We hide our illness well...

I was walking through the mall with a friend, when she told me to check the guy out on our left with the shaved head. He was ordering a meal at A&W, and I noticed he was very polite. He stood about 6 feet tall, very normal looking, attractive and in his late twenties.

After we were well passed him she asked what I thought. I gave her my description, assuming she would follow by telling me he had recently hit on her. She said “ You would never guess he has schizophrenia.. Would you?.”

Moral of this story is, people with mental illness’s aren’t always crazy, abusive, or homeless. They can be very normal in most- if not all- situations.

No one every suspects, especially by looking at me that I have such a messed up brain. Granted, I do well at hiding it. Most of those with ocd are great actors. Most people with depression don’t go around mopey or trying to commit sucicide all the time. Those with schizophrenia don’t always show signs of being detached from reality. Those with bipolar don’t always allow the world to see their manic and depressive states.

Recently at an eye appopintment to get contact lenses I had to list the type of medication I was on. When I said prozac, the contact lens fitter looked up at me and said “what?”. “Prozac” I repeated. She still looked quizzical so I also added the generic name Fluoxetine
.

Her face turned from quizzical to pity. She said “ Amy dear, You seem so happy. You don’t seem depressed.”

I know I didn’t owe her an explanation, but I gave her one anyways. “Oh, I have obsessive compulsive disorder, which also caused depression.”

She still had a slight frown on her face. The famous look of pity, the look I hate. “Oh, Amy. I am so sorry.”

I let out a sincere laugh and smiled. “Don’t be sorry. I am okay. I am dealing with it day by day. I’m good .”


There are so many celeberties with mental illness. No one would have ever guessed that they struggle with these issues. Below are a list of some.


Celebrities with OCD:
Cameron Diaz
Jessica Alba
Billy Bob Thornton
David Beckham
Alec Baldwin
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Donald Trump
Leonardo DiCaprio
Harrison Ford
Howard Stern
Howie Mandel
Roseanne Barr
Fred Durst
Rose McGowan
Michael Jackson
Joey Ramone

Celeberities with other mental illness's

Hallie Berry - Depressiom. Attempted suicide.
Naomi Judd- Depression, panic attacks, and seperation anxiety
Princess Diana -bulimia and may have struggled with borderline personality disorder
Vivien Leigh, star of Gone with the Wind, struggled with both bipolar disorder
Carrie Fisher, who played Princess Leia in Star Wars, lives with manic depression
Dave Matthews- depression
Barret Robbins, formerly of the Raiders, has battled bipolar disorder and alcoholism.
John Nash, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1994 and the subject of A Beautiful Mind, lives with schizophrenia.
Sting, manic depressive
DMX, aka Earl Simmons, -bipolar disorder.
Ben Stiller- bipolar