed due to my stressful childhood that many people cannot understand. They make think it is odd behavior and be quick to judge and apply stereotypes. For an example, I have a habit of asking for permission to do simple things. My boyfriend, whom I live with understands this so when I ask him if I am allowed to shower he always assures me that I am an adult who owns my own home and am able to do as I want without asking. It is hard to break this “habit” as it is ingrained in me from an early child, and is now a part of my OCD habits. This example shows me the importance of a healthy childhood. Many adults suffer due to a non-healthy childhood and often this turns into some type of mental illness. Another social determinant of