Something wonderful happened to me today: I was hungry for breakfast.

I have been really anxious for the last few months and when that happens my appetite just disappears. Naturally, when it came back this morning I had to tell Twitter about it. So I did:

I figured the main reason I felt hungry was because my anti-depressants were kicking in after starting them again 3 weeks ago, and didn’t think much about the tweet until someone asked me about it. Which then made me think about whether Twitter needs to know I’m “mentally ill.”

Which made me think about the whole concept of “mental” illness.

Here’s the thing; when I pop my paroxetine in the morning, I am taking a drug that is designed to correct a chemical imbalance in my brain. So how am I mentally ill? Isn’t that a physical problem? Sure, it might affect my moods but then why don’t we call diabetics pancreatically ill?

I am not embarrassed that I have some sort of “mental illness,” but just find the concept a bit outdated. There’s a stigma attached to it that I don’t like; as if I am not thinking properly and have some kind of control over that. It’s not that my thoughts are wrong, it’s that the physical condition of my brain is off, and that affects my thoughts.
A subtle, but important difference.

We are born with physical bodies and sometimes they have defects; thyroids work too slowly, heart valves aren’t strong enough, stomachs can’t digest certain foods etc. I have no more control over my thyroid than I do over my brain chemistry, so why isn’t it considered a physical problem?

All this because I managed to wolf down some battered fish and eggs for breakfast.
I might have to rethink my whole argument here…

In the mean time, I stand by my tweet. My serotonin levels are low and I’m on meds to correct that.

No shame here.