Elephant In the Room

Depression is killing more than ever, yet remains the largest elephant in the room Mental health has a stigma attached to it People are scared to get help for their mental illness and wounds Cause people judge and laugh at it Bipolar, depression, bulimia, schizophrenia Just a few topics constantly missed by media They prefer to post about celebrities and such nonsense People go missing daily, cause depression takes them hostage You'll call someone lazy, but depression leaves them with no energy to get out of bed Anxiety making a person constantly panic and regret things they said There's a female being called fat, and a dad that's beating his daughter But you'll call the girl weak and stupid for having an eating disorder I'm sick of seeing mental health and self harm be dismissed on the internet How is self-harm any different from smoking a cigarette? People get addicted, it relieves stress and takes the pain away Not everyone deals with their pain in the same way Wearing long sleeves to hide their scars yet you call them an attention seeker Or "if you really wanted to die you'd cut deeper" Just some things I've heard in my time This isn't a poem, this is more than words that rhyme Don't give up on someone who's struggling with a mental illness Be patient and understanding, there isn't a quick way to heal it Imagine being controlled by an illness and blaming yourself for it If people judged less, maybe people with mental health issues would be more confident to get help for it I know some of these lines don't go together And I should have spent more time to make it flow better But this is deeper than rhyming words, I'm here to share a message I just hope the world is prepared to accept it