What else do people who are diagnosed with a mental illness want besides just symptom relief?
I believe people who are diagnosed are also seeking an explanation – why do they behave or act or feel the way they do? What caused them to feel this way? Were they born with it or did it develop because of an event or their childhood? When struggling with daily life, it’s easy to place blame on ourselves or other people, and people who are diagnosed will want to know it isn’t always their fault. It’s easy to feel ashamed of our actions or confused by them, when diagnosed, the first thing many will do is research, and realize there is a whole community of other people just like them who can support each other. People want the knowledge that they are not alone with their experiences.
I think people with mental illnesses want the things that most people want. They want good relationships, good health, equal treatment and reasonable employment opportunities or at least something they can consider a purpose. Some people also dream of a nice home, a spouse, children and that sort of thing. I don’t think typical aspirations are lost when one has a mental illness, in fact, I think it’s part of what makes things so difficult. Most people with serious mental illnesses probably won’t get most of the things they want and that, in itself, is a difficult disappointment to live with.
