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Thania Narker on Mental Health : “Don’t Give Up Hope”
Crown The Brown: It is never too late to share our mental health journals and Thania Narker surely has a story to share. Thania Narker is a masters student and an advocate for Mental Health awareness. She has inspired many young people struggling each and everyday. We were fortunate enough to learn more about this amazing young lady. Above all, this is Thania‘s mental health journal entry.
Thania Narker
My journey with mental health has been a depressing one. (OK that was horrible, humor is how I cope with things, accept me). Okay seriously, it hasn’t been easy. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2017. I am still learning how to cope. Nowadays people think is ‘normal’ to have depression. The seriousness has been lost to society.
I think that is the thing I’ve struggled with the most- trying to make people understand what that mental illness is something serious, not something to take lightly. It’s difficult to get people to understand. The only ones who do are the ones struggling with mental illness too. It’s like we’re Jack and Rose on the Titanic. Everyone is telling Jack to ‘just get on the door’ but they don’t understand that if he does, the door will sink and everyone will certainly drown.
Ok, I digress. Back to my journey.
After being diagnosed, I started seeing a psychologist, for therapy, and a psychiatrist, for medication. I will speak about my experiences with both.
Therapy
Over the past 2 years, I have been with two psychologists. The first one, bless her soul, wasn’t exactly someone I felt like I could warm up to and she didn’t help me in the way I needed to be helped. Bottom line, I didn’t feel better after going to her. I stopped going for therapy, thinking it was useless and couldn’t help me.
Later, after going through a serious rough patch, my mother forced me to start going again. This time I went to a different psychologist- recommended by my psychiatrist. She was amazing. Her sessions helped me incredibly. I felt at ease when I left her office (which is something a psychologist should generally try to make you feel). From that, I learnt that you can’t judge all psychologists from one session with one person.
Furthermore, Psychologists are people, and just like people, they have their own counseling styles and you either get along with them or you don’t. If you don’t, then you try a new one and eventually you’ll find someone you click with, and all your therapy sessions will change for the better.
Medication
Now onto medication, gosh, I have been on so many different types of medications. Different brands, doses, combinations. Sometimes a certain medication cocktail would work with me for a few months, then suddenly it stops working and I fall into a dark place again.
My psychiatrist has been nothing but patient. If a medication stopped working, he would put me on a new one. He would assess all the side effects I’m experiencing and try to remedy them. Being on countless different scripts, I started giving up hope.
I began to believe that if medication won’t work then nothing will. That was my biggest mistake- giving up hope. Not too long after, my psychiatrist and I found the medications that worked best for me. Until today, I am still on them and they make me feel better than I ever have, since the diagnosis.
To those struggling with mental illness
“Please take this from me. Don’t give up. If you have a psychologist that you’re not too fond of, find a new one. If you’re on medication that you feel isn’t working, try a new one. Don’t give up. Eventually you will find what works for you. Things don’t always work out the first time around because everyone is different, from our personalities down to our genetics. There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to mental health. Your journey is unique and it is yours. You learn about yourself, you grow, and during it all you will find what works for you to help you feel a little better. Just don’t give up hope. “
