By ROSIE WATERLAND
Move over Astro Boy, Sailor Moon, Alex Mac, Chris Lilley, Tina Fey and Lena Dunham (in that order) – I have a new hero, and her name is Ruby Rose.
On Sunday, Rose tweeted her fans the following:
That Rose is depressed enough to feel that she needs to take time out in order to get better is a terrible state to be in and, obviously, I wish her all the very best.
But I would like to bring attention to the tweets. The AMAZING FREAKING TWEETS. I feel like that little picture doesn’t do them justice because what Rose did is a HUGE deal.
She admitted she’s depressed and that she’s taking time out to get the help she needs.
I know, I know. When I squeeze it into that one sentence it doesn’t seem like much. And considering Rose has been open about her mental health issues in the past and is even an ambassador for the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, Headspace, it’s not like she’s let a massive cat out of the bag.
But still, I thought the tweets were a big deal. Why? Well, basically, because they didn’t seem like such a big deal – and that’s a big deal.
Stick with me.
Rose admitted she’s depressed and that she’s taking time out to get the help she needs. That’s. It. The reaction from her followers and the media was wholly positive, which she was thankful for, and I assume she’s now doing whatever it is she needs to do in order to get back to feeling like herself. Just like if she had a cold. Or a broken leg.
Just the way it should be with any illness.
As someone who has dealt with her own mental health issues, seeing somebody with a high profile like Rose treat her depression like it’s the same as any other kind of illness makes me feel like it’s okay to do the same. But more importantly, it makes me feel like she’s showing those without mental health issues that they are legitimate conditions that require treatment and care like any other.
You’d be surprised at how hard it is to find people who think that way.
My late teens and early twenties were overshadowed by my mental illness, and I lost jobs, friends, boyfriends and even some family because of it.
I had what’s known as Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s very similar to PTSD – the main difference being it develops over a long period of stress (in my case, a turbulent childhood) rather than a more condensed single traumatic event (like a war battle or a car accident).
One of the main symptoms is an inability to regulate one’s emotions, so an upset that would be a seven or eight on the scale for an emotionally healthy person was like a 500 for me. Getting a bad grade would give me a panic attack. One boyfriend broke up with me and I ended up in a psychiatric ward for three weeks. And being unable to control your emotional state is pretty damn confusing, so not only would I be feeling the immense pain of whatever the latest upset was, I would also be feeling terrified and frustrated with myself for being unable to control how my body and mind reacted.
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Thanks Rosie, Ruby & all the commenters for helping me feel a little less alone tonight ❤
As an advocate of sexual abuse prevention education and the author of the children's book on safe and unsafe touch: 'Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept' I so often see a strong link between childhood sexual abuse and adult depression and anxiety. With 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys sexually abused before their 18th birthday and with 93% knowing their perpetrator, there are many many people suffering from a stolen childhood. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are my heroes. And when they speak out so bravely as has Ruby Rose, parents and educators needs to listen and make sure our next generation of children never suffer has they did and continue to suffer during adulthood.
I don't think it's just sexual abuse as a child that brings on depression and anxiety, it's also can be physical and emotionl abuse when you're a child that can manifest those feelings.... Feeling unloved and alone, and not worthy and believing you don't deserve happiness and peace of mind.... It's that kind of treatment that skews the whole way you view the world from then on unfortunately.