The Student Room Group

How does it feel to be Mentally ill?

So, for as long as I can remember, I have always been mentally stable. I have never felt depressed or any urge or be self-harming etc. Obviously I have been sad/stressed at certain incidents, but it has never affected me in the long term. I have always had a rational mind and think things through as they are, an example: I don't give a single care in the world if I have spots, my hair is messy, I get a bad grade etc, people are too engulfed in their own insecurities to care about me. It's a natural human belief that they are the centre of the universe (Derren Brown explains this very well), hence the insecurities eat them inside out.

So my question is this, how does it feel to be Mentally ill? What prevents sufferers to think rationally and with sense?


This post is by no where near an insult or meant to belittle the consequence of mental illnesses. It's purely me trying to understand better, for my own personal insight.

Thanks :biggrin:

Scroll to see replies

It's not very snazzy :no:
Don't know if I should put this here, but there are times when everything just becomes overwhelming and I reach a breaking point.
More like my brain over flooding thoughts and it hurts at times because I feel as if there is no way out.

One of the important things I realised was that in life people come and go. You will be surrounded by toxic people. People won't like you for no reason. You could literally do nothing to someone and they won't like you.

I get so consumed by my thoughts it just ruins my mood.
It depends on the illness. If it's OCD it's going to feel completely difference than gender dysphoria, social anxiety or some other issue. I can only speak about OCD. Imagine doing the most tedious thing you know time and time again until it feels right. Placing a glass down in exactly the same place, clicking buttons on the computer with the cursor in an identical position, standing in each section of the living room an even number of times, blinking twice every time you see a word you like and all sort of stupid things. You know it's irrational and doesn't make a difference. Yet you do it anyway in case it does. Imagine thinking that and every time you notice you haven't done something you need to go back and do it in exactly the same way otherwise death results. I was turning on and off my laptop because the point on my arrow button wasn't exactly at the top on the vertical line in the shutdown symbol and I couldn't align it within the 4 second time limit I set myself. Now imagine doing that and it had to be perfect on an even number of attempts. I spent over an hour trying to nail it. I felt like breaking something at the end of it. The frustration kept building. I couldn't pull myself away from doing it. I thought I would have died if I didn't.

All long behind me now. That should give you an idea
Original post by Plantagenet Crown
I've never been mentally ill at all either, but this is still quite an insensitive thread tbh.

Why is it? As someone who was mentally ill I like the idea. It helps others understand what it's like to suffer
Just a little reminder to check the Forum Rules before posting about anything potentially triggering :h:
Like every day is just another struggle and there's no hope.
Reply 7
Original post by Anonymous
Even when I specifically mention that it's to better my understanding.. Jeez, out of everyone, I didn't expect this snowflake behaviour from you.


I was referring to Plantagenet Crown btw :biggrin:
I’m really confused about how OP wrote their post 49 years ago.
Reply 9
Original post by RichPiana
I’m really confused about how OP wrote their post 49 years ago.

It went into the mod queue and something funny happened when I approved it I guess :lol:
i have depression and severe anxiety (not panic attacks though) it affects the way i think about myself and the world. i feel lost, upset, unmotivated, it completely changes me. and it makes me extra extra sensitive. i hate depression. and the anxiety doesn’t help because i think everyone hates me and people can read my mind. i am just tired all the time, overeating and sleeping.
Reply 11
Original post by Anonymous
So, for as long as I can remember, I have always been mentally stable. I have never felt depressed or any urge or be self-harming etc. Obviously I have been sad/stressed at certain incidents, but it has never affected me in the long term. I have always had a rational mind and think things through as they are, an example: I don't give a single care in the world if I have spots, my hair is messy, I get a bad grade etc, people are too engulfed in their own insecurities to care about me. It's a natural human belief that they are the centre of the universe (Derren Brown explains this very well), hence the insecurities eat them inside out.

So my question is this, how does it feel to be Mentally ill? What prevents sufferers to think rationally and with sense?


This post is by no where near an insult or meant to belittle the consequence of mental illnesses. It's purely me trying to understand better, for my own personal insight.

Thanks :biggrin:


It feels like ****. Can’t speak for everyone, I have BPD, depression and paranoid schizophrenia. All consume me. I don’t even know what BPD is, so I am unable to see through the personality disorder and my own personality. Depression i’ve Had for most of my life and it effects everything and only occasionally lifts. Paranoid schizophrenia makes me feel detached, can’t trust anyone, scared of everything, voices all the time etc.
(edited 4 years ago)
No matter how much you try and make sense of the world, it is incredibly harsh and unforgiving. No one cares for you, no matter how much care you show for others. I regularly wish I was dead because I honestly don't see what the feck is the point of living - working your ase off for a company(-ies) for the next 30 years. It sounds completely unfulfilling.

Good luck getting support from the NHS. They are useless. Good luck explaining these issues - if you do even half well in your GCSE's/A-levels/degree doctors, nurses and psychiatrists will assume your issues are not significant.

So yeah, it sucks.
Reply 13
Original post by Anonymous
So, for as long as I can remember, I have always been mentally stable. I have never felt depressed or any urge or be self-harming etc. Obviously I have been sad/stressed at certain incidents, but it has never affected me in the long term. I have always had a rational mind and think things through as they are, an example: I don't give a single care in the world if I have spots, my hair is messy, I get a bad grade etc, people are too engulfed in their own insecurities to care about me. It's a natural human belief that they are the centre of the universe (Derren Brown explains this very well), hence the insecurities eat them inside out.

So my question is this, how does it feel to be Mentally ill? What prevents sufferers to think rationally and with sense?


This post is by no where near an insult or meant to belittle the consequence of mental illnesses. It's purely me trying to understand better, for my own personal insight.

Thanks :biggrin:

Regarding this.

I guess it can make you feel as though you don't belong but belong in the same breath. You see things differently, things worry you more and affect you more. It makes you feel physically and mentally tired. It makes you feel as though everyday is a battle and it might not be a battle you'll win.

You feel as though your thoughts (if even when mentally healthy, they could be said to be irrational) are 100% rational because you'll thought them through. It feels as though the world is dark and has no light switch.

The best analogy is the 'black dog' one for depression
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by Anonymous
No matter how much you try and make sense of the world, it is incredibly harsh and unforgiving. No one cares for you, no matter how much care you show for others. I regularly wish I was dead because I honestly don't see what the feck is the point of living - working your ase off for a company(-ies) for the next 30 years. It sounds completely unfulfilling.

Good luck getting support from the NHS. They are useless. Good luck explaining these issues - if you do even half well in your GCSE's/A-levels/degree doctors, nurses and psychiatrists will assume your issues are not significant.

So yeah, it sucks.

This, 100%.
Original post by Miss Maddie
Quoted the wrong person here


I honestly find your approach to this more offensive and patronising than anything else in this thread. I'm seriously triggered by you.

Nothing here is triggering apart from you. It's not even potentially triggering. MH people are not so timid we'll be offended by people asking a question to further their understanding. If we think something will trigger us we won't read the thread. The title makes the content obvious. Please don't patronise us and assume we're all snowflakes like you are doing.


Your experiences are not universal; what may not trigger you may well trigger someone else. It's quite ignorant and insensitive to assume that just because it doesn't bother you, it won't bother anyone else.

Everyone experiences mental health difficulties differently and that experience shapes how they react to potential triggers. @Glaz's message was precisely to remind people making posts exactly like yours to be considerate of how other people may react to them.
It really sucks. I 'experienced an episode of psychosis' as the healthcare professionals say, and the whole world is confusing to me. Apparently I have invalid beliefs about things. I get depressed easily (feeling down). I feel like I've died and am now living somebody else's life. It's truly exhausting. Hate having to take medication every day too. But above all else, it's confusing, exhausting and horrible.
It’s absolute hell. I suffer from PTSD, depression and anxiety. It’s a constant cycle of not being able to eat, sleep, think or even get out of bed
Original post by Anonymous
No matter how much you try and make sense of the world, it is incredibly harsh and unforgiving. No one cares for you, no matter how much care you show for others. I regularly wish I was dead because I honestly don't see what the feck is the point of living - working your ase off for a company(-ies) for the next 30 years. It sounds completely unfulfilling.

Good luck getting support from the NHS. They are useless. Good luck explaining these issues - if you do even half well in your GCSE's/A-levels/degree doctors, nurses and psychiatrists will assume your issues are not significant.

So yeah, it sucks.


I'm very sorry for the way you feel.

Would simply accepting the reality not make you feel much better? It's a harsh world, so you must fend for yourself and those you care about. I've often believed that life is the greatest gift given to us. The probability of us being conscious is mind blowing, so I strive to cherish every moment.

Again, I'm always here to talk if you want :biggrin: keep your chin up!!
Original post by Anonymous
Would simply accepting the reality not make you feel much better?

Ahh, you see. It isn't always very simple

Quick Reply

Latest