Thoughts on mental health and self harm... is it normal?

I'm bipolar. And that's not fake. I have periods of depression where I feel hopeless and wish to die. I have periods of mania and even distortions of reality combined with paranoia. Before I sought help and kept telling myself that nothing was wrong with me, my life was in turmoil.

Mental health issues should definitely be taken more seriously and people should be more sensitive to it. I myself have problems with mental illness and self-harm and it hurts when people tell me that I only seek attention and how it's not the answer. It's not just something that you can choose not to have. It's a struggle and it's real. You can't just tell a mentally ill person to choose happiness because it is not that easy. It is very hard and very serious and it's not helping if someone is insensitive, rude, and ignorant.

I've noticed a huge lessening of the stigma around mental illness over the last 5 years or so (in Australia anyway, I don't know about other countries) as more and more people speak up about their own mental health issues.

Given that one in four people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, it's tragic that services are continually being cut back (Australian figures again) leaving routine medication prescription the only option available to most people.

It would be nice if there wasn't such a stigma attached to ppl seeking mental health assistance. It would also be nice if there weren't so many restrictions on controlled substances. I think if marijuana was legal everywhere ppl wouldn't be as stressed and alot of anxiety issues would subside.

My mental health is awful and it's a huge deal. I am probably going to die from the stress, which is sad, especially because I eat so healthy and excersize. :( I used to self-harm (not cutting). not sure if I want to do it again.

Mental health should be taken more seriously, and get away retreats should be available for anyone feeling unstable. Only problem with that is people may abuse the system and use it as a hotel or a place to get 3 meals a day.

Self harming is initially a pissy call for attention which later becomes a habit. Nothing to do with mental health.